Ecclesiastical province Province of Cashel Denomination Roman Catholic Area 2,100 km² Cathedral St John's Cathedral Emeritus bishop Donal Murray | Parishes 60 Rite Latin Rite Bishop Brendan Leahy Country Republic of Ireland Metropolitan archbishop Kieran O'Reilly | |
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Territory Most of County Limerick, parts of counties Clare and Kerry Population
- Total
- Catholics (as of 2010)
178,300
171,000 (95.9%) Patron saints Mainchín of Limerick, Íte of Killeedy | ||
The Diocese of Limerick (Irish: Deoise Luimnigh ) is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel (also known as Munster) and is subject to the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly. Following the resignation of bishop Donal Murray, the diocese was administered by its metropolitan, Dermot Clifford, until the installation of Brendan Leahy on 14 April 2013. The cathedral church of the diocese is St John's Cathedral.
Contents
Geography
The diocese contains most of County Limerick and parts of counties Clare and Kerry. As well as Limerick city, it contains the towns of Abbeyfeale, Adare and Newcastle West.
Ordinaries
List of bishops since 1814:
Diocesan statistics
Its geographical remit covers the greater part of County Limerick, part of County Clare and one townland in County Kerry. There are 60 parishes in the diocese, 18 of which are in the Limerick city area.
Recent events
In December 2009, the sexual abuse scandal in Limerick diocese eroded the public's trust in the work of local diocesan officials. Bishop Murray informed the Vicars General of the Diocese on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 December 2009 of his decision to offer his resignation. On Wednesday 2 December, he contacted the Apostolic Nuncio, asking him to arrange a meeting with the Congregation for Bishops in Rome. This meeting took place on Monday 7 December. He announced his decision to a congregation, including priests of the Diocese, people working in the Diocesan Office and the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, at 11 a.m. (noon in Rome, the hour of the publication of the decision) in St. John’s Cathedral, Limerick.