Our Diocese

Our parish is part of the Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough. Prior to 1982, it was part of the Diocese of Leeds.

Middlesbrough Diocese consists of: the Boroughs of Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees (South of the River Tees); the cities of Kingston-upon-Hull and York; East Yorkshire; and most of North Yorkshire.

The spiritual patrons of the Diocese are Our Lady of Perpetual Help (feast day 27th June) and St. Wilfrid (feast day 12th October).

Our Bishop

In a diocese the bishop is our 'Father in Christ', leading the local Church. It is through his being 'in communion' with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, that makes us part of the wider Catholic Church.

The first Bishop of Middlesbrough was consecrated in 1879.

Our current bishop is Rt. Rev. Terence Patrick Drainey. Bishop Terry was born in Manchester in 1949, was ordained priest in 1975, and was ordained and installed as seventh Bishop of Middlesbrough in 2008.

Our Deanery

Dioceses are subdivided into districts called deaneries, which coordinate clergy and pastoral activities in a particular area.
There are four deaneries in Middlesbrough Diocese:

• Northern Deanery (of Our Lady of Perpetual Help)
• Central (of St. Wilfrid)
• Coastal (of St. Hilda)
• Southern (of St. John of Beverley)

Our Lady's is part of the Central Deanery of St. Wilfrid, and our Dean is Very Rev. Canon Alan Sheridan, VF.
The Central Deanery comprises of the following parishes:

• York: St. Aelred; St. George; English Martyrs; Our Lady; St. Joseph; St. Wilfrid
• Haxby: St. Margaret Clitherow (serving St. Paulinus, York)
• Malton: Sts. Leonard and Mary
• Ampleforth: Our Lady and St. Benedict
• Gilling East: Our Lady and the Holy Angels
• Oswaldkirk: St. Aiden
• Easingwold: St. John the Evangelist
• Pickering: St. Joseph
• Kirkbymoorside: St. Chad
• Helmsley: St. Mary.