Diocese of Ferns Dioecesis Fernensis Deoise Fearna | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Republic of Ireland |
Territory | Most of County Wexford and parts of County Wicklow |
Ecclesiastical province | Province of Dublin |
Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Dublin |
Statistics | |
Area | 1,158 sq mi (3,000 km2) |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2019) 126,277 100,679 (79.7%) |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Latin Rite |
Established | 7th Century |
Cathedral | St Aidan's Cathedral, Enniscorthy |
Patron saint | St Aidan |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Gerard Nash, Bishop of Ferns |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Dublin |
Vicar General | Mgr Joseph McGrath |
Bishops emeritus | Brendan Oliver Comiskey Denis Brennan |
Map | |
Website | |
ferns.ie |
The Diocese of Ferns (Irish : Deoise Fhearna) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in south-eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin. [1] [2] [3] The incumbent Ordinary is Gerard Nash.
The See covers most of County Wexford and some of County Carlow and County Wicklow. The major towns are Enniscorthy, Gorey, New Ross and Wexford, along with its namesake town of Ferns.
It is a suffragan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.[ citation needed ]
W. H. Grattan Flood, author of the History of the Diocese of Ferns, [4] illustrates the origin of the Diocese, by stating:
It is a far cry back to the year 598, when the See of Ferns was established, with St. Aedan (Mo-Aedh-og or Mogue) as first Bishop. During his episcopate thirty churches and numerous monasteries were founded. St. Ibar, St. Abban, St. Brendan, and St. Senan were also early labourers in the diocese. St. Aedan died on January 31, 630, leaving a fragrant memory behind him, and his episcopal See was known as Fearna-mor-Moedhoc." [5]
The following is a list of the most recent post-Reformation Roman Catholic bishops and vicars apostolic. [6] [7]
The October 2005 Report of the Ferns Inquiry has outlined the serious levels of clerical sex abuse in the diocese since the 1960s. It strongly criticised the former bishops of Ferns, Donal Herlihy and Brendan Comiskey for their inability to deal with the allegations of sexual abuse made against a number of priests. Comiskey resigned as Bishop on 1 April 2002.
Brendan Comiskey, is the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Ferns. He was born in Clontibret, County Monaghan, Ireland.
Seán Fortune was a Catholic priest from Ireland, and child molester, who allegedly used his position to gain access to his victims. He was accused of the rape and sexual molestation of 29 different boys. He committed suicide while awaiting trial.
Saint Máedóc of Ferns, also known as Saint Aidan, Saint Madoc or Saint Mogue, was an Irish saint who was the first Bishop of Ferns in County Wexford and the founder of thirty churches. His birth name was Áed, the name of the Irish god of the underworld, meaning "fire". The name Aidan is a diminutive form of Aed or Aodh, and was also a form of the Latin name Dominus. Máedóc and Mogue are other pet forms of Aed or Aodh, formed from the Irish affectionate prefix mo- and the diminutive suffix -óg, meaning "young", making for something like "my dear little Aodh".
The Ferns Report (2005) was an official Irish government inquiry into the allegations of clerical sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland.
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Chevalier William Henry Grattan Flood was a noted Irish author, composer, musicologist and historian. As a writer and ecclesiastical composer, his personal contributions to Irish music produced enduring works, although he is regarded today as controversial due to the inaccuracy of some of his work. As a historian, his output was prolific on topics of local and national historical or biographical interest.
Denis Brennan is an Irish former Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Ferns between 2006 and 2021.
Micheál Ledwith is a former Catholic priest of the Diocese of Ferns in County Wexford from 1967 to 2005.
Donal Collins was a priest of the Diocese of Ferns. He was appointed principal of St Peter's College, Wexford by Bishop Brendan Comiskey in 1988 despite his removal by Comiskey's predecessor, Bishop Donal J. Herlihy, following allegations of Collins sexually abusing pupils in his charge. The knowledge relating to the earlier allegations does not appear to have been made known to Comiskey.
The Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin. On 7 May 2013, Denis Nulty was appointed bishop of the diocese.
The Archdiocese of Dublin is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the eastern part of Ireland. Its archepiscopal see includes the republic's capital city – Dublin. The cathedral church of the archdiocese is St Mary's Pro-Cathedral. Dublin was formally recognised as a metropolitan province in 1152 by the Synod of Kells. Its second archbishop, Lorcán Ua Tuathail, is also its patron saint.
The Bishop of Ferns is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.
The Diocese of Dromore is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh.
Events from the 6th century in Ireland.
Éamonn Oliver Walsh is an Irish former Roman Catholic prelate who served as auxiliary bishop of Dublin between 1990 and 2019.
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Donal Herlihy (1908–1983) was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns from 1964 to 1983.