Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick
Encyclopedia
The Diocese of Limerick (Irish
: Deoise Luimnigh ) is a Roman Catholic diocese
in mid-western Ireland
. It is one of six suffragan diocese
s in the ecclesiastical province
of Cashel (also known as Munster) and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly
. The diocese is in the secular province
of the same name - Munster
. The See
is currently sede vacante
.
, part of County Clare
and one townland in County Kerry
. There are 60 parishes in the diocese, 18 of which are in the Limerick city area.
eroded the public's trust in the work of local diocesan officials. Bishop Murray informed the Vicars General of the Diocese on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 December 2009 of his decision to offer his resignation. On Wednesday 2 December, he contacted the Apostolic Nuncio
, asking him to arrange a meeting with the Congregation for Bishops
in Rome. This meeting took place on Monday 7 December. He announced his decision to a congregation, including priests of the Diocese, people working in the Diocesan Office and the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, at 11 a.m. (noon in Rome, the hour of the publication of the decision) in St. John’s Cathedral, Limerick.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
: Deoise Luimnigh ) is a Roman Catholic diocese
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...
in mid-western 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,...
. It is one of six suffragan diocese
Suffragan Diocese
A suffragan diocese is a diocese in the Catholic Church that is overseen not only by its own diocesan bishop but also by a metropolitan bishop. The metropolitan is always an archbishop who governs his own archdiocese...
s 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 Cashel (also known as Munster) and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly
The 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...
. The diocese is in the secular province
Provinces of Ireland
Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces: Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, literally meaning "fifth part", indicates that there were once five; the fifth province, Meath, was incorporated into Leinster, with parts going to...
of the same name - Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
. 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...
is currently sede vacante
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
.
Diocesan statistics
Its geographical remit covers the greater part of County LimerickCounty Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, part of County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
and one townland in County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
. There are 60 parishes in the diocese, 18 of which are in the Limerick city area.
| Topic | Data |
|---|---|
| Catholic Population (from recent census) | 169,500 |
| Number of parishes | 60 |
| Number of churches | 94 |
| Number of priests | 105 |
| Secondary schools | 31 |
| Students in primary school | 21,500 |
| Students in secondary school | 18,000 |
Ordinaries
List of bishops since the 1814:- Charles Tuohy (1814–1828)
- John Ryan (1828–1864)
- George Butler (1864–1886)
- Edward Thomas O'Dwyer (1886–1917)
- Denis Hallinan (1918–1923)
- David Keane (1923–1945)
- Patrick O'Neill (1945–1958)
- Henry Murphy (1958–1973)
- Jeremiah Newman (1974–1995)
- Donal MurrayDonal MurrayDonal Brendan Murray was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick from 1996 to 2009. He had previously served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Dublin diocese-Early life and ordination:...
(1996–2009)
Recent events
In December 2009, the sexual abuse scandal in Limerick dioceseSexual abuse scandal in Limerick diocese
The sexual abuse scandal in Limerick diocese is a significant episode in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States and Ireland.-Denis Daly affair:...
eroded the public's trust in the work of local diocesan officials. Bishop Murray informed the Vicars General of the Diocese on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 December 2009 of his decision to offer his resignation. On Wednesday 2 December, he contacted the Apostolic Nuncio
Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland
The Holy See, as the central government of the Catholic Church , has full diplomatic ties with Ireland as well as many other countries worldwide. The current Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland is Archbishop-elect Monsignor Charles John Brown...
, asking him to arrange a meeting with the Congregation for Bishops
Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for Bishops is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops that are not in mission territories or those areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches who deal with the Eastern Catholics, pending papal...
in Rome. This meeting took place on Monday 7 December. He announced his decision to a congregation, including priests of the Diocese, people working in the Diocesan Office and the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, at 11 a.m. (noon in Rome, the hour of the publication of the decision) in St. John’s Cathedral, Limerick.
External links
- Official Diocesan website
- Diocese of Limerick
- http://www.catholicity.com/encyclopedia/l/limerick.htmlProfile Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
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