Mass and funeral service for much-loved former Bishop of Northampton Leo McCartie

Former Bishop of Northampton Leo McCartie, who died last month

The funeral takes place today (Tuesday May 12) of the much-loved former Bishop of Northampton Leo McCartie, who died recently aged 94.

The current Bishop of Northampton, David Oakley, will celebrate a Requiem Mass before the burial at 12.30pm in Northampton Cathedral, which will be streamed live via the diocese website.

A funeral service will be held at 2pm in the parish cemetery at Great Billing.

Bishop Leo was appointed the tenth Bishop of Northampton in February 1990 and was installed in the Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Thomas by Cardinal George Basil Hume.

He retired in 2001 after 43 years as an active Bishop and was the oldest living Bishop in England and Wales.

Bishop Oakley paid a heartfled tribute saying: "Along with many others, I always found Bishop Leo to be a benevolent and considerate man who treated others with courtesy and respect.

"He was a kind and gentle man with a deeply pastoral heart, fully rooted in charity and having a generous openness to those who were broken by life’s circumstances. There is much to give thanks for in the life and ministry of this good man.”

Last July, Bishop Leo celebrated 70 years of priesthood with Mass attended by the then Bishop of Northampton, Peter Doyle, and Archbishop Kevin McDonald — who replaced Bishop Leo in Northampton.