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 diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...

s in the ecclesiastical province of the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Archdiocese of Armagh. The See is vacant; Archbishop

Noel Treanor Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * 1563 Noël, an asteroid *Mount Noel, Britis ...

is currently the Apostolic Administrator pending the appointment of a new bishop.

Territorial remit

The territorial remit of the diocese includes much of counties Antrim and

Down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a ty ...

, including the cities of Belfast and

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

and the large towns Antrim,

Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...

, Bangor, Carrickfergus, Downpatrick, Holywood, Larne and

Newtownards Newtownards is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtownard ...

. The population of the diocese is about one million, of which approximately 30% are Roman Catholic with Sunday mass attendance estimated at 20%. There are currently 88 parishes and ministries in the diocese served by fewer than 100 priests, though the significance of individual parishes has been overtaken by the development of 'pastoral communities'. The diocese is Ireland's second largest in terms of population (after the

Archdiocese of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

History

St Fergus (died 583) is named as first Bishop of Down. The Diocese of Connor was founded in 480 by

St Macnissi Saint Mac Nisse (died 514) was an early Irish saint known as the founder and first bishop-abbot of Connor (Irish: '' Condere'', in what is now Co. Antrim). In the ''Tripartite Life of St. Patrick'', he is said to have been a disciple of St. Olcán ...

, and

St Malachy Malachy (}; Modern ga, Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair; ) ( 1094 – 2 November 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to the apocryphal ...

was bishop there (1124). The dioceses of Down and Connor were permanently joined in 1439. In 1670, as an effect of the Reformation, wars, and penal laws, in the whole of Down and Connor there were only 2,500 Catholic families. When at length the pressure of penal legislation was removed Catholicism revived rapidly. In the period 1810–1840, a period of relaxation of the penal laws culminating in Catholic Emancipation, an estimated forty new churches were built. The progress thus made under Dr Crolly (1825–1835) and Dr Denvir (1835–65) was continued, as Belfast expanded as a city, under Dr Dorrian (1865–86) and Dr MacAlister (1886–95) and Dr Henry (1895–1908).

Current episcopate

was the 32nd Bishop of Down and Connor. He was ordained to the episcopate and installed as Bishop of Down and Connor on 29 June 2008. His successor has yet to be named by the Holy See. Priests in Down and Connor serve in parish ministry, school chaplaincy, hospital chaplaincy, youth work, prison chaplaincy, teacher training colleges and teach in post-primary schools. At the Diocesan Congress in 2013 Bishop Treanor launched a review to ensure pastoral activities within the diocese matched current resources. To that end a review of pastoral structures was initiated which drew on the 2011 census. Draft new pastoral communities were presented to the clergy in three meetings and then to the lay faithful. Significantly influencing the structures for the future was a regular practice rate across the diocese of 20% which suggested a greater sharing of personnel, skills and finances. In October 2018, Bishop Treanor ordained the first

permanent deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

s for service in the diocese.

Diocesan statistics

* Number of Catholics = 329,243 * Number of parishes = 88 * Number of churches = 151 * Number of priests in diocesan ministry = 131 * Number of permanent deacons in ministry (2018) = 9 * Number ordained (2018) = 1 * Number of retired priests = 44 * Seminarians = 16 * Number of brothers = 30 * Number of sisters = 243 * St. Mary's College of Education on roll = 994 * Number of primary & nursery schools = 164 (on roll = 32,306) * Number of grammar schools = 12 (on roll = 10,795) * Number of secondary school = 31 (on roll = 15,621) * Baptisms = 5,078 * First communions = 4,533 * Confirmations = 4,730 * Marriages = 1,250 (The Down and Connor Directory)

City parishes

Listed are city parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor. *

St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast Saint Peter's Cathedral, Belfast ( ga, Ard Eaglais Naomh Peadar, ), is the Catholic cathedral church for the Diocese of Down and Connor, and is therefore the episcopal seat of the Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor. It is located in the Divis Str ...

St Patrick's Church, Belfast St. Patrick's Church, Belfast ( ga, Eaglais Naomh Padraig) is a Roman Catholic church located in Donegall Street area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first church was opened on the site in 1815 while the current building dates from 1877. Fir ...

/ Pro-Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast * Christ the Redeemer, Lagmore * Corpus Christi,

Ballymurphy, Belfast The Springfield Road ( ga, Bóthar Chluanaí) is a residential area and road traffic thoroughfare adjacent to the Falls Road in west Belfast. The local population is predominantly Irish nationalist and republican. Parts of the road form an int ...

