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George Patrick DwyerEnglish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
Date of Birth: 25.09.1908
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
- George Dwyer: A Preeminent Prelate
- Ecclesiastical Career
- Bishop of Leeds and Archbishop of Birmingham
- Retirement and Legacy
George Dwyer: A Preeminent Prelate
Early Life and EducationGeorge Dwyer was born in Manchester, England, to John William and Jemima Dwyer. His father was a wholesale egg and potato merchant. Dwyer's cousin was the renowned English composer and writer, Anthony Burgess. He attended a private Catholic boys' school before pursuing studies at the English Catholic College in Rome. Subsequently, he entered the Diocese of Salford as a candidate for the priesthood.
During his seminary years, Dwyer exhibited remarkable abilities. He earned a doctorate in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and was ordained a priest on November 1, 1932, at the age of 24. Returning to England, he taught modern languages at Christ's College, Cambridge University.
Ecclesiastical Career
Dwyer's postgraduate studies in Rome and Cambridge (1932-1937) earned him a teaching position at his alma mater. In 1947, he was appointed Vice-Moderator (later Cardinal John Heenan) of the Catholic Missionary Society. Simultaneously, he edited the Catholic Gazette. Upon Heenan's elevation to Bishop of Leeds in 1951, Dwyer became the Catholic Missionary Society's Moderator.
Bishop of Leeds and Archbishop of Birmingham
On August 3, 1957, Dwyer was appointed the next Bishop of Leeds, succeeding his friend and future Cardinal, John Heenan, who had been translated as Archbishop of Liverpool. His episcopal consecration took place on September 24, 1957. On October 7, 1965, Dwyer was named the sixth Archbishop of Birmingham, succeeding Francis Grimshaw, who had succumbed to a heart attack while in office on March 22, 1965.
As Archbishop, Dwyer presided over the building of 26 new churches and 210 schools and colleges, including the Newman College, founded by Cardinal Newman. After the demise of Archbishop Dwyer's friend, Cardinal John Heenan of Westminster, in 1975, he was considered a likely candidate for the ninth Archbishop of Westminster. However, Dwyer informed the Papal Nuncio that he felt his age of 67 made him unsuitable for the position.
Nonetheless, Dwyer was elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, a position that confers primacy over all bishops in England and Wales and is typically held by the Archbishop of Westminster. Dwyer thus became the first, and to date only, President (Primate) of the Conference who was not the Archbishop of Westminster. He served in this capacity during the first three years of Basil Hume's archiepiscopate.
Retirement and Legacy
Dwyer retired on September 1, 1981, at the age of 73. He passed away on September 17, 1987, aged 79. He was buried at Oscott College, Sutton Coldfield. A substantial archive of working papers survives from his life. However, it is not as extensive as might be expected from 16 years as an archbishop. There are noticeable gaps in the archive, with materials relating to his work as Chairman of the Theological Commission being notably absent. Moreover, there is a dearth of personal materials, suggesting that Dwyer destroyed most personal documents before his death.
