Roman Catholic Diocese of Kerry
Diocese of Kerry Dioecesis Kerriensis Deoise Chiarraí | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Territory | Most of County Kerry and part of County Cork |
| Ecclesiastical province | Cashel and Emly |
| Metropolitan | Cashel and Emly |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,047 sq mi (5,300 km2) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2016) 153,100 146,790 (95.9%) |
| Parishes | 53 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin |
| Established | 12th century (as Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe) 20 December 1952 (as Diocese of Kerry) |
| Cathedral | St Mary's, Killarney |
| Patron saint | Brendan |
| Secular priests | 54 (as of 2018) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Raymond Browne, Bishop of Kerry |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Kieran O'Reilly, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly |
| Vicar General | Fr. Seán Hanafin |
| Bishops emeritus | William Murphy, Bishop of Kerry |
| Website | |
| dioceseofkerry.ie | |
The Diocese of Kerry (Irish: Deoise Chiarraí) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in south-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly.
The cathedral church of the diocese is St Mary's Cathedral in Killarney, County Kerry.
The incumbent bishop of the diocese is Raymond Browne.
History
[edit]The diocese was established in the sixth century as the Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe.
Its name was changed to the Diocese of Kerry on 20 December 1952.
Geography
[edit]There are 53 parishes in the diocese, which are divided between two civil counties: 44 in County Kerry and nine in County Cork.[1]
The parishes are grouped into 12 pastoral areas, formerly known as deaneries.[2][3][4]
As of April 2018, there were 54 priests in the diocese, six of whom were under the age of 50.[5]
Aside from the cathedral town of Killarney, the main towns in the diocese are Castleisland, Kenmare, Listowel, Millstreet, and Tralee.
| Pastoral Area | Parishes |
|---|---|
| Beara | |
| Castleisland |
|
| Corca Dhuibhne | |
| Duhallow Sliabh Luachra |
|
| Iveragh |
|
| Kenmare |
|
| Killarney | |
| Killorglin |
|
| Listowel | |
| Naomh Bhréanainn | |
| North Kerry | |
| Tralee |
|
Ordinaries
[edit]The following is a list of bishops since the name of the diocese was changed in 1952:
- Denis Moynihan (1952–1969)
- Éamonn Casey (1969–1976)
- Kevin McNamara (1976–1984)
- Diarmuid ó Súilleabháin (1985–1994)
- William Murphy (1995–2013)
- Raymond Browne (2013–present)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Foley, Ann-Marie (25 November 2015). "Kerry diocesan pastoral plan (2016-2020) launched". Catholicireland.net. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ Evans, Tadhg (14 July 2018). "Fr Sean is to begin diocesan ministry in St John's Tralee". The Kerryman. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ Lucey, Anne (28 June 2019). "Kerry parishioners campaign to keep their resident priest". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Find Your Parish". Diocese of Kerry. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Baker, Noel (3 April 2018). "Special Report - Diocese by diocese: The state of the Catholic Church on the island of Ireland today". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
External links
[edit]- Diocesan website
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Diocese of Kerry and Aghadoe
- GCatholic: Kerry (Diocese)
- Diocesan Pastoral Plan 2016–2020 (including Parishes and Pastoral Areas)
