Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor

Diocese of Down and Connor Dioecesis Dunensis et Connorensis
St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast
Location
Country	Northern Ireland
Territory	Most of counties Antrim and Down and part of County Londonderry
Ecclesiastical province	Province of Armagh
Coordinates	54°55′26″N 6°06′07″W / 54.924°N 6.102°W / 54.924; -6.102Coordinates: 54°55′26″N 6°06′07″W / 54.924°N 6.102°W / 54.924; -6.102
Statistics
Area	934 sq mi (2,420 km2)
Population - Catholics	326,499
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	Down and Connor united in the 15th century
Cathedral	St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast
Patron saint	St Malachy and St MacNissi
Current leadership
Pope	Pope Benedict XVI
Bishop	Noel Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor
Metropolitan Archbishop	Seán Baptist Brady, Cardinal, Archbishop of Armagh
Auxiliary Bishop	Anthony J. Farquhar and Donal McKeown, Auxiliary Bishops of Down and Connor
Emeritus Bishops	Patrick Joseph Walsh, Bishop Emeritus of Down and Connor
Map
The Diocese of Down and Connor, shown in red, within the Province of Armagh
Website
downandconnor.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor, (Irish: Deoise An Dúin Agus Chonaire) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the north-eastern part of Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh and is subject to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh. The incumbent is Dr Noel Treanor.

Geographic remit

The geographic remit of the diocese includes much of counties Antrim and Down, stretching from Portrush and Portstewart to Kilkeel. The population of the diocese is about one million, of which approximately 30% are Roman Catholic. The diocese is Ireland's largest in terms of territory and second largest in terms of population.

History

St Fergus (d. 583) is named as first Bishop of Down. The diocese of Connor was founded in 480 by St Macnissi, and St Malachy was bishop there (1124). The dioceses of Down and Connor were permanently joined in 1439.

In 1670, as an effect of the Reformation, wars, and penal laws, in the whole of Down and Connor there were only 2500 Catholic families. When at length the pressure of penal legislation was removed Catholicism revived rapidly. In the period 1810-1840 no less than forty new Roman Catholic churches were built. The progress thus made under Dr Crolly (1825–1835) and Dr Denvir (1835–65) was continued under Dr Dorrian (1865–86) and Dr MacAlister (1886–95); but none showed greater energy and zeal than Dr Henry (1895–1908).

Today

There are currently 88 parishes and ministries in the diocese served by 163 priests. The Most Reverend Dr Noel Treanor is the 32nd Bishop of Down and Connor. He was Ordained to the Episcopate and installed as Bishop of Down and Connor on 29 June 2008. The Bishop is assisted by two Auxiliary Bishops, Dr Anthony Farquhar and Dr Donal McKeown.

Priests in Down & Connor serve in Parish Ministry, School Chaplaincy, Hospital Chaplaincy, Youth Work, Prison Chaplaincy, The Media, Teaching in universities and teacher training colleges and Teaching and Chaplaincy in secondary and grammar schools.

Priests on the missions are often involved in the same work but their parish could be in Kenya, Peru, Korea, Canada or any other country in our vast world.

Diocesan Statistics

For the year ending 31 December 2007:

• Number of Catholics = 329,243.
• Number of Parishes = 88.
• Number of Churches = 151.
• Number of Priests in Diocesan Ministry = 159.
• Number Ordained (2011) = 1.
• Number of Retired Priests = 31.
• Seminarians = 10.
• Deacons = 1
• Number of Brothers = 30.
• Number of Sisters = 243.
• St. Mary's College of Education on Roll = 994.
• Number of Primary & Nursery Schools = 164 (On Roll = 32,306).
• Number of Grammar Schools = 12 (0n Roll = 10,795).
• Number of Secondary School = 31 (On Roll = 15,621).
• Baptisms = 5,078.
• First Communions = 4,533.
• Confirmations = 4,730.
• Marriages = 1,250.

(The Down and Connor Directory 2011)

List of city parishes

Listed are city parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.