* St. Patrick's, Derriaghy * Drumbo & Carryduff * Hannahstown *

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast ...

, Ardoyne * Holy Family, Newington * Holy Rosary, Ormeau Road * Holy Trinity,

Turf Lodge The Springfield Road ( ga, Bóthar Chluanaí) is a residential area and road traffic thoroughfare adjacent to the Falls Road in west Belfast. The local population is predominantly Irish nationalist and republican. Parts of the road form an int ...

* Loughshore - Three parishes: St Mary’s Greencastle, County Antrim, Star of The Sea Whitehouse, County Antrim and St James’,

Whiteabbey , translit_lang1 = , translit_lang1_type = Derivation: , translit_lang1_info = , translit_lang1_type1 = Meaning: , translit_lang1_info1 = , translit_lang2 = , translit_lang2_type = Derivation: , tra ...

* Nativity, Poleglass * Our Lady Queen of Peace, Kilwee * Sacred Heart, Glenview Street, Oldpark Road, Belfast * St Agnes', Andersonstown Road, Belfast * St Anne's, Kingsway/Upper Lisburn Road, Belfast * St Anthony's, Willowfield, Woodstock Road, Belfast * St Bernadette's, Rosetta Road, Castlereagh * St Brigid's, Malone Road, Belfast * St Colmcille's, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast * St Gerard's, Antrim Road, Belfast * St John's, Falls Road, Belfast * St Luke's, Twinbrook * St Malachy's, Alfred Street, Belfast * St Mary's, Chapel Lane, Belfast * St Mary's-On-The-Hill, Glengormley * St Matthew's, Bryson Street, Belfast * St Michael The Archangel, Finaghy Road North, Belfast * St Oliver Plunkett, Glenveagh Drive, Glen Road, Belfast * St Paul's, Falls Road, Belfast * St Teresa's, Glen Road, Belfast * St. Therese of Lisieux, Somerton Road, Belfast * St Vincent De Paul,

Ligoniel Ligoniel () is a north-western suburb of Belfast, on the upper Crumlin Road The Crumlin Road is a main road in north-west Belfast, Northern Ireland. The road runs from north of Belfast City Centre for about four miles to the outskirts of the c ...

Country parishes

Listed are country parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor. * Aghagallon & Ballinderry (St Patrick's) *

Ahoghill Ahoghill ( or ; ) is a large village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, four miles from Ballymena. It is located in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. It had a population of 3,417 people at the 2011 Census. In early ...

(St Marys Church; Ballynafie Road, Ahoghill) * Antrim (St Comgall's and St Joseph's) * Armoy (St. Olcan's) * Ballintoy (St Mary's and St Joseph's) * Ballycastle (St Patrick's & St Brigid's) * Ballyclare & Ballygowan (Sacred Heart) * Ballygalget (St Patrick's Church) *

/Kirkinriola (All Saints and St Patrick's) * Ballymoney & Derrykeighan (Our Lady & St Patrick's) * Bangor (St Comgall's, Bangor; Most Holy Redeemer, Ballyholme; St Comgall's, Donaghadee) * Carnlough (St John the Evangelist) * Carrickfergus (St Nicholas') *

Castlewellan Castlewellan () is a small town in County Down, in the south-east of Northern Ireland close to the Irish Sea. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve C ...

(under the patronage of

] *

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...

* Crossgar * Culfeightrin ( Ballyvoy) *

Cushendall Cushendall (), formerly known as Newtownglens, is a coastal village and townland (of 153 acres) in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located in the historic barony of Glenarm Lower and the civil parish of Layd, and is part of Causeway Coas ...

(St Patrick's) & Cushendun (St Patrick's, Craigagh & St Mary's "Star of the Sea", Culraney) * Downpatrick (St Patrick’s, Downpatrick; St Malachy’s, Ballykilbeg; St Brigid’s, Rathkeltair; St Colmcille’s) * Drumaroad & Clanvaraghan (St John the Baptist; Our Lady of the Angels) * Dundrum & Tyrella *

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 L ...

( Moneyglass & Toome) *

Dunloy Dunloy () is a village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located north of Ballymena and north-west is Ballymoney. It is located in the civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Finvoy, in the former Barony (Ireland), baro ...

