A WIDNES priest has been named as the new auxiliary bishop of Liverpool.

The Catholic church announced on Tuesday that Pope Francis has appointed St Wilfrid's parish priest Canon Thomas Neylon to the post, as well as of bishop of Plestia.

Born in Warrington, he entered the priesthood in 1982 and served in the Wigan and Skelmersdale areas before spending 24 years in St Helens and then moving to Widnes in 2020.

Canon Neylon will be ordained at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral in September.

Runcorn and Widnes World:

He said: “I am honoured to be asked by Pope Francis, and I am delighted to accept the appointment to be an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

“For now, I find peace in accepting the appointment from a trust that the lord has placed in me.

“I have to deepen my relationship with Christ, the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep.

“Our home and the parish I grew up in have been a powerful influence of the importance of faith in my life.

“It was Father Bill Cook, a curate in the parish, who asked me ‘have you ever thought about becoming a priest?’.

“That set me on a pathway of exploration which brought me to the Junior Seminary at St Joseph’s, Upholland, and to St Cuthbert’s Senior Seminary, Durham.”

Canon Neylon, who was ordained to the priesthood during a papal visit by Pope John Paul II to Heaton Park in Manchester, will be the ninth auxiliary bishop of Liverpool.

Runcorn and Widnes World:

Rev Malcolm McMahon, the archbishop of Liverpool, added: “I am grateful to the holy father Pope Francis for his generosity to me and the people of our archdiocese in the appointment of Canon Thomas Neylon as auxiliary bishop of Liverpool.

“I am delighted to welcome Canon Tom Neylon as an auxiliary bishop.

“When I came to the archdiocese in 2014, Canon Tom was already a vicar general and trustee of the archdiocese and his excellent pastoral and administrative skills have been invaluable to me in my ministry as archbishop – he will now be able to use those god given talents at a higher level in assisting me in taking the church forward in the coming years.

“He knows our archdiocese and our people well – he has always offered excellent pastoral care and been alongside his parishioners in times of need and times of joy, qualities which will serve him and the whole archdiocese well in the coming years.

“Bishop elect Tom will fulfil a vital role in implementing our plan so that we can better serve the people of our archdiocese.

“It is a challenging time, but one which offers a bright future for Catholics in this part of north west England as we continue to be together on the road – bishop elect Tom will, I know, be always walking alongside our people on that journey.”