The Archdiocese of Westminster will soon mark the 175th anniversary of its foundation, which followed the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales after centuries of restrictions.
Addressing the anniversary, Cardinal Vincent Nichols reminded the faithful of their duty to hand on the inheritance of the past, one that is firmly rooted in Christ and alive to the needs of the present, to new generations.
“Monday, 29th September, is an important birthday. It is the birthday of our Diocese of Westminster, established on that day 175 years ago,” Cardinal Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and head of Catholics in England and Wales, wrote in his Pastoral Letter for the anniversary.
He also noted how the appointment of Archbishop Nicholas Wiseman to the restored diocese occurred on the feast of St Michael and that Wiseman was made a cardinal the following day. Cardinal Nichols invited Catholics to give thanks for the faith handed down through generations despite trials and setbacks:
“Our Diocese in 1850 was not the Diocese of today. Catholic life was slowly emerging from centuries of opposition and suppression. Only gradually did we regain a recognised place in public and political life,” he said, emphasising that the resilience of clergy, religious and laity has enabled the Church to flourish.
The creation of the archdiocese, alongside the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales, came at a time when Catholicism was re-emerging in England after centuries of legal restrictions.
The move sparked fierce opposition in public life. Cardinal Wiseman’s Pastoral Letter, confidently declaring his jurisdiction over Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Essex, prompted a wave of indignation known at the time as the outcry against “papal aggression”.
Queen Victoria herself is said to have remarked, “Am I Queen of England, or am I not?” In response, Cardinal Wiseman appealed directly to public reason, insisting Catholics had a right to proper Church governance, and that this would enable them to contribute more fully to the common good.
Over the decades that followed, the Archdiocese of Westminster became the heart of Catholic life in Britain. Under Wiseman and his successors, churches, schools, charities and religious orders flourished.
Between 1850 and Wiseman’s death in 1865 alone, 45 churches were opened. Education was prioritised, with Catholics of every background making sacrifices to fund schools, while parishes multiplied across expanding London suburbs.
Westminster Cathedral itself was not completed until 1903, the crowning achievement of Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, and it soon became an enduring landmark of Catholic presence in the UK capital.
The archdiocese has been shaped by its leaders. Cardinal Henry Edward Manning, a convert from Anglicanism, became known both as a towering figure at the First Vatican Council and as a defender of working men during the 1889 London Dock Strike.
Later cardinals would steer the Church through the devastations of two world wars. Cardinal Arthur Hinsley, in particular, emerged as a trusted voice to the nation through his wartime radio addresses. Bombing raids destroyed or damaged many churches, along with tragic loss of life among those who had sought shelter within their walls.
Yet the Church endured and rebuilt, establishing dozens of new parishes in the uncertain years after 1945.
Cardinal Nichols in his Pastoral Letter reminded the faithful that the mission of the diocese remains unchanged even as circumstances alter.
“Failures and problems have been faced, and we have played our part in public life and communal effort,” he wrote.
The challenge now, he added, is “to hand it on to the next generations, better tuned to contemporary circumstances, responding to today’s challenges and strengthened as ever by the bounteous grace of God”.
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Photo: Pope Benedict XVI greets crowds gathered outside Westminster Cathedral after presiding over Mass, London, England, 18 September 2010. (Photo by WARREN ALLOTT/AFP via Getty Images.)
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