Paul Colton
Encyclopedia
William Paul Colton is the Church of Ireland
's Bishop of Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross
. He is now perhaps best known for being the priest who officiated at the wedding of footballer David Beckham
and Spice girl Victoria Adams
on July 4, 1999 at the medieval Luttrellstown Castle
on the outskirts of Dublin.
He studied law at University College, Cork (part of the National University of Ireland
) and Theology at Trinity College, Dublin
. He was consecrated bishop at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
, on Thursday 25 March 1999—the Feast of the Annunciation. He was enthroned in St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork on 24 April 1999, in St Colman's Cathedral, Cloyne
on 13 May 1999, and in St. Fachtna's Cathedral, Ross on 28 May 1999. In September 2010 Bishop Colton was invested as a Knight in the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem at a ceremony in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.
His hobbies include both Canon law
and Manchester United Football Team
. He was also a member of St. FinBarre's Cathedral Scout
Troop, the 2nd Cork, Scouting Ireland S.A.I.
(now Scouting Ireland
).
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
's Bishop of Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross
Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross
The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the Province of Dublin....
. He is now perhaps best known for being the priest who officiated at the wedding of footballer David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
and Spice girl Victoria Adams
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
on July 4, 1999 at the medieval Luttrellstown Castle
Luttrellstown Castle
Luttrellstown Castle, dating from the early 15th century , is located near Clonsilla on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland. It has been owned variously by the eponymous and notorious Luttrell family, by the bookseller Luke White and his descendants Baron Annaly, by the Guinness family, the Primwest...
on the outskirts of Dublin.
He studied law at University College, Cork (part of the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
) and Theology at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. He was consecrated bishop at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland...
, on Thursday 25 March 1999—the Feast of the Annunciation. He was enthroned in St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork on 24 April 1999, in St Colman's Cathedral, Cloyne
Cloyne
Cloyne is a small town to the south-east of the town of Midleton in eastern County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. It is also a see city of the Anglican Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic diocese...
on 13 May 1999, and in St. Fachtna's Cathedral, Ross on 28 May 1999. In September 2010 Bishop Colton was invested as a Knight in the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem at a ceremony in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.
His hobbies include both Canon law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
and Manchester United Football Team
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. He was also a member of St. FinBarre's Cathedral Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
Troop, the 2nd Cork, Scouting Ireland S.A.I.
Scouting Ireland S.A.I.
Scouting Ireland S.A.I. was an Irish Scouting association, formed in 1908 and merged into Scouting Ireland in 2004.- History :Scouting Ireland SAI began in 1908 as the Dublin City and Dublin County Boy Scouts. Around the same time, a number of Troops in Co. Wicklow formed the Co. Wicklow Scout...
(now Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland is the World Organization of the Scout Movement-recognised Scouting association in the Republic of Ireland, although it also has Scout Groups in Northern Ireland. Scouting Ireland is a voluntary, non-formal educational movement for young people...
).
Ecclesiastical career
- Curate of LisburnLisburnDemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
St. Paul (Connor) 1984 - 1987 - Bishop's Domestic Chaplain (Connor) 1985 - 1990
- Vicar Choral Belfast CathedralSt Anne’s Cathedral, BelfastSt Anne's Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Donegall Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland...
(St. Anne) 1987 - 1990 - Minor Canon Belfast Cathedral ( St. Anne) 1989 - 1990
- Incumbent of CastleknockCastleknockCastleknock is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the west of the modern administrative county of Fingal within the traditional county of Dublin. It is located west of the centre of Dublin....
and MulhuddartMulhuddartMulhuddart is a suburb situated to the north-west of Dublin city, in the barony of Castleknock, Ireland. The River Tolka passes near the village.-Location and access:The N3 dual carriageway now by-passes the village...
with ClonsillaClonsillaClonsilla is a suburb of Dublin in the district of Fingal, Ireland.-Location and access:Originally a small village in its own right, Clonsilla is now a large residential suburban area, with Ongar and other localities developing their own subsidiary identities...
(Dublin) 1990 - 1999 - Priest Vicar, Registrar and Chapter Clerk of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin 1990 - 1995
- Rural Dean of St. Mary's ( Dublin) 1994 - 1999
- Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin 1997 - 1999
- Chairman Connor Youth Council 1986 - 1990
- Member of Interchurch Marriages Preparation Course 1991 - 1998
- Co-ordinator of Religious Programmes involving the Protestant Churches at Raidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
1993 - 1999 - Hon. Chaplain, Actors Church Union 1994 ~ 1997 Area Chaplain (Ireland) 1996 - 1997
- Member of Central Committee, Conference of European Churches 1992 - 1997
- Church of Ireland Representative at the Porvoo Conversations and Porvoo CommunionPorvoo CommunionThe Porvoo Communion is a communion of 12 mainly northern European Anglican and Lutheran churches. It was established in 1992 by an agreement entitled the Porvoo Common Statement which establishes full communion between and among the churches...
Contact Group 1989 - 1999 - Secretary of the Church of Ireland General Synod 1999
- Research Associate at the Centre for Law and Religion, Cardiff Law School, Cardiff University, 2006
- Member of the General Committee of the Ecclesiastical Law Society, 2006