Members

Archbishop John Wilson was born on 4 July 1968 in Sheffield. He studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology and religious studies at the University of Leeds and began formation for the priesthood for the Diocese of Leeds at the Venerable English College, Rome in 1989. During his seminary training he completed a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a Licence in Moral Theology at the Accademia Alfonsiana. He was ordained a deacon on 13 July 1994 by Bishop Cyril Restieaux

He was ordained to the priesthood on 29 July 1995 by Bishop David Konstant. He was appointed Assistant Priest at St Joseph’s, Pontefract in 1995, as well as hospital, hospice and school chaplain. He was appointed Assistant Priest at St Joseph’s, Bradford in 1998, and also served as a school chaplain.

In 1999, he was appointed Lecturer in moral theology at St Cuthbert’s Seminary, Ushaw College, Durham. He also completed a PhD at Durham University and latterly served as Vice Rector. In 2005, he was appointed Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation in the Diocese of Leeds, a role he held until 2012. From 2008 to 2014 he was also sessional chaplain at HMP Leeds. In 2011 he was named a Chaplain to His Holiness by Pope Benedict XVI. During the vacancy of the see, he was elected Administrator of the Diocese of Leeds by the College of Consultors from September 2012 to November 2014. From 2015 to 2016 he served as Parish Priest of St Martin de Porres, Wakefield.

On 24 November 2015 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Lindisfarne by Pope Francis. He was ordained to the episcopate by Cardinal Vincent Nichols on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, 25 January 2016. He had pastoral care of the deaneries in the western area of the diocese. He was also Chair of the Education Commission and had oversight of ecumenical work and inter-religious dialogue at diocesan level. He was also responsible for Liturgy, Art and Architecture, as well as the Historic Churches Commission.

On 10 June 2019 he was appointed Archbishop of Southwark by Pope Francis on the retirement of Archbishop Peter Smith. His Installation took place in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, on 25 July 2019, the Feast of St James the Apostle.

Fr Victor Darlington joined the Archdiocese of Southwark in 2006 and was Assistant Priest for the parish of English Martyrs Church in Strood until 2011, when he was appointed as Parish Priest to Sacred Heart Church in Camberwell. For over a decade, Fr Victor has served the Camberwell and its local community. In 2019 he was delighted to be appointed as Dean of Camberwell: a responsibility that will now conclude in June 2022. 

In 2021, Fr Victor was appointed Episcopal Vicar of the Commission for Promoting Racial Justice and Cultural Inclusion in the Archdiocese, and as one of the presiding Deans of the South East area.

Born in Ibadan,  Western Nigeria on 1^st April, Victor is the third of six children of a Catholic family from Ubiaja, Edo State, Southern Nigeria. His parents nurtured him in the Faith and he felt called to the Priesthood when he was still a young boy attending the Mission primary school of Saint Benedict's, Ubiaja. 

Fr Victor went on to Saint John Bosco's College and upon his graduation began his seminary formation for the priesthood at Saints Peter and Paul Seminary, Bodija, Ibadan, and was ordained a Priest on 8^th September 1990. While working in Edo state, he held a number of appointments ranging from being the Archbishop's Private Secretary to serving as parish priest in a number of urban and city parishes. He was also a formator at a major seminary.

Fr Victor holds a bachelor’s degree in Religions Studies from the University of Ibadan, and a bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology from the Urban University, Rome. He further obtained a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Biblicum in Rome, and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum in Rome. He is fluent in English, Italian, Esan, Bini and Yoruba languages. 

From 2008 to 2021 he was a part-time lecturer at St John's Seminary in Wonersh, Guildford, and he currently lectures at the Diaconate Formation Programme for England and Wales. As a Biblical Scholar, he gives talks around the country and internationally on the Gospels,  and the Acts of the Apostles.

For many years now, Fr Victor has worked to tackle the scourge of knife crime on the streets of London. He has championed a range of community initiatives to support victims and to prevent young people, especially those from deprived backgrounds from being involved in gangs and violence. He has also worked on different parish-based and community projects aimed at de-escalating racism tensions and supporting diversity and equality through the lens of the gospel.

Fr Victor loves to take long walks and spend time with friends.  He also loves to listen to different genres of music, especially afrobeat and classical music. 

In 2020, The Trustees conducted a review of Diocesan governance and resolved to appoint a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to improve the effectiveness of administrative, advisory and decision-making procedures in order to provide greater support to our Parishes and schools. 

All the assets of the Archdiocese, property, diocesan schools and any Parish or diocesan investments are held on trust by the Trustees, Archdiocese and Parishes.  The COO attends meetings of the Trustees and works with the Heads of the various Departments and Commissions shown below to provide key professional support services of the Archdiocese.

Chief Operating Officer: Paul McCallum