Cloughmills Cloughmills or Cloghmills ( ) is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Ballymoney is 9 miles to the north-west and Ballymena is 10 miles to the south. It had a population of 1,309 people in the 2011 Census. It is in Causeway Coast and ...

* Dunsford & Ardglass (St Nicholas’, Ardglass; St Mary’s, Dunsford) * Glenariff * Glenarm * Glenavy & Killead * Glenravel & The

Braid A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...

* Holywood * Kilcoo (St Malachy’s) * Killough (St Patrick’s, Legamaddy; St Joseph’s, Killough; Star of the Sea, Rossglass) * Killyleagh *

Kircubbin Kircubbin is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. The village had a population of 1,153 people in the 2011 Census. History The settlement was originally known as Kilcubin, which is thought to come from Irish ''Cill Ghobáin' ...

* Larne *

(under the patronage of

St Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

) *

Loughguile Loughguile ( ; ), also spelt Loughgiel or Loughgeel, is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated 8 miles east of Ballymoney it is within the Causeway Coast and Glens Council area, and is at the edge of the Glens of A ...

* Loughinisland (St Macartan’s) * Lower Mourne * Newcastle/Maghera (Our Lady of the Assumption, Newcastle; St Patrick's, Bryansford) *

& Comber (St Patrick's Newtownards; Our Lady of the Visitation, Comber) * Portaferry (St Patrick’s, Ballyphilip; St Cooey’s, Portaferry) *

Portglenone Portglenone (from ga, Port Chluain Eoghain , meaning 'landing place of Eoghan's meadow') is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 8.5 miles (14 km) west of Ballymena. It had a population of 1,174 people in t ...

(Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate) * Portrush (St Patrick's) * Portstewart (St Mary's Star of the Sea) * Randalstown (St MacNissi's) *

Rasharkin Rasharkin (),Placenames Database of Ireland
(see archival records) is a small village, townla ...

(St Mary's) * Saintfield & Carrickmannon * Saul &

Ballee Ballee (from Irish Baile Aodha, meaning "Hugh’s townland") is a townland, containing a large housing estate off the Antrim Road in South Ballymena, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland. History The Ballee estate is divided into different separat ...

(St Patrick's, Saul; St Joseph's, Downpatrick; St Tassach's, Carlin) *

Strangford Strangford (from Old Norse ''Strangr fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet") is a small village at the mouth of Strangford Lough, on the Lecale peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 475 at the 2001 Census. On the ...

(Star of the Sea) *Upper Mourne

''Ad limina'' visit 2006

Bishop Patrick Walsh, Bishop Anthony Farquhar and Bishop Donal McKeown met with Pope Benedict XVI on the first morning of their visit. They spoke with the Pope for 20 minutes privately in which they discussed things like education, child sexual abuse, peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

''Ad limina'' visit 2017

Bishop Treanor joined other Irish bishops in February 2017 for the ''

ad limina A quinquennial visit ''ad limina'', or simply an ''ad limina'' visit, is the required visit of Catholic residential diocesan bishops and certain prelates with territorial jurisdiction (such as territorial abbots) to the ''thresholds of the'' om ...

'' visit. Unlike previous visits there were no private meetings with diocesan bishops and Pope Francis, rather the Pontiff spoke with the bishops together.

Previous bishops

Ordinaries The following is a basic list of the Roman Catholic bishops and vicars apostolic.Diocese of Down and Connor
''Catholic Hierarchy''. Retrieved on 26 August 2009. * John Fossade (1442–1450) * Thomas Knight. O.S.B. (1453–1469) * Tadhg Ó Muirgheasa (1469–1480) * Tiberio Ugolino (1483–1519) * Robert Blyth, O.S.B. (1520–1539) * Eugene Magennis (1539–1559) *

Miler Magrath , appointed = 3 February 1571 , term_end = 14 November 1622 , predecessor = James MacCawell , successor = Malcolm Hamilton , other_post = , ordination = , ordinated_by = , consecration = 4 November 1565 , consecrated_by = Francesco ...

, O.F.M. (1565–1580) * Donat O'Gallagher, O.F.M. (1580–1581) * Bl.

Conor O'Devany Conor is a male given name of Irish origin. The meaning of the name is "Lover of Wolves" or "Lover of Hounds". '' Conchobhar/Conchubhar'' or from the name ''Conaire'', found in Irish legend as the name of the high king Conaire Mór and other hero ...

