The Diocese of Down and Connor, (Latin: Dioecesis Dunensis et Connorensis; Irish: Deoise an Dúin agus Chonaire) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh. Bishop Alan McGuckian is Bishop.

Territorial remit

The territorial remit of the diocese includes much of counties Antrim and Down, including the cities of Belfast, Lisburn and Bangor, and the large towns Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Downpatrick, Holywood, Larne and Newtownards. The population of the diocese is about one million, of which approximately 30% are Roman Catholic with Sunday mass attendance estimated at 20%. There are currently 88 parishes and ministries in the diocese served by fewer than 100 priests, though the significance of individual parishes has been overtaken by the development of 'pastoral communities'. The diocese is Ireland's second largest in terms of population (after the Archdiocese of Dublin).

History

St Fergus (died 583) is named as first Bishop of Down. The Diocese of Connor was founded in 480 by St Macnissi, and St Malachy was bishop there (1124). The dioceses of Down and Connor were permanently joined in 1439.

In 1670, as an effect of the Reformation, wars, and penal laws, in the whole of Down and Connor there were only 2,500 Catholic families. When at length the pressure of penal legislation was removed Catholicism revived rapidly.

In the period 1810–1840, a period of relaxation of the penal laws culminating in Catholic Emancipation, an estimated forty new churches were built. The progress thus made under William Crolly (1825–1835) and Cornelius Denvir (1835–65) was continued, as Belfast expanded as a city, under Patrick Dorrian (1865–86) and Patrick MacAlister (1886–95) and Henry Henry (1895–1908).

Diocesan statistics

• Number of Catholics = 329,243
• Number of parishes = 86
• Number of churches = 151
• Number of priests in diocesan ministry = 131
• Number of permanent deacons in ministry (2018) = 9
• Number ordained (2018) = 1
• Number of retired priests = 44
• Seminarians = 8
• Number of brothers = 30
• Number of sisters = 243
• St. Mary's College of Education on roll = 994
• Number of primary & nursery schools = 164 (on roll = 32,306)
• Number of grammar schools = 12 (on roll = 10,795)
• Number of secondary school = 31 (on roll = 15,621)
• Baptisms = 4,096
• First communions = 4,740
• Confirmations = 5,207
• Marriages = 1,250

(The Down and Connor Directory)

City parishes

Listed are city parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.

Country parishes

Listed are country parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.

Ad limina visit 2006

Bishop Patrick Walsh, Bishop Anthony Farquhar and Bishop Donal McKeown met with Pope Benedict XVI on the first morning of their visit. They spoke with the Pope for 20 minutes privately in which they discussed things like education, child sexual abuse, peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

Ad limina visit 2017

Bishop Treanor joined other Irish bishops in February 2017 for the ad limina visit. Unlike previous visits there were no private meetings with diocesan bishops and Pope Francis, rather the Pontiff spoke with the bishops together.

Previous bishops

Ordinaries

The following is a basic list of the Roman Catholic bishops and vicars apostolic.

Auxiliary bishops

See also

• Diocese of Down and Dromore (Church of Ireland)
• Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)
• Roman Catholicism in Ireland
• List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Northern Ireland
• Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland