Bishop David James Oakley

David James Oakley was born on 28th November 1955 in Stourbridge. He is the eldest of five children to Joyce and Fred Oakley. The family moved to Birmingham when David was 7 years old. After school, he worked in a well-known department store and entered Oscott in September 1974. Fr David was ordained on 5th July 1980 and has served in several parishes within the Archdiocese of Birmingham. He has always suggested that the parish is his natural habitat.

Fr David studied catechetics at the Maryvale Institute and was awarded a MEd degree. He was appointed Pastoral Director and Procurator at Oscott in 1994. During this time he researched a PhD thesis in Pastoral Theology, which was later published. As Parish Priest at Maryvale, Fr David directed the diocesan Department for Parish and Family Catechesis, developing resources in collaboration with CaFE. At the same time, he undertook licentiate studies in the Pontifical University of St Patrick’s, Maynooth and was awarded the STL degree.

Since February 2013 he has been the twenty-third Rector of Oscott. On the 8th January 2020 Pope Francis appointed Canon David as the new Bishop of Northampton. The Episcopal ordination was celebrated on 19th March 2020 and Bishop David became the thirteenth Bishop of Northampton.