The Bishop of Argyll and The Isles is the ordinary

Ordinary

In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...

 of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles

Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, in the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh....

 in the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

The Scottish hierarchy was restored

Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy

The Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy refers to the re-establishment of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland on 15 March 1878...

 by Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...

 on 15 March 1878 and the ancient bishoprics of Argyll

Bishop of Argyll

The Bishop of Argyll or Bishop of Lismore was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Argyll, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. It was created in 1200, when the western half of the territory of the Bishopric of Dunkeld was formed into the new diocese. The bishops were based at Lismore...

 and The Isles

Bishop of the Isles

The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Sodor, one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompasing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as an ecclesiastical unity to the careers of Olaf, King of the Isles,...

 were re-established and united under one bishop.

The Episcopal see

Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

 is in the town of Oban

Oban

Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...

 where the bishop's seat

Cathedra

A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...

 is located at the Cathedral Church of St. Columba

St. Columba's Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of St Columba in Oban is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Argyll and the Isles and mother church of the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles...

.

The current incumbent is The Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Toal, who was appointed

Appointment of Catholic bishops

The appointment of bishops in the Catholic Church is a complicated process. Outgoing bishops, neighbouring bishops, the faithful, the apostolic nuncio, various members of the Roman Curia, and the pope all have a role in the selection...

 by the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 as the tenth Bishop of Argyll and the Isles on 16 October 2008 and ordained bishop

Bishop (Catholic Church)

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....

 on 8 December 2008.

List of the Roman Catholic Bishops of Argyll and The Isles

Roman Catholic Bishops of Argyll and The Isles
No.	Incumbent	From	Until	Notes
1	Angus MacDonald Angus MacDonald (archbishop) Angus MacDonald was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the third Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland from 1892 to 1900.-Early life:...	1878	1892	Appointed 22 March 1878 and ordained bishop 23 May 1878; translated to Saint Andrews and Edinburgh 15 July 1892
2	George John Smith George John Smith (bishop) George John Smith was a Scottish Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles from 1892 to 1918.Born in Cuttlebrae, Banffshire, Scotland on 24 January 1840, he was ordained to the priesthood on 17 December 1864...	1892	1918	Appointed 31 December 1892 and ordained bishop 25 April 1893; died in office 18 January 1918
3	Donald Martin Donald Martin (bishop) Donald Martin was a Scottish Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles from 1919 to 1938.Born in Salen on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, Scotland on 6 October 1873, he was ordained to the priesthood on 23 September 1905...	1919	1938	Appointed 2 April 1919 and ordained bishop 11 June 1919; died in office 6 December 1938
4	Donald Alphonsus Campbell Donald Alphonsus Campbell Donald Alphonsus Campbell was a Scottish prelate who served as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow from 1945 to 1963.Born in Bohunhin, Glen Roy, Inverness-shire on 8 December 1894, he was ordained to the priesthood on 3 April 1920...	1939	1945	Appointed 5 October 1939 and ordained bishop 14 December 1939; translated to Glasgow Archbishop of Glasgow The Bishop of Glasgow, from 1492 Archbishop of Glasgow, was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Glasgow and then, as Archbishop of Glasgow, the Archdiocese of Glasgow...  6 January 1945
5	Kenneth Grant Kenneth Grant (bishop) Kenneth Grant was a Scottish Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles from 1945 to 1959.Born in Fort William, Scotland on 18 March 1900, he was ordained to the priesthood of Glasgow on 24 April 1927...	1945	1959	Appointed 15 December 1945 and ordained bishop 27 February 1946; died in office 7 September 1959
6	Stephen McGill Stephen McGill The Right Reverend Stephen McGill PSS was the sixth Bishop of Argyll and the Isles and second Bishop of Paisley.-Early life:... , P.S.S.	1960	1968	Appointed 4 April 1960 and ordained bishop 22 June 1960; translated to Paisley Bishop of Paisley The Bishop of Paisley is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley in the Province of Glasgow.The diocese covers an area of and is the smallest by area in Scotland. The see is in the town of Paisley where the seat is located at St Mirin's Cathedral.The diocese was erected on 25 May...  25 July 1968
7	Colin Aloysius MacPherson Colin Aloysius MacPherson Colin Aloysius MacPherson was a Scottish Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles from 1968 to 1990....	1968	1990	Appointed 2 December 1968 and ordained bishop 6 February 1969; died in office 24 March 1990
8	Roderick Wright Roderick Wright Roderick Wright was a former Scottish Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles from 1990 to 1996.-Early life:...	1990	1996	Appointed 11 December 1990 and ordained bishop 15 January 1991; resigned 19 September 1996; died 23 May 2005
9	Ian Murray Ian Murray (bishop) Ian Murray is the Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles, Scotland.-Early life:Murray is the eldest of the four children of John and Margaret Murray. He was educated at St. Machan's Primary School and St. Ninian's High School in Kirkintilloch and the National Junior Seminary of St...	1999	2008	Appointed 3 November 1999 and ordained bishop 7 December 1999; retired 16 October 2008
10	Joseph Anthony Toal	2008	Present	Formerly Rector of the Royal Scots College Royal Scots College The Royal Scots College is a Roman Catholic seminary in Salamanca, Spain for the church in Scotland. It was located originally at Madrid, then Valladolid, and then Salamanca .-History:...  in Salamanca Salamanca Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... ; appointed 16 October 2008 and ordained bishop 8 December 2008