Denis Brennan

Denis Brennan
Bishop of Ferns
Motto: "Rejoice and Be Glad"
Church	Roman Catholic
See	Ferns
In office	23 April 2006 – present
Predecessor	Brendan Comiskey
Successor	incumbent
Orders
Ordination	31 May 1970
Personal details
Born	20 June 1945 Enniscorthy
Previous post	none Parish Priest

Styles of Denis Brennan
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Grace
Religious style	Bishop
Posthumous style	none

Denis Brennan (born 20 June 1945) in Enniscorthy, County Wexford) is an Irish Catholic bishop. He has been Bishop of Ferns since 23 April 2006. At his appointment he was estimated to be the first native of the county of Wexford to have been called to serve as a bishop in almost 70 years.

He received his primary education in Kiltealy National School, and his secondary education in St Peter’s College, Wexford. He then entered the seminary wing of the dame college and was ordained at St Peter's College on 31 May 1970. In September that year he became a member of the Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament at the House of Missions, Enniscorthy, and conducted missions and retreats in Ireland, Britain and Newfoundland.

He was the last Superior of the House of Missions before its closure in 1992 and then was assigned as Administrator of St Senan's Parish, Templeshannon, from December 1986, and was appointed parish priest of Taghmon in March 1997. He served as Vicar Forane for the Wexford deanery and as the diocesan delegate charged with child protection, and was a member of the diocesan Council of Priests.

Brennan is regarded by many as bringing a stability to his diocese after the disclosures of 100 episodes of child sexual abuse as described in The Ferns Report which occurred during the tenure of his predecessors Bishop Donal Herlihy and Brendan Comiskey.

In March 2010, Bishop Brennan told parishioners that the diocese had had to pay more than €8 million to settle 48 civil actions, while a further 13 actions were pending.

Dr Brennan said a request for financial help from parishioners was not about sharing blame, but about “asking for help to fulfil a God-given responsibility”. He said people who suffered abuse were not the cause of the diocese's problems. Instead, the actions of “individual perpetrators, along with mismanagement, poor understanding and/or lack of resolve” were to blame. “The Diocese of Ferns has been on a road involving the settlement of claims for 15 years now. It has been very much a team effort – various administrations and personnel, local diocesan and national church funding,” Dr Brennan said. “Up to 80 per cent of the road of justice has been travelled. As we look to complete this road, it will be necessary to invite the parishes to become part of the process financially.” .