Declan Ronan Lang
Encyclopedia
Declan Ronan Lang is an English
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He is the ninth and current bishop of Clifton
.
, on the Isle of Wight
, to Irish
parents. He attended Ryde School, Allen Hall
, and St. Edmund's College, Ware
. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in history
from Royal Holloway, University of London
. Lang was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Derek Worlock on 7 June, 1975.
He then served as an Assistant Priest at the Cathedral and Chaplain to St Edmund's Comprehensive School in Portsmouth. Four years after ordination he was appointed Secretary to Bishop Emery and Chancellor. During this time he also worked on the Diocesan Youth Commission, which he later chaired. For a number of years he went as Chaplain with the Portsmouth Group to Lourdes at Easter.
In 1983 he was appointed to the Religious Education Council as Adult Religious Education Advisor, a position he held until 1990. While doing this work he was also Parish Priest of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, Bishop's Waltham, for four years and then Parish Priest at Sacred Heart, Bournemouth. As a result of his work in Adult Religious Education he produced together with John O'Shea, Vicky Cosstick and Damian Lundy the Parish Project. This was to help Parishes look at what they were currently doing, evaluate it and plan together future direction. This scheme has been taken up by a number of Parishes throughout the country.
In September 1990 he was appointed Moderator of the Curia
and Administrator of the Cathedral. During this time he was also involved in organising a summer conference for the Diocese of Portsmouth and helping with conferences in Southwark
and Shrewsbury. In January 1996 he was appointed as one of the Vicars General in the Diocese moving from Portsmouth
to Abingdon.
Whilst in there he chaired a Working Party jointly sponsored by the Bishop's Conference and the National Conference of Priests looking at clergy appraisal. The Working Party Report was accepted by the Bishop's Conference and since then he has spoken in a number of Dioceses about the reasons for and the benefits arising from clergy appraisal.
Lang was ordained as Bishop of Clifton
on 28 March 2001 in Clifton Cathedral
, by his predecessor Bishop Mervyn Alexander
.
Bishop Lang chairs the committee for Theology Faith and Culture. He is the Co-Chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee (ARC) and also the Co-Chair for the Committee for Roman Catholic and United Reformed Church dialogue in England. Bishop Lang was elected to be the Moderator of the next Churches Together in England Forum to be held in 2009. He is a member of the Mixed Commission of Bishops and Major Religious Superiors and is a trustee of the Pontifical Missionary Societies. Outside of the Bishops' Conference he is the President of the Catholic Association which organises the Pilgrimage
to Lourdes
on behalf of the Dioceses of Clifton, East Anglia, Northampton, Portsmouth, Southwark and Stoneyhurst College.
Within the diocese Bishop Lang instigated a review of Diocesan structures and as a result created the Diocesan Department for Evangelisation and Adult Education and a new Department for Schools and Colleges. During this time the Diocesan Liturgical Commission has also been reformed. In 2002 Bishop Lang was appointed an Ecumenical Prebendary of Bristol Cathedral. He is the current Chairman of Somerset Churches Together and previous Chairman of Bristol Churches Together.
As part of his work as the chairman of the Department of International Affairs in the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
, Bishop Lang travelled to Lebanon at the request of the Maronite Catholic Church. Bishop Lang hopes that the visit will 'deepen the relationship' between the Bishops of England and Wales and the Catholic community in Lebanon. Bishop Lang said: "I felt the best way to show the Bishops' solidarity with the people of Lebanon and, in particular, the Maronite Catholic community was to accept the invitation to travel to the country and learn about the challenges, hopes and expectations of the people firsthand."
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He is the ninth and current bishop of Clifton
Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese centred around the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Clifton....
.
Biography
Declan Lang was born in CowesCowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
, on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, to Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
parents. He attended Ryde School, Allen Hall
Allen Hall
Allen Hall is the smallest of the undergraduate student halls of residence which constitute the University of Manchester's Fallowfield Campus, with just 120 students....
, and St. Edmund's College, Ware
St. Edmund's College, Ware
St Edmund's College is the oldest post-Reformation Roman Catholic school in England. It is an independent school in the British public school tradition set on in Ware, Hertfordshire. During two periods of its history, it has also incorporated a seminary....
. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
. Lang was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Bishop Derek Worlock on 7 June, 1975.
He then served as an Assistant Priest at the Cathedral and Chaplain to St Edmund's Comprehensive School in Portsmouth. Four years after ordination he was appointed Secretary to Bishop Emery and Chancellor. During this time he also worked on the Diocesan Youth Commission, which he later chaired. For a number of years he went as Chaplain with the Portsmouth Group to Lourdes at Easter.
In 1983 he was appointed to the Religious Education Council as Adult Religious Education Advisor, a position he held until 1990. While doing this work he was also Parish Priest of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, Bishop's Waltham, for four years and then Parish Priest at Sacred Heart, Bournemouth. As a result of his work in Adult Religious Education he produced together with John O'Shea, Vicky Cosstick and Damian Lundy the Parish Project. This was to help Parishes look at what they were currently doing, evaluate it and plan together future direction. This scheme has been taken up by a number of Parishes throughout the country.
In September 1990 he was appointed Moderator of the Curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
and Administrator of the Cathedral. During this time he was also involved in organising a summer conference for the Diocese of Portsmouth and helping with conferences in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
and Shrewsbury. In January 1996 he was appointed as one of the Vicars General in the Diocese moving from Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
to Abingdon.
Whilst in there he chaired a Working Party jointly sponsored by the Bishop's Conference and the National Conference of Priests looking at clergy appraisal. The Working Party Report was accepted by the Bishop's Conference and since then he has spoken in a number of Dioceses about the reasons for and the benefits arising from clergy appraisal.
Lang was ordained as Bishop of Clifton
Bishop of Clifton
The Bishop of Clifton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in the Province of Birmingham, England.The see is in the suburb of Clifton in the city of Bristol where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of SS. Peter and Paul...
on 28 March 2001 in Clifton Cathedral
Clifton Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of SS. Peter and Paul is the Roman Catholic cathedral in the English city of Bristol. Located in the Clifton area of the city, it is the seat of the Diocese of Clifton and is known as Clifton Cathedral....
, by his predecessor Bishop Mervyn Alexander
Mervyn Alexander
The Right Reverend Meryvn Alban Alexander was the 8th Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton .He was born on 29 June 1925 in Highbury, London, the eldest son of William and Grace Alexander...
.
Bishop Lang chairs the committee for Theology Faith and Culture. He is the Co-Chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee (ARC) and also the Co-Chair for the Committee for Roman Catholic and United Reformed Church dialogue in England. Bishop Lang was elected to be the Moderator of the next Churches Together in England Forum to be held in 2009. He is a member of the Mixed Commission of Bishops and Major Religious Superiors and is a trustee of the Pontifical Missionary Societies. Outside of the Bishops' Conference he is the President of the Catholic Association which organises the Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
on behalf of the Dioceses of Clifton, East Anglia, Northampton, Portsmouth, Southwark and Stoneyhurst College.
Within the diocese Bishop Lang instigated a review of Diocesan structures and as a result created the Diocesan Department for Evangelisation and Adult Education and a new Department for Schools and Colleges. During this time the Diocesan Liturgical Commission has also been reformed. In 2002 Bishop Lang was appointed an Ecumenical Prebendary of Bristol Cathedral. He is the current Chairman of Somerset Churches Together and previous Chairman of Bristol Churches Together.
As part of his work as the chairman of the Department of International Affairs in the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the episcopal conference of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.-About:...
, Bishop Lang travelled to Lebanon at the request of the Maronite Catholic Church. Bishop Lang hopes that the visit will 'deepen the relationship' between the Bishops of England and Wales and the Catholic community in Lebanon. Bishop Lang said: "I felt the best way to show the Bishops' solidarity with the people of Lebanon and, in particular, the Maronite Catholic community was to accept the invitation to travel to the country and learn about the challenges, hopes and expectations of the people firsthand."