Population- Catholics 105,707 Rite Latin Rite | Denomination Roman Catholic Established United 5 June 1883 Area 2,611 km² Metropolitan archbishop Michael Neary | |
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Cathedral Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway Patron saints Colman mac Duagh, Saint Fachanan Emeritus bishops Eamonn Casey, Martin Drennan | ||
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora (Irish: Deoise na Gaillimhe, Chill Mhic Duaich agus Chill Fhionnúrach) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the west of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Tuam and is subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuam. The deanery of Kilfenora, previously a diocese in its own right, lies in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. The most recent bishop is the Most Reverend Martin Drennan who was ordained on 21 September 1997 and appointed on 23 May 2005. He officially retired on July 29, 2016.
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Geographic remit
The geographic remit of the see includes the City of Galway, parts of the county of Galway and the northern coastal part of the county of Clare. Large population centres include Ennistymon, Oranmore and Oughterard. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas.
Ecclesiastical history
The diocese has its origins in the ancient monastery of Kilmacduagh and the Wardenship of Galway (1484–1831). Following the abolition of the Wardenship (see Edmund Ffrench) by the Holy See in 1831, the first Bishop of the new Diocese of Galway was appointed in the same year.
In 1866, Bishop John McEvilly of Galway was made Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. When he was appointed coadjutor to the Archdiocese of Tuam in 1878, he retained Galway until he succeeded as archbishop in 1881. McEvilly continued to oversee Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora until 1883 when Pope Leo XIII united the diocese with the neighbouring Diocese of Kilmacduagh. At the same time, the ordinary of the United Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh was appointed, in perpetuum, as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Kilfenora.
The bishopric of Kilmacduagh had been a separate title until 1750 when Pope Benedict XIV decreed that it to be united with the bishopric of Kilfenora. Since Kilmacduagh was in the Ecclesiastical province of Tuam while Kilfenora was in the Province of Cashel, it was arranged that the ordinary of the united dioceses was to be alternately bishop of one diocese and apostolic administrator of the other. The first holder of this unusual arrangement was Peter Kilkelly, who had been Bishop of Kilmacduagh since 1744, became Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora in September 1750. Since that date, Kilfenora has been administered by that united diocese as an Apostolic Vicariate. Since the territory of an Apostolic Vicariate comes directly under the pope as "universal bishop", the pope exercises his authority in Kilfenora through a "vicar".
Deaneries and Parishes
The united diocese is divided into five deaneries for which a Vicar Forane (VF) is appointed by the Bishop. The VF exercises limited jurisdiction in the deanery on behalf of the Bishop. The deaneries are divided further into parishes or group parishes.
Bishops of Galway and Kilmacduagh
and Apostolic Administrators of Kilfenora