The Archdiocese of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Deoise Thuama) is an ecclesiastical territory or
archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
(
particularly the Roman Catholic or
Latin Church
, native_name_lang = la
, image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran
, caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...
) located in western
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
. The archdiocese is led by the
Archbishop of Tuam
The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Catholic Church.
Hist ...
, who serves as
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
of the
mother church
Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...
, the
Cathedral of the Assumption and
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 ...
of the
Metropolitan Province of Tuam. According to tradition, the "Diocese of Tuam" was established in the 6th century by
St. Jarlath
Saint Jarlath, also known as Iarlaithe mac Loga (''fl.'' 6th century), was an Irish priest and scholar from Connacht, remembered as the founder of the monastic School of Tuam and of the Archdiocese of Tuam (Roman Catholic), Archdiocese of Tua ...
. The ecclesiastical province, roughly co-extensive with the secular
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and ...
, was created in 1152 by the
Synod of Kells.
The incumbent
Ordinary is
Francis Duffy.
Province and geographic remit
The Province of Tuam, is one of
four
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest ...
ecclesiastical provinces that together form the
Roman Catholic Church in Ireland; the other provinces are
Armagh
Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the ...
,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
and
Cashel. The geographical remit of the province is confined to the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...
alone. The
suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...
sees of the Province are:
:*
Achonry
Achonry (; ) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland.
The old name is Achad Cain Conairi. St. Nath Í ua hEadhra (O'Hara) founded a monastery here. The foundation gave the later diocese its name. The monastery was founded on land granted by th ...
:*
Clonfert
:*
Elphin
:*
Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora
:*
Killala
The Archdiocese extend from
Achill Island
Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Brid ...
in the West to Moore parish on the
River Shannon
The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland.
The Sha ...
, a distance of , and it the largest in the country. Geographically split north/south by the two lakes,
Loughs Mask and
Corrib, Tuam has pastoral charge of the largest
Gaeltacht
( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.
The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...
area in Ireland and of six island parishes. It also contains the major pilgrimage centres of
Knock Shrine and
Croagh Patrick
Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed 'the Reek', is a mountain with a height of and an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Ireland. The mountain has a pyramid-shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, several mi ...
.
The absence of continuity in territory makes Tuam's diocesan boundary unique. The Kilmeen portion of Leitrim parish is surrounded by the
Clonfert diocese. Moore parish is surrounded by the dioceses of
Clonfert,
Ardagh and Clonmacnoise and
Elphin and includes an exclave of
Clonfert. Both these parishes have been part of Tuam since medieval times. Shrule parish, now part of
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
diocese, is nestled in the Tuam geographical area in the east of Lough Corrib. Originally, it belonged to the medieval Diocese of Cong. But in south
Connemara, 'extraterritorial' enclaves alternate between Tuam and Galway in a patchwork pattern. This situation may be explained by a number of factors: Galway's late emergence as a diocese in 1831; the unusual topography of islands, inlets and lakes; and the late population settlements on Connemara. Also, there was the influence on Annaghdown diocese, stretching across Lough Corrib. A partial rectification took place in 1890 when Galway exchanged Killannin parish for parts of
Carraroe
Carraroe (in Irish, and officially, , meaning 'the red quarter') is a village in County Galway, Ireland, in the Irish-speaking region (Gaeltacht) of Connemara. It is known for its traditional fishing boats, the Galway Hookers. Its population ...
. This disturbance only formed a partial solution.
The present Archdiocese contains parts of counties
Mayo,
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
and
Roscommon
Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.
The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who buil ...
, including
Achill Island
Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Brid ...
, the
Aran Islands
The Aran Islands ( ; gle, Oileáin Árann, ) or The Arans (''na hÁrainneacha'' ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony of Aran i ...
and the towns of
Athenry,
Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is located on the River Robe, which empties into Lough Mask two kilometres to the west. As of the 2016 census, the population was 2,786.
History Foundation and development
Ballinrobe is c ...
,
Castlebar
Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. W ...
,
Clifden,
Claremorris,
Tuam and
Westport.
Parishes
The 56
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
es of Tuam archdiocese are organized into eight
deaneries:
History
The
See is maintained in the
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 let ...
Church, but was abandoned 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 sec ...
. Following an Act of Parliament of 1833, the See of the established church was merged with that of the
Diocese of Killala and Achonry.
Middle Ages
The pre-
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 ...
diocese at various moments absorbed other local episcopal sees deriving from Celtic monastic jurisdictions. The
diocese of Annaghdown was created c. 1179. Although not listed in Rathbreasail or Kells, Annaghdown diocese survived nonetheless for many centuries through monastic outreach from
Annaghdown Abbey. Several 'bishops of Annaghdown', from 1189 to 1485, were systematically elected by its 'Cathedral Chapter' and, despite many counterclaims from Tuam, some were approved by Rome. In 1485, when the Wardenship of Galway was created, Annaghdown was formally united with Tuam by
Papal decree, and some of its parishes,
Claregalway
Baile Chláir or Baile Chláir na Gaillimhe (anglicized Claregalway) is a Gaeltacht village about 10 km north of Galway city in County Galway, Ireland. Claregalway was founded on the banks of the River Clare, hence the derivation of its ...
,
Moycullen
Moycullen ( ga, Maigh Cuilinn) is a Gaeltacht village in County Galway, Ireland, about 10 km (7 mi) northwest of Galway city. It is near Lough Corrib, on the N59 road to Oughterard and Clifden, in Connemara.
Moycullen is now a satelli ...
and
Shrule, were formally attached to the new wardenship.
The
diocese of Mayo, though recognised officially in the Synod of Kells, was suppressed in 1202. However, bishops of Mayo were continued to be appointed as late as the 16th century. One of its bishops,
Patrick O'Hely
Patrick O'Hely ( ga, Pádraig Ó hÉilí) (born between 1543 - 1546, died 31 August, 1579) was an Irish Roman Catholic bishop of Mayo, Ireland, who was executed by the English secular authorities.
Biography
Born in Dromahair, County Leitrim, ...
, who died in 1589, is numbered among the Irish martyr saints. The diocese was formally joined to Tuam by Papal decree in 1631.
Even after the Synod of Kells, a multiplicity of abbeys had pastoral care for the people in their surroundings. With the despoliation of the monasteries and the scarcity of priests during penal days, old churches were abandoned. When they were replaced, it was with miserable thatched shelters. House 'stations' were a necessary substitute for normal public worship.
Lordship of Ireland
Ireland's political scene and ecclesiastical was changed permanently by the coming of the
Normans
The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
and the influence of the English Crown. With the
English Reformation
The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
, church property was forfeited by the state and transferred to the official state religion - 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 sec ...
. Although only a winning over a minority of the people, despite the many political and economic advantages offered by conversion to the state religion, all subjects of the Crown were obliged, in their taxes to support the official state church. Additionally, the
Penal Laws sought to curb or altogether extinguish the practice of the Roman Catholic religion amongst the majority population of the Archdiocese.
19th and 20th centuries
In 1825, Archbishop Kelly testified before a
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
Committee of enquiry that out of 107 places of worship in the diocese, only eighteen had slated roofs. The others, he said, were thatched and wretched, insufficient to contain the congregations, and in many instances the public prayers were celebrated in the open air. The chapels were also used as Sunday schools, and a great many were used on weekdays as the local school.
As persecution abated, and as priests became more plentiful, a new confidence grew and the small thatched buildings were superseded by more solid, ample structures. Only two of the existing churches in the diocese predate 1800 - the abbeys of
Ballyhaunis and
Ballintubber. But from 1820 onwards, a phenomenal rate of construction began. Twenty of the 135 existing churches were constructed in the Famine years, 1840-1850. The pattern of church replacement or reconstruction continued to modern times. Modern church architecture is rare in Tuam diocese, as most churches predate modern times. The four special chapels constructed at Knock Shrine, including the Basilica, since 1972 are, however, of special importance.
Population changes
In 1800 there were no more than one hundred priests in the archdiocese. The number grew steadily to 170 about 1968; despite the fact that the population dropped to less than 30% of what it was before the Famine. In 1986, the figure attending Mass in the archdiocese was approximately 75% of the whole Catholic population, or 89% of those obliged to attend Mass. This has decreased by approximately 10% in recent years. A major survey of the diocese carried out in 1996 found that the pattern of the population decline is still continuing; nowadays, however, that decline continues through out-migration to the eastern part of Ireland, but with the same deleterious effects on the west.
As of 2016, there were 103 priests in the archdiocese, with 69 over the age of 60 and 20 over the age of 80.
Education in the diocese
In the 19th century, Tuam had a late start in primary education as Archbishop McHale had a great antipathy to the
National School Education Acts. In nine rural areas were proselytism was a problem, he had the
Third order of St.
Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...
provide schools, but, on the whole, primary education was patchy. There was still much reliance on pay-schools and the efforts of local people, or on landlords, benign or otherwise. Religious-run schools were confined largely to the towns. In the 20th century, however, Tuam diocese, under Archbishop Walsh, was to the fore in the provision of secondary schools, especially in the twenty-year period before 1967, when the State made building grants and free post-primary education available. Two extra diocesan colleges were established as well as nine co-educational schools in small towns throughout the diocese, the latter managed by religious, usually in conjunction with priests of the diocese. As a result, a whole generation of pupils had the advantage of secondary education and avoided emigration as a result.
Places of pilgrimages
Knock Shrine pilgrimage
Knock Shrine is the largest pilgrimage centre in Ireland, attracting pilgrims from all over the world with almost one million pilgrims per annuum.
Croagh Patrick pilgrimage
Documentary evidence associating
Croagh Patrick
Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed 'the Reek', is a mountain with a height of and an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Ireland. The mountain has a pyramid-shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, several mi ...
, or 'The reek', as it is affectionately known, with St Patrick's forty days of fasting there, goes back at least to the 7th-century account of Bishop Tirecha'n. The traditional pilgrimage is mentioned in several documents from 1300 and it is certain that the pilgrimage extends back at least one thousand years.
Ballintubber Abbey pilgrimage
Ballintubber Abbey,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Counci ...
, founded in 1216, is unique in that it is the oldest medieval parish church in Ireland still in use. In recent years, Tochar Phadraig, the 22-mile walking pilgrimage along the traditional pilgrim route used by St Patrick from Ballintubber to
Croagh Patrick
Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed 'the Reek', is a mountain with a height of and an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Ireland. The mountain has a pyramid-shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, several mi ...
, has been restored.
Local pilgrimages
* 15 August and May–October: Lady's well,
Athenry, since 1249.
* 9 June: Tobar Choilmchille,
Baile na hAbhann
Baile na hAbhann, anglicised as Ballynahown, is a Gaeltacht village about west of Galway, Ireland, on the R336 regional road between Indreabhán and Casla. The name means "town of the river". The village is in the townland
A townland ( ...
,
Connemara.
* 15 July: Oilea'n Mhic Dara,
Carna, Connemara.
* First Sunday of August: Patrician Shrine at Ma'me'an,
Recess, Connemara.
* Garland Friday, July: Croagh Patrick - Pilgrimage for local people.
* 20 August: Pilgrimage to St Bernard's Well,
Abbeyknockmoy
Abbeyknockmoy () is a village and parish in County Galway, Ireland. It is known for the nearby ruins of the 12th century Cistercian abbey, established with the Kings of Connacht as its benefactors. The abbey was the burial site of King Cathal ...
, Co Galway.
* Through the year: St Patrick's well,
Kilgeever,
Louisburgh, Co.Mayo.
* May–October: To'char Phadraig -
Ballintubber Abbey to Croagh Patrick.
* May–October: Church Island,
Lough Carra, part of Ballintubber pilgrimage.
* 14 November: St. Caillin's Well pilgrimage. - Ballyconneely Co.Galway.
Saints
*
Jarlath of Tuam
*
Feichin of
Cong
*
Macdara of Carna
*
Colmán of Lindisfarne
*
Fursey
Saint Fursey (also known as Fursa, Fursy, Forseus, and Furseus: died 650) was an Irish monk who did much to establish Christianity throughout the British Isles and particularly in East Anglia. He reportedly experienced angelic visions of the ...
*
Enda of Aran
* Benin of Kilbannon
* Cuana of Kilcoona
Archbishops
See also
*
Archdiocese of Tuam (Church of Ireland) (The former Church of Ireland archdiocese)
*
Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry
The Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry (also known as the United Dioceses of Tuam, Killala and Achonry) is a former diocese in the Church of Ireland located in Connacht; the western province of Ireland. It was in the ecclesiastical province o ...
(The current Church of Ireland diocese)
References
Books
* Encyclopédie d' histoire et géographie ecclésiastiques, Paris, 1927-
*
Hugh Trevor-Roper, ''Archbishop Laud'', 1940.
External links
Official Diocesan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuam
Religion in Tuam
Tuam
Religion in County Mayo
Religion in County Galway
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Tuam