The diocese was created on 20 December 1878, when the then Diocese of Beverley, which covered the whole of Yorkshire, was divided into the Diocese of Middlesbrough, covering the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire and those parishes in the City of York to the north of the River Ouse, and the Diocese of Leeds, covering the West Riding of Yorkshire and those parishes in the City of York to the south of the River Ouse. In 1982 the two York parishes south of the River Ouse were ceded to the Diocese of Middlesbrough to unite the City of York under one bishop. The parish of Howden was transferred from Middlesbrough to the Leeds diocese in 2004.
Bishops
The Rt Rev Terence Patrick Drainey was ordained as the seventh Bishop of Middlesbrough on 25 January 2008, replacing the Right Reverend John Patrick Crowley.
In accordance with Canon 401 §1, Bishop Drainey’s resignation as Bishop of Middlesbrough, submitted on reaching the age of 75, was accepted by Pope Leo XIV on 22 December 2025. On the same day, Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Middlesbrough.
Ss Mary and Joseph, Pocklington • St John of Beverley, Beverley • Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Market Weighton • St John the Baptist, Holme-on-Spalding Moor • Our Lady & St Peter, Bridlington • Our Lady & St Edward, Driffield • Holy Cross, Cottingham • St Anthony and Our Lady of Mercy, Hull • Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Peter Chanel, Hull • St Charles Borromeo, Hull • St Joseph, Hull • Holy Name, Hull (closed c.2012) • St Vincent De Paul, Hull • Corpus Christi, Hull • St Wilfrid, Hull • Our Lady of Lourdes, Hessle • St Willibrord University Chaplaincy, Hull • Sacred Heart, Hull • St Bede, Hull • St Stephen, Hull • St Francis of Assisi, Hull • St Mary, Queen of Martyrs, Hull • Ss Mary & Joseph, Hedon • Sacred Heart, Hornsea • Ss Peter & John Fisher, Withernsea • Most Holy Sacrament, Marton
Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust (NPCAT) is a Catholic multi-academy trust (MAT) that operates thirty-eight schools (six secondary and thirty-two primary), serving the northern, central, and western areas of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough, spanning Teesside, North Yorkshire, and the City of York. As the largest MAT within the diocese and one of the largest Catholic academy trusts in England, it functions as an exempt charity regulated by the Department for Education. The trust's official song is "Called to Serve". Its headquarters are on the site of Trinity Catholic College.
History
In 2017, the Bishop commissioned a restructuring of the 54 schools within the Diocese. As a result, arrangements were made to place schools into one of three large Catholic Academy Trusts, to improve support, stability, and resource sharing across the diocese:
St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Academy Trust (SMCCAT): Serving North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, and York
St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy Trust (SCCAT): Serving the Hull area
Formation and initial expansion (2018–2020)
NPCAT was officially formed on 1 September 2018. The initial merger brought together 25 Teesside schools, integrated from four smaller predecessor trusts, alongside a local authority-maintained voluntary aided (VA) school:
Nicholas Postgate Academy Trust (NPAT): Acted as the legal host entity (incorporation in 2014), which then expanded to NPCAT in its current form, initially comprising five Redcar & Cleveland schools, which had previously merged between 2014 and 2015 (Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary, St Bede's, St Benedict's, St Joseph's, and St Paulinus).
St Oswald's Catholic Academy Trust: Four Redcar & Cleveland schools (St Gabriel's, St Margaret Clitherow, St Mary's, and St Peter's Catholic College).
Our Lady of Light Catholic Academy Trust: Four Stockton schools (Christ the King, St Patrick's, St Patrick's Catholic College, and St Thérèse of Lisieux).
St Hilda's Catholic Academy Trust: 11 Middlesbrough schools (Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart, St Alphonsus', St Augustine's, St Bernadette's, St Clare's, St Edward's, St Gerard's, St Joseph's, St Thomas More, and Trinity Catholic College & Sixth Form).
Additionally, St Pius X joined at launch as the local authority-maintained VA school.
Further conversions followed afterwards, with All Saints Primary joining in June 2019 and St Hedda's joining in September 2020, both as local authority-maintained VA schools.
Central Vicariate transfer and growth (2022–present)
Following structural challenges within the St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Academy Trust due to its wide geographical spread, SMCCAT was dissolved. To ensure administrative stability and better resource distribution, St Cuthbert's and NPCAT absorbed the schools which had been previously administered by SMCCAT. In September 2022, 10 schools from the Central Vicariate of the diocese were transferred into NPCAT: Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Sacred Heart (Northallerton), St Aelred's, St Benedict's, St Francis Xavier School, St George's, St Joseph's, St Mary's in Malton, St Mary's in Richmond, and St Wilfrid's).
In 2022, NPCAT and Trinity Catholic College launched the T6 Football Academy to cater for rising talent within the trust.
England
East Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
York
