Michael Kelly
Bishop-elect Niall Coll. Pope Francis has appointed well-known theologian Fr Niall Coll as the new Bishop of Ossory. The announcement came in a communique from the Holy See this morning (Friday).
Bishop-elect Coll (59) is a priest of the Diocese of Raphoe and up to this point has been serving as parish priest of Donegal Town.
The Letterkenny-native returned to ministry in Raphoe in 2019 after almost 20 years teaching theology and religious education at St Mary’s University, Belfast. During this time he was also editor of the influential journal on school ethos Le Chéile.
After studies for the priesthood at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth Bishop-elect Coll was ordained in 1988. And continued further studies at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University where he obtained a licence in dogmatic theology. He went on to complete a higher diploma in education at Trinity College Dublin before completing his doctorate in divinity specialising in Christology at the Gregorian University in 1995.
From 1995-1998 he was a lecturer at St Patrick’s College, Carlow before serving as a curate in Dungloe from 1998-2001 while serving as chaplain and a teacher at Pobalscoil na Rosann.
In 2001 he was appointed to St Mary’s in Belfast where he taught until 2019 when he was appointed parish priest of Drumholm-Ballintra moving to Donegal Town in 2021.