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11 Mar 2026
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11 Mar 2026
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Bishop Niall Coll and, insets, Monsignor Kevin Gillespie and Fr Brendan Ward
Bishop Niall Coll has made the first apoointments of his episcopacy in the Raphoe Diocese.
Monsignor Kevin Gillespie has been confirmed as the new Vicar General while Fr Brendan Ward has been named as the Chancellor of the Diocese.
Monsignor Gillespie, a native of Gaoth Dobhair, served as the Diocesan Administrator following the transfer of Bishop Alan McGuckian to the Diocese of Down and Connor in 2024.
Monsignor Gillespie, a former Papal Master of Ceremonies for Pope Benedict XVI who also worked closely with Pope Francis, was first ordained in 1999.
Upon the installation of Bishop Coll as the new Bishop of Raphoe in January, Monsignor Gillespie assumed the role of Administrator of the Cathedral Parish of Conwal and Leck.
A Vicar General is a senior priest appointed by a bishop to help administer a diocese and act on the bishop’s behalf in many administrative and pastoral matters.
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Fr Ward, a curate in the Gaoth Dobhair parish, will now also be the Chancellor of the Diocese.
A statement said: “Bishop Coll wishes every blessing on those who have accepted these new responsibilities”.
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