Birth name Stephen Robson Name Stephen Robson Consecration June 9, 2012 | Installed 9 January 2014 Denomination Roman Catholic Ordination March 17, 1979 Appointed December 11, 2013 | |
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Born 1 April 1951 (age 73) Carlisle, Cumbria, England ( 1951-04-01 ) Parents Leslie and Margery Robson Alma mater University of Edinburgh(BSc 1974; MTh 1986)St Andrew's College, DrygrangePontifical Gregorian University(STL 2000; STD 2003; JCL 2006) Books "With the Spirit and Power of Elijah" (Lk 1,17): The Prophetic-reforming Spirituality of Bernard of Clairvaux as Evidenced Particularly in His Letters | ||
Stephen Robson (born 1 April 1951) is a prelate of the Catholic Church. As of 2015, he is the Bishop of Dunkeld.
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From 2012 to 2014 he was auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
Early life
Stephen Robson was born in Carlisle, in the Diocese of Lancaster, on 1 April 1951. Baptised in the Anglican tradition on 15 May 1951, he became a Roman Catholic while a teenager. After secondary school he attended the University of Edinburgh where he obtained a degree in biological sciences with a specialisation in medical technology at Napier College of Science in Edinburgh. He was heavily influenced by the local Jesuit community while studying in Edinburgh.
Formation and further studies
Robson completed his studies for ordination at St Andrew's College, Drygrange. During his ministry at the Pontifical Scots College in Rome he gained a Licentiate and Doctorate in Spiritual Theology and a Licentiate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 2004 his doctoral thesis, entitled "With the Spirit and Power of Elijah: The Prophetic-reforming Spirituality of Bernard of Clairvaux as Evidenced Particularly in His Letters", was awarded the Gregorian University's Bellarmine Medal (Theology), awarded to recognise the best thesis submitted each year in theology.
Priesthood
Robson was ordained deacon on 12 February 1978, and priest on 17 March 1979 for the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
He subsequently held the following pastoral assignments:
Following his period at St Mary's College, Blairs, he spent over a year living at Ampleforth Abbey while discerning a vocation to monastic life
From 1998 to 2006 he was the spiritual director of the Pontifical Scots College in Rome.
On returning to Scotland he became Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh and pastor of the united parishes of Our Lady's in North Berwick and Dunbar. He also served as a judge of the Scottish National Catholic Tribunal.
Auxiliary bishop
Robson's appointment was announced on 8 May 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI and he received episcopal consecration on 9 June 2012, the Feast of St Columba, from Keith Patrick Cardinal O'Brien with Archbishops Antonio Mennini and Mario Conti serving as co-consecrators. He was assigned the titular see of Tunnuna in Tunisia.
Immediately following his episcopal consecration he served as the representative of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin from 10–17 June 2012.
As auxiliary bishop, Robson became a member of the bishops' conference. Following his consecration, he continued in his role as chancellor of the archdiocese and served as parish priest at Ss John Cantius and Nicholas, Broxburn, beginning in September 2012.
Following the resignation as bishop in response to misconduct of O'Brien in February 2013, and the appointment of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, Robson was named as Archibishop Tartaglia's delegate in the day-to-day running of the archdiocese.
Bishop of Dunkeld
On 11 December 2013, Robson was appointed as Bishop of Dunkeld by Pope Francis. He was enthroned in St Andrew's Cathedral, Dundee, on 9 January 2014.
In March 2013 Robson was appointed as one of the twelve members of the McLellan Commission, the external review group tasked with investigating how the Scottish Church deals with abuse allegations and making recommendations to prevent recurrence of abuses, which reported in August 2015.