New Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick & Killaloe elected

Rev Canon Dr Kenneth Kearon has been elected new Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe. He succeeds The Rt Rev Trevor Williams who retired in July. Canon Kearon is secretary general of the Anglican Communion, a position he has held since 2005.

He was elected following a meeting of the Episcopal electoral college for Limerick and Killaloe which met in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, today.

Born in Dublin in 1953 he attended Mountjoy School and Trinity College where he studied Philosophy. Following further study at Cambridge and in Dublin, he was ordained a priest in 1982.

He served as curate in All Saints Raheny and St John’s Coolock before his appointment as dean of residence at Trinity. In 1991 he became rector of Tullow (Dublin) before becoming director of the Irish School of Ecumenics in 1999.

He has been a member of the Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin since 1995 and has served as its chancellor since 2002.

He is author of Medical Ethics: an Introduction (Columba 1995) and has contributed to a number of volumes on education, family and medical ethics.

Married to Jennifer, they have three adult daughters.

The Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev Michael Jackson said, "Canon Kearon has expressed his delight at returning to work in Ireland and his intention to serve the people of Limerick and Killaloe and the communities of which they are a part".

The bishop-elect himself said: “I am honoured and delighted to have been elected to the diocese of Limerick and Killaloe, and I look forward to getting to know the diocese, its people and its clergy well in the near future. Ireland has been through a very difficult period in its history, and I look forward to helping the diocese play its part and making its contribution to shaping the future.”

Following approval by the House of Bishops, the bishop-elect will be consecrated as a bishop on a date to be agreed.