Arms of the
Diocese of East Anglia |
The
Parish of Our Lady in Stowmarket is in the Diocese of East
Anglia which was carved out of the much larger Diocese
of Northampton in March 1976. It covers Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire
and the Unitary Authority of Peterborough.
The
Cathedral Church is that of St John the Baptist in
St Giles Gate, Norwich and the Bishop’s residence is in
Poringland on the outskirts of the city.
Following the death of Bishop Michael Evans the Diocese awaits the appointment of a new bishop.
Most
of the parishes in the diocese are like Our Lady’s in Stowmarket – geographically
very extensive and with small Catholic numbers in relation
to the total population. For example, in Suffolk, Catholics
count for little more than four per cent of the total.
However, the proportion is increasing as people move in
from other parts of the country.
The
diocese is divided into Deaneries, and Stowmarket, together
with the parishes of Brandon, Bury St Edmunds, Clare, Diss,
Haverhill, Newmarket, Sudbury and Thetford, falls in that
of St Edmund. |
