Diocese of Armagh (Church of Ireland)
The Diocese of Armagh is the Metropolitan head of the Ecclesiastical province of Armagh. The province is one of two such provinces of the Church of Ireland in Ireland. The Province of Armagh is a geographic subdivision of the island which straddles the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Geographic remit
The diocese mainly covers counties Louth, Tyrone and Armagh as well as parts of Donegal. The Metropolitan Province contains the following suffragan sees:
Overview and history
As of 2011 the diocese had 31,000 parishioners in its 44 parochial units. Ordained and lay ministry involved 47 serving and 28 retired clergy; 13 Diocesan Readers and 37 Parish Readers.[1]
The diocese traces its history to St Patrick in the 5th century, who founded the see. Church property that existed when the Church of Ireland broke with the Roman Catholic Church, buildings included, was retained by the reformed Church of Ireland, then in the 19th century, at the time of the Disestablishment of the Church, confiscated by the state. Schools, churches and cathedrals were however returned to the Church.[2]
Ordinaries
The first Anglican Archbishop was Hugh Goodacre, appointed by Edward VI in 1552.[3] The Archbishop of Armagh, currently Richard Clarke,[4] has his seat in St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh.
See also
References
- ^ http://armagh.anglican.org/index.php/who-we-are/
- ^ http://ireland.anglican.org/index.php?do=information&id=5
- ^ Cross, F. L. (ed.) (1957) Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church; p. 86
- ^ http://armagh.anglican.org/index.php/archbishop/
External links