Gracious God,
You sent your only Son among us so that we   may come to know you.

Guide Kieran our Bishop, to act justly to love tenderly and to walk humbly in your way so that he may make known the message of Christ, your Son.

May Kieran be a faithful servant, a wise teacher, preacher of the truth and a gentle shepherd to guide our Diocese of Killaloe, so that we may journey together and praise you day by day.   Amen.

Biography of Bishop Kieran O’Reilly :

Born: Cork City, 8th August 1952 – the eldest of five children born to Seán and Teresa O’Reilly.

• Primary education at Presentation Brothers, Scoil Chríost Rí, Turner’s Cross.
• Secondary Education at Coláiste Chríost Rí, Cork
• Joined the Society of African Missions in Wilton, Cork in 1970
• Received Bachelor of Arts Degree from St Patrick’s College, Maynooth in 1974 followed by a Bachelor of Divinity in 1977 and a Diploma in Mission Studies in 1978.
• Fully professed as a member of the Society of African Missions on the 10th April 1977.
• Ordained priest for the Society of African Missions on June 17th 1978.
• Worked in the Archdiocese of Monrovia in Liberia from 1978 to 1980
• Studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute from 1980 to 1984 graduating with a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (LSS)
• Lecturer in Sacred Scripture (New Testament Studies) in Sts. Peter and Paul’s Seminary, Ibadan, Nigeria from 1984 to 1989
• Served as a member of the Provincial Council of the Irish Province of the Society of African Missions between 1989 and 1995
• Vicar General of the Society of African Missions from 1995 to 2001
• Elected as the 11th Superior General of the Society of African Missions from 2001 to 2007
• Attended two Synods of Bishops – On the Word of God in 2008 and the 2nd Special Synod for Africa in 2009 – as a member representing the Union of Superiors General
• Served as Superior General of the society, a position to which he was re-elected in 2007.
• Ordained Bishop of Killaloe at the Cathedral of SS Peter & Paul, Ennis on Sunday 29th August 2010

STATEMENT OF BISHOP WILLIE WALSH ON THE APPOINTMENT OF FR KIERAN O’REILLY.

I warmly welcome the appointment of Fr Kieran O’Reilly as bishop elect of our diocese of Killaloe and extend to him a céad mile fáilte on behalf of all the people of our Diocese.
Fr O’Reilly is a member of the Society of African Missions. He is a native of Cork city. Ordained to priesthood in 1978 he worked for some years in Liberia and Nigeria. He later did post graduate work in Sacred Scripture and lectured in their seminary in Nigeria. Elected Superior General of the Society in 2001 he was re-elected in 2007 for a further six years. Our new bishop-elect brings a rich missionary experience which I have no doubt will enrich the lives of all of us.
Fr Kieran takes on the role of Bishop at a difficult time for the church in Ireland. However it is an opportune time for a new evangelisation in our Irish church. The appointment of a priest from a Society whose priority is evangelisation may be quite providential. It is my hope and prayer that his particular experience of evangelisation in a younger African Church will bring new life and rejuvenation to an older Irish Church.
In addressing the role of his own Missionary Society, Fr Kieran recently said
Issues of Justice, Peace and the integrity of the created world in which we live are now at the centre of the Mission agenda. It is a difficult and unrewarding task in our times to uphold such issues but to do so is firmly rooted in the conviction that Jesus Christ, in his saving mission, has given dignity and worth to each and every human being. This is the fundamental cornerstone on which we engage in mission today”

I am confident that such sentiments are equally applicable to the lives of all of us in Killaloe Diocese.

I pray God’s blessing on him and on all the people of the Diocese.

+Willie Walsh

Bishop Kieran O' Reilly

On Sunday 29th August, the Diocese of Killaloe opened the door of its heart in welcome to Fr. Kieran O’Reilly, SMA, who was ordained as our new Bishop. In welcoming the new Bishop, we also say a fond farewell to Bishop Willie Walsh, whose well earned retirement officially begins .

Fr. Kieran and Bishop Willie are in our thoughts and prayers at this time. We thank Bishop Willie for being our Bishop for the past sixteen years. He touched the lives of many and did not spare himself in terms of hard work and dedication to his job.

Equally, we thank Kieran O’Reilly for accepting the position of Bishop of Killaloe. We pray God to continue his courage to enable him bring his unique leadership skills to the Diocese of Killaloe. We look to Bishop Kieran to exercise his vision of Church and Diocese. There is justifiable confidence that his vast experience of leadership and the missionary life to date, will give him a great head start as Bishop. He will bring to Killaloe a sense of the wider world Church, through an awareness of and respect for people of all Faiths. Our lives cannot but be enriched as a result. It is a time of joy for Kieran O’Reilly, his parents and family. We all share in this moment as he becomes part of the bigger family that is the Diocese of Killaloe.

We wish him well as he assumes the role of Shepherd – Bishop. May he find happiness and fulfilment in the coming years.

A PRAYER FOR BISHOP KIERAN