Bishop Mark

Biography

22nd June 1963
Born in London, the youngest son of Marcus and Maura O’Toole who originally came from the Irish-speaking community of Connemara, Galway, Ireland. Attended St Ignatius Primary School, Stamford Hill and St Thomas More Secondary school in Wood Green. Left school with four ‘A’ levels in 1981.

1984
Graduated with a B.Sc. in Geography from the University of Leicester.

1984 – 1989
Studied for the Priesthood at Allen Hall Seminary, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity in Theology.

1989 – 1990
Pastoral work as a deacon in St Joan of Arc Parish, Highbury.

9th June 1990
Ordained priest of the Diocese of Westminster by Cardinal Basil Hume.

1990 – 1992
M. Phil in Theology at the University of Oxford. Wrote a thesis on the relationship between Divine and Human freedom supervised by the Lady Margaret Professor, Dr Rowan Williams.

1992 – 1997
Assistant priest in St Mary Magdalene parish, Willesden Green; part-time lecturer in Catechesis.

1997 – 2002
Member of Staff at Allen Hall Seminary – Lecturer in Theology and Formation Adviser to seminarians. Sacred License in Theology from Pontifical University, Leuven granted in 2000.

1999 – 2002
Dean of Studies, Allen Hall Seminary.

2002 – 2008
Private Secretary to Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster.

6th Sept 2008
Appointed Rector, Allen Hall Seminary.

28th Jan 2014
Ordained ninth Bishop of Plymouth.

12th Oct 2014
Installed as honorary Canon at Truro Cathedral

18th Sept 2016
Installed as honorary Canon of Exeter Cathedral