# Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor

The Diocese of Down and Connor, (Latin: Dioecesis Dunensis et Connorensis; Irish: 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 metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh. Bishop Alan McGuckian is Bishop.

## Territorial remit

The territorial remit of the diocese includes much of counties Antrim and Down, including the cities of Belfast, Lisburn and Bangor, and the large towns Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Downpatrick, Holywood, Larne and Newtownards. The population of the diocese is about one million, of which approximately 30% are Roman Catholic with Sunday mass attendance estimated at 20%. There are currently 88 parishes and ministries in the diocese served by fewer than 100 priests, though the significance of individual parishes has been overtaken by the development of 'pastoral communities'. The diocese is Ireland's second largest in terms of population (after the Archdiocese of Dublin).

## History

St Fergus (died 583) is named as first Bishop of Down. The Diocese of Connor was founded in 480 by St Macnissi, and St Malachy was bishop there (1124). The dioceses of Down and Connor were permanently joined in 1439.
In 1670, as an effect of the Reformation, wars, and penal laws, in the whole of Down and Connor there were only 2,500 Catholic families. When at length the pressure of penal legislation was removed Catholicism revived rapidly.
In the period 1810–1840, a period of relaxation of the penal laws culminating in Catholic Emancipation, an estimated forty new churches were built, mostly in the rural parts of the diocese. This progress made under William Crolly (1825–1835) and Cornelius Denvir (1835–65) was continued as Belfast expanded as a city, under Patrick Dorrian (1865–86) and Patrick MacAlister (1886–95) and Henry Henry (1895–1908).
A diocesan chapter was erected in December 1920 in line with the 1917 Code of Canon Law. At the time of Partition it was one of only two Catholic dioceses to be wholly inside the new jurisdiction of Northern Ireland, the Catholic population at the time being estimated at 180,000 souls, served by 160 diocesan priests.

## Diocesan statistics

* Number of Catholics = 329,243
* Number of parishes = 86
* Number of churches = 151
* Number of priests in diocesan ministry = 131
* Number of permanent deacons in ministry (2018) = 9
* Number ordained (2018) = 1
* Number of retired priests = 44
* Seminarians = 8
* Number of brothers = 30
* Number of sisters = 243
* St. Mary's College of Education on roll = 994
* Number of primary & nursery schools = 164 (on roll = 32,306)
* Number of grammar schools = 12 (on roll = 10,795)
* Number of secondary school = 31 (on roll = 15,621)
* Baptisms = 4,096
* First communions = 4,740
* Confirmations = 5,207
* Marriages = 1,250
(The Down and Connor Directory)

### City parishes

Listed are city parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.
* St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast
* St Patrick's Church, Belfast / Pro-Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast
* Christ the Redeemer, Lagmore
* Corpus Christi, Ballymurphy, Belfast
* St. Patrick's, Derriaghy
* Drumbo & Carryduff
* Hannahstown
* Holy Cross, Ardoyne
* Holy Family, Newington, Belfast
* Holy Rosary, Ormeau Road
* Holy Trinity, Turf Lodge
* Loughshore - Three parishes: St Mary’s Greencastle, County Antrim, Star of The Sea Whitehouse, County Antrim and St James’, Whiteabbey
* Nativity, Poleglass
* Our Lady Queen of Peace, Kilwee
* Sacred Heart, Glenview Street, Oldpark Road, Belfast
* St Agnes', Andersonstown, Belfast
* St Anne's, Kingsway/Upper Lisburn Road, Belfast
* St Anthony's, Willowfield, Woodstock Road, Cregagh, Belfast
* St Bernadette's, Rosetta Road, Castlereagh
* St Brigid's, Malone Road, Belfast
* St Colmcille's, Ballyhackamore and Dundonald areas of East Belfast
* St Gerard's, Antrim Road, Belfast
* St John's, Falls Road, Belfast
* St Luke's, Twinbrook
* St Malachy's, Alfred Street, Belfast
* St Mary's, Chapel Lane, Belfast
* St Mary's-On-The-Hill, Glengormley
* St Matthew's, Bryson Street, Short Strand, Belfast
* St Michael The Archangel, Finaghy Road North, Belfast
* St Oliver Plunkett, Glenveagh Drive, Glen Road, Belfast
* St Paul's, Falls Road, Belfast
* St Teresa's, Glen Road, Belfast
* St. Therese of Lisieux, Somerton Road, Belfast
* St Vincent De Paul, Ligoniel

