title: Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor
text: The Diocese of Down and Connor, (; ) 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. The See is vacant; Bishop Donal McKeown (Bishop of Derry) is currently the Apostolic Administrator pending the appointment of a new bishop.
  
  Territorial remit
  The territorial remit of the diocese includes much of counties Antrim and Down, including the cities of Belfast and Lisburn and the large towns Antrim, Ballymena, Bangor, 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.
  
   St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast
   St Patrick's Church, Belfast / Pro-Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast
   Christ the Redeemer, Lagmore
   Corpus Christi, Ballymurphy, Belfast
   St. Patrick's, Derriaghy
   Drumbo & Carryduff
   Hannahstown
   Holy Cross, Ardoyne
   Holy Family, Newington
   Holy Rosary, Ormeau Road
   Holy Trinity, Turf Lodge
   Loughshore - Three parishes: St Mary’s Greencastle, County Antrim, Star of The Sea Whitehouse, County Antrim and St James’, Whiteabbey
   Nativity, Poleglass
   Our Lady Queen of Peace, Kilwee
   Sacred Heart, Glenview Street, Oldpark Road, Belfast
   St Agnes', Andersonstown Road, Belfast
   St Anne's, Kingsway/Upper Lisburn Road, Belfast
   St Anthony's, Willowfield, Woodstock Road, Belfast
   St Bernadette's, Rosetta Road, Castlereagh
   St Brigid's, Malone Road, Belfast
   St Colmcille's, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast
   St Gerard's, Antrim Road, Belfast
   St John's, Falls Road, Belfast
   St Luke's, Twinbrook
   St Malachy's, Alfred Street, Belfast
   St Mary's, Chapel Lane, Belfast
   St Mary's-On-The-Hill, Glengormley
   St Matthew's, Bryson Street, Belfast
   St Michael The Archangel, Finaghy Road North, Belfast
   St Oliver Plunkett, Glenveagh Drive, Glen Road, Belfast
   St Paul's, Falls Road, Belfast
   St Teresa's, Glen Road, Belfast
   St. Therese of Lisieux, Somerton Road, Belfast
   St Vincent De Paul, Ligoniel
  
  Country parishes 
  Listed are country parishes listed by the Diocese of Down and Connor.
  
   Aghagallon & Ballinderry (St Patrick's)
   Ahoghill (St Marys Church; Ballynafie Road, Ahoghill)
   Antrim (St Comgall's and St Joseph's)
   Armoy (St. Olcan's)
   Ballintoy (St Mary's and St Joseph's)
   Ballycastle (St Patrick's & St Brigid's) 
   Ballyclare & Ballygowan (Sacred Heart)
   Ballygalget (St Patrick's Church)
   Ballymena/Kirkinriola (All Saints and St Patrick's)
   Ballymoney & Derrykeighan (Our Lady & St Patrick's)
   Bangor (St Comgall's, Bangor; Most Holy Redeemer, Ballyholme; St Comgall's, Donaghadee)
   Carnlough (St John the Evangelist)
   Carrickfergus (St Nicholas')
   Castlewellan (under the patronage of St Malachy]
   Coleraine
   Crossgar
   Culfeightrin (Ballyvoy)
   Cushendall (St Patrick's) & Cushendun (St Patrick's, Craigagh & St Mary's "Star of the Sea", Culraney)
   Downpatrick (St Patrick’s, Downpatrick; St Malachy’s, Ballykilbeg; St Brigid’s, Rathkeltair; St Colmcille’s)
   Drumaroad & Clanvaraghan (St John the Baptist; Our Lady of the Angels)
   Dundrum & Tyrella
   Duneane (Moneyglass & Toome)
   Dunloy & Cloughmills
   Dunsford & Ardglass (St Nicholas’, Ardglass; St Mary’s, Dunsford)
   Glenariff
   Glenarm
   Glenavy & Killead 
   Glenravel & The Braid
   Holywood
   Kilcoo (St Malachy’s)
   Killough (St Patrick’s, Legamaddy; St Joseph’s, Killough; Star of the Sea, Rossglass)
   Killyleagh
   Kircubbin
   Larne
   Lisburn (under the patronage of St Patrick) 
   Loughguile 
   Loughinisland (St Macartan’s)
   Lower Mourne
   Newcastle/Maghera (Our Lady of the Assumption, Newcastle; St Patrick's, Bryansford)
   Newtownards & Comber (St Patrick's Newtownards; Our Lady of the Visitation, Comber)
   Portaferry (St Patrick’s, Ballyphilip;  St Cooey’s, Portaferry)
   Portglenone (Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate)
   Portrush (St Patrick's)
   Portstewart (St Mary's Star of the Sea)
   Randalstown (St MacNissi's)
   Rasharkin (St Mary's)
   Saintfield & Carrickmannon
   Saul & Ballee (St Patrick's, Saul; St Joseph's, Downpatrick; St Tassach's, Carlin)
   Strangford (Star of the Sea)
  Upper Mourne
  
  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.
  
   John Fossade (1442–1450)
   Thomas Knight. O.S.B. (1453–1469)
   Tadhg Ó Muirgheasa (1469–1480)
   Tiberio Ugolino (1483–1519)
   Robert Blyth, O.S.B. (1520–1539)
   Eugene Magennis (1539–1559)
   Miler Magrath, O.F.M. (1565–1580)
   Donat O'Gallagher, O.F.M. (1580–1581)
   Bl. Conor O'Devany, O.F.M. (1582–1612)
   (Patrick Hanratty, vicar apostolic, 1614–1625)
   Edmund Dungan (1625–1629)
   Hugh Magennis, O.F.M. (1630–1640)
   (See vacant, 1640–1642)
   Heber MacMahon (1642–1643)
   Arthur Magennis, O.Cist. (1647–1653)
   (Michael O'Beirn, vicar apostolic, 1657–1670)
   Daniel Mackey (1671–1673)
   (See vacant, 1673–1711)
   (Terence O'Donnelly, vicar apostolic, 1711–unknown)
   James O'Shiel, O.F.M. (1717–1724)
   John Armstrong (1727–1739)
   Francis Stuart, O.F.M. (1740–1749)
   Edmund O'Doran (1751–1760)
   Theophilus MacCartan (1760–1778)
   Hugh MacMullan (1779–1794)
   Patrick MacMullan (1794–1824)
   William Crolly (1825–1835)
   Cornelius Denvir (1835–1865)
   Patrick Dorrian (1865–1885)
   Patrick MacAlister (1886–1895)
   Henry Henry (1895–1908)
   John Tohill (1908–1914)
   Joseph MacRory (1915–1928)
   Daniel Mageean (1929–1962)
   William Philbin (1962–1982)
   Cahal Brendan Daly (1982–1990)
   Patrick Joseph Walsh (1991–2008)
   Noel Treanor (2008–2022)
  
  Auxiliary bishops
  
   Patrick Dorrian (1860–1865) (coadjutor)
   Patrick Walsh (May 1983 – 1991)
   Anthony Farquhar (May 1983 – December 2015)
   Michael Dallat (1993–2000)
   Donal McKeown (2001–2014)
  
  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
  
  References
  
  External links
   Diocese of Down and Connor (GCatholic.org)
   Catholic-Hierarchy.org – Diocese Profile
   Profile from NewAdvent.org – info from Catholic Encyclopedia
  
   
  1439 establishments in Ireland
  Roman Catholic dioceses established in the 15th century
  Religion in County Antrim
  Religion in County Down
  Religion in County Londonderry
  Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Armagh