Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld

Diocese of Dunkeld
Dioecesis Dunkeldensis

Location
Country  Scotland
Territory City of Dundee and the council areas of Angus, most of Perth and Kinross, and parts of Stirling and Fife
Ecclesiastical province St Andrews and Edinburgh
Metropolitan St Andrews and Edinburgh
Coordinates 56°33′54″N 3°35′06″W / 56.565°N 3.585°W / 56.565; -3.585Coordinates: 56°33′54″N 3°35′06″W / 56.565°N 3.585°W / 56.565; -3.585
Statistics
Area 8,495 km2 (3,280 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2013)
411,500
44,101 (10.7%)
Parishes 35
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Established 5 March 1878
Cathedral St Andrew's Cathedral, Dundee
Secular priests 33
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Stephen Robson
Metropolitan Archbishop Leo Cushley
Vicar General Kenneth J. McCaffrey
Emeritus Bishops Vincent Logan
Website
www.rcdod.org.uk

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld (Latin: Dioecesis Dunkeldensis) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Scotland, forming an episcopal hierarchy distinct from that of England and Wales.

On 9 January 2014, Stephen Robson was enthroned as the diocese's ninth bishop.

History

It is thought that the diocese was constituted as far back as the middle of the ninth century. The first occupant was styled Bishop of Fortriu, the name by which the kingdom of the northern Picts was then known. This bishop was also styled Abbot of Dunkeld, perhaps holding jurisdiction, formerly enjoyed by Iona, over the other Columban monasteries in Scotland.

The new bishopric appears to have included a great part of what afterwards became the Diocese of Argyll, and retained its jurisdiction over various churches representing old Columban foundations. There were thirty-five bishops of Dunkeld from its foundation until the suppression of the Catholic hierarchy during the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century.

The pre-Reformation cathedral, situated in the Perthshire town of Dunkeld, was erected between 1220 and 1500. After the Reformation the cathedral fell partly into ruins, although the choir is used for Presbyterian worship.

The Catholic Church restored the diocese on 4 March 1878, by decree of Pope Leo XIII. Dunkeld is one of the suffragan sees in the archiepiscopal province of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, and includes the counties of Perth, Angus, Clackmannan, Kinross, and the northern part of Fife. The diocesan cathedral is dedicated to Saint Andrew and is located in Dundee rather than Dunkeld, Dundee being the residence of the majority of the Catholics of the diocese and the largest centre of population. The cathedral chapter, erected in 1895, consists of a provost and eight canons.

In 2010 the diocese comprised 35 parishes of 43,000 Catholics from a total population of 400,000 (10.8%) served by 48 priests and 9 deacons. In area the diocese is 8,495 square kilometres (3,280 sq mi).[1]

Education

Due to the number of immigrants from Ireland during the 19th century, the see city of Dundee has always had a higher percentage of Catholics (between 18%-20%) than other cities and towns on the East Coast. As a result, since that time, there have been a good number of primary and secondary schools in the diocese. As of 2010, the Diocese website listed 21 primary schools and 4 secondary schools: two in Dundee (St. John's and St. Paul's), St. John's in Perth and Kilgraston School (an independent school) in Bridge of Earn some few miles south-east of Perth.

Religious communities

There are 5 institutes of religious life for men: the Redemptorists who run a retreat centre at Kinnoull in Perth; the Pallotines at St. Joseph's, who serve the Polish community in Dundee; the CST Fathers (Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux) (an Oriental rite foundation from India) in the parish of St. Clement of Rome; the SMA Fathers (Society of African Missions) in Dunblane and the Marist Brothers who teach. Within the diocese there are 7 institutes of religious life for women: the Columban Sisters, the Little Sisters of the Poor (left 2015), the Religious Sisters of Charity, the Servite Sisters, the Sisters of Mercy, the Society of the Sacred Heart and the Ursulines. These women are involved in a variety of ministries: teaching, administration, parish work and running a home for the elderly.

The Diocese also operates its own facility for elderly people: St. Mary's Home in Monifieth as well as a day care centre attached to the home.

In August 2015 the Little Sisters of the Poor, who had been resident at St. Joseph's, Wellburn for more than 150 years, announced that they could no longer continue to run their care home due to diminishing numbers of Sisters. The Diocese purchased the care home from the Sisters so that the care of the elderly mission at the home may continue. In 2015 a Care Home Manager was appointed to operate the facility on behalf of the Diocese and there are plans for a new care home to be built on the site, given the age and condition of the current premises.

Past and present ordinaries

The following is a list of the modern Bishops of Dunkeld:[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Diocese of Dunkeld". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Diocese of Dunkeld". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  3. ↑ "Edinburgh auxiliary named as Bishop of Dunkeld". The Catholic Herald. UK. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
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