### Country parishes

Listed are country parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.
* Aghagallon & Ballinderry (St Patrick's)
* Ahoghill (St Marys Church; Ballynafie Road, Ahoghill)
* Antrim (St Comgall's and St Joseph's)
* Armoy (St. Olcan's)
* Ballintoy (St Mary's and St Joseph's)
* Ballycastle (St Patrick's & St Brigid's)
* Ballyclare & Ballygowan (Sacred Heart)
* Ballygalget (St Patrick's Church)
* Ballymena/Kirkinriola (All Saints and St Patrick's)
* Ballymoney & Derrykeighan (Our Lady & St Patrick's)
* Bangor (St Comgall's, Bangor; Most Holy Redeemer, Ballyholme; St Comgall's, Donaghadee)
* Carnlough (St John the Evangelist)
* Carrickfergus (St Nicholas')
* Castlewellan (under the patronage of St Malachy]
* Coleraine
* Crossgar
* Culfeightrin (Ballyvoy)
* Cushendall (St Patrick's) & Cushendun (St Patrick's, Craigagh & St Mary's "Star of the Sea", Culraney)
* Downpatrick (St Patrick’s, Downpatrick; St Malachy’s, Ballykilbeg; St Brigid’s, Rathkeltair; St Colmcille’s)
* Drumaroad & Clanvaraghan (St John the Baptist; Our Lady of the Angels)
* Dundrum & Tyrella
* Duneane (Moneyglass & Toome)
* Dunloy & Cloughmills
* Dunsford & Ardglass (St Nicholas’, Ardglass; St Mary’s, Dunsford)
* Glenariff
* Glenarm
* Glenavy & Killead
* Glenravel & The Braid
* Holywood
* Kilcoo (St Malachy’s)
* Killough (St Patrick’s, Legamaddy; St Joseph’s, Killough; Star of the Sea, Rossglass)
* Killyleagh
* Kircubbin
* Larne
* Lisburn (under the patronage of St Patrick)
* Loughguile
* Loughinisland (St Macartan’s)
* Lower Mourne
* Newcastle/Maghera (Our Lady of the Assumption, Newcastle; St Patrick's, Bryansford)
* Newtownards & Comber (St Patrick's Newtownards; Our Lady of the Visitation, Comber)
* Portaferry (St Patrick’s, Ballyphilip; St Cooey’s, Portaferry)
* Portglenone (Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate)
* Portrush (St Patrick's)
* Portstewart (St Mary's Star of the Sea)
* Randalstown (St MacNissi's)
* Rasharkin (St Mary's)
* Saintfield & Carrickmannon
* Saul & Ballee (St Patrick's, Saul; St Joseph's, Downpatrick; St Tassach's, Carlin)
* Strangford (Star of the Sea)
* Upper Mourne

### Ad limina visit 2006

Bishop Patrick Walsh, Bishop Anthony Farquhar and Bishop Donal McKeown met with Pope Benedict XVI on the first morning of their visit. They spoke with the Pope for 20 minutes privately in which they discussed things like education, child sexual abuse, peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

### Ad limina visit 2017

Bishop Treanor joined other Irish bishops in February 2017 for the ad limina visit. Unlike previous visits there were no private meetings with diocesan bishops and Pope Francis, rather the Pontiff spoke with the bishops together.

## Previous bishops

Ordinaries
The following is a basic list of the Roman Catholic bishops and vicars apostolic.
* John Fossade (1442–1450)
* Thomas Knight. O.S.B. (1453–1469)
* Tadhg Ó Muirgheasa (1469–1480)
* Tiberio Ugolino (1483–1519)
* Robert Blyth, O.S.B. (1520–1539)
* Eugene Magennis (1539–1559)
* Miler Magrath, O.F.M. (1565–1580)
* Donat O'Gallagher, O.F.M. (1580–1581)
* Bl. Conor O'Devany, O.F.M. (1582–1612)
* (Patrick Hanratty, vicar apostolic, 1614–1625)
* Edmund Dungan (1625–1629)
* Hugh Magennis, O.F.M. (1630–1640)
* (See vacant, 1640–1642)
* Heber MacMahon (1642–1643) Appointed Bishop of Clogher before his consecration as Bishop of Down and Connor could take place.
* Arthur Magennis, O.Cist. (1647–1653)
* (Michael O'Beirn, vicar apostolic, 1657–1670)
* Daniel Mackey (1671–1673)
* (See vacant, 1673–1711)
* (Terence O'Donnelly, vicar apostolic, 1711–unknown)
* James O'Shiel, O.F.M. (1717–1724)
* John Armstrong (1727–1739)
* Francis Stuart, O.F.M. (1740–1749)
* Edmund O'Doran (1751–1760)
* Theophilus MacCartan (1760–1778)
* Hugh MacMullan (1779–1794)
* Patrick MacMullan (1794–1824)
* William Crolly (1825–1835)
* Cornelius Denvir (1835–1865)
* Patrick Dorrian (1865–1885)
* Patrick MacAlister (1886–1895)
* Henry Henry (1895–1908)
* John Tohill (1908–1914)
* Joseph MacRory (1915–1928)
* Daniel Mageean (1929–1962)
* William Philbin (1962–1982)
* Cahal Brendan Daly (1982–1990)
* Patrick Joseph Walsh (1991–2008)
* Noel Treanor (2008–2022)
* Alan McGuckian(2024-Present)
Auxiliary bishops
* Patrick Dorrian (1860–1865) (coadjutor)
* Patrick Walsh (May 1983 – 1991)
* Anthony Farquhar (May 1983 – December 2015)
* Michael Dallat (1993–2000)
* Donal McKeown (2001–2014)