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Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor

Coordinates: 54°55′26″N 6°06′07″W / 54.924°N 6.102°W / 54.924; -6.102
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Diocese of Down and Connor

Dioecesis Dunensis et Connorensis

Deoise An Dúin agus Chonaire
St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast
Location
CountryNorthern Ireland
TerritoryMost of counties Antrim and Down and part of County Londonderry
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Armagh
Coordinates54°55′26″N 6°06′07″W / 54.924°N 6.102°W / 54.924; -6.102
Statistics
Area934 sq mi (2,420 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2019)
977,600
402,470 (41.2%)
Parishes87
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established1453 (Union of the dioceses of Down and Connor)
CathedralSt Peter's Cathedral, Belfast
Patron saintSt Malachy and St MacNissi
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopAlan McGuckian
Metropolitan ArchbishopEamon Martin
Vicar GeneralFr Eugene O'Hagan (The Priests) and Canon John Murray
Judicial VicarFr Joseph Rooney
Map
Website
www.downandconnor.org

The Diocese of Down and Connor, (Latin: Dioecesis Dunensis et Connorensis; Irish: Deoise an Dúin agus Chonaire) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh. Bishop Alan McGuckian is Bishop.

Territorial remit

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The territorial remit of the diocese includes much of counties Antrim and Down, including the cities of Belfast, Lisburn and Bangor, and the large towns Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Downpatrick, Holywood, Larne and Newtownards. The population of the diocese is about one million, of which approximately 30% are Roman Catholic with Sunday mass attendance estimated at 20%.[1] There are currently 88 parishes and ministries in the diocese served by fewer than 100 priests, though the significance of individual parishes has been overtaken by the development of 'pastoral communities'. The diocese is Ireland's second largest in terms of population (after the Archdiocese of Dublin).[1]

History

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St Fergus (died 583) is named as first Bishop of Down. The Diocese of Connor was founded in 480 by St Macnissi, and St Malachy was bishop there (1124). The dioceses of Down and Connor were permanently joined in 1439.

In 1670, as an effect of the Reformation, wars, and penal laws, in the whole of Down and Connor there were only 2,500 Catholic families. When at length the pressure of penal legislation was removed Catholicism revived rapidly.

In the period 1810–1840, a period of relaxation of the penal laws culminating in Catholic Emancipation, an estimated forty new churches were built, mostly in the rural parts of the diocese. This progress made under William Crolly (1825–1835) and Cornelius Denvir (1835–65) was continued as Belfast expanded as a city, under Patrick Dorrian (1865–86) and Patrick MacAlister (1886–95) and Henry Henry (1895–1908).

A diocesan chapter was erected in December 1920 in line with the 1917 Code of Canon Law. At the time of Partition it was one of only two Catholic dioceses to be wholly inside the new jurisdiction of Northern Ireland, the Catholic population at the time being estimated at 180,000 souls, served by 160 diocesan priests. [2]

Diocesan statistics

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  • Number of Catholics = 329,243
  • Number of parishes = 86 [3]
  • Number of churches = 151
  • Number of priests in diocesan ministry = 131
  • Number of permanent deacons in ministry (2018) = 9
  • Number ordained (2018) = 1
  • Number of retired priests = 44
  • Seminarians = 8 [3]
  • Number of brothers = 30
  • Number of sisters = 243
  • St. Mary's College of Education on roll = 994
  • Number of primary & nursery schools = 164 (on roll = 32,306)
  • Number of grammar schools = 12 (on roll = 10,795)
  • Number of secondary school = 31 (on roll = 15,621)
  • Baptisms = 4,096 [3]
  • First communions = 4,740 [3]
  • Confirmations = 5,207 [3]
  • Marriages = 1,250

(The Down and Connor Directory)

City parishes

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Listed are city parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.

Country parishes

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Listed are country parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.

