For the diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, see Diocese of Down and Connor.

The Diocese of Connor is in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland. An ecclesiastical province is a unit of religious government existing in certain Christian churches. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... An archdeacon is a senior position in some Christian churches, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... The Diocese of Down and Connor (From the Latin Dunensis) is an Irish Roman Catholic diocese that stretches from Portrush and Portstewart to Kilkeel in Northern Ireland. ... Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (Irish: Eaglais na hÉireann) is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ...

It is based on the traditional County Antrim, including those parts of Belfast west of the River Lagan, and a small part of County Londonderry including Portstewart and those parts of Coleraine west of the River Bann. Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 40 miles (60 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Derry Area: 2,074 km² Population (est. ... Portstewart (Port Stíobhaird in Irish) is a town in County Derry, Northern Ireland and had a population of 7,803 people in the 2001 Census. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 55. ... The River Bann is the largest river in Northern Ireland. ...

Based on Census figures, more than 100,000 self-described adherents of the Church of Ireland live in the Diocese, making it home to the largest Anglican population of any Irish diocese and more than one in four members of the Church of Ireland. It is unusual in being the only Church of Ireland diocese where Presbyteriansm, rather than Roman Catholicism is the religious denomination of a plurality of the population. Modern logo of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (or PCI) has a membership of 300,000 people in 650 congregations across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, though the bulk of the membership is in Northern Ireland. ... The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. ...

The Diocese of Connor has existed in various forms at least since the days of St. Malachy. Its modern Anglican form came into being when the Diocese of Connor was split from the hitherto United Dioceses of Down, Connor and Dromore in 1944. The Diocesan Cathedral is in Christ Church Lisburn, although this functions largely as a parish church for Lisburn City Centre. Because of its larger size, St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, which is shared with the Diocese of Down and Dromore is often used for major church events. The current bishop is Alan Harper. St. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Alan Harper, born November 1, 1960 in Liverpool, England, is a former professional football (soccer) player. ...

Style and ethos

In common with much of the Church of Ireland, most parishes in the Diocese are very moderately Low Church in ethos or part of the central liturgical tradition. However there are a small but growing number of distinctly Evangelical Anglican parishes in the Diocese, while a small number of parishes in Belfast could be described as High Church, in the case of St. George's in Belfast City Centre even Anglo-Catholic. Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England, initially designed to be pejorative. ... Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England, initially designed to be pejorative. ... High Church is a term that may now be used in speaking of viewpoints within a number of denominations of Protestant Christianity in general, but it is one which has traditionally been employed in Churches associated with the Anglican tradition in particular. ... History Belfast City Centre was originally centred around the Donegall Street area. ... ...

In consonance with this moderate tradition, the Diocese has retained a cautious line in the Anglican debate on homosexuality. Bishop Harper, although perceived as one of the more liberal bishops in the Church of Ireland, has stated that "it is not appropriate to proceed to any form of Blessing of a Registered Civil Partnership." [1] However, the diocesan synod, unlike those in other Northern Dioceses with more strongly Evangelical traditions, rejected a motion on Lambeth Conference Resolution I.10. [2] The issue of homosexuality remains a controversy in the Anglican Communion. ... A civil union is one of several terms for a civil status similar to marriage, typically created for the purposes of allowing homosexual couples access to the benefits enjoyed by married heterosexuals (see also same-sex marriage); it can also be used by couples of differing sexes who do not... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ...

History

Christianity has been present in Connor Diocese for over 1500 years. Tradition holds that St. Patrick herded sheep on Slemish, in the heart of the Diocese, when first brought to Ireland as a slave. St. Malachy, the great reformer of the Irish church, was consecrated Bishop of Connor in 1124 and remained until his translation to the Archbishopric of Armagh in 1132. Statue of Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (died March 17, 462, 492, or 493), is the patron saint of Ireland. ... Slemish is the remains of a dormant volcano near Ballymena, Co. ... Events March 26 - Henry I of Englands forces defeat Norman rebels at Bourgtheroulde. ... Events Diarmaid Mac Murrough has the abbey of Kildare in Ireland burned and the abbess raped. ...

