Pope Francis has appointed Fr Paul Connell, a priest of the Diocese of Meath who chairs the Irish bishops’ Council for Education, as the new Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.
He replaces Archbishop Francis Duffy, who left Ardagh and Clonmacnois when he was appointed Archbishop of Tuam.
Welcoming the news, the leader of the Irish Church, the Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin, paid tribute to 65-year-old Fr Connell’s wide-ranging experience in education saying the Irish bishops’ conference had “benefited greatly from his expertise in Catholic education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels”.
The new bishop has held a number of senior roles in key bodies that support Catholic school managers, patrons and trustees. These include director of the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA) and director and former President of the Secretariat of Secondary Schools (AMCSS/JMB).
According to Archbishop Martin, Fr Connell has provided guidance to the bishops and school communities engaged in discussions on Catholic patronage, specifically regarding the reconfiguration of primary patronage.
He has also played a significant role in discussions on policy and partnerships with education training boards and Catholic trustees in relation to Community Schools and Designated Community Colleges.
Responding to news of the appointment, Bishop Thomas Deenihan of Meath said Fr Connell’s leadership as principal and president of the diocesan college, St Finian’s in Mullingar, would be remembered.“He steered the development of the diocesan boarding school into a vibrant and successful co-educational post-primary school. Just recently, he has been leading an ambitious though necessary expansion programme there to cater for a growing local need,” Bishop Deenihan said.
The new bishop is considered a strong administrator and his expertise in education will be important as Irish dioceses engage and negotiate a process of divestment.
He has also been described as “synodal” in his pastoral roles as administrator of Multyfarnham parish and as chaplain to St Mary’s Hospital in Mullingar, where he has offered Mass each Sunday for the residents over many years.
The episcopal appointment was announced in St Mel’s Cathedral, Longford by Monsignor Julien Kaboré, chargé d’affaires of the apostolic nunciature in Ireland.
In his address on Wednesday to his new flock, Bishop-elect Connell said: “As a Church we live in interesting times, facing many challenges. Our society is in danger of losing the sense of the sacred, above all the truth that we come from God and will some day return to God.”
He continued: “As we look around we see difficulties for the Church on all sides. The temptation to despair is great but we must rather take courage, place our trust in the Lord and move together along the synodal path that we are at present exploring.
“Only in this way can we fulfil our mission to preserve the faith and hand it on to future generations.”
Bishop-elect Connell was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar, on 20 June 1982.
Following ordination, he was briefly attached to Rochfortbridge parish before being appointed to the staff of St Finian’s College. He became vice-president of the college in 1989 and was its president and principal from 1998 until 2019.
Under his direction the college became a co-educational secondary school in 2003, and its boarding school closed in 2007.
In January 2019, he was appointed as executive secretary of the Council for Education of the Irish Episcopal Conference, and in 2020, he was appointed by Bishop Deenihan as chancellor of the Diocese of Meath.
He has a doctorate in history from the National University in Maynooth and he spent a number of years lecturing part-time in Ecclesiastical History at the Milltown Institute of Theology, Dublin.
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