Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld

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.

The Diocese of Dunkeld is currently led by Bishop Vincent Paul Logan who was appointed in 1981; it is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh.

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.

The present bishop is the Right Reverend Vincent Paul Logan who assumed office on 26 February 1981. 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 6 secondary schools: two in Dundee (St. John's and St. Paul's), two in Fife (St. Columba's in Dunfermline and St. Andrew's in Kirkaldy) and finally 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 6 institutes of religious life for men: the Redemptorists who run a retreat centre at Kinnoull in Perth; the Servites in the parish of St. Vincent de Paul; the Pallotines at St. Francis of Assisi who serve the Polish community in Dundee; the 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. The diocese website lists 8 institutes of religious life for women: the Columban Sisters, the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood, the Little Sisters of the Poor, 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.

Past and present ordinaries

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

• George Rigg (appointed 22 March 1878 – died 18 January 1887)
• James August Smith (appointed 14 August 1890 – translated to the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh on 30 August 1900)
• Angus MacFarlane (appointed 21 February 1901 – died 24 September 1912)
• Robert Fraser (appointed 14 May 1913 – died 28 March 1914)
• John Toner (appointed 8 September 1914 – died 31 May 1949)
• James Donald Scanlan (succeeded 31 May 1949 – translated to the Diocese of Motherwell on 23 May 1955)
• William Andrew Hart (appointed 27 May 1955 – retired 26 January 1981)
• Vincent Paul Logan (current bishop, appointed 26 January 1981)

References

1. ^ http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/ddunk.html
2. ^ Diocese of Dunkeld at Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved on 5 October 2010.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Diocese of Dunkeld.

• Diocese of Dunkeld
• Scottish Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Lawside Academy
• St Saviour's High School
• St. John's High School
• St. Columba's High School, Perth
• Kilgraston School for Girls
• Kinnoull Monastery
• St. Mary's Home
• Little Flower Congregation