Tag Archives: Franciscan Friary

The annual appointments for the Diocese of Killaloe will be formally announced by Bishop Kieran O’Reilly on this Thursday. The appointments relate to clergy and pastoral workers and take effect from Friday, September 5. At present there are 82 priests serving in full-time parish ministry in the Diocese of Killaloe. Four Killaloe priests are engaged in full-time school chaplaincy, teaching and other pastoral work throughout Ireland. Additionally, three Killaloe priests serve overseas in various ministries, while 13 Killaloe priests are fully retired from active ministry. The diocese benefits from the service of seven priests from other dioceses or religious congregations serving as priests in parishes of the diocese. The diocese also benefits from the ministry of the clergy based at the Franciscan Friary in Ennis and the Cistercian Monastery at Mount St Joseph’s, Roscrea. One student is studying for priesthood for the Diocese of Killaloe, at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. The Catholic population of the diocese is around 127,000.

Ennis Friary, the old Franciscan Friary on Abbey Street has now re-opened for the 2014 tourist season. And visitors to the historic site this Easter will have a chance to see the results of recent restoration works of the medieval ‘passion panels’. Last year saw a record number of both locals and foreign tourists visiting the heritage site. And so far this year there has already been an increase in visitor numbers since the Friary opened at the beginning of the month. The Office of Public Works, who manage the site, are encouraging local families as well as visitors to the town to go along during the Easter holidays to witness the ‘passion panels’ These panels were carved for a royal tomb built by the McMahon family in the 1400s and show in exquisite detail various scenes of story of Easter including Christ’s betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection. There has also been renewed local interest in the site due to the …