Bishop Bosco MacDonald was Ordained the Tenth Bishop of Clifton at Clifton Cathedral on Wednesday 8 May 2024.

A packed Cathedral welcomed the new Bishop, along with his family and almost all the Clifton diocesan priests and Deacons, and Bishops from England and Wales. The choir and music was outstanding

Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham and Metropolitan Principal was the Consecrating Bishop, with Bishop Declan and Bishop Peter Colins, Bishop of East Anglia, as Co-consecrating Bishops.

Also present were His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, His Eminence Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, His Eminence Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendìa, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain.

From Pope Francis:

Francis, Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God, sends greetings and a Blessing to his dear son Bosco MacDonald of the clergy of Clifton diocese and hitherto appointed to the Bishop of Clifton as dean and administrator of the Cathedral church of Saints Peter and Paul in the city of Bristol.

Blessed indeed was that Apostle who, proclaiming true witness to Christ the son of the living God, received at that moment his heavenly reward (cf Mt 16, 16-17). As We reflect today, stepping ahead joyfully, on so great a fatherly revelation, which is a support and consolation in Our task of guiding the universal Church, We now intend with fatherly concern to secure the welfare of the Clifton ecclesial community which, deprived at present following the resignation of Our Venerable brother Declan Ronan Lang, awaits its Pastor.

We therefore consider that it is appropriate for Us to approach you, dear son, who, devoted as you are to pastoral activities, have displayed many human and christian gifts, by reason of which you seem to Us suited to this ministry. Accordingly, guided by the counsel of the Dicastery for Bishops and by the fullness of Our Apostolic authority, We willingly appoint you Bishop of Clifton, granting you the due rights and matching obligations associated with this ministry.

You may commit yourself to episcopal Ordination outside the City of Rome, maintaining liturgical norms, by a catholic Bishop of your choice. Before your episcopal Ordination, nevertheless, it will be for you to make a profession of faith and swear a declaration of loyalty to Us and Our Successors in accordance with the rules of ecclesiastical law. It is Our will that you should inform the clergy and people of your diocese of this Our decree. We urge them with all our heart to cherish the diocese and accept you as custodian and guide.

Dear son, may the Lord provide you with the strength to serve permanently God’s holy people, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the apostles Peter and Paul, in faith and hope and in fervent charity to nourish that people fully. Given at the Lateran, Rome, on the fourteenth day of March, in the two thousand and twenty-fourth year of our Lord, the twelfth year of Our Pontificate.
Francis

Bishop John Bosco MacDonald, known as Bosco, was born in Bath on 21 July 1963. He was baptised at the parish church of St Mary’s in the city..
He studied at the seminary in Valladolid, Spain, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Clifton at St John’s in Bath on 6 July 1991.
His first appointment of his diocesan ministry was at the Cathedral parish as an assistant priest, before being made parish priest of St John Fisher in Wellington from 1995-1998. He then moved to Holy Family, Patchway.
In November 1997, Bishop-elect Bosco was appointed the Diocesan Coordinator of Chaplains for Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form sectors, and from 1998–2023 was a member of the Retired Priests Committee.
On New Year’s Day 2003, he was appointed Dean of Bristol North West and held the role for four years.
His next parish appointment was to St Gregory the Great with St Thomas More in Cheltenham. During this time, in March 2009, he was Installed as Canon of the Cathedral Chapter.
In 2010, Bishop Bosco was appointed Amicus Clero for the diocese. The term means ‘friend of the clergy’ and the incumbent offers a listening ear for any priest with pastoral or personal concerns.