Séamus Hegarty,

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

(26 January 1940 – 20 September 2019) was 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 ...

Catholic 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 ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

. He served as

Bishop of Raphoe The Bishop of Raphoe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bis ...

from 1982 to 1994, then as

Bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, b ...

from 1994 to 2011.

Early life and ministry

Hegarty was born in

Kilcar ''Cill Charthaigh'' (anglicised as Kilcar) is a Gaeltacht village on the R263 regional road in the south west of County Donegal in Ireland. It is also a townland of 233 acres and a civil parish in the historic barony of Banagh. The village ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

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 ...

, in 1940. He had one brother, Dermot, and one sister, Maire. He received his education in

National School,

St Eunan's College St Eunan's College ( ; ga, Coláiste Adhamhnáin), known locally as The College to distinguish it from the cathedral and GAA club, is a voluntary Roman Catholic all-male secondary day school (and former boarding school) in County Donegal, Ire ...

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

, and

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

, which he attended from 1959 to 1966. He graduated in Celtic Studies and spoke fluent

, English and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood by Archbishop McQuaid of Dublin at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth on 19 June 1966. He taught in Colaiste na Croise Naofa,

Falcarragh An Fál Carrach (anglicized as Falcarragh), sometimes called Na Crois Bhealaí ("the crossroads") is a small Gaeltacht town and townland in north-west County Donegal, Ireland. The settlement is in the old parish of Cloughaneely. Irish language A ...

, where he later became President (1971–1981). He carried through the establishment of Pobalscoil Chloich Cheannfhaola in 1973, becoming its first Principal, and with his staff he made it a successful school. His last appointment before elevation to the

Episcopate 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 ...

was as a curate in

Stranorlar Stranorlar () is a town, townland and civil parish in the Finn Valley of County Donegal, in Ireland. Stranorlar and Ballybofey (located on the other side of the River Finn) form ''the Twin Towns''. Transport The town is located at the junctio ...

Episcopal Ministry

He was appointed the

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 c ...

of the Diocese of Raphoe by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

on 12 February 1982. His

episcopal consecration 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 ...

took place at St Eunan's Cathedral in Letterkenny on 28 March 1982, the principal

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

was Cardinal

Tomás Ó Fiaich Tomás Séamus Cardinal Ó Fiaich KGCHS (3 November 1923 – 8 May 1990) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Catholic Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1977 until his death. He was created a Cardinal ...

, and the principal co-consecrators were Gaetano Alibrandi,

titular Archbishop 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 Binda, and Edward Daly, Bishop of Derry. A brusque man with an abrupt air about him and small of stature, he was described by one Maynooth College professor as a "cross between Mussolini and the Child of Prague." Following the resignation of Bishop Edward Daly on 26 October 1993, Dr Hegarty was appointed the Bishop of the Diocese of Derry by the

on 1 October 1994 and installed at St Eugene's Cathedral, Derry on 6 November 1994. In November 2009, Bishop Hegarty expressed concern after 17 priests in the Derry diocese were found to have child sexual abuse allegations filed against them. In 2010 the Belfast Telegraph and other media outlets reported that Bishop Hegarty was a named defendant in a civil legal action concerning the alleged abuse of a young girl by a priest of the Derry diocese. Bishop Hegarty made a statement to the press asserting that no diocesan funds had been used to compensate the victim. Hegarty's handling of similar abuse allegations in the Diocese of Raphoe and the extent of the

Sexual abuse in Raphoe diocese This article summarises convictions and allegations of child sexual abuse by clergymen in the Raphoe Diocese, Ireland. Developments In 1999, Fr. Eugene Greene, a priest who served in the Diocese of Raphoe, was arrested after being charged wit ...

reflected poorly on Hegarty's oversight.

Retirement

On 7 November 2011, he issued a statement saying that, having been diagnosed with "a condition which is, unfortunately, irreversible and progressive", he had submitted his resignation because he was no longer able to fulfil his role as diocesan bishop. The Holy See announced on 23 November 2011 that his resignation had been accepted.RINUNCIA DEL VESCOVO DI DERRY (IRLANDA)
He was succeeded by

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 ...

in 2014 and died on 20 September 2019.

References

External links

Photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hegarty, Seamus 1940 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth People educated at St Eunan's College People from Kilcar Roman Catholic bishops of Derry Roman Catholic bishops of Raphoe 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Northern Ireland 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Northern Ireland

Early life and ministry

Episcopal Ministry

Retirement

See also

References

External links