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PETER BARRETT IS NEW BISHOP OF CASHEL AND OSSORY
The Very Revd Peter Barrett, Dean of Waterford, was elected today as the new Bishop of Cashel and Ossory following a meeting of the Electoral College in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
Peter Barrett, 46, was educated at Avoca-Kingstown School and Trinity College Dublin. He graduated in History and Political Science and with a First Class Diploma in Theology at ordination. He was conferred by Trinity College with the degrees of Master of Arts, and Master of Philosophy.
Peter was ordained for the diocese of Derry and Raphoe to serve as curate in Limavady in 1981. He moved to Dublin to serve a second curacy under Canon Billy Wynne in the parish of St Ann and St Mark with St Stephen, and was also Minor Canon in St Patrick’s Cathedral.
He returned to Derry and Raphoe to serve as Rector of Letterkenny and Gartan, and the Bishop also appointed him as Rural Dean. Subsequently, he was appointed as Rector of the city centre parish of Belfast, St George’s by the Bishop of Connor.
In 1994 the archbishop of Dublin appointed him as Dean of Residence and Chaplain in Trinity College, Dublin and he was also appointed as Succentor of St Patrick’s Cathedral by Dean Maurice Stewart. Since 1998, he has been Dean of Waterford and Rector of the Waterford Group of Parishes.
Peter has been an Assessor and a Tutor in the Auxiliary Ministry Course for many years. He has also been Lecturer in Anglican Spirituality at the Milltown Institute in Dublin. He was Irish Consultant to the recently published major study by the Oxford University Press on Anglican devotional and spiritual writing entitled Love’s Redeeming Work; his first book is due to be published this month by the APCK and the Columba Press entitled: The measure and the pledge of Love – a devotional study of the Cross.
Peter has served on several Church committees including Standing Committee, and is currently a member of the Church of Ireland-Methodist Joint Theological Working Party which drew up the recent Covenant document. He is chairman of the recently established Church and Society sub-committee on Social Justice and Theology with particular reference to the Republic of Ireland. He represented the Church of Ireland recently in Prague at the International Anglican-Old Catholic Congress.
Peter has wide experience of the pastoral and committee life of the Church of Ireland, north and south, and of hospital chaplainry. He has been involved for several years in the teaching and training of clergy and laity. He recently developed a new form of Team Ministry in his Group of parishes. The restoration of Waterford Cathedral in association with the Office of Public Works continues under his leadership.
Peter is married to Anne, who works as a Social Work Team Leader with the Mental Health Services in the South Easter Health Board. They have three children: Clare, a second year student at UCD; Alec, a 6th year boarder at Kilkenny College; Patrick, in his last year at Christ Church Primary School in Waterford.
Peter has wide interests particularly in sport, and especially hockey, and he has captained his School, his University, his Club, his province Leinster, and his country Ireland at various levels. He is a Vice-President of his hockey club, Monkstown and a qualified hockey umpire. Trinity College awarded him with a ‘Pink’ for his international caps, and he was recently made an Hon. Knight of the Campanile for his involvement with and services to student sport in the University.
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