Bede the Venerable, 25 May 2004. Seamus Cunningham received his episcopal consecration on 20 March 2009 (feast of St. Cuthbert, the diocese's patron), at St. Mary's Cathedral. He is the thirteenth bishop of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. On 21 April 2006 the incumbent Dean, the Reverend Michael Campion, officially left his appointment at the cathedral. He is succeeded by the Reverend Peter Leighton, formerly the Catholic Chaplain to the University of Durham. Under the careful guidance of the Reverend Peter Leighton, the cathedral has undergone a thorough period of renovation restoring much of the beauty of the original design. Phase one of the work was completed in September 2010 and phase two of the work, which included the installation of a new three-manual Kenneth Tickell organ of 46 stops, was completed in February 2013. On 4 February, Pope Francis announced that Bishop Robert Byrne was to be the next Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle after the resignation of Bishop Seamus Cunningham. Robert Byrne previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, he is also a member of the Oratory the St. Philip Neri at Birmingham Oratory. Gallery See also Bishop Ambrose Griffiths - Eleventh Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle Bishop Hugh Lindsay - Tenth Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle Basil Cardinal Hume - Archbishop of Westminster 1976-1999 Robert Byrne - current bishop of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle References External links Official Cathedral Website Official Diocesan Website Roman Catholic churches in Tyne and Wear Saint Mary Roman Catholic cathedrals in England Grade I listed buildings in Tyne and Wear Tourist attractions in Tyne and Wear Grade I listed cathedrals Roman Catholic churches completed in 1844 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Grade I listed Roman Catholic churches in England Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle