CORK priest Fr Thomas Deenihan has been appointed as the new Bishop of Meath. Fr Deenihan was born in the parish of Blackpool on June 20, 1967.

He attended the North Monastery Christian Brothers School. After completing post-primary education, he studied in the national seminary of Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

Bishop-elect Deenihan was ordained a deacon by Bishop Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath, in Maynooth on April 1, 1990.

On June 1, 1991, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Cork & Ross by the late Bishop Michael Murphy.

Bishop Buckley of the Diocese of Cork and Ross congratulated Fr Deenihan on his appointment and praised him for his work across Cork over the past 27 years.

“As his Bishop, I am very grateful to him for his knowledgeable and respectful service to me and to the Diocese,” he said.

“I wish Canon Tom every joy, blessing and happiness in his new role.”

On a national level, Bishop-elect Deenihan served as General Secretary of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association from 2013 to 2016, and as acting-executive secretary to the Council for Education and to the Commission for Catholic Education and Formation of the Irish Episcopal Conference from 2016 to date.

Bishop-elect Deenihan is a member of: the Honan Governors at University College Cork; a member of Mercy Care South, a Diocesan Public Juridic Person for the Mercy University Hospital in Cork; and is chair of the Board of Directors of the Christian Leadership in Education Office. In 2017 Bishop Buckley appointed him a Canon and a member of the Cathedral Chapter in Cork.

Meanwhile, the Diocese has announced a number of new diocesan appointments and changes. These include:

Fr Robert Brophy, PP Togher is to take sabbatical leave.

Rev Benjamin Hodnett is to become administrator in Togher.

Fr Ray Riordan is to move to The Lough/Ballyphehane.

Fr Patrick Nugent is moving from The Lough/Ballyphehane to Glanmire/Glounthaune.

Fr Sean Crowley is moving from Bantry to be Chaplain to the Defence Forces.

Fr John Heinhold is moving to Bantry.

Bishop Buckley has also appointed Fr John O’Donovan, the administrator of the Cathedral Parish as Canon of the Cathedral Chapter.