The Diocese of Limerick (
Irish: ''Deoise Luimnigh'') is a
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
of 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 ...
in mid-western
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 ...
, one of six
suffragan diocese
A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandr ...
s in the
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...
of
Cashel and Emly.
The
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
church of the diocese is
St John's Cathedral in
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 ...
.
The incumbent bishop of the diocese is
Brendan Leahy.
Geography
The diocese is divided into 60 parishes, which are spread across three counties: 57 in
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 ...
(18 of which are in the Limerick city area), two in
Clare, and one between Limerick and
Kerry.
The parishes are grouped into 16 Pastoral Units, where groups of priests are appointed to cover a number of parishes between them.
As of 2018, there were 65 priests in active ministry, 27 of whom were over the age of 65.
Aside from the cathedral 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 ...
, the main towns in the diocese are
Abbeyfeale,
Adare,
Kilmallock
Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, near the border with County Cork, 30 km south of Limerick city. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King John's Castle (Kilmallock), King's Castle (or K ...
,
Newcastle West
Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicised Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city. It is also the county t ...
, and
Rathkeale.
Ordinaries
The following is a list of the ten most recent bishops:
*
Charles Tuohy (1814–1828)
*
John Ryan (1828–1864)
*
George Butler (1864–1886)
*
Edward Thomas O'Dwyer (1886–1917)
*
Denis Hallinan (1918–1923)
*
David Keane (1923–1945)
*
Patrick O'Neill (1945–1958)
*
Henry Murphy (1958–1973)
*
Jeremiah Newman (1974–1995)
*
Donal Murray (1996–2009)
* ''
Sede vacante
In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...
'' (2009–2013)
*
Brendan Leahy (2013–present)
See also
*
Catholic Church in Ireland
The Catholic Church in Ireland, or Irish Catholic Church, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Holy See. With 3.5 million members (in the Republic of Ireland), it is the largest Christian church in Ireland. In ...
*
Church of Ireland Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe
External links
Official Diocesan website
Pastoral Unit List
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Limerick
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Cashel