Francis Joseph MacKiernan (1926–2005) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Kilmore from 1972 to 1998 and chaired the coordinating committee for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland.

Early life and ministry

He was born in Stradrinan, Aughawillan, County Leitrim on 3 February 1926. He attended Aghawillin National School where he contributed tales to the 1938 Dúchas folklore collection. After his training for the priesthood at

St. Patrick's College, Cavan Saint Patrick's College ( ga, Coláiste Padraig) is a Roman Catholic all-male secondary school. Located in County Cavan, Ireland. It was founded in 1871 as a minor and major seminary for the Diocese of Kilmore. It was officially opened by the B ...

(1939–1944) and St Patrick's College, Maynooth, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Kilmore on 17 June 1951. His first

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

appointment was as a curate at St Malachy's Church, Belfast in 1951. The next year, he was appointed to the staff of St Patrick's College, Cavan, where he taught Latin, Greek and Christian doctrine, a position he held for ten years. During this time, Francis was known for his brutality when dealing with pupils. He was the founding president of St Felim's College,

Ballinamore Ballinamore (, meaning "mouth of the big ford") is a small town in County Leitrim, Ireland. Etymology , corrupted ''Bellanamore'', means "town at the mouth of the big ford", so named because it was a main crossing (ford) of the Yellow River. T ...

, a position he held from 1962 to 1972.

Episcopal career

He was appointed the Bishop of Kilmore by Pope Paul VI on 11 October 1972. His episcopal consecration took place on 10 December 1972, the principal consecrator was Cardinal William Conway, Archbishop of Armagh, and the principal co-consecrators were Archbishop

Gaetano Alibrandi Gaetano Alibrandi (14 January 1914 – 3 July 2003) of the Roman Catholic Church was a senior papal diplomat and former Personal Secretary to Giovanni Battista Cardinal Montini (later Pope Paul VI) Biography Born at Castiglione di Sicilia in the ...

Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Ireland. It is located in Dublin. The position of Apostolic Nuncio is currently vacant. The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland is an ecclesiastical office of the Cathol ...

and Bishop Neil Farren of

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

. In 1979, he was chairman of the National Committee which organised the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland. He was chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Education for many years and played a key part in the setting up of the present structures for the boards of management of primary schools. He celebrated the silver jubilee of his episcopal ordination at the Cathedral Church of St Patrick and St Felim, Cavan on 14 December 1997, with Cardinal

Seán Brady Seán Brady or similar names may refer to: *Seán Brady (bishop) (born 1939), Irish cardinal and former archbishop of Armagh *Sean Brady (fighter) (born 1992), American mixed martial artist * Seán Brady (Teachta Dála) (1890–1969), Fianna Fáil p ...

, Archbishop of Armagh, reading the

homily A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ex ...

. After twenty-six years service to the Diocese of Kilmore, he resigned on 16 October 1998 and assumed the title Bishop

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of Kilmore. He died after a short illness in Cavan General Hospital on 23 December 2005, aged 79. Following his funeral at the Cathedral Church of St Patrick and St Felim in Cavan on 28 December 2005, his remains were buried in the cathedral crypt.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacKiernan, Francis Joseph 1926 births 2005 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Kilmore 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth People educated at St Patrick's College, Cavan People from County Leitrim