Bishop Brendan Comiskey, Emeritus Bishop of Ferns died on Monday, 28 April 2025. Bishop Brendan was a native of Clontibret, Co Monaghan and was a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Bishop Brendan was appointed Bishop of Ferns in succession to Bishop Donal Herlihy. He had been Auxiliary Bishop in Dublin since 1979. He resigned as Bishop in April 2002, and returned to live with his Congregation.
During his time as Bishop of Ferns he was a tireless worker and very innovative. Amongst other things he established Christian Media Trust in collaboration with the local heads of the Church of Ireland and the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. This initiative continues today to provide religious material for radio listeners on many issues, and also to provide liturgies from the different denominations through the cooperation of South East Radio. This initiative also reflected Bishop Brendan’s commitment to good ecumenical relations and during the past week, the other Christian Churches have reached out to express their condolences at his passing.
Bishop Comiskey resigned in April 2002 following revelations of sexual abuse of minors in the Diocese of Ferns. He acknowledged that his failure to act in relation to complaints had made his position as Bishop untenable. The full extent of the complaints and the failure to act by Diocesan authorities was subsequently revealed in the Ferns Report which was published in October 2005. The Diocese, with sorrow for past wrongs, continues to reach out to survivors of abuse by any member of the Church and to assure them of a space to be listened to.
Bishop Comiskey had a treasured place in his own family and was greatly loved as an uncle, brother in law and granduncle. We in the Diocese of Ferns extend our sympathies to his family and friends and all who mourn his passing, and hope that their memories of him will bring them consolation in the days ahead. For priests who join religious orders as Bishop Brendan did, the Congregation becomes a second family and so we sympathise with his brother priests in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, especially those who shared community life with him during the years since 2002, and who will no doubt miss his cheerful and engaging presence.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis
ENDS
- Bishop Ger Nash is Bishop of Ferns
- Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church
The following support services have been established by the Catholic Church to support survivors of sexual abuse:
Towards Healing
Towards Healing, the counselling and support service for survivors of institutional, clerical and religious abuse, is funded by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland. In 2011 the service succeeded the Faoiseamh counselling service, which had been in operation since 1997. Towards Healing is provided by lay, independent fully accredited therapists, and offers clients:
– Helpline support
– Counselling
– Psych-Educational Group Work
– Practical Workshops
– Restorative justice / facilitated listening meetings
– Advocacy
Towards Healing can be contacted on free phone 1800 303416 (Rep of Ireland) and on free phone 0800 0963315 (Northern Ireland and UK). There is a mobile number for texting purposes for our hearing impaired service users only: 085 802 2859.
Towards Peace Spiritual Support Service
Towards Peace provides a spiritual support and professional service for survivors of physical, emotional, sexual and spiritual abuse who suffered in an institutional, clerical or religious setting in Ireland. Funded by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Association of Missionary and Religious in Ireland, the vision of Towards Peace is to provide a safe supportive space for people and their families, whose spiritual life has been damaged by abuse. Through spiritual accompaniment with a qualified spiritual director, Towards Peace endeavours to accompany people as they seek their own experience of spiritual peace, one step at a time. Towards Peace is also a response to the continually growing understanding of the spiritual impact of the trauma of abuse and seeks to raise awareness about this within the Church. The Towards Peace Spiritual Support Service is free of charge and for more please see https://towardspeace.ie/
The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland
The National Board for Safeguarding Children was established in 2006 to develop policies that would foster the prevention of child abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland. Its main object is to provide advice, services and assistance to continually develop the safeguarding of children within the Catholic Church on the island of Ireland and to monitor compliance with legislation, policy and best practice and to report on these activities annually.
To report a child safeguarding suspicion, concern, knowledge or allegation directly to the Church or statutory authorities, please see here