Diocese of Arundel and Brighton

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The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton is a Roman Catholic Diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey.

The Diocese of Arundel & Brighton was established on 28 May 1965, having previously been a part of the larger Archdiocese of Southwark.

There have been three Bishops of the Diocese. The first was Bishop David Cashman who was consecrated on 14 June 1965. He died in March 1971 and was succeeded by Bishop Michael Bowen who was then translated in April 1977 to be the Archbishop of Southwark. He was succeeded by Bishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor who, in March 2000, became the 10th Archbishop of Westminster. Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor was made a Cardinal on 21 February 2001 in Rome. The Diocese continues to be part of the Metropolitan Province of Southwark presided over by Archbishop Michael Bowen. The Diocese comprises the administrative counties of West and East Sussex, Surrey outside of the Greater London Borough, and the unitary authority of Brighton & Hove. It is one of 22 Roman Catholic Dioceses in England & Wales.

Situated in the South East of England the Diocese encompasses a large number of villages and smaller towns, as well as highly populated parts of Surrey, central Sussex and the coastal region running from Chichester to the Kent border. There are a number of universities [Sussex, Brighton, Surrey, Royal Holloway College in Egham] as well as technical colleges and Colleges of Higher Education.

The Diocese has a weekly Mass attendance of 43,377 persons, which would be approximately one quarter of the total Catholic population. There are 116 parishes with a number of other centres where Mass is celebrated regularly. Currently (April 2005) the Diocese has 182 diocesan and 97 religious priests, as well as 16 permanent deacons. There are a large number of Religious Orders, both men and women, living and working in the Diocese in a number of apostolates. The Diocese has a total of 90 Catholic schools.

The fourth and current bishop is the Right Reverend Kieran Thomas Conry.