Diocese of Derry and Raphoe
The Diocese of Derry and Raphoe is a Diocese of the Church of Ireland in the north-west of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. Its geographical remit straddles two civil jurisdictions: in Northern Ireland, it covers all of County Londonderry and large parts of County Tyrone while in the Republic of Ireland it covers County Donegal.
Overview and history
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After the Church in England broke communion with the Catholic Church, 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 continued to adhere to the Latin Rite of Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. They were obliged to find alternative premises and at times to conduct their services in secret. The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the Church of Ireland or to Presbyterianism. Over the centuries, numerous dioceses were merged, in view of declining membership. The sees of Derry and Raphoe were united in 1834.[1] It is for this reason that the united diocese has two cathedrals.
Cathedrals
- The Cathedral Church of St Columb, Derry, Northern Ireland.
- The Cathedral Church of St Eunan, Raphoe, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.
List of Bishops
The following is a basic list the bishops.[1]
- 1831–1853: Richard Ponsonby
- 1853–1867: William Higgin
- 1867–1896: William Alexander
- 1896–1916: George Alexander Chadwick
- 1916–1944: Joseph Irvine Peacocke
- 1945–1958: Robert McNeil Boyd
- 1958–1969: Charles John Tyndall
- 1970–1975: Cuthbert Irvine Peacocke
- 1975–1980: Robert "Robin" Eames
- 1980–2002: James Mehaffey
- 2002–2019: Right Reverend Kenneth (Ken) Raymond Good
- 2019–present: Andrew Forster
See also
References
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (Third Edition, revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 387–388. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.