James Mehaffey (29 March 1931 – 6 January 2020) was

Bishop of Derry and Raphoe The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe is the Church of Ireland Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the united Diocese of Derry and Raphoe (Church of Ireland), Diocese of Derry and Raphoe in the Province of Armagh (Church of Ireland), Province of Armagh.''C ...

of 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 ...

from 1980 to 2002.

Early life and ministry

Born on 29 March 1931 and educated at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

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 ...

in 1955. He began his clerical life with curacies at St Patrick's,

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 ...

and St John's,

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

after which he was a minor canon at

Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town. It is one of two cathedrals in the ...

. He was Bishop's Curate at St Christopher's,

. He then served as the incumbent at

Kilkeel Kilkeel () is a small town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish on the Irish Sea coast of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the main fishing port on the Down coast, and its harbour is home to the largest fishing fleet in Northern Irel ...

and

Cregagh Cregagh () is an area in the southeast of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the name of a townland and has been adopted as the name of an electoral ward of Belfast City council. The townland dates back to medieval times, when it was part of the ...

before his elevation to the

episcopate 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 ...

Bishop of Derry and Raphoe

Mehaffey was elected Bishop of Derry and Raphoe on 27 June 1980 and consecrated on 7 September 1980. He worked very closely with his Catholic counterpart

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Edward Daly from his arrival in the city, organising joint carol services at Christmas, releasing joint statements at New Year and in the face of civic unrest. This collaborative ministry was recognised when both bishops were awarded the Freedom of the city of Derry in 2015. Bishop

Donal McKeown Dónal McKeown (born 12 April 1950) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic prelate from Northern Ireland who has served as Bishop of Derry since 2014. Early life and education McKeown was born in Belfast on 12 April 1950, one of four children to J ...

said at the time both bishops were "recognised for their enormous contribution to the common good and to the welfare of society at a difficult time when politicians weren’t even talking to each other.” Mehaffey's presence at the funeral of Bishop Daly was widely reported and interpreted as a sign of the conviction and courage of both men. He resigned 31 January 2002. James Mehaffey was married to Thelma; the couple had three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehaffey, James 1931 births Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 20th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland Bishops of Derry and Raphoe 21st-century Anglican bishops in Ireland 2020 deaths