Pope appoints Bishop Malcolm McMahon as Metropolitan Archbishop of Liverpool
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday named the current bishop of Nottingham, Malcolm
Patrick McMahon to be the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Liverpool.
Archbishop-Elect
McMahon’s Mass of Installation as Archbishop of Liverpool will be celebrated at 12.00
noon on Thursday 1 May 2014, the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, in the Metropolitan
Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool.
Speaking at a press conference on
Friday in the Metropolitan Cathedral, Archbishop-Elect McMahon said: ‘I am honoured
and humbled to have been appointed by our Holy Father Pope Francis as Archbishop of
Liverpool. I promise to do my best to repay the trust that he has placed in me, and
which the priests and people of the Archdiocese of Liverpool are being asked to put
in me from today. ‘I would like to thank Archbishop Patrick Kelly for his many
years of service in this Archdiocese, and Bishop Tom Williams, who has been Apostolic
Administrator since Archbishop Kelly’s retirement last year. ‘I am grateful to
my family and friends, my Dominican brethren, and the priests and people of the Diocese
of Nottingham for their support, guidance and friendship. I am naturally sorry to
be leaving Nottingham, my home for the last thirteen years, and I will miss the people
there; I hope that the prayers of my Diocese will come with me as I prepare to bid
them a fond farewell shortly after Easter. ‘The Archdiocese of Liverpool has a
long and proud history, rich in the tradition of missionary discipleship. We just
have to think of the many priests, deacons, religious and laypeople who have done
so much to proclaim the Kingdom of God and who gave their lives in his service, and
the Archdiocese’s parishes, churches and schools are living witnesses to God’s love
for us. The rich and living Catholic heritage of the Archdiocese should inspire us
and challenge us, and I know that I can rely on the prayers and support of the Catholic
faithful as I take up the challenge which lies ahead of me. 'I am also looking
forward to working with my fellow Christians from other Churches and communities,
people from all religious traditions, and civic and political leaders, building up
the good relationships which already exist between us, in our endeavour to serve the
common good. ‘From the day of my installation I will do my level best to lead,
guide and serve the people of this great Archdiocese, in Liverpool, west Lancashire
and the Isle of Man, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. There is much work to be done,
because the challenges which we face as a community are real. But we are a people
of hope; just as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King is visible for miles
around, speaking to us of God’s presence in our midst, I pray that all of us in the
Archdiocese of Liverpool will be living signs of God’s eternal love, proclaiming the
Good News of Jesus Christ in all that we say and do. ‘I ask for the prayers of
our heavenly patrons, Our Blessed Lady Immaculate, Saint Joseph and Saint Kentigern,
and the entire Catholic community as I begin my ministry as Archbishop of Liverpool,
and I assure you of my prayers in return. Let us make the words of Pope John Paul
II, spoken here in the Metropolitan Cathedral in 1982, our own: “Send forth your
Spirit, O Lord! Renew our hearts and minds with the gifts of light and truth. Renew
our homes and families with the gifts of unity and joy. Renew our cities and our countries
with true justice and lasting peace.”’
BIOGRAPHY: Born in London in June
1949, Malcolm Patrick McMahon was ordained to the priesthood in 1982. He was ordained
bishop in the Cathedral Church of St Barnabas, Nottingham, on 8 December 2000.
In
1992 he was elected Prior Provincial of the English Province of Dominicans, based
in London and served two terms in that post.
Archbishop-Elect McMahon is Chair
of the Bishops' Conference Department of Education and Formation and is National President
of Pax Christi, the International Catholic Movement for Peace. He is also Chair of
the Catholic Education Service for England and Wales (CESEW) and Chair of the board
of trustees for the Catholic Trust for England and Wales.