At the time of the Reformation, the majority of the population and clergy of the area remained loyal to the Roman Catholic Church, and like the rest of Ulster it remained a stronghold of Gaelic and Catholic culture until the Plantation of Ulster; even after that however, the majority of settlers came from Scotland and were not only Presbyterian but also covenanters and fiercely opposed to episcopacy. Such was the anti-Anglican tenor of the Scottish settlers that the English divine Jeremy Taylor, for a time Bishop of the United Dioceses of Down, Connor and Dromore, said of his new home, "I perceive myself thrown into a place of torment." County Antrim, corresponding closely with the Diocese of Connor soon became the most Protestant county in Ireland, a situation which remains the case until today. The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is one that is Gaelic (Goidelic), a division of Insular Celtic languages. ... Å“The Plantation of Ulster was a planned process of colonisation which took place in the northern Irish province of Ulster during the early 17th century in the reign of James I of England. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy (as part of the UK)  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... The Covenanters are a radical Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century. ... Episcopacy is the regime of church government by bishops (Lat. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... Jeremy Taylor is depicted in this portrait at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

In the 19th Century, Belfast became the epicenter of the Industrial Revolution in Ireland and other major towns in the Diocese, such as Ballymena, Larne and Lisburn, were also among Ireland's foremost industrial centres. The Church of Ireland population of the Diocese increased dramatically as people moved to the area to work in the factories in the major towns, both from rural areas of Ulster with large Anglican populations like County Armagh and County Fermanagh and from England. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... County Armagh (Contae Ard Mhacha in Irish) is a county in Ulster, Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Enniskillen Area: 1,691 km² Population (est. ...

The rapid growth in the population of the Greater Belfast area as well as the rapid drop in the Protestant population of the Republic after Partition of Ireland in 1922 led to the bizarre situation where the United Dioceses of Down, Connor and Dromore, just one of eleven Church of Ireland Dioceses had over half the Anglican population of the whole island. In 1944, therefore Connor Diocese was split off from the other two. St. Anne's Cathedral, built in 1905 to serve as a single cathedral for the Diocese, theoretically running alongside, but in practice replacing the existing cathedrals in Lisburn, Downpatrick and Dromore, saw two bishops of two distinct dioceses have stalls in the cathedral within forty years. The Partition of Ireland took place in May 1921. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... Downpatrick (Dún Phádraig in Irish, meaning Fort of Patrick) is a town in County Down in Northern Ireland with 10,316 inhabitants in the 2001 Census. ... There are a number of settlements called Dromore: In Northern Ireland: Dromore, Omagh Dromore, Banbridge This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

In the 1950s and 1960s rapid slum clearance and suburbanisation saw a number of new parishes created, however demographic changes, movement of people to suburban areas in the Diocese of Down and Dromore and the growth of both secularism and small Evangelical sects saw a decline in membership. Between the end of the Second World War and 2001, the number of Anglicans in the Diocese decreased by 30%, the largest drop in Ireland, although it remains the largest Diocese in the Church. The 1950s were the decade that traditionally speaking, spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... A slum is an overcrowded and squalid district of a city or town usually inhabited by the very poor. ... Suburbanization is a term used by many to describe the current residential living situation in the United States, and it is related to the phenomenon of urban sprawl. ... Secularity is the state of being free from religious or spiritual qualities. ... Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England, initially designed to be pejorative. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

The Troubles presented the Diocese with major challenges - in common with every other community in Northern Ireland, many Anglicans in the Diocese were killed or injured in terrorist related incidents. Ecumenism, which since the 1960s has become a steadily more important part of Anglican life in the Diocese, had to be carried out against the background of civil strife in which religion played a major factor. Demographic change, exacerbated by sectarian tensions, meant that North and West Belfast, within the Diocese, became more and more Catholic, while many Church of Ireland members who had previously lived there moved to suburban areas in County Down, causing many Belfast parishes to close or severely cut back their activities. The Troubles is a generic and euphemistic term used to describe a period of sporadic communal violence involving paramilitary organisations, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the British Army and others in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s until the mid-1990s with the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998. ... The word ecumenism (also oecumenism, Å“cumenism) is derived from Greek (oikoumene), which means the inhabited world, and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Downpatrick Area: 2,448 km² Population (est. ...

Bishops

• - 1995 Samuel Poyntz
• 1995 - 2001 Jimmy Moore
• 2002 - Alan Harper

1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Alan Harper, born November 1, 1960 in Liverpool, England, is a former professional football (soccer) player. ...

Cathedrals

• Christ Church Cathedral, Lisburn
• St. Anne's Cathedral, Belfast

Divisions

The Diocese comprises two archdeaconries - Connor and Dal Riada - and ten rural deaneries, some of which are far from rural. These are North Belfast, Mid Belfast, South Belfast, Antrim, Ballymena, Carey (centred on Ballycastle), Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Derriaghy and Lisburn. Antrim (Aontroim in Irish) is a small town in County Antrim, in the north-east of Northern Ireland and is situated north-east of Lough Neagh. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Ballycastle (Baile an Chaistil in Irish) is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 55. ...

External link

• Official website