Sacred Heart Primary School to Begin New Chapter
February 13, 2026
The Diocese of East Anglia marks this moment of gratitude and transition as Cardinal Vincent Nichols retires from active ministry and Archbishop Richard Moth is installed as Archbishop of Westminster on Sunday 14 February.
Bishop Peter Collins has offered the following tribute on behalf of the Diocese:
“On behalf of the Diocese of East Anglia I wish to express heartfelt gratitude to His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols for his immense contribution to the Church in England and Wales over the past five decades. His close collaboration in the 1980s with Cardinal Basil Hume and Archbishop Derek Worlock led to him being appointed as the first General Secretary in a restructured Bishops’ Conference. Having been ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Liverpool, he would go on to be appointed as an Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, as Archbishop of Birmingham and then as Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference. Cardinal Nichols received the ‘Red Hat’ from Pope Francis. As a member of the College of Cardinals, His Eminence served the Universal Church by assuming a wide range of responsibilities within the Roman Curia. We will all recall that last year Cardinal Nichols entered the Conclave that went on to elect His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. As Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Westminster, Cardinal Nichols preached at my own episcopal ordination in 2022. We offer Cardinal Nichols the assurance of our prayers as he enters his well-earned retirement, having served beyond his eightieth birthday.”
Cardinal Nichols’ ministry has shaped the Church in this country at every level, parish priest, bishop, archbishop and President of the Bishops’ Conference, marked by clarity and fidelity to the Gospel.
Those in East Anglia remember Archbishop Richard with particular affection, especially from Bishop Peter’s ordination in 2022 when he laid hands on him, a sign of shared mission and friendship. His ministry as Bishop of the Forces and Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, and his work with the Plater Trust, reflect a lived commitment to Catholic Social Teaching.
Bishop Peter adds:
“We extend our congratulations and the assurance of prayers to Archbishop Richard Moth as he assumes his new responsibilities as Archbishop of Westminster.”
The Diocese offers prayers for Cardinal Nichols in retirement and for Archbishop Moth as he begins this new ministry.
In 2022, Bishop Richard laid hands on Bishop Peter during his episcopal ordination.
Picture credit: The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (www.cbcew.org.uk)
