Monsignor Thomas Bartley (1926 - 2007) was a
Catholic priest and former
Vicar General of the
Diocese of Down and Connor
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 dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the me ...
.
Career
He was educated at
St Mary's CBGS and
Queen's University, Belfast
After his ordination to the
priesthood at
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 ...
on the 18 June 1950, he was appointed as a teacher at
St Malachy's College,
Belfast.
In 1951 Bartley was sent with four clerical colleagues to the new
St MacNissi's College, Garron Tower. His colleagues were William Tumelty (President of the College), Charles Agnew (Bursar), Patsy McKavanagh and Brendan McGarry. St. MacNissi's College was to be his home for the next 34 years where he taught
Irish and
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
.
He succeeded McGarry as President of the Garron Tower in 1979. He remained there until his appointment as
parish priest of Derriaghy in August 1985. In 1994 the parish of Derriaghy was divided to make St. Anne's at Finaghy a separate parish of which Bartley became the parish priest. Subsequently in 1996 the parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace was formed out of St. Anne's parish.
He was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Down and Connor in 1986 and remained as parish priest of St. Anne's for 17 years until his retirement in August 2002. He was most anxious to continue in full-time ministry and he was appointed full-time curate in Carryduff while also assisting in St. Bernadette's.
As parish priest and Vicar-General he continued his deep interest in education assisting in the opening of
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School is a co-educational Catholic Maintained grammar school situated on the Ravenhill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It teaches a range of subjects. Its main education board of choice is CCEA, but the school also u ...
, the primary school in the new parish of Christ the Redeemer and the development of St. Colm's High School in the parish of St. Luke's in Twinbrook as well as continuing as Governor of St. MacNissi's College.
He died on the 31 October 2007.
References
Diocese of Down & Connor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartley, Monsignor Thomas
2007 deaths
People educated at St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast
Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
21st-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
1926 births