The current dean of Salford cathedral is Canon Anthony McBride, appointed in March 2003. Canon McBride was born in Wexford, Ireland and his family moved to Burnley when he was ten. Having trained for the priesthood at St Joseph’s Seminary, Upholland, he was ordained priest at St Mary’s, Burnley by Bishop Geoffrey Burke in May 1974. He has served as a curate in Heywood, Bury and Blackburn, as chaplain to the Blackburn hospitals and as parish priest in Middleton. His responsibilities have also included being school chaplain and youth chaplain as well as being a governor of a number of schools. 

As well as his post as Cathedral Dean, Canon McBride is also the Episcopal Vicar for Formation, which includes responsibility for schools and colleges, young people and adult formation.


 

The assistant priest at the Cathedral is Father Anthony Sudlow who was ordained for the Diocese on 26th June 2010 after four years training and studying at the Pontifical Beda College, Rome as a mature student for the Sacred Priesthood.

Fr Anthony is a former member of Corpus Christi Parish Mile Platting where he was born and brought up, attending that school and also Xaverian College Manchester.

A widower, Fr Anthony was happily married to his dear wife Marie for over thirty seven years until her death in 2004. In the course of their married lives, they lived in parishes of Corpus Christi Hollinwood and Sacred Heart, Westhoughton; involved with the SVP in St Mary’s Horwich and the Crusade of Mary Immaculate with the Franciscans in Barton.

Fr Anthony also did voluntary work with St Vincent’s Housing Association (for a short time as Chairman) as well as working with Victim Support in Wigan and as a Magistrate in Bolton for 8 years.

After his wife’s death, Fr Anthony tried his vocation with the Norbertine Order (then in Miles Platting) finally transferring to the Salford Diocese in January 2009.

His work as Assistant Priest at the cathedral involves celebrating Holy Mass and the Sacraments and assisting the Dean of the Cathedral with a range of duties, including working with the schools and parishes of the Cathedral and St Joseph's Ordsall, and the many other duties which fall to the ‘Curate’!