The Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin has appointed Father Donal Roche (65) as their latest auxiliary bishop. His prime duty will be assisting the current archbishop, Dermot Farrell, to govern the archdiocese. The position of the auxiliary bishop was vacant from 2019 following the retirement of Bishops Ray Field and Eamonn Walsh. Roche’s appointment fills a void left by his predecessor, the former Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who made no appointments of auxiliary bishops.
Father Roche has roots in Drimnagh, Dublin, with six siblings, and received his early education at Drimnagh Castle CBS. He decided to serve the Church after spending four years employed as a clerical officer at the Dublin County Council. This calling led him to join Clonliffe College in 1980 to study theology, and he was ordained into priesthood in 1986.
During the early years of his career, Father Roche’s responsibilities were primarily focused on religious education. He served as a priest-teacher, diocesan adviser to primary schools, and chaplain to St Mark’s Community School in Tallaght. He also held the role of assistant vocations director in the archdiocese for six years.
He began his ministry in parishes at Lucan South, then moved on to Wicklow town, while also tending to the surrounding areas like Kilbride, Barndarrig, and Brittas Bay. Currently, Father Roche serves the Cabinteely-Johnstown parish cluster and handles extra duties in Cherrywood.
In 2019, Father Roche was given the role of episcopal vicar by the then archbishop, Diarmuid Martin. He continues in this role under Archbishop Farrell, managing deaneries in areas such as Bray, Donnybrook and Wicklow. With fluency in Irish, Father Roche often conducts mass and sacraments in the native tongue.
Father Roche will receive the titular see of the ancient diocese of Cell Ausaille, located in Killashee near Naas, County Kildare, known to be linked with St Patrick’s nephew, St Auxilius.