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Ronan Sheehan ordained a priestFr Ronan Sheehan (27) was ordained in his own parish church in Newcestown, Co Cork, on Sunday 18 September 2022 in a church packed with family, clergy, parishioners and friends
This was the West Cork church’s first ordination of a priest in its 150 year history.
Fr. Sheehan was ordained by Bishop Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork and Ross, and he becomes the youngest priest in the diocese.
The congregation included his parents Bud and Denise Sheehan, his sisters Ciara, Leona, Orlaith and Aoibhe, and extended family.
Deacon Ronan Sheehan will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Fintan on Sunday 18 September at 3:00pm in the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Newcestown
Ronan is a native of Newcestown and is son of Bud and Denise Sheehan and has four sisters. He was ordained a Deacon this time last year and completed his seminary training at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth.
He will celebrate his first Mass in his native parish on Monday and will receive an appointment from Bishop Fintan in due course to serve as a priest of our diocese.
Let us accompany him with our prayers today and keep all priests in our prayers.
Ronan with Bishop Fintan Gavin, Ronan's sister Eabha and their mother Denise Sheehan on the day of Bishop Fintan’s Ordination as bishop in 2019
Photo: Tony O'Connell
Bishop's pastoral visit to the parish of Frankfield/Grange
Frankfield/Grange Parish was delighted to welcome Bishop Fintan Gavin on his first pastoral visit to the parish last weekend
Bishop Fintan celebrated the three weekend Masses, accompanied by Fr. Kevin O’ Regan P.P.
During his homily, Bishop Fintan spoke about the recent pastoral letter “Putting Out Into Deep Waters”. He said that twelve of the sixteen Families of Parishes had come into being that weekend.
Frankfield/Grange joins the parishes of Douglas and Turners Cross in forming a Family of Parishes next year.
At the conclusion of each Mass, Fr. Kevin thanked Bishop Fintan on behalf of all in the parish.
Bishop Fintan was heartened to see so many individuals at the CONNECT event in University College Cork (UCC) back on the 22 May 2022.
He is delighted to announce a follow-up event on Sunday 16 October 2022 again in UCC.
So we are very excited to what is promising to be another great day for young adults (age 18-35).
We’ll let you know how to register for the event soon but for now just save the date and spread the word!
CONNECT 2 - Sun 16 Oct 2022 - UCC
The new website for the Diocese has been launched ahead of time
Although it was planned to publish this new website for the Diocese of Cork & Ross during the month of September the decision has been made to launch it before it is ready. This is due to a major technical fault with the previous website and it was decided it was better to have an incomplete website rather than none at all.
All of the Parishes are here including the newly formed Families of Parishes. However, there is plenty more work to do like adding all the Priests. So could we ask two things...
- Please bear with us as we work to recover the information and update this website
- If you spot an error or anything that needs correcting, please Email the Webmaster
We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause.
But having this hope for what we cannot yet see, we are able to wait for it with persevering confidence (Romans: 8:25)
Bishop Fintan at a meeting of West Cork parishioners and clergy about planning for the future of parishes.
Congregations in churches across the Diocese of Cork and Ross are set to hear the same message this weekend in all churches.
Bishop Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork and Ross, published a pastoral letter earlier this month which outlines the context and vision for changes being made in parishes in the coming weeks.
Bishop Fintan has asked all the priests across the diocese to read a prepared summery of the pastoral letter at all Masses on the weekend of August 27th/28th.
“Important questions have been set out for deeper reflection and pastoral action at every level of Church life and there will be many more opportunities for people to get involved and help shape this process” – Dr Nicola Brady
Today marks a significant milestone in the synodal process currently underway in the Catholic Church in Ireland with the publication of the national synthesis of the local listening that took place in dioceses and other contexts between October 2021 and May 2022.
This national synthesis has now been submitted to the Synod Secretariat in the Vatican as part of the global synodal process announced by Pope Francis for the Church, to run from 2021 to 2023.
Synthesis of the Consultation in Ireland for the Diocesan Stage of the Universal Synod 2021 - 2023
Bishop Fintan Gavin and Bishop Nowakowski the New Apostolic VisitorThe migration of large numbers of Ukranian people to Ireland has prompted the Ukranian Catholic Church to conduct an assessment of their spiritual needs and how these may be met.
This has involved a visit to Ireland by Ukranian Catholic clergy and the appointment by Pope Francis of Reverend Kenneth Nowakowski, who is the Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London, as the Apostolic Visitor for Ukrainian Catholics in Ireland. (An eparchy is a term used for a diocese.)
Bishop Fintan Gavin of the Diocese of Cork and Ross recently hosted a visit to the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Anne, Cork, by Bishop Nowakowski and other Ukranian clergy who also met other Irish bishops.
There is currently one Ukrainian Catholic parish in Ireland located in Dublin with Fr Vasyl Korentsky assigned to serving Ukrainian Catholics in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
At the time of his new appointment in July this year, Bishop Nowakowski said “With the recent arrival of thousands displaced Ukrainians fleeing harm’s way since the 24 February invasion of Ukraine by Russia, I hope to work very closely with the Roman Catholic Bishops of Ireland and Northern Ireland in seeking ways to respond in positive ways to the humanitarian and pastoral needs of the growing Ukrainian Community.”
Following on from the recent publication of Bishop Fintan’s pastoral letter Putting out into Deep Waters and the reconfiguration of the parishes of the diocese into families of parishes, two full-time vacancies arise for people to work in the diocese.
Applications are invited for the following posts
Bishop Fintan at a recent diocesan meeting with parishioners and clergy to discuss Families of ParishesHow priests minister in the parishes of the Diocese of Cork and Ross will change significantly in September. The diocese will have 16 families of parishes and each will be ministered to by a team of priests. Each priest will be resident in a particular parish but ministering across the whole family of parishes.
Bringing parishes together as families of parishes presents an opportunity for much greater lay participation and shared leadership of parishes. Initially, the team will consist of priests but I hope that lay leadership and more involvement will grow in time.
It will involve parishes working much more closely together and sharing their gifts, talents and resources including their priests.
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News
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July 2026
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June 2026
- Ordination of newest deacon witnessed by family, friends and parishioners
- Bishop Fintan Gavin welcomes election of Bishop-elect Andrew Orr
- Livestream of Ordination in Timoleague on Sunday 21 June
- Applications open for Young Adult Community in Cathedral Family of Parishes
- Ordination to the Permanent Diaconate Sunday 21st
- Thousands participate in the 100th anniversary of the Cork Eucharistic Procession
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May 2026
- Relics of St Carlo in North Cathedral ahead of the Cork Eucharistic Procession
- Barryroe sacristan honoured with papal award
- 200 years of Skibbereen’s Cathedral celebrated
- Briefing Held in Skibbereen Ahead of Eucharistic Procession and Preparatory Events
- Watch the Livestream Launch of the 100th Eucharistic Procession
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April 2026
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March 2026