Ad limina visit 2006

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Bishop Patrick Walsh, Bishop Anthony Farquhar and Bishop Donal McKeown met with Pope Benedict XVI on the first morning of their visit. They spoke with the Pope for 20 minutes privately in which they discussed things like education, child sexual abuse, peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.[56]

Ad limina visit 2017

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Bishop Treanor joined other Irish bishops in February 2017 for the ad limina visit.[57] Unlike previous visits there were no private meetings with diocesan bishops and Pope Francis, rather the Pontiff spoke with the bishops together.[58]

Previous bishops

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Ordinaries

Main article: Bishop of Down and Connor

The following is a basic list of the Roman Catholic bishops and vicars apostolic.[59][60]

Auxiliary bishops

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Creating Pastoral Communities Consultation" (PDF). Diocese of Down and Connor. 10 January 2015.
  2. ^ https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Catholic_Encyclopedia,_volume_17.djvu/287
  3. ^ a b c d e Report of the Trustee charitycommission.gov.uk
  4. ^ "St. Peter's Cathedral, Belfast". St. Peter's Cathedral, Belfast. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  5. ^ "St. Patrick's Church". St. Patrick's Church. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Christ the Redeemer". Lisburn.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  7. ^ "St. Patrick's Church". Lisburn.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Parish of Drumbo & Carryduff". Local Prayers. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Hannahstown Parish". Hannahstown Parish. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Holy Cross Parish, Ardoyne". Holy Cross Parish, Ardoyne. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Holy Family Parish, Newington". Holy Family Parish, Newington. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Holy Rosary Parish, Belfast". Holy Rosary Parish, Belfast. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Loughshore Parishes". Loughshore Parishes. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Church of the Nativity". Lisburn.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  15. ^ "St. Agnes' Parish, Belfast". St. Agnes' Parish, Belfast. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Saint Anne's Parish". Saint Anne's Parish. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  17. ^ "St Anthony's Catholic Church". St Anthony's Catholic Church. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  18. ^ "St. Bernadette's Church". St. Bernadette's Church. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  19. ^ "St Brigid's Parish, Belfast". S Brigid's Parish, Belfast. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  20. ^ "St. Comcille's". St. Colmcille's. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  21. ^ "St Gerard's Parish". St Gerard's Parish. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  22. ^ "St. John's, Falls Road". St. John's, Falls Road. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  23. ^ "St. Malachy's Parish". St. Malachy's Parish. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  24. ^ "St. Mary's Parish, Belfast". St. Mary's Parish, Belfast. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  25. ^ "St. Marys-on-the-hill Parish". St. Mary's-on-the-hill Parish. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  26. ^ "St Matthew's Parish". Local Prayers. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  27. ^ "St. Oliver Plunkett Parish". St. Oliver Plunkett Parish. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  28. ^ "St. Teresa's Parish". St. Teresa's Parish. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  29. ^ "St Vincent De Paul, Ligoniel". St Vincent De Paul, Ligoniel. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  30. ^ "Aghagallon and Ballinderry Parish". Aghagallon & Ballinderry Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  31. ^ "Antrim Parish". Antrim Parish. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  32. ^ "Ballycastle Parish". Ballycastle Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  33. ^ "Ballyclare and Ballygowan Parish". Ballyclare and Ballygowan Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  34. ^ "Ballymena Parish". Ballymena Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  35. ^ "Ballymoney Parish". Ballymoney Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  36. ^ "Parish of Bangor". Parish of Bangor. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  37. ^ "Parish of St John the Evangelist, Carnlough". Parish of St John the Evangelist, Carnlough. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  38. ^ "Carrickfergus Parish". Carrickfergus Parish. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  39. ^ a b "Parishes of Kilmore & Killyleagh - Home".
  40. ^ "Glenariffe Parish – St Patrick's and St Brigid's, Glenariffe".
  41. ^ "Carnlough and Glenarm Parishes - Down and Connor Diocese".
  42. ^ "Home - Glenavy and Killead Parish".
  43. ^ "St Colmcille's Holywood".
  44. ^ "Parish Of Ardkeen".
  45. ^ "Home | larne-parish".
  46. ^ "St Patrick's Church | PARISH OF BLARIS - LISBURN".
  47. ^ "Parish of Maghera". Parish of Maghera. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  48. ^ "Parish of Newtownards and Comber". Parish of Newtownards and Comber. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  49. ^ "Portaferry Parish". Portaferry Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  50. ^ "Parish of Portglenone". Parish of Portglenone. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  51. ^ "St Patrick's Church". St Patrick's Church. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  52. ^ "Portstewart Parish". Portstewart Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  53. ^ "St MacNissi's Church". St MacNissi's Church. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  54. ^ "St Mary's Parish". St Mary's Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  55. ^ "Saul & Ballee Parish". Saul & Ballee Parish. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  56. ^ "Bishops' Ad Limina Pilgrimage 2006".
  57. ^ "Audiences".
  58. ^ "'His style models for us the life of the Church...'". 19 March 2017.
  59. ^ Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 423–424. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
  60. ^ Diocese of Down and Connor. Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved on 26 August 2009.
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