Right Reverend Peter Birch (4 September 1911 – 7 March 1981) was the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Bishop of Ossory The Bishop of Ossory () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been ...

from 1964 until his death in 1981. He was known for his activism on behalf of social and community services. He served as a guide and mentor to Sister Stanislaus Kennedy who, in 1974, was appointed by the Irish Government as the first chair of the National Committee on Pilot Schemes to Combat Poverty.

Early life and education

Birch was born in 1911 in Tullowglass, Jenkinstown,

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the ...

to a farming family, the eldest of seven children. He began his education in Clinstown National School in 1916, and later was educated at St Kieran's College, Kilkenny and

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland ...

, where he was ordained in 1937. Following ordination he gained a Higher Diploma in Education and in 1938 joined the teaching staff at St Kieran's College. After writing about the history of St Kieran's, he received an Master of Arts in English before earning a doctorate, and was later appointed to the staff of

, and as a professor of Education and Lecturer in

Catechetics Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

in 1953.

Episcopal ministry

In 1962, Birch was appointed as the Coadjutor Bishop of Ossory, Ireland. In 1964, he became Bishop of Ossory, instrumental in the establishment of the Diocesan Social Services.Ossory to celebrate Bishop Birch
One sympathetic profile of Bishop Birch noted how his position in the socially conservative Irish hierarchy "devoted to the progressive ideals of Vatican II, he encouraged an open, active catholicism, which made him an unpopular, and often peripheral, figure in the Irish hierarchy. His support for the travelling community and his calls for an improvement in the conditions of rural women further alienated him from prevailing catholic orthodoxy."

Death

Birch died on 7 March 1981, aged 69 and is buried in the grounds of

St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny St Mary’s is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory. It is situated on James’s Street, Kilkenny, Ireland. Saint Mary’s was designed by William Deane Butler (c.1794-1857). He was chosen by Bishop William Kinsella (1 ...

. He was succeeded as

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

by Laurence Forristal.Profile
catholic-hierarchy.org; accessed 16 January 2015.

References

External links

Publication by Dr Birch, Bishop of Ossory
amazon.com; accessed 7 February 2015.
Profile
mayonews.ie; accessed 7 February 2015.

srstan.ie; accessed 7 February 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Peter Roman Catholic bishops of Ossory Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Christian clergy from County Kilkenny 1911 births 1981 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland