I warmly welcome the appointment of Father Francis Duffy of the
Diocese of Kilmore as Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois to succeed Bishop
Colm O’Reilly. I congratulate Bishop Colm on completing a very long and profoundly pastoral ministry as bishop and I wish him a well-deserved rest from those labours and a very happy and healthy retirement.
Father Duffy, who is a native of the parish of Templeport, near Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan, has served the diocese of Kilmore very faithfully and with great dedication and distinction as a priest since his ordination in 1982. His work has been mainly in the field of Catholic education, first as a teacher in Saint Patrick’s College, Cavan and later in Fatima and Felim’s Secondary School in Ballinamore.
From 1994-96 he found time in a busy teaching schedule to do an M.A. in Maynooth College and an M.Ed. in Trinity College, Dublin. He served as Principal of Fatima and Felim’s School from 1996 to 2008 before being appointed Chancellor and Diocesan Secretary of the diocese. He is currently engaged in further studies in the field of education.
Father Duffy is a man of great faith, integrity and humility. He is highly respected and very popular with the priests and people of the diocese. He brings great qualities of generosity, leadership and scholarship to his new role. He will face many challenges as a bishop in Ireland today, but I have no doubt about his ability with God’s grace to meet those challenges.
His appointment to the diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois is a great loss to the diocese of Kilmore, but a great gain to his new diocese and to the Church in Ireland as a whole.
As Father Duffy prepares to take up his new post I assure him of my support and my prayers. I wish him every blessing and success in his new appointment. I ask the people of both dioceses to pray for him that God will guide him and bless him abundantly in his new ministry.
+Leo O’Reilly
Bishop of Kilmore