The Diocese of Meath ( ga, Deoise na Mí) is 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 ...

diocese which took its name after the ancient

Kingdom of Meath Meath (; Old Irish: ''Mide'' ; spelt ''Mí'' in Modern Irish) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all of ...

.Volume 3
/ref> 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 still exists as a separate diocese, 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 dioceses.

History

Clonard Abbey Clonard Abbey (Irish, ''Cluain Eraird'', or ''Cluain Iraird'', "Erard's Meadow") was an early medieval monastery situated on the River Boyne in Clonard, County Meath, Ireland. Early history The monastery was founded in about 520 by Saint F ...

was founded by Saint Finnian, first Abbot of Clonard, in the early sixth century. There had been a number monastic bishops at the abbey, but it was not until 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 1111 that the diocese of Clonard was established. Its boundaries were set at the

Synod of Kells The Synod of Kells (, ) took place in 1152, under the presidency of Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni, and continued the process begun at the Synod of Ráth Breasail (1111) of reforming the Irish church. The sessions were divided between the abbeys of ...

in 1152, which covered roughly the western part of the

with the diocesan 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 ...

) located at Clonard Abbey. During the twelfth century the bishops of Clonard frequently used the title "

bishop of Meath The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric. History Unti ...

" or "bishop of the men of Meath" meaning the original centre of the Kingdom of Meath in Westmeath. Clonard acquired most of Magh Breagh (what is now the county of Meath) by absorbing the

diocese of Duleek The Diocese of Duleek was an Irish diocese, firstly subsumed by the Diocese of Meath and now within the Diocese of Meath and Kildare. It began as an early Christian monastic settlement. St Patrick established the bishopric circa 450 AD."Fasti E ...

later in the twelfth century. After Bishop

Simon Rochfort Simon Rochfort (also Simon de Rupeforti; died 1224) was an English bishop of Meath The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate titl ...

transferred his seat from Clonard to

Trim Trim or TRIM may refer to: Cutting * Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them ** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process ** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees Decoration * Trim (sewing), or ...

in 1202, the title "bishop of Meath" became the normal style. The former seat of the diocese of Breifne or the Uí Briuin at Kells was absorbed into Meath in 1211, but that diocese remained extant among the Uí Briúin Bréifne, becoming the diocese of Kilmore. 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 ...

, there are two 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 ...

Church of Ireland diocese

In the

, the diocese of Meath united with Clonmacnoise in 1569, although only the single name of Meath to be continued. In 1976, the diocese of Meath was transferred from the Province of Armagh to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. At the same time the diocese of Kildare was separated from Dublin and Glendalough and the new

Diocese of Meath and Kildare The United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare is a diocese in the Church of Ireland located in the Republic of Ireland. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Alone of English and Irish bishops who are not also archbishops, the Bis ...

was formed. The bishop has two seats:

Trim Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Patrick, Trim is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Trim, County Meath, Ireland. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Meath, it is now one of two cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare which ...

and

Kildare Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St. Brigid, Kildare, in Kildare, County Kildare, is one of two cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare of the Church of Ireland in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. History Early hi ...

. The current Church of Ireland bishop is the Right Reverend

Pat Storey Patricia Storey (née Shaw; born 30 March 1960) is an Irish Anglican bishop. Since 2013, she has been the Bishop of Meath and Kildare in the Church of Ireland. She was the first woman to become a bishop in the Church of Ireland and the first ...

, Bishop of Meath and Kildare, who was elected in 2013.

Roman Catholic diocese

In the

, Meath is still a separate diocese. The Roman Catholic bishop's seat is located at

Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar Cathedral of Christ the King () is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is situated near the centre of Mullingar next to the Royal Canal. The cathedral is both the cathedral church of the Diocese of Me ...

. The current bishop is the Most Reverend

Thomas Deenihan Thomas Deenihan KC*HS (born 26 June 1967), in Cork, Ireland is the Bishop in the Catholic Church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath. Early life and education Educated at North Monastery Christian Brothers School in Cork, he studied for the ...

, Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath The Diocese of Meath ( ga, Deoise na Mí) is a diocese of the Catholic Church that is located in the middle part of Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses of the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. Thomas Deenihan has been bishop of the d ...

, who succeeded to the title on 18 June 2018.Fryde, ibid., pp. 439-440.

References

External links

Crockford's Clerical Directory - Listings

Roman Catholic Diocese of MeathChurch of Ireland Diocese of Meath and Kikdare
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diocese Of Meath Religion in County Meath Diocese of Meath and Kildare Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath

History

Church of Ireland diocese

Roman Catholic diocese

See also

References

External links