Diocese of Derry and Raphoe
Encyclopedia
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
located in the north of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It is in the ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Armagh. Its geographical remit covers Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
(in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) and County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
(in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
).
Overview and history
When the Church in England broke communion with the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
was established by the state as the established church. Later, by decree of the Irish Parliament, a similar new body became the State Church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in the Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
. It assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Latin Rite of Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. They were obliged to find alternative premises and to conduct their services in secret. The English-speaking minority mostly adhered to the Church of Ireland or to Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
. On the death of Archbishop Trench of Tuam in 1839, the Province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Tuam was united to the Armagh. Over the centuries, numerous dioceses were merged, in view of declining membership. The historic sees
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of Derry
Bishop of Derry
The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...
and Raphoe
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 bishopric.-History:...
were united in 1834. It is for this reason that the united diocese has two cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s.
Cathedrals
- The Cathedral Church of St ColumbSt Columb's CathedralSt Columb's Cathedral in the walled city of Derry, Northern Ireland is the mother church of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe and the parish church of Templemore....
, Derry, Northern Ireland. - The Cathedral Church of St. Eunan, RaphoeRaphoeRaphoe is a town in County Donegal, part of the province of Ulster in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe and the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.-Name:Raphoe,...
, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.
List of Bishops
The current OrdinaryOrdinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
is the Right Reverend Kenneth (Ken) Good, Bishop of Derry and Raphoe
Bishop of Derry and Raphoe
The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united Diocese of Derry and Raphoe in the Province of Armagh.The united diocese has two Episcopal sees, one at St Columb's Cathedral, Derry in Northern Ireland, and the other at the Cathedral Church of St. Eunan, Raphoe in the...
, who was elected on 13 March and consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on 11 June 2002.
The following is a basic list the bishops.
- 1831–1853: Richard PonsonbyRichard PonsonbyThe Rt. Rev. and Hon. Richard Ponsonby was an Irish clergyman who held high office in the Church of Ireland.-Life:He was born at Dublin in 1772, the third son of William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly and Louisa Molesworth. He was educated at the University of Dublin, where he graduated...
- 1853–1867: William Higgin
- 1867–1896: William AlexanderWilliam Alexander (bishop)William Alexander was an Irish cleric in the Church of Ireland.-Life:He was born in Derry on the 13 April 1824, the third child of Rev Robert Alexander. He was educated at Tonbridge School and Brasenose College, Oxford....
- 1896–1916: George Alexander Chadwick
- 1916–1944: Joseph Irvine Peacocke
- 1945–1958: Robert McNeil Boyd
- 1958–1969: Charles John TyndallCharles John TyndallThe Rt Rev Charles John Tyndall, DD was the 13th Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh who was later translated to Derry and Raphoe....
- 1970–1975: Cuthbert Irvine Peacocke
- 1975–1980: Robert "Robin" EamesRobin EamesRobin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames OM was the Anglican Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006.-Education:...
- 1980–2003: James Mehaffey
- 2002–present: Kenneth Raymond Good
See also
- List of Anglican dioceses in the United Kingdom and Ireland
- Roman Catholic Diocese of DerryRoman Catholic Diocese of DerryThe Diocese of Derry is a diocese in the north of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. The diocese was established in the year 1158.-Ordinaries:...
- Roman Catholic Diocese of RaphoeRoman Catholic Diocese of RaphoeThe Diocese of Raphoe is a Roman Catholic diocese in north-western Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh. The current Bishop of Raphoe is The Most Rev. Dr. Philip Boyce, D.D., O.C.D.. He was enthroned as bishop on 1 October...