Father Ciarán O’Carroll has been appointed as Rector of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome. Father O’Carroll is the Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation in the Archdiocese of Dublin and Administrator of the Catholic University Church on Saint Stephen’s Green, Dublin. Father O’Carroll succeeds Monsignor Liam Bergin from the Diocese of Ossory, who has been Rector of the Irish College since 2001.
Welcoming news of his appointment Father O’Carroll said, “I am very much looking forward to meeting with the staff and students of the Pontifical Irish College – I am honoured to accept this challenging role at this time when renewal of the Church is at the heart of all we do and the formation of students has such a particular role in that renewal.” Father O’Carroll also expressed his appreciation to his colleagues in the Office of Evangelisation in Dublin, saying they had helped highlight the importance of Evangelisation throughout the diocese in a relatively short time.
From Mount Merrion Parish in Dublin, Father O’Carroll is the son of Tadgh (RIP) and Sheila O’Carroll; he has three sisters and two brothers.
Father O’Carroll holds a doctorate in ecclesiastical history and has been the author of several publications on the subject. He is a graduate of University College Dublin, the Angelicum University, Rome, and the Gregorian University, Rome.
Father O’Carroll has lectured in ecclesiastical history at a number of third level institutes including Holy Cross College in Clonliffe, Dublin, and at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth in County Kildare. A priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin, he has ministered in a number of parishes including Naul, Sutton, Rathmines and Saggart prior to his present appointment.
He is currently secretary to the Council of Priests, Chair of the Diocesan Trócaire Working Group and a member both of the Diocesan Council and the board of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Ireland 2012.
Notes
- The Rector is appointed by the Congregation for Catholic Education in the Holy See on the authority of the Pope, having been recommended by the Trustees of the Irish College.
- The Irish College, Rome, was founded on 1 January 1628 by the Irish Franciscan, Fr Luke Wadding and the Italian Cardinal, Ludovico Ludovisi. The Pontifical Irish College is located in Via dei Santi Quattro, Rome, see www.irishcollege.org
- The primary function of the College is the formation of seminarians and priests for Ireland as well as the education of clergy from other parts of the world. There are 20 seminarians currently studying for the priesthood in the College – 17 of whom are Irish. In addition, the Irish College is home to 40 priests who studying at post-graduate level.
- The College also serves as a centre for Irish pilgrims during the summer holiday months. The Irish College serves as a centre for the Irish community in Rome and as a focal point for Irish culture. Each year over 250 Irish couples celebrate their weddings at the Irish College.
- The College is the only surviving example of the large number of Irish seminaries established on the European mainland during the penal law period in Ireland to educate priests for
the Irish Church. Past pupils include Saint Oliver Plunkett and Blessed Columba Marmion.
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