A profile of the Catholic Bishop of Clifton, the Right Reverend Bosco MacDonald.
Bishop John Bosco MacDonald, known as Bishop Bosco, was born in Bath in 1963 and baptised at St Mary’s Catholic Church in the city.
He attended St Brendan’s College in Bristol before studying Modern Languages at Leeds University and Trinity and All Saints Catholic Teacher Training College in Leeds. After qualifying as a secondary school teacher, he was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Clifton and sent to the Royal English College in Valladolid, Spain, to train for the priesthood. He gained a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Clifton at St John’s Church, Bath, on 6 July 1991.
His first appointment was as an assistant priest at Clifton Cathedral. In 1995, he was appointed Parish Priest of St John Fisher, Wellington, and St Richard of Chichester, Wiveliscombe. During this time, he also served as chaplain to St Augustine of Canterbury School, the joint Anglican and Catholic secondary school in Taunton.
In November 1997, he was appointed Diocesan Coordinator of Chaplains for the primary, secondary and sixth-form sectors. From 1998 until 2023, he also served as a member of the diocesan Retired Priests Committee.
In 1998, he was appointed Parish Priest of the Holy Family, Patchway, where he oversaw the establishment and construction of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Bradley Stoke. On 1 January 2003, he was appointed Dean of Bristol North West, a role he held for four years.
His next parish appointment was as Parish Priest of St Gregory the Great with St Thomas More in Cheltenham. He also served as Dean of the Cheltenham Deanery. In March 2009, he was installed as a Canon of the Cathedral Chapter, on which he served for fifteen years.
In 2010, he was appointed Amicus Clero for the Diocese of Clifton. The title means “friend of the clergy”, and the role involves offering confidential pastoral support and a listening ear to priests facing personal or pastoral concerns.
Bishop Bosco was appointed Dean of Clifton Cathedral in September 2015. During his time as Dean, he oversaw major works to the Cathedral, including the restoration of the roof, the renewal of the electrical systems and the beginning of work on the upper car parks.
During the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, he established a daily livestream from the Cathedral, providing a regular point of prayer and connection for people throughout the Diocese and further afield.
In 2023, he organised the celebrations marking the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Clifton Cathedral. He served as Dean of the Cathedral until 14 March 2024, when Pope Francis appointed him the tenth Bishop of Clifton.
He was ordained to the episcopate and installed as Bishop of Clifton at Clifton Cathedral, Bristol, on 8 May 2024.
For more, visit the Diocese of Clifton’s website.