Cathedral (St. Peter's) Christ the Redeemer (Lagmore) Corpus Christi Derryaghy Drumbo & Carryduff Greencastle Hannahstown Holy Cross Holy Family Holy Rosary Holy Trinity Nativity, (Poleglass) Our Lady Queen of Peace (Kilwee) Parish of Antrim (St Comgall's and St Joseph's) Sacred Heart St Agnes' St Anne's St Anthony's

St Bernadette's St Brigid's St Colmcille's St Gerard's St James' ([Whiteabbey]]) St John's St Luke's (Twinbrook) St Malachy's St Mary's St Mary's-On-The-Hill St Matthews St Michael The Archangel St Oliver Plunkett St Patrick's St Paul's St Teresa's St Vincent De Paul (Ligoniel) Whitehouse

List of country parishes

Listed are country parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.

Aghagallon & Ballinderry Ahoghill Antrim Armoy Ballintoy Ballycastle Ballyclare & Ballygowan Ballygalet Ballymena Ballymoney & Derrykeighan Bangor Braid Carnlough Carrickfergus Castlewellan Coleraine Crossgar Culfeightrin (Ballyvoy) Cushendall & Cushendun Downpatrick Drumaroad & Clanvaraghen Dundrum & Tyrella Duneane (Moneyglass & Toome) Dunloy & Cloughmills Dunsford & Ardglass

Glenariffe Glenarm Glenavy & Killead Glenravel Holywood Kilcoo Killough Killtleagh Kircubbin Larne Lisburn Loughguile Loughinisland Lower Mourne Newcastle Newtownards & Comber Portaferry Portglenone Portrush Portstewart Randalstown Rasharkin Saintfield & Carrickmannon Saul & Ballee Strangford Upper Mourne

Ad Limina Visit 2006

Bishop Patrick Walsh, Bishop Anthony Farquhar and Bishop Donal McKeown met with Pope Benedict XVI on the first morning of their visit. They spoke with the Pope for 20 minutes privately in which they discussed things like Education, child sexual abuse, peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland^{[citation needed]}.

Bishops

Ordinaries

Main article: Bishop of Down and Connor

The following is a basic list of the Roman Catholic bishops and vicars apostolic.^[1][2]

John Fossade (1442–1450) Thomas Knight. O.S.B. (1453–1469) Tadhg Ó Muirgheasa (1469–1480) Tiberio Ugolino (1483–1519) Robert Blyth, O.S.B. (1520–1539) Eugene Magennis (1539–1559) Miler Magrath, O.F.M. (1565–1580) Donat O'Gallagher, O.F.M. (1580–1581) Bl. Conor O'Devany, O.F.M. (1582–1612) (Patrick Hanratty, vicar apostolic, 1614–1625) Edmund Dungan (1625–1629) Hugh Magennis, O.F.M. (1630–1640) (See vacant, 1640–1642) Heber MacMahon (1642–1643) Arthur Magennis, O.Cist. (1647–1653) (Michael O'Beirn, vicar apostolic, 1657–1670) Daniel Mackey (1671–1673) (See vacant, 1673–1711) (Terence O'Donnelly, vicar apostolic, 1711–unknown)

James O'Shiel, O.F.M. (1717–1724) John Armstrong (1727–1739) Francis Stuart, O.F.M. (1740–1749) Edmund O'Doran (1751–1760) Theophilus MacCartan (1760–1778) Hugh MacMullan (1779–1794) Patrick MacMullan (1794–1824) William Crolly (1825–1835) Cornelius Denvir (1835–1865) Patrick Dorrian (1865–1885) Patrick MacAlister (1886–1895) Henry Henry (1895–1908) John Tohill (1908–1914) Joseph MacRory (1915–1928) Daniel Mageean (1929–1962) William Philbin (1962–1982) Cahal Brendan Daly (1982–1990) Patrick Joseph Walsh (1991–2008) Noel Treanor (2008–present)

Auxiliary Bishops

Patrick Dorrian (1860–1865) (Coadjutor) Patrick Walsh (1983–1991) Anthony Farquhar (1983–present)

Michael Dallat (1993–2000) Donal McKeown (2001–present)

See also

• Diocese of Down and Dromore (Church of Ireland)
• Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)

References

1. ^ Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 423–424. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. 
2. ^ Diocese of Down and Connor. Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved on 26 August 2009.

External links

• Diocese of Down and Connor (Giga-Catholic Information)
• Catholic-Hierarchy.org - Diocese Profile
• Profile from NewAdvent.org - info from Catholic Encyclopedia