What Is The Diocese Of Middlesbrough And When Was It Formed?

The Diocese of Middlesbrough is a Roman Catholic diocese based in the north-east of England and is part of the Province of Liverpool. It covers an area of 4,000 km squared, including Middlesbrough itself along with other parts of Teeside, the counties of North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire (including the city of Kingston-upon-Hull) and the City of York. It was formed in 1878 from the old Diocese of Beverley. The seat of the Bishop of Middlesbrough is at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, in the town of Coulby Newham on the outskirts of Middlesbrough. The current Bishop is the Right Reverend John Patrick Crawley, the sixth Bishop of Middlesbrough. The diocese has some 84 parishes and Mass Centres. However, this number could be reduced in the coming years due to a controversial proposal to organise the restructuring of the Diocese. The geography of the Diocese also proves difficult as it is more than a two-hour drive from Middlesbrough in the north to Hull in the south.