Kevin McDonald (bishop)

The Most Reverend
Kevin McDonald
Archbishop Emeritus of Southwark
Archdiocese Southwark
Province Southwark
See Southwark
Appointed 6 November 2003
Installed 8 December 2003
Term ended 4 December 2009
Predecessor Michael George Bowen
Successor Peter Smith
Orders
Ordination 20 July 1974
Consecration 2 May 2001
by Patrick Leo McCartie
Personal details
Birth name Kevin John Patrick McDonald
Born 18 August 1947
Stoke-on-Trent, England
Nationality British
Denomination Roman Catholic
Previous post Bishop of Northampton (2001 - 2003)
Styles of
Kevin McDonald
Reference style The Most Reverend
Spoken style Your Grace
Religious style Archbishop

Kevin John Patrick McDonald KC*HS (b. 18 August 1947, Stoke-on-Trent) is the Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, England,.[1][2] He is Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy of England and Wales of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.[3]

Life

He attended St. Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent, the Christian Brothers' Grammar School from 1958-1965. He read Latin at Birmingham University from 1965-1968.

In 1968 he was accepted as a student for the Archdiocese of Birmingham and was ordained priest on 20 July 1974 in the Metropolitan Cathedral of St Chad in Birmingham. From 1976-1985 he was a lecturer in moral theology at Oscott College. He became secretary at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome 1985-1993. McDonald earned a Doctorate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum in 1989 with a dissertation entitled Communion and friendship : a framework for ecumenical dialogue in ethics.

In 1993 he returned to England and became the Parish priest of English Martyrs, Sparkhill until 1998. It was while in Sparkhill that McDonald developed his interest in inter-religious dialogue. From 1998 until 2001 he was Rector of Oscott seminary. McDonald was consecrated the 11th Bishop of Northampton on 2 May 2001 by Bishop Leo McCartie, assisted by Archbishops Patrick Kelly and Vincent Nichols.

Archbishop of Southwark

On 8 December 2003, McDonald was installed as the Archbishop of Southwark on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast of the archdiocese. After becoming archbishop, McDonald suffered with ill health, spending a significant portion of 2008 on sick leave. Besides suffering from severe osteo-arthritis, he underwent a triple heart bypass. He was rumoured to be Pope Benedict XVI's first choice to replace Cormac Murphy-O'Connor as Archbishop of Westminster. However, on 4 December 2009, following the announcement of Vincent Nichols as Archbishop of Westminster, McDonald resigned his post on health grounds.[4]

Personal

He has an elder brother and sister and two younger brothers. He has nine nephews and nieces and three great-nephews.

References

External links


Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Patrick Leo McCartie
Bishop of Northampton
2001–2003
Succeeded by
Peter John Haworth Doyle
Preceded by
Michael George Bowen
Archbishop of Southwark
2003–2009
Succeeded by
Peter Smith