Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath
| Diocese of Meath Dioecesis Midensis Deoise na Mí | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Republic of Ireland |
| Territory | Most of counties Meath, Westmeath part of Offaly along with part of counties Longford, Louth, Dublin and Cavan. |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province of Armagh |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 1,977 sq mi (5,120 km2) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2013) 303,000 267,831 (88.4%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar |
| Patron saint | St Finian |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop |
The Most Reverend Dr. Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Eamon Martin |
| Map | |
.png){kind=spacer} The Diocese of Meath, shown in dark blue, within the Province of Armagh. | |
| Website | |
| dioceseofmeath.ie | |
The Diocese of Meath (Irish: Deoise na Mí) is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which belong to the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. The incumbent ordinary is the Most Reverend Michael Smith, who succeeded to the title on 16 May 1990.
Geography
Meath diocese covers most of counties Meath and Westmeath, part of Offaly along with part of counties Longford, Louth, Dublin and Cavan. The principal towns are Ashbourne, Drogheda, Dunboyne, Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington, Mullingar, Navan and Tullamore.
Ecclesiastical history
Early history
Although there had been abbot-bishops of Clonard since the sixth century, the diocese of Clonard proper was not formally established until 1111.[1][2][3] It was one of the twenty-four dioceses established by the Synod of Rathbreasail. The diocese covered roughly the western part of the Kingdom of Meath with the bishop's seat located at Clonard Abbey.
Lordship of Ireland
During the twelfth century the bishops of Clonard acquired most of Meath as their territory, and frequently used the title "bishop of Meath" or "bishop of the men of Meath". After Bishop Simon Rochfort transferred his seat from Clonard to Trim in 1202, the normal style became the "Bishop of Meath". From 1778 until the late 19th century it had its seat in Navan, County Meath.
19th and 20th centuries
Charles Stewart Parnell's relationship with Mrs Katharine O'Shea led to the Bishop of Meath having a letter read at masses in the diocese critical of Parnell after it was made clear by Mr Gladstone that he would not support the Irish Parliamentary Party's call for Home Rule as long as Parnell was its leader. The incumbent bishop is Dr. Michael Smith.
The diocesan cathedral is Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar, situated near the town centre.
Ordinaries
The following is a basic list of bishops of Meath since 1830:[4][5]
- John Cantwell (1830–1866)
- Thomas McNulty (1866–1898)
- Matthew Gaffney (1899–1906)
- Laurence Gaughran (1906–1928)
- Thomas Mulvany (1929–1943)
- John Francis D'Alton (1943–1946)
- John Anthony Kyne (1947–1966)
- John McCormack (1968–1990)
- Michael Smith (1990–present)
See also
- The Diocese of Meath - a publication on the history of the diocese
- Diocese of Meath and Kildare (Church of Ireland)
References
- ↑ Cogan, Anthony (1862). The diocese of Meath: ancient and modern 1. Dublin: J.F. Fowler.
- ↑ Volume 2
- ↑ Volume 3
- ↑ Diocese of Meath. Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ↑ Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 439–440. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
External links
- Official website for the diocese
- Diocese of Meath (GCatholic.org)
- Catholic-Hierarchy.org - Diocese Profile
"Meath". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
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