The Bishop of Limerick is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

in the

Province of Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the No ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. In 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 ...

it still continues as a separate title, but in the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

it has been united with other bishoprics.

History

The diocese of Limerick is one of the twenty-four dioceses established at the

Synod of Rathbreasail A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

in 1111. After the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, there are parallel

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the Christian ministry, ministry of the Christian Church is considered by some Christian denominations to be derived from the Twelve Apostles, apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been ...

s: one of the

and the other of the

Roman 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 ...

. In the Church of Ireland, Limerick continued as a separate title until 1661 when it was combined with Ardfert and Aghadoe to form the united bishopric of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe. Since 1976, the Church of Ireland see has been part of the united bishopric of Limerick and Killaloe. In the Roman Catholic Church, Limerick still remains as a separate title. The current bishop is the Most Reverend Brendan Leahy, Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick The Diocese of Limerick ( Irish: ''Deoise Luimnigh'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in mid-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly. The cathedral church of the diocese is St ...

, who was appointed by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

on 10 January 2013 and received

episcopal ordination 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 ...

on 14 April 2013.

Pre-Reformation bishops

Post-Reformation bishops

Church of Ireland succession

Roman Catholic succession

Notes

* Some sources state that John Quin resigned by consequences of his infirmities. However, another source states he was forced to resign by

King Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

in 1551, but was restored by

Queen Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous a ...

in 1553., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 437. * Hugh Lacy became bishop of both successions when they were briefly reunited in the reign of

. After the accession of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

, he was deprived of the Church of Ireland title in 1571, but continued with the Roman Catholic title until his death in 1580.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Bishops' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland''Bishop Richard Arthur' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland''Bishop Jeremiah Newman' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland''Bishop Terence Albert O'Brien' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland''Bishop Cornelius O'Dea' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland''Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland''
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Religion in County Limerick Roman Catholic bishops of Limerick