Dr Peter Forster, the former Vicar of Beverley Minster who later became Bishop of Chester, has been received into the Roman Catholic Church.
Dr Forster served as Vicar of Beverley Minster from 1991 to 1996. During his time in Beverley he was involved in the training of curates and the life of the Minster before leaving the town following his appointment as Bishop of Chester. He was consecrated in November 1996 and remained Bishop of Chester until his retirement in 2019.
Born in Solihull in 1950, Peter Forster studied at Merton College, Oxford, and the University of Edinburgh. He was ordained in 1980 and began his ministry as an assistant curate at Mossley Hill in Liverpool. He later became senior tutor at St John’s College, Durham, before moving to Beverley Minster in 1991. After five years in Beverley he was appointed Bishop of Chester, was enthroned in 1997, and went on to serve in the role for more than 22 years. He also sat in the House of Lords from 2001 until his retirement.
His reception into the Catholic Church was first reported in 2022. It was said to have taken place privately the previous year, after his retirement and move to Scotland.
The move attracted attention because Dr Forster had held one of the Church of England’s senior diocesan posts for more than two decades. It also placed him among a small number of former Anglican bishops and senior clergy who have been received into the Catholic Church in recent years.
Photo credit: Diocese of Chester