Robert Patrick Ellison (12 February 1942 – 22 February 2024) was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate who was Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Banjul,

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

Biography

Robert Patrick Ellison was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

, Ireland. He went to

Blackrock College Blackrock College () is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 1860 as a school and later became al ...

secondary school, and earned a Science Degree from

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

, following which he went to Rome to study theology at

Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyola, and included all ...

and in 1970 was awarded an STL in dogma. After three years in Gambia he returned to study at the

Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies The Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (, ; PISAI) is a Catholic Church, Catholic institution of higher education located in Rome focused on Arabic and Islamic culture, history and language. As of 2006, there have been over 1,300 ...

in Rome. He was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 6 July 1969, for the

Congregation of the Holy Spirit The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (officially the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary; ) is a religious congregation for men in the Catholic Church. Members are often known as Holy ...

. On 25 February 2006, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of

Banjul Banjul (, (US) and ), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital city of The Gambia. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely ...

. He was ordained a bishop on 14 May 2006. 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 Bishop Michael J. Cleary.

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 ...

accepted his canonical resignation on 30 November 2017. Ellison died at Kimmage Manor, Dublin, on 22 February 2024, at the age of 82.

References

External links

1942 births 2024 deaths Christian clergy from Dublin (city) 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Gambia Irish expatriates in the Gambia Irish expatriate Roman Catholic bishops Holy Ghost Fathers Irish Spiritans People educated at Blackrock College Alumni of University College Dublin Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Banjul {{Ireland-RC-bishop-stub