The Catholic Bishop of Clonfert Michael Duignan (51) has been appointed "to minister simultaneously" as Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora.
The two dioceses concerned “united ‘in persona episcopi’, pastorally administered by the one Bishop, will retain their respective rights, obligations and juridical autonomy”, it was announced on Friday.
The event was marked by a Mass in Galway Cathedral on Friday morning where the chief celebrant was papal nuncion Archbishop Jude Okolo, with Bishop Duignan and the retiring Bishop of Galway Brendan Kelly concelebrating.
When this event was first announced last November it was pointed out that “this form of union of two dioceses under one Bishop is not an amalgamation and does not suppress either of the two dioceses. Both dioceses will continue to maintain their own integrity and autonomy as is but will work closer together, where possible, through the person and ministry of a single Bishop.”
It is widely expected to be the first of such unions on the island of Ireland where there are 26 dioceses for a population of 4.5 million Catholics.Currently, each diocese has its own bishop with an additional Auxiliary Bishop in Armagh.
Allowing for current vacancies in Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Ossory, and Dromore, it means Ireland has 24 Catholic bishops for a population equivalent to the number of Catholics in the US Archdiocese of Los Angeles which has just six bishops, including an Archbishop.
From Bealnamulla near Athlone in Co Roscommon and the eldest in a family of six, Bishop Duignan was ordained in 1994 for his native Elphin diocese where he was Chancellor and Diocesan Secretary before appointment as Bishop of Clonfert in October 2019.
One of the smallest Catholic diocese in Ireland, Clonfert has a population of 36,000 faithful in 24 parishes. The diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora has a population of 105,707 Catholics in 39 parishes.
