Diocese of Cashel and Ossory
Encyclopedia
The United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory (Full title: The United Dioceses of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore with Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin) is a diocese
of the Church of Ireland
in southern Ireland
. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province
of Dublin.
, the Church of England
was established by the state as the established church. Later, by decree of the Irish Parliament, a similar new body became the State Church
in the Kingdom of Ireland
. It assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Latin Rite of Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. They were obliged to find alternative premises and to conduct their services in secret. The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the Church of Ireland or to Presbyterianism. In 1833, the two provinces of Dublin and Cashel were merged. Over the centuries, numerous dioceses were merged, in view of declining membership. The same is true for this diocese where it can be seen that each of the entities listed in the title would have been a diocese in its own right. It is for this reason that the united diocese has six cathedral
s.
and Leighlin
were united in 1597. Over 238 years, there were twenty-nine bishops of that united diocese.
Under the Church Temporalities (Ireland) Act 1833, the united bisphopric of Ferns and Leighlin
merged with the bisphopric of Ossory
to form the United Dioceses of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin
on 12 July 1835. Over the next 142 years, there were twelve bishops of that united diocese.
Under the same Act, the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly
merged with the United Dioceses of Waterford and Lismore
from 14 August 1833. The resultant union was styled the "United Dioceses of Cashel and Waterford".
In 1977, the see
of "Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin" merged with the neighbouring see of the United Dioceses of Cashel and Waterford
. The resultant union was styled the "United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory"; it is this entity which continues in existence today.
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
in southern Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Dublin.
Reformation
When the Church in England broke communion with the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
was established by the state as the established church. Later, by decree of the Irish Parliament, a similar new body became the State Church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in the Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
. It assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Latin Rite of Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. They were obliged to find alternative premises and to conduct their services in secret. The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the Church of Ireland or to Presbyterianism. In 1833, the two provinces of Dublin and Cashel were merged. Over the centuries, numerous dioceses were merged, in view of declining membership. The same is true for this diocese where it can be seen that each of the entities listed in the title would have been a diocese in its own right. It is for this reason that the united diocese has six cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s.
Previous entities
The bishoprics of FernsBishop of Ferns
The Bishop of Ferns is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:...
and Leighlin
Bishop of Leighlin
The Bishop of Leighlin was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the small town of Old Leighlin in County Carlow, Ireland.The title is now united with other bishoprics. In the Church of Ireland, it is held by the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory, whose full title is the Bishop of Cashel,...
were united in 1597. Over 238 years, there were twenty-nine bishops of that united diocese.
Under the Church Temporalities (Ireland) Act 1833, the united bisphopric of Ferns and Leighlin
Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin
The Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Ferns and Leighlin in the Province of Dublin. The diocese comprised all of counties Wexford and Carlow and part of counties Wicklow and Laois in Ireland....
merged with the bisphopric of Ossory
Bishop of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of Ossory...
to form the United Dioceses of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin
Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin
The Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin in the Ecclesiastical Province of Dublin...
on 12 July 1835. Over the next 142 years, there were twelve bishops of that united diocese.
Under the same Act, the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....
merged with the United Dioceses of Waterford and Lismore
Bishop of Waterford and Lismore
The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Waterford and town of Lismore in the Republic of Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1838, and is still used by the Catholic Church....
from 14 August 1833. The resultant union was styled the "United Dioceses of Cashel and Waterford".
In 1977, the see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of "Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin" merged with the neighbouring see of the United Dioceses of Cashel and Waterford
Bishop of Cashel and Waterford
The Bishop of Cashel and Waterford was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Cashel and Waterford; comprising all of County Waterford, the southern part of County Tipperary and a small part of County Limerick, Ireland.-History:In the Church of Ireland, although not in the Roman Catholic...
. The resultant union was styled the "United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory"; it is this entity which continues in existence today.
Cathedrals of the united diocese
- St. Peter the Rock Cathedral, CashelSt. Peter the Rock Cathedral, CashelSt. Peter the Rock Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin....
. - Christ Church Cathedral, WaterfordWaterford CathedralChrist Church Cathedral, Waterford is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Waterford City, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin....
. - St Carthage's Cathedral, LismoreLismore Cathedral, IrelandSt. Carthage's Cathedral, Lismore is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Lismore, County Waterford in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin....
.
- St. Canice's Cathedral, KilkennyKilkennyKilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
(Ossory). - St Edan's Cathedral, FernsFerns CathedralThe Cathedral Church of St Edan is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Ferns, County Wexford in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin....
. - St Laserian's Cathedral, Old LeighlinOld LeighlinOld Leighlin is a small town in County Carlow, Ireland, 3.5 km west of Leighlinbridge. The site was at one time one of the foremost monastic houses in Leinster, with 1500 monks in residence...
.
List of Bishops of Cashel and Ossory
- 1977–1980: John Ward ArmstrongJohn Ward ArmstrongJohn Ward Armstrong was an Irish Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Armagh from 1980 to 1986 having previously been the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory from 1968 to 1980 and the Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin from 1958 to 1968.Armstrong was born in Belfast and educated at the Belfast...
. - 1980–1997: Noel Vincent WilloughbyNoel Vincent WilloughbyNoel Vincent Willoughby was the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cashel and Ossory from 1980 to 1997.He was born in 1926, the son of George Willoughby of Tinahely, County Wicklow, and his wife, Mina . His first clerical post was Curate of Drumglass, near Dungannon from 1950 to 1953. It was at that time...
- 1997–2002: John Robert Winder NeillJohn NeillJohn Robert Winder Neill was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin until the end of January 2011.The fourth generation of his family to become a clergyman, John Neill was educated in Dublin at the Avoca School and at Sandford Park. He attended the University of Dublin , Jesus College and...
- 2002–2006: Peter Francis BarrettPeter Barrett (bishop)Peter Francis Barrett was the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cashel and Ossory from 2002 to 2006.-Life:He was elected as Bishop of Cashel and Ossory in the Church of Ireland in 2002 and consecrated in 2003. He resigned in 2006 following the breakdown of his marriage.His former wife, Anne, is a social...
- 2006–present: Michael Andrew James BurrowsMichael Burrows (bishop)The Right Reverend Michael Andrew James Burrows M.A., M.Litt., Prof.Dip.Th.Mayes. is a bishop in the Church of Ireland.-Life:...
See also
- List of Anglican dioceses in the United Kingdom and Ireland
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and EmlyRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and EmlyThe Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in mid-western Ireland. The diocese is in the secular province of Munster. The Diocese of Cashel was established in 1111 by the Synod of Rathbreasail and promoted to the status of a Metropolitan Province in 1152 by the...
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and LismoreRoman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and LismoreThe Diocese of Waterford and Lismore is a Roman Catholic diocese in southern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The diocese is in the secular province of the same name - Munster...
- Roman Catholic Diocese of OssoryRoman Catholic Diocese of OssoryThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin...
- Roman Catholic Diocese of FernsRoman Catholic Diocese of FernsThe Diocese of Ferns is a Roman Catholic diocese in south-eastern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin. The incumbent Ordinary is Denis Brennan....
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and LeighlinRoman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and LeighlinThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin...