New Irish bishop

His Holiness Pope John Paul II has appointed The Most Reverend Jim Moriarty DD, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, as Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin. The appointment was officially announced in Rome at 12.00 noon (11.00am Irish time) today. The eldest son of Michael and Catherine Moriarty, Bishop Moriarty (65) was born in Dublin. He has one sister, Ann Carroll, who is a physiotherapist, and three brothers who are all working in the field of healthcare and medicine in Dublin: Aidan (St Vincent's University Hospital), Dr Michael (St Luke's Hospital) and Professor Denis (Mater Misericordiae Hospital). Bishop Moriarty was educated at Catholic University School, Lower Leeson Street, Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, University College, Dublin and St Patrick's College, Maynooth. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1961 and held a number of appointments including Chaplain in UCD from 1968 to 1979. He was the first Parish Priest of Deansrath (a developing area beside Clondalkin) from 1983 to 1989 and Parish Priest of Donaghmede from 1989 to 1991. In the late 1980s he was elected Chairman of the Dublin Diocesan Council of Priests. In September 1991, he was ordained Titular Bishop of Bononia and Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin with responsibility for the Deaneries of Fingal South East, Fingal South West and Howth. Bishop Moriarty is currently Chairman of the National Committee of Diocesan Youth Directors, and will be a speaker at the Pope's World Youth Day celebrations in Toronto next month. He is also Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Renewal, and was formerly President of the Episcopal Commission for Social Welfare. In his leisure time, Bishop Moriarty enjoys playing golf, and is a regular attender at Parnell Park and Lansdowne Road. Bishop Moriarty will replace The Most Reverend Laurence Ryan DD who was ordained Coadjutor Bishop in 1984 and installed as Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin in 1987. Bishop Ryan (71) submitted his resignation to Pope John Paul II in July 2001. The Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin has a Catholic population of 183,000 in 56 parishes, and includes County Carlow and parts of Counties Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Wexford. The Cathedral of the Assumption is located in Carlow Town. source: Irish Bishops' Conference