Augustine Harris

Who was Augustine Harris?

Bishop Augustine Harris was Roman Catholic Bishop of Middlesbrough and former Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool.

Thomas Augustine Harris was born in West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool and was educated at St. Cecilia's Primary School and St. Francis Xavier's College, both in Liverpool. In 1933 he went to the Liverpool Archdiocesan Seminary at St Joseph's College, Upholland to study for the priesthood. On 30 May 1942 he was ordained by Archbishop Downey.

After six months as a curate at St Oswald's Church, Old Swan, Liverpool, he then served at St Elizabeth’s, Litherland, and then as Chaplain at Walton Prison. During his time at St Elizabeth’s he had an active Y.C.W. group and was chaplain to the local Catholic Social Guild. He was the English representative to the International Council of Senior Roman Catholic Prison Chaplains from 1957 to 1966.

He was a member of the Vatican Delegation to the United Nations' Quinquennial Congress on Crime in London and Stockholm. Throughout his life, Bishop Harris maintained a personal interest in criminology and published a number of articles in this field.