Diocese of Paisley Dioecesis Pasletana | |
|---|---|
 St Mirin's Cathedral in Paisley | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country |  Scotland |
| Territory | Most of thecouncil areas ofInverclyde,Renfrewshire andEast Renfrewshire |
| Ecclesiastical province | Glasgow |
| Coordinates | 55°50′49″N4°24′58″W / 55.847°N 4.416°W /55.847; -4.416 |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 580 km2 (220 sq mi) |
Population
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| Parishes | 33 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 25 May 1947 |
| Cathedral | St Mirin's Cathedral, Paisley |
| Secular priests | 30 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | John Keenan |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | William Nolan |
| Website | |
| rcdop.org.uk | |
TheDiocese of Paisley (Latin:Dioecesis Pasletana) is an ecclesiastical territory ordiocese of theLatin Church of theCatholic Church in Scotland. Erected on 25 May 1947 from theArchdiocese of Glasgow, the diocese covers the historic county ofRenfrewshire (now the local government areas ofRenfrewshire,East Renfrewshire andInverclyde) and is 580 km2 (220 sq mi) in area making it the smallest diocese by area in Scotland.
In 2004 the Catholic population of the diocese was 79,400 out of a total population of 342,000 (23.2%). By 2016 membership increased to 88,600 (23,8%)[1] out of a total population of 372,800.
The diocese comprises 33parishes served by 30priests (2021 figures). The diocese is divided into threedeaneries namely St Mirin's Deanery (Renfrewshire), St Mary's Deanery (Inverclyde) and St John's Deanery (East Renfrewshire).[2]
The mother house of the religious society theJericho Benedictines is in the village ofKilbarchan, near the town ofJohnstone within the diocese.
The Diocese is led by theBishop of Paisley, currently the Right ReverendJohn Keenan, the fifth bishop of the diocese. Themother church of the diocese and seat of the bishop isSt Mirin's Cathedral in the town ofPaisley. Themotto of the diocese is "For the Good of Souls".[2][3]
On 15 September 2008, thefeast day of itspatron saintSt Mirin, the Diocese of Paisley celebrated itsDiamond Jubilee. To mark the occasion aMassconcelebrated by theApostolic Nuncio to theCourt of St. James ArchbishopFaustino Sainz Muñoz, theArchbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh CardinalKeith O'Brien, theArchbishop of GlasgowMario Conti, theBishop of MotherwellJoseph Devine, theBishop of AberdeenPeter Moran, theBishop of GallowayJohn Cunningham, the Emeritus Bishop of PaisleyJohn Mone, the Bishop of PaisleyPhilip Tartaglia and many priests of the diocese took place in St Mirin's Cathedral. Present at the Mass were a large number of civic dignitaries and representatives of other churches in Paisley. RepresentingQueen Elizabeth II were theLord Lieutenant of RenfrewshireGuy Clark and his deputyJames Wardrop.
On 16 September 2010Pope Benedict XVI made a brief visit to the Diocese of Paisley when he departed fromGlasgow Airport, which lies within the diocese to the north of the town of Paisley, forLondon Heathrow Airport after celebrating Mass atBellahouston Park inGlasgow.[4] There to wish him farewell from Scotland were theProvost ofRenfrewshire Councillor Celia Lawson and theBishop of Paisley Philip Tartaglia.
The following is a list of the Bishops of Paisley:[2]
