Our Diocese is spread across five counties on England’s South Coast, and the Channel Islands. We are the local Church for the whole of Hampshire, Berkshire, the Isle of Wight, Jersey, and the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the Southern Part of Oxfordshire and the Eastern part of Dorset.

We are made up of 87 Parishes, for a total of 142 Churches. We have 157 secular priests, 35 houses of religious brothers and sisters, and a Catholic population of more than a quarter of a million.

We belong to the province of Southwark, which covers the whole south coast from Kent to Cornwall. Our Metropolitan is the Archbishop of Southwark. Our province also includes the Archdiocese of Southwark, the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, and the Diocese of Plymouth.

The Bishop is the “Chief Shepherd” of the Diocese: he is appointed to govern, teach and guide the priests and people of the diocese. 

Our Bishop is Bishop Phillip Egan. Bishop Phillip was consecrated as Bishop of Portsmouth in September 2012. 

As a diocesan community we regularly come together for our annual schools mass and other celebrations. 

In September 2022, we led a reflection as part of the visit of the relics of St Bernadette at St John's Cathedral, Portsmouth.