Maurice Anthony Crowley SPS, is an Irish-born prelate who served as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kitale, Kenya from 1998 until his age-related retirement in 2022. He concurrently served as

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, Kenya from 2017 until 2020. He is a member of the Saint Patrick's Missionary Society. He was appointed bishop on 3 April 1998 by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

Early life and education

He was born on 11 May 1946 in Berrings, in the Diocese of Clovne,

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

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 ...

. He studied

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

before he was ordained a member of the Kiltegan Fathers and a priest in June 1972. In 1968, he graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree from the

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

, prior to his priestly ordination..

Priest

On 4 June 1972 he was ordained a priest of the St. Patrick's Missionary Society at Killamoate, Wicklow, Leinster, Ireland by the hands of Bishop James Moynagh, S.P.S., Bishop Emeritus of Calabar. He served in that capacity until 3 April 1998.

Bishop

On 3 April 1998

appointed him Bishop of the newly-created Diocese of Kitale. He was consecrated and installed at

Kitale Kitale is a town in the north west of Kenya, in the former Rift Valley province, between Mount Elgon and the Cherangany Hills. It has an elevation of around . Its population was as of 2019. It is the location of Kitale Airport. The National ...

on 15 August 1998 by the hands of Jozef Cardinal Tomko, Cardinal-Priest of

Santa Sabina The Basilica of Saint Sabina (, ) is a historic church on the Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy. It is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. Santa Sabina is the oldest ex ...

assisted by Bishop Cornelius Kipng’eno Arap Korir, Bishop of Eldoret and Bishop Philip Arnold Subira Anyolo, Bishop of Kericho. On 22 November 2017, following the death of Bishop Cornelius Kipng'eno Arap Korir of the adjacent diocese of Eldoret, The Holy Father appointed Bishop Maurice Anthony Crowley as the

of Eldoret, Kenya. That administratorship ceased on 1 February 2020 when a new bishop was installed at Eldoret that day. Crowley is a member of the governing council of the

Catholic University of Eastern Africa Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) is a multi-campus private university in Kenya. It is accredited by the Commission for University Education in Kenya. Location The main campus of the university is located along Bogani East Road, in ...

(CUEA). In 2020 Bishop Crowley was appointed to the first governing Council of ''Tangaza University'' in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, following it being granted University status. On 4 November 2022 the retirement request submitted by Bishop Maurice Anthony Crowley, Ordinary of the diocese of Kitale was approved by The Holly Father.

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed Bishop Henry Juma Odonya, S.P.S., as the successor. He was installed on 21 January 2023. Bishop Crowley lives on as Bishop Emeritus of Kitale, Kenya.

References

Succession table

(Before 3 April 1998)

External links