Having been ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Raphoe in 1988, Bishop Niall is now returning home to the diocese as bishop.
Bishop Niall has been a much loved pastor and shepherd in the Diocese
of Ossory, and no doubt his appointment back to Donegal will come as a
disappointment to the priests and people of Kilkenny and Laois, where he
was ordained as Bishop of Ossory in January 2023.
Bishop Niall is already serving the Bishops’ Conference with distinction
as a member of the Council for Doctrine’s Theological Committee and as a
member of both the Council for Education and of the Council for
Catechetics.
His wide experience in the field of third level education
is of great value to the Bishop’s conference and I look forward to his
continued contributions as a member of the Conference.
Bishop Niall’s pastoral leadership has also been evident in his work
with other churches, his public interventions on Church/State history
and relations, and his all-island perspectives on effectively serving
the common good.
At this time, I also wish to extend my gratitude to Monsignor Kevin
Gillespie who steps down today from the role of Diocesan Administrator
of Raphoe, having been elected to serve by the diocesan clergy in March
2024.
As Diocesan Administrator, Monsignor Kevin’s participation at meetings of the Bishops’Conference in Maynooth has always been insightful and helpful to its work.
I offer my prayerful good wishes to Monsignor Kevin for his future ministry, and look forward to our continued friendship.