By ITAYI VIRIRI
THE Bishop of Limerick, Dr Donal Murray, this week launched
a new website which contains the history of each parish in
the Diocese of Limerick.The website records the churches,
graveyards, shrines, a list of the priests who served in
the parishes over the years and some significant people and
events.
Lisa O'Connor and Matt Tobin, students in Mary Immaculate
College worked on the website. After visiting all the
parishes, seeking out the information and taking
photographs, Lisa and Matt completed the presentation in a
very attractive website and also in a cd-rom.
The project began as a Jubilee 2000 project and the aim was
to collect and present in an attractive form an outline of
the history of each parish in the diocese. Each parish
history includes a list of the parish priests and curates.
This list has been compiled using the Catholic Directories
from 1837 to the present day. Information prior to that has
been obtained from Begley's History of the Diocese of
Limerick, as well as local histories.
According to the site, the Limerick Diocese has a Catholic
population of almost 170,000 of which some 100,000 live in
the Limerick city area.
The Diocese of Limerick was established at the Synod of
Rathbrassil in 1111 AD. The boundaries of the diocese have
changed little since then.
There are 60 parishes in the diocese - 44 rural and 16
city. Over the past 50 years the number of parishes in the
city has increased from five to 18 as a result of the
growth of the city.
The website has among other features, a section dedicated
to restoration of St John's Cathedral, including pictures
of the restoration work and what needs to be done to
conserve the 150-year-old Cathedral.
Bishop Murray said at the launch: "It is very important in
times when things are difficult and challenging for the
Church, that we are aware of the struggles and the pain
that were faced by the generations that went before us.
Every parish in the diocese even the newest one, have a
local history to be proud of."
The Bishop continued: "Limerick people, and perhaps
especially those who are living abroad will find the site
of great interest, full of information and local lore. It
will be an invaluable resource for schools and parishes in
providing a foundation for creating an interest in the
faith history of the area."
Bishop Murray congratulated Lisa and Matt and also Charlie
Healy, who played a very important part in bringing the
project to a conclusion. The website can be accessed at
www.limerickdioceseheritage.org and the cd-rom can be
purchased at the Abbey Bookstore, Augustinian Church,
O'Connell Street, Limerick; Limerick Diocesan Pastoral
Centre, Denmark Street, and the Limerick Diocesan Office,
66 O'Connell Street. The cd-rom costs Euro15., and all
profits will go towards St John's Cathedral Restoration
Fund."
"Limerick Leader
Saturday, October 5th, 2002
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