Saint John the Evangelist, Diocese of Paisley, Scotland

Bishop: Diocese of Paisley

Right Reverend Philip Tartaglia, Ph.B., S.T.D., Bishop of Paisley

Bishop Philip Tartaglia meets the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI

Bishop Tartaglia's Episcopal Coat of Arms

Da robur, fer auxilium
Thine aid supply, thy strength bestow

Taken from the traditional Eucharistic hymn,
O Salutaris Hostia, composed by Saint Thomas Aquinas

Bishop Philip Tartaglia was born at Glasgow on the 11th January 1951. He was the eldest son of Guido and Annita Tartaglia and has three brothers and five sisters. After his primary schooling at Saint Thomas', Riddrie, he began his secondary education at Saint Mungo's Academy, Glasgow, before moving to the national junior seminary at Saint Vincent's College, Langbank and, later, Saint Mary's College, Blairs, Aberdeen. His ecclesiastical studies were completed at the Pontifical Scots College, and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained Priest by Archbishop Thomas Winning in the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Dennistoun on the 30th June 1975. He then returned to Rome where he completed his ordinary course of studies in 1976 before beginning his research for his Doctorate in Sacred Theology. In 1978 he was additionally appointed as Dean of Studies at the College in Rome, and was also acting Vice-Rector at that time.

On completing his Doctorate in 1980, on the Council of Trent's teaching on the Eucharist, he was appointed assistant priest at Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardonald, while at the same time becoming an extra-mural lecturer at Saint Peter's College, Newlands, Glasgow.

A year later, he was appointed Lecturer at Saint Peter's College, Newlands, becoming Director of Studies in 1983. When Chesters College, Bearsden, opened in 1985 he was made Vice-Rector. In 1987 he was appointed Rector.

He served as Rector until 1993 when he was sent to Saint Patrick's, Dumbarton, as Assistant Priest before being appointed Parish Priest of Saint Mary's, Duntocher in 1995. In 2004, the Bishops' Conference asked him to return to seminary as Rector of the Pontifical Scots College, Rome.

On 13th September 2005, it was announced that Father Philip Tartaglia had been nominated by the Pope Benedict XVI as Bishop of Paisley. On 20th November 2005, the Solemnity of Christ the King, he was ordained at Bishop of Paisley in Saint Mirin's Cathedral by Archbishop Mario Conti. The co-consecrating bishops were Archbishop Raymond Burke of Saint Louis, Missouri and Bishop John Mone, Emeritus Bishop of Paisley.