DIOCESE

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen covers a third of the landmass of Scotland. It encompasses more than 70 parishes and Mass centres throughout Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands and the Orkney and Shetland Islands of Scotland.

The history of the diocese goes back to the end of the 6th century when, as tradition has it, St Machar established a Christian Community between the River Don and the River Dee.

The See of Aberdeen was founded at Mortlach in 1063.  It transferred to Aberdeen before 1131/2, under its fourth bishop, Nectan; and was vacant for 301 years from the death of Bishop William Gordon, in 1577, till the Restoration of the Hierarchy, in 1878.

The present Diocese of Aberdeen covers the areas of five pre-Reformation dioceses, viz. Orkney, Caithness, Ross, Moray and Aberdeen.

The Diocesan administrative headquarters are based in Aberdeen, which is also home to the Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption.

The diocesan motto is ‘Together in Christ’.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.dioceseofaberdeen.org/diocese/

Child Protection

THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS CONTACT DETAILS Diocesan Office Bishop’s House 3 Queen’s Cross ABERDEEN AB15 4XU Tel: 01224 319154 Fax: 01224 325 570   Diocesan Adviser for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults Mrs Marjory Booth Bishop’s House 3 Queen’s Cross ABERDEEN AB15 4XU Tel: 01224 319154   Diocesan Child Protection …

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Diaconate

‘On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord’ (Psalm 137) Permanent Deacons for the Church The Apostles themselves, having been called by Jesus to follow Him, thereby assisted Jesus to fulfil the will of His Father. In their task of proclaiming the message of salvation, they quickly found that additional help was need …

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History

There is clear evidence to show that a Christian community was established between the Don and the Dee by the end of the sixth century, possibly by St Machar, a disciple of St Columba. By 1131, as a result in part of the Gregorian reforms and those of St Margaret and her royal sons, and …

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Language groups

The French Community in the city of Aberdeen The French Community in Aberdeen has grown up because of North Sea Oil exploration.  A number of French companies have had personnel in Aberdeen over the years since about 1973.  The early arrivals were Total Marine, Elf Aquitaine and Schlumberger. Total Marine set up a French School …

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Our Lady of Aberdeen

The early history of the statue of Our Lady of Aberdeen is compounded of fact, speculation and legend.  The mediaeval statue of Our Lady of Aberdeen is approximately three feet high, probably carved in linden wood, and painted.  It was also decorated with silver and gold.  Our Lady carries the Christ Child in her arms …

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Priesthood

As Christ’s disciples we all share in the common vocation to holiness and to the mission of evangelisation the world. Within that common vocation each of us is called to serve him in a particular way by living a particular way of life. Diocesan Priesthood Called to build up the Kingdom of God in the …

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Statistics

The 2006 Scottish Catholic Directory, based on statistics for 2004, lists the Catholic population of the Diocese of Aberdeen as an estimated 25,000, constituting about 2.9% of the total population of the area. Based on a survey undertaken in 2002 (by Christian Research), some 11.2% of the population of Scotland attended church on an average …

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Stewardship

The Management Committee Chair: Bishop Peter  -  meets quarterly. The Subcommittees meet both on the same day, two weeks before the Management Ctee: The Fabric Sub Committee – (Chair: John Steyn) The Finance Sub Committee – (Chair: Dick Ruane) The Sub Committees deal with all the requests from parishes for fabric or finance matters and …

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