LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Bishop Vincent Malone, who served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Liverpool from 1989 until his retirement in 2006, has died at Royal Liverpool Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 88.

Malone was born in Liverpool on September 11, 1931 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1955.

From 1960 to 1961 he served as Assistant Priest at St Anne’s, Overbury Street, Liverpool and was a part-time teacher at St Francis Xavier’s Preparatory School, and then served for 10 years on the staff of Cardinal Allen Grammar school for Boys.

In 1971, he was appointed the Catholic chaplain at the University of Liverpool  and in 1980 he was the first cleric to be elected Chairman of Convocation for the university.

After his episcopal consecration in 1989, he served as Chairman of the Bishops’ Conference Committee for Higher Education and as Episcopal Liaison for the National Board of Catholic Women.

After his retirement, he continued to serve as the vicar general and trustee of the Archdiocese until 2019.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said on Twitter he was “sad to hear the news,” calling Malone a “true gentleman a humble and dedicated man whose mission was to serve God, the Archdiocese and people of Liverpool.”

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, the head of the English and Welsh bishops’ conference, also took to Twitter to honor the late bishop.

“We pray that Bishop Vincent Malone is received by our Heavenly Father with loving mercy and that he can look down upon us with an affectionate smile as he sees us still struggle to do our best. His service, his struggle is over. May he rest in peace and rise in glory,” the tweet said.

Father Aidan Prescott, the chancellor of the Liverpool archdiocese, confirmed in a statement that Malone has able to receive his final sacraments on Monday evening.

“For many years Bishop Vincent commended to our prayers the souls of deceased priests and faithful in our archdiocese. May we now pray for him, bidding the choirs of angels to lead him into paradise,” Prescott said.

Follow Charles Collins on Twitter: @CharlesinRome