Austin Quinn (1892–1974) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the Roman

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who served as the

Bishop of Kilmore The Bishop of Kilmore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the parish of Kilmore, County Cavan in Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishopr ...

from 1950 to 1972.

Early life and education

Quinn was born in

Derrynoose Derrynoose () is a village and civil parish in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland, 4.5 km south-west of Keady. The village lies partly in the townland of Mullyard (in the civil parish of Derrynoose) and partly in the townland of Cross ...

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

, Ireland on 15 March 1892. He studied first at St. Patricks College Armagh and then at Maynooth where he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the priesthood on 20 June 1915. He undertook postgraduate studies in

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

from 1915 – 1917 and was appointed professor of theology in

All Hallows College All Hallows College was a college of higher education in Dublin. It was founded in 1842 and was run by the Vincentians from 1892 until 2016. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that it was closing down, due to decreasing student numbers. The sale o ...

Dublin where he taught for ten years before returning to his diocese to serve as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

first in

Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued devel ...

(1927-1930) and then

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

(1930 – 1940). In 1939 he became Adm. of Armagh Parish and in 1943 he was appointed

Parish Priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

and

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of the Archdiocese of Armagh. He was thus a close collaborator of Cardinal

John D'Alton John Francis Cardinal (Catholic Church), Cardinal D'Alton (11 October 1882 – 1 February 1963) was an Irish Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as List of Roman Catholic Archbishops of Armagh, Archbishop o ...

and the promoter of the cause of the

beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

Oliver Plunkett Oliver Plunkett (or Oliver Plunket) ( ga, Oilibhéar Pluincéid), (1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681) was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland who was the last victim of the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1920 and c ...

Bishop of Kilmore

He was appointed the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the Diocese of Kilmore by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

on 19 July 1950., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 437., ''A New History of Ireland'', volume IX, p. 350. Quinn's

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

took place on 10 September 1950; the principal

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

was Archbishop John Francis D'Alton of Armagh, and the principal co-consecrators were Bishop

William MacNeely The Most Reverend William MacNeely was the Bishop of Raphoe from 1923 until 1963. Early life and education William MacNeely was born in Dec 1889; his father was a butcher in Donegal Town. MacNeely was educated at the High School in Letterkenny, ...

of Raphoe and Bishop

James Joseph MacNamee James Joseph MacNamee was an Irish Roman Catholic Bishop in the 20th Century. McNamee was born at Fintona on 11 December 1876. He was educated at St Macartan's College, Monaghan and St Patrick's College, Maynooth. After curacies at Clones an ...

of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. Bishop Quinn participated in all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, held between in 1962 and 1965. The infamous Kilnacrott Abbey was in Quinn's diocese and it has been reported that he rarely saw eye to eye with Abbot Felim Colwell whose lax discipline is held to be responsible for permitting Fr

Brendan Smyth Brendan Smyth O.Praem (8 June 1927 – 22 August 1997) was a Catholic priest from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who became notorious as a child molester, using his position in the Catholic Church to obtain access to his victims. During a period ...

to abuse children. He retired on 11 October 1972 and died on 24 September 1974, aged 82.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Austin 1892 births 1974 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Kilmore 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Christian clergy from County Armagh Participants in the Second Vatican Council