, O.F.M. (1582–1612) * ''(Patrick Hanratty, vicar apostolic, 1614–1625)'' * Edmund Dungan (1625–1629) * Hugh Magennis, O.F.M. (1630–1640) * ''(See vacant, 1640–1642)'' *

Heber MacMahon Heber MacMahon (Irish ''Éimhear Mac Mathúna'') (1600 – 1650) was bishop of Clogher and general in Ulster. He was educated at the Irish college, Douay, and at Louvain, and ordained a Roman Catholic priest 1625. He became bishop of Cloghe ...

(1642–1643) * Arthur Magennis, O.Cist. (1647–1653) * ''(Michael O'Beirn, vicar apostolic, 1657–1670)'' * Daniel Mackey (1671–1673) * ''(See vacant, 1673–1711)'' * ''(Terence O'Donnelly, vicar apostolic, 1711–unknown)'' * James O'Shiel, O.F.M. (1717–1724) * John Armstrong (1727–1739) * Francis Stuart, O.F.M. (1740–1749) *

Edmund O'Doran Bishop Edmund O’Doran (c. 1701 – 1760) was Bishop of Down and Connor from January 1751 to June 1760. O'Doran's ministry took place against the backdrop of the penal laws and little is known with certainty about his early life. He studied at th ...

(1751–1760) *

Theophilus MacCartan Theophilus MacCartan (1700–1778) was Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor from 10 September 1760 until his death on 16 December 1778. MacCartan was a scion of a long established family McCartan in the wider Barony of Kinelarty, one of the se ...

(1760–1778) * Hugh MacMullan (1779–1794) *

Patrick MacMullan Bishop Patrick MacMullan (17 March 1752 – 25 October 1824) was an Irish Roman Catholic Prelate and 20th Bishop of Down and Connor. He was a native of mid Down and details of his early life in the latter half of the eighteenth century are sket ...

(1794–1824) * William Crolly (1825–1835) *

Cornelius Denvir Cornelius Denvir (1791–1866) was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate, mathematician, natural philosopher and former Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. He is noted for ministering in Belfast amidst growing sectarian tension, taking a moderate and ...

(1835–1865) *

Patrick Dorrian Patrick Dorrian (1814–1885) was an Irish Roman Catholic Prelate and 23rd Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. Early life and education Dorrian was born in Downpatrick on 29 March 1814, one of four sons of Patrick Dorrian and his wife Rose (née M ...

(1865–1885) * Patrick MacAlister (1886–1895) * Henry Henry (1895–1908) *

John Tohill John Tohill (1855–1914) was an Irish Roman Catholic Prelate and 26th Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. He was born in Gortmacrane County Londonderry, on 23 December 1855 to Anthony Tohill and Alice (née Convery) Tohill. He studied Classics ...

(1908–1914) * Joseph MacRory (1915–1928) * Daniel Mageean (1929–1962) *

William Philbin William J. Philbin (26 January 1907 - 22 August 1991) was an Irish Roman Catholic Prelate. From July 1962 until his retirement, he held the title Bishop of Down and Connor. Early life and priestly ministry William Philbin was born in Kiltimag ...

(1962–1982) * Cahal Brendan Daly (1982–1990) * Patrick Joseph Walsh (1991–2008) *

(2008–2022) Auxiliary bishops *

(1860–1865) (

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

) * Patrick Walsh (May 1983 – 1991) * Anthony Farquhar (May 1983 – December 2015) *

Michael Dallat Michael Dallat (11 June 1925 – 25 September 2000), D.D., M.A., S.T.L., was the Titular Bishop of Thala and Auxiliary Bishop of The Diocese of Down and Connor. Early life and study Bishop Dallat was a native of Ballycastle, one of several ...

(1993–2000) *

Donal McKeown Dónal McKeown (born 12 April 1950) is a Roman Catholic prelate from Northern Ireland who has served as Bishop of Derry since 2014. Early life and education McKeown was born in Belfast on 12 April 1950, one of four children to James McKeown and ...

(2001–2014)

References

External links

Diocese of Down and Connor
(GCatholic.org)

– info from '' Catholic Encyclopedia'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Down 1439 establishments in Ireland Roman Catholic dioceses established in the 15th century Religion in County Antrim Religion in County Down Religion in County Londonderry Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Armagh