Philip Egan
A thoughtful English bishop who champions a confident, intellectual Catholicism in a secular age, bridging faith and modern culture.
Born 1955 (age 71)·English Catholic bishop·Birthday: November 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth, represents a strand of contemporary Catholicism that is both theologically robust and engaged with the modern world. Ordained a priest for the Shrewsbury diocese, his path was shaped not in parish halls alone but in university chaplaincies and seminary classrooms, where he taught theology. Appointed bishop in 2012, he leads a diocese covering Hampshire, Dorset, and the Channel Islands. Egan is known for his clear, doctrinal writings and his emphasis on the New Evangelization—the call to re-propose the Christian faith in cultures that have grown indifferent. He speaks frequently on the relationship between science and faith, and on the Church's social teaching, aiming to present Catholicism as a coherent and compelling worldview for the 21st century.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Philip was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Philip Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Philip's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Appointed the eighth Bishop of Portsmouth by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
- Served as a lecturer in systematic theology at St. Mary's College, Oscott, the seminary for the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
- Held the role of Episcopal Advisor to the Catholic Association of Performing Arts in the UK.
- Previously served as the Vice-Rector of the Pontifical Beda College in Rome, which forms older men for the priesthood.
Did You Know?
Before entering the seminary, he earned a degree in chemistry from the University of London.
He is a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, advising the Vatican on media matters.
He was ordained a priest on the same day as another future English bishop, Mark Davies of Shrewsbury.
He is a supporter of Southampton Football Club.
“The Church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners.”
