Diocese of Kerry
Catholic diocese in Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Diocese of Kerry (Irish: Deoise Chiarraí) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in south-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly.
Diocese of Kerry Dioecesis Kerriensis Deoise Chiarraí | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Territory | Most of County Kerry and part of County Cork |
| Ecclesiastical province | Cashel and Emly |
| Metropolitan | Cashel and Emly |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,047 sq mi (5,300 km2) |
Population
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| Parishes | 53 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 12th century (as Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe) 20 December 1952 (as Diocese of Kerry) |
| Cathedral | St Mary's, Killarney |
| Patron saint | Brendan |
| Secular priests | 54 (as of 2018) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Raymond Browne, Bishop of Kerry |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Kieran O'Reilly, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly |
| Vicar General | Fr. Seán Hanafin |
| Bishops emeritus | William Murphy, Bishop of Kerry |
| Website | |
| dioceseofkerry.ie | |
The cathedral church of the diocese is St Mary's Cathedral in Killarney, County Kerry.
The incumbent bishop of the diocese is Raymond Browne.
History
The diocese was established in the sixth century as the Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe.
Its name was changed to the Diocese of Kerry on 20 December 1952.
Geography
There are 53 parishes in the diocese, which are divided between two civil counties: 44 in County Kerry and nine in County Cork.[1]
The parishes are grouped into 12 pastoral areas, formerly known as deaneries.[2][3][4]
As of April 2018, there were 54 priests in the diocese, six of whom were under the age of 50.[5]
Aside from the cathedral town of Killarney, the main towns in the diocese are Castleisland, Kenmare, Listowel, Millstreet, and Tralee.
| Pastoral Area | Parishes |
|---|---|
| Beara | |
| Castleisland |
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| Corca Dhuibhne | |
| Duhallow Sliabh Luachra |
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| Iveragh |
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| Kenmare |
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| Killarney | |
| Killorglin |
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| Listowel | |
| Naomh Bhréanainn | |
| North Kerry | |
| Tralee |
|
Ordinaries
The following is a list of bishops since the name of the diocese was changed in 1952:
- Denis Moynihan (1952–1969)
- Éamonn Casey (1969–1976)
- Kevin McNamara (1976–1984)
- Diarmuid ó Súilleabháin (1985–1994)
- William Murphy (1995–2013)
- Raymond Browne (2013–present)