Pope Francis appointed Father Niall Coll, a priest of the Diocese of Raphoe, as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Ossory on 28 October 2022. At 3.00pm this Sunday, 22 January 2023, Mass will be celebrated for the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-elect Coll which will take place in the Cathedral of Saint Mary, Kilkenny.
Speaking on the appointment, Bishop-elect Coll said, “I come to Ossory at a time of great challenge to faith, a time when Irish society is increasingly secular and individualistic. The four-century and more long dominance of the Tridentine pattern has left Catholics almost everywhere unfamiliar with and thus unskilled in discerning and negotiating possibilities for change in church life. But, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit, discern and change we must, in line with Pope Francis’ emphasis on the need for ‘synodality’.”
Born on 25 August 1963 in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Bishop-elect Coll was ordained a priest on 3 July 1988. Over this time, he has taught at second level in Donegal, has lectured in Saint Patricks College Carlow and has served as Professor of Religious Studies and Religious Education, Saint Mary’s University College, Belfast.
Bishop-elect Coll’s ministry has also included conducting retreats for clergy, and he has contributed to various publications, including Doctrine and Life, The Furrow, The Irish Theological Quarterly and The Tablet. In addition he was the Editorial Director of the Catholic School ethos journal Le Chéile.
At Sunday’s Ordination Mass, the Chief Ordaining Prelate will be Archbishop Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Dublin, who will be assisted by Co-Consecrators Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin and outgoing Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Ossory, and by Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop of Raphoe. Monsignor Julien Kaboré, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland, will also be in attendance. Father Kieran O’Shea of the Diocese of Ossory, will preach the homily and the Cathedral Choir will provide music for the Mass. The Master of Ceremonies will be Father Roderick Whearty of Ossory.
Photographs from the ceremony will be available to media by contacting photographer John McElroy on + 353 (87) 241 6985 and/or by email on [email protected] to obtain photographs for publication purposes. The Ordination Mass will be livestreamed on www.stmaryscathedral.ie.
ENDS
