The Catholic Union of Great Britain held its Annual General Meeting at the London Jesuit Centre this week. The meeting, which opened with the Catholic Union prayer, confirmed two new Patrons, Archbishop Richard Moth and Archbishop Leo Cushley. Professor Anthony McClaran was elected Chair of the Catholic Union of Great Britain succeeding Richard Collyer-Hamlin who had been in post since 2023 and Vice-Chair since 2018.
Outgoing Chair, Richard Collyer-Hamlin, says: “Professor McClaran is one of the country’s leading lay Catholics and will bring his wisdom, vast experience and fair-mindedness to the role of Chairman. He is a very fine man to whom members of the Catholic Union of Great Britain will give instinctive support as we look forward to making an ever-greater contribution to church and society in the years ahead”.
Four new Vice Presidents were nominated by the Council of the Catholic Union and approved at the Annual General Meeting:
- Baroness O’Loan
- Baroness Smith of Newnham
- Julie Etchingham
- Nigel Parker.
They join the other Vice Presidents:
- Sarah Bool MP
- Patricia Ferguson MP
- Mary Glindon MP
- Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP
- Sojan Joseph MP
- Mike Kane MP
- Angus MacDonald OBE MP KSG
- Frank McNally MP
- Brendan O’Hara MP
- Baroness Hooper CMG DSG
- Lord Craigmyle
- Professor Charles Egbu
- Michael Henderson KSG KC*HS
- Rt Hon Ruth Kelly
- Stephen Pound RP
- Dame Rachel de Souza DBE
- John Studzinski CBE.
The following people were elected to serve on the Council:
- Richard Harries, Director of Caritas Westminster
- Anthony Horan, Director of the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office
- Professor Roisín Coll, Professor of Catholic Education at the University of Glasgow
- Peter Frost, employment lawyer with a specialism in religious discrimination.
Professor John Lydon, Paul Barber, Stuart Hudson (who now serves as Vice-Chair), and John Coleby retired from Council and were thanked for all their hard work and service.
Following the AGM, members attended Mass at Farm Street Church celebrated by the Most Reverend Mark O’Toole, Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia, for past members of the Catholic Union. The Most Reverend Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Father Nigel Griffin and Father Michael Holman SJ, Parish Priest at Farm Street, concelebrated Mass.
Archbishop Mark O’Toole was the guest of honour at the reception in the Aula Magna, London Jesuit Centre, after Mass, kindly sponsored by CCLA. Archbishop Mark spoke powerfully about evangelisation. Professor Philip Booth, Director of Policy and Research at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, spoke about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and the Parliamentary landscape.
Professor Anthony McClaran, Chairman of the Catholic Union, says: “I am delighted to take up this new role. The Catholic Union is an active, busy and productive organisation. With thanks to Richard Collyer-Hamlin for all his many years of service, he has done a fantastic job making the Catholic Union a household name for all the many lay Catholics in England, Scotland and Wales. We are very blessed to have Archbishop Richard Moth and Archbishop Leo Cushley as our Patrons and I look forward to working with them”.
The AGM was an opportunity to announce formally the winners of the Catholic Young Writer Award which attracted over one hundred entries from Catholic secondary schools and individuals across the country. Two students gained first prize; one from St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School in Gravesend and the other from St Peter’s Catholic High School in Wigan. Two students won second prize, both from De Lisle College in Loughborough. In third place was a student from Holy Cross Catholic High School, Chorley. The Award was run in tandem with the Catholic Young Artist Award for primary school aged children judged by Margaret Mizen MBE, Founder of the Mizen Foundation.
The theme for the Catholic Young Writer Award and the Catholic Young Artist Award 2027 will be ‘Who is Jesus?’.
