Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick

The Diocese of Limerick (Irish: Deoise Luimnigh ) is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel (also known as Munster) and is subject to the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly.[1] Following the resignation of bishop Donal Murray, the diocese was administered by its metropolitan, Dermot Clifford, until the installation of Brendan Leahy on 14 April 2013. The cathedral church of the diocese is St John's Cathedral.

Diocese of Limerick

Dioecesis Limericiensis

Deoise Luimnigh
St John's Cathedral, Limerick
Location
Country Republic of Ireland
TerritoryMost of County Limerick, parts of counties Clare and Kerry
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Cashel
MetropolitanArchdiocese of Cashel and Emly
Statistics
Area811 sq mi (2,100 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2010)
178,300
171,000 (95.9%)
Parishes60
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteLatin Rite
CathedralSt John's Cathedral, Limerick
Patron saintSt Munchin and St Ita
Secular priests121
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopBrendan Leahy
Metropolitan ArchbishopKieran O'Reilly (bishop)
Bishops emeritusDonal Murray
Map
Website
limerickdiocese.org

Geography

The diocese contains most of County Limerick and parts of counties Clare and Kerry. As well as Limerick city, it contains the towns of Abbeyfeale, Adare and Newcastle West.

Ordinaries
Main article: Bishop of Limerick

List of bishops since 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 Murray (1996–2009)
  • Sede vacante (2009–2013)
  • Brendan Leahy (2013– )

Diocesan statistics

Its geographical remit covers the greater part of County Limerick, 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.

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

In December 2009, the sexual abuse scandal in Limerick diocese 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.[2] 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.[3][4] [5][6]

See also

References
  1. Diocese of Limerick. Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  2. Statement by Bishop Donal Murray on his resignation as Bishop of Limerick
  3. Irish Bishops Conference
  4. Pope accepts resignation of Irish bishop over child sex abuse
  5. Press Office of the Holy See
  6. Code of Canon Law

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "article name needed". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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