The appointment of Timothy Menezes as Bishop of Brentwood will bring a new leader to the Catholic Diocese of Brentwood, which serves communities across Essex and five east London boroughs. Pope has appointed the 56-year-old auxiliary bishop from Birmingham to succeed Bishop Alan Williams, who retired at the age of 75 after 12 years in the role.
Menezes studied for the priesthood at St Mary’s College, Oscott, in Birmingham, and the Venerable English College in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1995 and has spent much of his ministry serving the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
His previous roles include parish priest of St Thomas More in Coventry and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, a position he held from 2011 to 2019. In 2019, he became Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral. He also served as parish priest of Sacred Heart and St Margaret Mary in Aston from 2022 to 2024.
Menezes has served as an auxiliary bishop in the West Midlands for the past two years. His appointment to Brentwood marks a new stage in a ministry that has included parish leadership, diocesan administration and episcopal service.
The Most Reverend Richard Moth, Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, welcomed the appointment. He said Menezes brought valuable experience from his years of priestly and episcopal service in Birmingham and would be greatly missed there.
Menezes expressed gratitude to the people who had shaped his faith and ministry during his years in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. He also acknowledged the work of his predecessor and said he hoped to build on Bishop Alan Williams’s contribution to the diocese.
In his statement, Menezes said he hoped the diocese would continue to give thanks for its blessings and show compassion to people most in need, asking Christ the Good Shepherd to guide the community in its work.
The Diocese of Brentwood covers Essex and five east London boroughs, placing the new bishop at the head of a Catholic community serving both suburban and urban areas. His appointment follows Williams’s retirement after 12 years leading the diocese.
