Arthur Roche was born in Batley Carr, Yorkshire, on March 6, 1950. In 1969, he went to the English College at Valladolid to study for the priesthood and gained a baccalaureate in sacred theology from the University of Camillas. He was ordained a priest in July 1975.
In February 1982 he was appointed as the coordinator of the papal visit. From September 1982 to January 1986 he was appointed as an assistant priest at the Cathedral in Leeds, becoming the financial secretary in August 1986.
In September 1991, he went to Rome to earn a license in theology at the Gregorian University. In September 1992, he became spiritual director of the English College in Rome. He has been auxiliary in Westminster since May 2001.
