His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has today, 10 October, appointed Bishop Timothy Menezes as the new Bishop of Brentwood.
Bishop Timothy, until now an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, succeeds Bishop Alan Williams, S.M., whose resignation has been accepted by the Holy Father having turned 75 years old on 15 March 2026.
Bishop Timothy said:
“It is a great privilege to be appointed by Pope Leo XIV as Bishop of the Diocese of Brentwood. I’m aware there will be much to learn, so I ask the Lay Faithful, the Clergy and the Religious of the diocese to pray for me, and with me, in our shared mission as Pilgrims of Hope in a world in need of hope.
“I am grateful for all those who have shaped my life, faith and priestly ministry in the Archdiocese of Birmingham over many years.
“I look forward to building on Bishop Alan’s good work in the diocese and pray that Christ the Good Shepherd will help us all to be a people of thanksgiving for his many blessings, and to show his compassion to those in most need.”
Bishop Alan Williams, S.M., said:
“I am delighted that the Holy Father has appointed Bishop Timothy Menezes the new Bishop of Brentwood. The Diocese of Brentwood is a diverse and welcoming community of parishes and schools in Essex and East London.
“As Bishop Timothy undertakes his new ministry of shepherd to the faithful of the diocese, I will continue to hold both the new bishop and the people of God in my prayers.”
Archbishop Richard Moth, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Bishop-elect Timothy Menezes as he prepares to take up his new post as Bishop of Brentwood. He brings excellent experience, gained in his priestly and episcopal service in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, where he will be missed greatly.
“I welcome him to the Province of Westminster and join the priests and people of Brentwood in prayer, as they prepare to welcome their new Bishop. Bishop Alan Williams, S.M. has given dedicated service in Brentwood and good wishes and prayers go with him to new pastures.”
Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, who ordained Bishop Timothy as a Bishop and has worked with him over many years, said:
“I know that Bishop Timothy will very much miss his home diocese, having grown up in Kings Heath, Birmingham, and served as a priest here since his ordination in 1995 and since 2024 as Auxiliary Bishop.
“He will be greatly missed by his brother priests, his diocesan colleagues and by the communities that he has served across the Episcopal Area of Staffordshire, the Black Country and Wolverhampton.
“With his considerable pastoral experience and his zeal for mission, he will approach his new responsibilities in Brentwood with energy and enthusiasm, but always sensitive to the history and character of his new diocese.
“As he prepares to leave the Midlands of St Chad for East London and the Essex of St Chad’s brother, St Cedd, I wish him every blessing in his apostolate and assure him of our gratitude and our prayers.”
Bishop Timothy’s Mass of Episcopal Installation as the eighth Bishop of Brentwood will take place at the Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Helen, Brentwood, on Thursday, 3 December, the memorial of St Francis Xavier.
Bishop Timothy Francis Menezes was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham, on 18 July 1970.
He was educated at St Alban’s Catholic Primary School, Kings Heath, and St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School, Kings Norton, before attending St Philip’s Sixth Form College, Edgbaston. He then studied for the priesthood at St Mary’s College, Oscott, and the Venerable English College in Rome. On 22 July 1995, he was ordained priest at St Dunstan’s in Kings Heath, his childhood parish church where he was baptised, received First Holy Communion, and was confirmed.
Bishop Timothy was awarded a Licentiate in Sacred Liturgy by the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (Sant’Anselmo), Rome, before returning to England to serve as an assistant priest at St Michael’s in Wolverhampton from 1996 to 1998.
He then moved to the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Redditch, before, in 2000, taking up the position of Archbishop’s Secretary to the then Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols.
Bishop Timothy spent seven years, from 2004 – 2011, as parish priest of St Thomas More, Coventry, and then Vicar General for the Archdiocese from 2011 to 2019.
He was appointed Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral by Archbishop Bernard Longley in 2019, concurrently serving as parish priest of Sacred Heart and St Margaret Mary in Aston from 2022 to 2024.
He was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Birmingham by Pope Francis on 25 April 2024 and was Ordained Bishop on 16 July 2024.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Timothy Menezes as the eighth Bishop of Brentwood on Saturday, 10 October 2026.
His Episcopal Installation takes place on the memorial of St Francis Xavier, Thursday 3 December 2026, at the Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Helen, Brentwood.
The Diocese of Essex was formed on 22 March 1917 by the division of the Archdiocese of Westminster; and the Diocese of Brentwood was erected by the Bull, Universalis Ecclesiae Procratio, of 20 July 1917.
The Diocese consists of the Administrative County of Essex, the Unitary Authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
Patrons of the Diocese: Our Lady of Lourdes, 11 February; St Edmund of Canterbury, 16 November; St Erconwald, 13 May; St Cedd, 26 October.
Bishop Bernard Nicholas Ward (20 Jul 1917 – 21 Jan 1920)
Bishop Arthur Henry Doubleday (7 May 1920 – 23 Jan 1951)
Bishop George Andrew Beck, A.A. (23 Jan 1951 – 28 Nov 1955)
Bishop Bernard Patrick Wall (30 Nov 1955 – 14 Apr 1969)
Bishop Patrick Joseph Casey (2 Dec 1969 – 12 Dec 1979)
Bishop Thomas McMahon (16 Jun 1980 – 14 Apr 2014)
Bishop Alan Stephen Williams, S.M. (14 Apr 2014 – 10 October 2026)
Bishop Alan Williams S.M. submitted his resignation under Canon 401 §1 of the Code of Canon Law.
Can. 401 §1. A diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances.
