Monsignior Bernard Joseph Laverty (1863–1945) was an Irish

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

in the

Diocese of Down and Connor The Diocese of Down and Connor, ( ga, Deoise an Dúin agus Chonaire) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the me ...

. He was born in the parish of

Duneane Duneane is a civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Toome Upper and contains the town of Toome. The name derives from the Irish: ''Dun Ean'' (fort of the birds). The parish is bounded by County ...

in 1863, studied at

St. Malachy's College St Malachy's College, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the oldest Catholic diocesan college in Ulster. The college's alumni and students are known as Malachians. History The college, founded by Bishop William Crolly, opened on the feast of Sa ...

and

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. ...

and was ordained for service as a priest in 1890 in the College Chapel in St. Malachy's. His first appointment was to the parish of Newcastle, Co. Down and then to St. Matthew's

Short Strand The Short Strand ( ga, an Trá Ghearr) is a working class, inner city area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a mainly Catholic and Irish nationalist enclave surrounded by the mainly Protestant and unionist East Belfast. It is on the east ba ...

. Subsequently he transferred to St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast for 12 years the last six of which he was Administrator. After a period in Ligoneil he was made parish priest of Holy Rosary Parish on Belfast's

Ormeau Road Ormeau Road is a road in south Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Ormeau Park is adjacent to it. It forms part of the A24. History The road, as currently laid out, dates from the first decades of the 19th century when a bridge was buil ...

in 1921. He was made chair of Belfast Catholic Protection Committee and participated in discussions with the police and government officials after Partition to explore Catholic involvement in the new state of Northern Ireland but very little came of these discussions. Monsignor Laverty was made

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' ...

of the Diocese in 1934 and two years later Dean of Down and Connor. He died on April 4, 1945, aged 82 and is buried in

Milltown Cemetery Milltown Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Bhaile an Mhuilinn) is a large cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and the M1 motorway. History Milltown Cemetery opened in 1869 as part ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laverty, Bernard 1863 births 1945 deaths 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Roman Catholic deans