Francis Joseph MacKiernan (1926–2005) was an Irish

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He served as the

Bishop of Kilmore The Bishop of Kilmore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the parish of Kilmore, County Cavan in Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bisho ...

from 1972 to 1998 and chaired the coordinating committee for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland.

Early life and ministry

He was born in Stradrinan, Aughawillan,

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

on 3 February 1926. He attended Aghawillin National School where he contributed tales to the 1938 Dúchas folklore collection. After his training for the priesthood at St. Patrick's College, Cavan (1939–1944) and

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...

, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

a priest for the Diocese of Kilmore on 17 June 1951. His first

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appointment was as a curate at St Malachy's Church,

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

in 1951. The next year, he was appointed to the staff of St Patrick's College, Cavan, where he taught

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and

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, a position he held for ten years. During this time, Francis was known for his brutality when dealing with pupils. He was the founding president of St Felim's College,

Ballinamore Ballinamore (, meaning "mouth of the big ford") is a small town in the south-east of County Leitrim in Ireland. Etymology , corrupted ''Bellanamore'', means "town at the mouth of the big ford", so named because it was a main crossing (ford) o ...

, a position he held from 1962 to 1972.

Episcopal career

He was appointed the

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on 11 October 1972. His

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

took place on 10 December 1972, the principal

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

was Cardinal

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, Archbishop of Armagh, and the principal co-consecrators were Archbishop

Gaetano Alibrandi Gaetano Alibrandi (14 January 1914 – 3 July 2003) of the Roman Catholic Church was a senior papal diplomat and former Personal Secretary to Giovanni Battista Cardinal Montini (later Pope Paul VI). Biography Born at Castiglione di Sicilia in t ...

Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Ireland. It is located in Dublin. The position of Apostolic Nuncio is currently Luis Mariano Montemayor. The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland is an ecclesiastical off ...

and Bishop Neil Farren of

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

. In 1979, he was chairman of the National Committee which organised the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland. He was chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Education for many years and played a key part in the setting up of the present structures for the boards of management of primary schools. He celebrated the silver jubilee of his episcopal ordination at the Cathedral Church of St Patrick and St Felim, Cavan on 14 December 1997, with Cardinal

Seán Brady Seán Brady or similar names may refer to: * Seán Brady (cardinal) (born 1939), Irish cardinal and former archbishop of Armagh * Sean Brady (fighter) (born 1992), American mixed martial artist * Seán Brady (Teachta Dála) (1890–1969), Fianna Fá ...

, Archbishop of Armagh, reading the

homily A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ...

. After twenty-six years service to the Diocese of Kilmore, he resigned on 16 October 1998 and assumed the title Bishop

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

of Kilmore. He died after a short illness in Cavan General Hospital on 23 December 2005, aged 79. Following his funeral at the Cathedral Church of St Patrick and St Felim in Cavan on 28 December 2005, his remains were buried in the cathedral crypt.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacKiernan, Francis Joseph 1926 births 2005 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Kilmore 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth People educated at St Patrick's College, Cavan Christian clergy from County Leitrim