The Bishop of Elphin (; ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of

Elphin, County Roscommon Elphin (; ) is a small town in north County Roscommon, Ireland. It forms the southern tip of a triangle with Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon to the north west and north east respectively. It is at the junction of the R368 and R369 regional r ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In 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 ...

it remains a separate title, but in the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

it has been united with other bishoprics.

History

From the time Christianity first arrived in Ireland in the first half of the 5th century (in the form of Palladius's mission), the early church was centred around monastic settlements. Patrick founded such a settlement in an area known as Corcoghlan, now known as Elphin, in 434 or 435. Following the

Synod of Rathbreasail A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

in the year 1111, the

Diocese of Elphin The Diocese of Elphin () was established following the Synod of Rathbreasail in the year 1118. In that year the see for east Connacht was moved from Roscommon. Elphin was the traditional site of a monastic house established by St Patrick , althou ...

was formally established. Following the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

of the 16th century and related turmoil, there were parallel

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bish ...

s. In the Church of Ireland, the bishopric continued until 1841 when it combined with Kilmore and Ardagh to form the united bishopric of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title continues as a separate bishopric. The bishop's seat (

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

) is located at the Cathedral Church of the Immaculate Conception in

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

, Ireland. The current bishop, the Most Reverend

Kevin Doran Kevin Doran (born 26 June 1953) is an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church and has served as the Bishop of Elphin since 13th July 2014. Early life and education Doran was born in Dublin in 1953. He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Mo ...

was appointed to the post by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

on 14 May 2014.

Pre-Reformation bishops

Post-Reformation bishops

Church of Ireland succession

Roman Catholic succession

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elphin, Bishop of Bishops of Elphin Lists of Irish bishops and archbishops Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin Religion in County Galway Religion in County Roscommon Religion in County Sligo