Fiachra Ó Ceallaigh, O.F.M. (18 August 1933,

Lissycasey Lissycasey () is a village in County Clare, 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 fr ...

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 ...

– 29 July 2018,

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 ...

, Ireland) was an Irish

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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 ...

. On 17 September 2009, he retired as an Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Dublin.

Life

Ó Ceallaigh trained at the Franciscan Novitiate in Killarney. He studied Irish and Celtic studies at UCG, and also gained a Higher Diploma in Education. He also studied in Louvain and in Rome. He was ordained a priest on 2 July 1961 in the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

. He was appointed to Gormanstown College. He studied for a Social Science degree in UCD, and a Masters in Queens University Belfast. His father Seán Ó Ceallaigh was elected a Fianna Fail TD for County Clare in a by-election 1959. He was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, and, at the same time,

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Tres Tabernae'' by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

on 7 June 1994, at the age of 61. Prior to his appointment as bishop, he had been provincial of the Franciscan Order in

and was the first Franciscan to become a bishop in Ireland for over 170 years. Bishop Ó Ceallaigh served the Irish Bishops' Conference as a member of its Department of Worship, Pastoral Renewal and Faith Development, as Chairman of the Irish Language Commission, and as a member of the Commission for Religious and the Commission on Pastoral Liturgy. As an Auxiliary Bishop, he assisted Archbishops of

Desmond Connell Desmond Connell (24 March 1926 – 21 February 2017) was an Irish cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He was an Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. Cardinal Connell was one of a number of senior clergy to have been heavily criticised ...

and

Diarmuid Martin Diarmuid Martin (born 8 April 1945) is the retired Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. Martin was ordained a priest in 1969 and represented the Holy See at major United Nations International Conferences before becoming th ...

in the governance of the diocese. Bishop Ó Ceallaigh sent his letter of resignation at the age of 75 as he is required to do.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

accepted his letter of resignation on 17 September 2009 but did not name another auxiliary bishop to replace Ó Ceallaigh. Upon his resignation being accepted Archbishop Martin said: "Bishop Fiachra’s warmth and particular personal qualities enriched our work. I, the priests, and no doubt the people of Rialto and his episcopal area are at one in praying that he find enjoyment in his retirement." He said Bishop Ó Ceallaigh, "particularly as he struggled with illness in recent years, was an outstanding witness to the motto he took on his episcopal appointment, (God is our courage)".

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:O Ceallaigh, Fiachra 1933 births 2018 deaths Irish Franciscans 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland 21st-century Roman Catholic titular bishops 20th-century Roman Catholic titular bishops Auxiliary bishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin