Roman Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross

The Diocese of Cork and Ross (Irish: Deoise Chorcaí agus Rosa) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly.

Diocese of Cork and Ross Dioecesis Corcagiensis et Rossensis Deoise Chorcaí agus Rosa

Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne, Cork
Location
Country	Ireland
Territory	Cork city and part of County Cork
Ecclesiastical province	Cashel and Emly
Metropolitan	Cashel and Emly
Statistics
Area	3,342 km² (1,290 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2021) 267,000 222,670 (83.0%)
Parishes	67
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1111 (as Diocese of Cork) 19 April 1958 (as Diocese of Cork and Ross)
Cathedral	St Mary and St Anne, Cork
Co-cathedral	St Patrick's, Skibbereen
Patron saint	Cork: Finbarr Ross: Fachtna
Secular priests	107 (as of 2021)
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork and Ross
Metropolitan Archbishop	Kieran O'Reilly, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly
Vicar General	Fr. Tom Hayes Mgr. Aidan O'Driscoll
Bishops emeritus	John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Ross
Website
corkandross.org

The cathedral church of the diocese is Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne in Cork city.

The incumbent bishop of the diocese is Fintan Gavin.

History

Diocese of Cork (1111-1429)

The original Diocese of Cork was established by the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111, but was reduced in size by the establishment of separate Dioceses of Cloyne and Ross at the Synod of Kells in 1152.

Diocese of Cork and Cloyne (1429–1748)

On petition of King Edward II, Pope John XXII issued a papal bull for the union of the Dioceses of Cork and Cloyne on 30 July 1326, with effect from the death of either bishop. The union should have taken effect on the death of Philip of Slane in 1327, but bishops were still appointed to both dioceses.

The dioceses were eventually united on the episcopal appointment of Jordan Purcell on 15 June 1429, following their impoverishment from the robbery of church property by the nobility.

From 1693 to 1747, the Bishop of Cork and Cloyne was also the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Ross.

Diocese of Cork (1748–1958)

Following a decree by Pope Benedict XIV on 10 December 1747, the Diocese of Cork was reconstituted as a stand-alone entity, while the Diocese of Cloyne was united with Ross.

Diocese of Cork and Ross (1958–present)

The modern-day Diocese of Cork and Ross was formed by an ex aequo principaliter union of the Dioceses of Cork and Ross on 19 April 1958.

Geography

The diocese is divided into 67 parishes, all of which are in County Cork. 56 parishes were part of the former Diocese of Cork, while 11 were part of the Diocese of Ross. The diocesan boundary with the neighbouring Diocese of Cloyne roughly follows the course of the River Lee.

The parishes are grouped into sixteen "families of parishes", twelve of which came into effect on 10 September 2022, in which each priest will be resident in one parish but ministering across the entire family of parishes, and greater opportunities will exist for lay participation and shared leadership.

Aside from the cathedral city of Cork and the co-cathedral town of Skibbereen, the main towns in the diocese are Bandon, Carrigaline, Carrigtwohill, Clonakilty and Kinsale.

Family Name	Parishes
Family 1	Ardfield and Rathbarry Barryroe Clonakilty Kilmeen and Castleventry Rosscarbery and Lisavaird Timoleague
Family 2	Aughadown Castlehaven and Myross Kilmacabea Rath and the Islands Skibbereen
Family 3	Ballincollig Ballinora Ovens and Farran
Family 4	Ballinhassig Clontead Courceys Kinsale
Family 5	Ballyphehane The Lough Togher
Family 6	Bandon Enniskeane and Desertserges Innishannon and Knockavilla Kilbrittain Kilmurry Murragh and Templemartin
Family 7	Bantry Caheragh Goleen Muintir Bháire Schull
Family 8	Carrigaline Crosshaven Monkstown Passage West Tracton Abbey
Family 9	Carrignavar Glanmire Glounthaune Watergrasshill and Glenville
Family 10	Clogheen and Kerry Pike Farranree Gurranabraher Knocknaheeny and Hollyhill
Family 11	Drimoleague Dunmanway Kilmichael Uibh Laoire
Family 12	South Parish Ss Peter and Paul St Patrick's

The following parishes will be restructured into four Families of Parishes in 2023.

Parishes
Ballineaspaig Ballinlough Blackpool, The Glen and Ballyvolane Blackrock Blackrock Road Cathedral Curraheen Road Douglas and Rochestown Frankfield and Grange Mahon Sacred Heart St Joseph's, Mayfield Turner's Cross Upper Mayfield Wilton

Ordinaries

The following is a list of bishops since the unification of the Dioceses of Cork and Ross in 1958:

Cornelius Lucey (1952–1980)
Michael Murphy (1980–1996)
John Buckley (1997–2019)
Fintan Gavin (2019–present)

Bibliography

Bolster, Evelyn (1972). A History of the Diocese of Cork: From the earliest times to the Reformation. Shannon: Irish University Press. ISBN 978-0-7165-0995-0.
Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1913). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 1 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 6 July 2016. pp. 211–212. (in Latin)
Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1914). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 2 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1923). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 3 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica IV (1592–1667). Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 6 July 2016.