Theophilus MacCartan (1700–1778) was Roman Catholic
Bishop of Down and Connor
The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick (located in County Down) and the village of Connor (located in County Antrim) in Northern Ireland. The title is still used by the Catholic Chur ...
from 10 September 1760 until his death on 16 December 1778.
MacCartan was a scion of a long established family
McCartan
McCartan is a surname of Irish origin. It is the anglicized form of ''Mac cArtáin'' of Irish origins. The surname denotes the son of Artán, diminutive of the personal name Art, an old Irish word for "bear". They are the Lords of Kinelarty, a ...
in the wider Barony of Kinelarty, one of the seven baronies in
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
. It is the most central and contains the towns of Ballynahinch, Saintfield, Downpatrick, Clough, Dundrum, Newcastle and Castlewellan.
His early life and education took place against the Penal Laws's backdrop, so firm details are scarce. But a generally respected source, writing at the end of the nineteenth century, asserts that the future bishop was born in Aughnagon near
Mayobridge
Mayobridge () is a village within Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland, lying on the small river Clanrye which divides the townlands of Mayo and Bavan. It is located within the Newry and Mourne District Council area - it had a population of 1,069 ...
around 1700.
He was ordained priest at Ballykinlar by Bishop John Armstrong (1727-1739) and, as was often the case in the eighteenth century, was sent to study theology after ordination: in his case at the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
. It is believed that sometime around 1737 he was appointed parish priest of
Loughinisland
Loughinisland ( , ) is a small village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is between Downpatrick and Ballynahinch, about 21 miles (34 kilometres) south of Belfast.
History
The village of Loughinisland grew up in the townland ...
and erected the first church there.
Episcopal Ministry
There is a record of then-bishop (and his kinsman) Dominic McCartan from Clonvarghan House each subscribing £5 so that the popular devotional book
Imitation of Christ
In Christian theology, the imitation of Christ is the practice of following the example of Jesus.''A concise dictionary of theology'' by Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia 2004 page 115''Imitating Jesus: an inclusive approach to New Testament ...
by
Thomas a Kempis
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
could be translated into Irish. An early twentieth century account of the Bishops of Down and Connor suggests that Bishop MacCartan "always preached in Irish" and that during his episcopate, the first relaxation in the penal code was made.
In 1773, he donated a chalice for use by any priest of the name McCartan, or the most senior priest of that name, in either the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore
The Diocese of Dromore is a Roman Catholic diocese in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh.Down and Connor. The chalice has been in continuous use since and there is a well-established historical record of the priests who have used this chalice. His last will and testament has been preserved and much of the what is known about him and his episcopal ministry is drawn from that document drawn up days before his died. He is buried in Loughinisland, the parish which had been so central to his priestly and episcopal ministry.