New bishop for diocese including Offaly parish set to be ordained this weekend
The new Bishop for Catholics living one parish in Offaly will officially take up his duties from Sunday when ordained in Kilkenny cathedral.
Mass for the Episcopal Ordination of Fr Niall Coll as Bishop of Ossory takes place on Sunday, January 22 at 3pm in Cathedral of Saint Mary, Kilkenny. Seir Kieran parish in Offaly is part of the diocese of Ossory.
Laity, religious, clergy, family and guests have been invited to the ordination of the Donegal native which will be led by Archbishop Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Dublin, who was Bishop of Ossory between 2018 and 2020.
The Archbishop will be assisted by Co-Consecrators Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin and outgoing Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Ossory.
Also assisting will be Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop of Raphoe. Monsignor Julien Kaboré, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland, will also attend. Fr Kieran O’Shea of the Diocese of Ossory, will preach the homily. The Cathedral Choir will provide music for the Mass and Master of Ceremonies will be Fr Roderick Whearty of Ossory.
Incoming Bishop Coll was born in 1963 in Letterkenny, Co Donegal. During his ministry, Bishop-elect Niall Coll, in conjunction with his priestly appointments, has conducted retreats for clergy, is a contributor to various publications, including Doctrine and Life, The Furrow, The Irish Theological Quarterly and The Tablet, and in addition was the Editorial Director of the Catholic School ethos journal Le Chéile.
He has a BA National University of Ireland, Saint Patrick’s College Maynooth and a BD Pontifical also from Maynooth.
He was ordained a priest in 1988 in the Diocese of Raphoe in Donegal.
He has taught at St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny and was a lecturer in St Patrick’s College, Carlow before returning as a curate to the Parish of Dungloe.
He served ads Professor of Religious Studies and Religious Education in St Mary’s University College, Belfast from 2001 to 2019. He served a parish priest in two Donegal parishes between 2019 and 2022.
He takes over in a Diocese that takes in most of Kilkenny and parts of counties Laois and Offaly. At one point the Aghaboe Abbey in Laois was the location of the diocesan cathedral before it moved to St Mary's in Kilkenny city.