Seán Brady
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| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Senior posting | |
| See | Armagh |
| Title | Archbishop of Armagh |
| Period in office | 1 October 1996 — present |
| Predecessor | Cahal Cardinal Daly |
| Successor | incumbent |
| Religious career | |
| Priestly ordination | 22 February 1964 |
| Previous bishoprics | none |
| Previous post | Parish Priest |
| Personal | |
| Date of birth | 16 August 1939 |
| Place of birth | Drumcalpin |
His Excellency The Most Rev. Dr. Seán Brady, J.C.D., D.D. (b. 16 August 1939) is the current Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, comprising 61 parishes,147 churches serving 210,000 Catholics and is also Primate of All Ireland. The archdiocese comprises counties Armagh, Louth and parts of counties Tyrone, Derry and Meath. Dr Brady was installed on 3 November 1996.
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[edit] Early career
Dr. Brady, a native of Drumcalpin, Laragh, County Cavan attended the local primary school, Caulfield National School. He went on to attend St. Patrick's College, Cavan, St Patrick's College, Maynooth, and the Irish College, Rome, where he was ordained in February 1964. He received a Doctorate in Canon Law at the Lateran University in 1967.
His first appointment was as professor at his alma mater, St. Patrick's College, Cavan (1967 - 1980). In 1980 he was appointed Vice-Rector of the Irish College, Rome, and in 1987 became Rector of the College, a post he held until 1993 when he returned to Ireland to become Parish Priest of Castletara, Ballyhaise, County Cavan. On 19 February 1995 he was ordained Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh, and on the retirement of Cahal Cardinal Daly, succeeded as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland on the 1 October 1996. He was installed as Archbishop of Armagh on 3 November 1996.
Archbishop Brady is currently Chairman of the Irish Episcopal Conference.
[edit] Leader With A Low Profile
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Though holding the highest position within the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland Brady is perceived to have made little impact, in contrast to the somewhat higher personal profiles of his predecessors. There were disclosures of an avalanche of child sexual abuse incidents involving religious personnel, many of which took place over three decades preceding his arrival. But the absence of effective Church policies during his tenure to deal with this has meant that the stature and moral authority of the Church in Ireland has diminished considerably as a consequence. The Church structure does not have the typical checks and balances expected in most organizations. It did not display the principles of good governance - transparency, responsiveness, accountability, effectiveness and efficiency and public confidence waned when the impact of this sadly became evident. The Irish Government announced its intention of appointing a qualified individual to police church child protection policies.
Brady's lackadaisical leadership was obvious in several contexts, including the 11 years it took to finally laicise the former president of St Patrick's College Maynooth, Monsignor Miceál Ledwith after he abruptly left this role following allegations concerning a sexual relationship with a minor; abandoned Catholicism and publicly held it disdain.
In what was perceived as a snub Pope John Paul II chose to make the then Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, Desmond Connell a cardinal in 2001, even though Connell was technically number two in church ranking behind Brady. It was the first time in a century that the red hat went to the Archbishop of Dublin rather than the Archbishop of Armagh.
[edit] Leader of a Contracting Organization
The ten years of Dr.Brady's primacy have also been a decade when the number of Church personnel declined significantly. A survey published by the Council for Research & Development Vocations for 2005 indicates that there were 16,322 ordained and finally professed personnel in Ireland, a decline of 2.6% since 2004. There were 2,439, or 78% of all diocesan priests in parish ministry catering to Ireland's 4.08 million Catholics in the Republic and Northern Ireland. That translates to average of one priest serving 1,676 parishioners. However, their profile is getting older. Forty three per cent are aged between 50 and 69 years and there are steady increases in the number of those aged 80, or older.
Nineteen men were ordained to the priesthood in 2005 and 43 departed or died. There were 14 nuns and brothers finally professed (fully incorporated into a religious community)
There were 3,036 priests and brothers in clerical religious orders in 2005; 60% of whom live and work in Ireland.
There were 9,248 finally professed sisters in 2005 compared to over 11,000 in the late 1990's.
There were 700 brothers in 2005, 82% of whom are based in Ireland. The declining number amongst brothers' orders is primarily due to the low number of new entrants and an ageing profile.
| Preceded by: Cahal Cardinal Daly |
Archbishop of Armagh Primate of All Ireland 1996–present |
Succeeded by: incumbent |
[edit] External links
See also: Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal
