Diocese of Limerick Dioecesis Limericiensis Deoise Luimnigh |
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Location | |
Country | Republic of Ireland |
Territory | Most of County Limerick, parts of counties Clare and Kerry |
Ecclesiastical province | Province of Cashel |
Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly |
Statistics | |
Area | 811 sq mi (2,100 km2) |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2010) 178,300 171,000 (95.9%) |
Parishes | 60 |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Latin Rite |
Cathedral | St John's Cathedral, Limerick |
Patron saint | St Munchin and St Ita |
Secular priests | 121 |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Brendan Leahy |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Kieran O'Reilly (bishop) |
Emeritus Bishops | Donal Murray |
Map | |
The Diocese of Limerick within the Province of Cashel |
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Website | |
limerickdiocese.org |
The Diocese of Limerick (Irish: Deoise Luimnigh ) is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel (also known as Munster) and is subject to the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly. Following the resignation of bishop Donal Murray, the diocese was administered by its metropolitan, Dermot Clifford, until the installation of Brendan Leahy on 14 April 2013. The cathedral church of the diocese is St John's Cathedral.
The diocese contains most of County Limerick and parts of counties Clare and Kerry. As well as Limerick city, it contains the towns of Abbeyfeale, Adare and Newcastle West.
List of bishops since 1814:
Its geographical remit covers the greater part of County Limerick, part of County Clare and one townland in County Kerry. There are 60 parishes in the diocese, 18 of which are in the Limerick city area.
In December 2009, the sexual abuse scandal in Limerick diocese eroded the public's trust in the work of local diocesan officials. Bishop Murray informed the Vicars General of the Diocese on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 December 2009 of his decision to offer his resignation. On Wednesday 2 December, he contacted the Apostolic Nuncio, asking him to arrange a meeting with the Congregation for Bishops in Rome. This meeting took place on Monday 7 December. He announced his decision to a congregation, including priests of the Diocese, people working in the Diocesan Office and the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, at 11 a.m. (noon in Rome, the hour of the publication of the decision) in St. John’s Cathedral, Limerick.