Kilmore-Native Appointed Bishop of Derry

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Most Reverend Michael Router, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Armagh and Titular Bishop of Lugmad, as the new Bishop of Derry to succeed the Most Reverend Donal MacKeown who has retired.

The news of the appointment was made public at 12.00 noon today in the Vatican and at 11.00am in St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry.

Bishop Michael is a native of Virginia in Co. Cavan in the Diocese of Kilmore and was born on 15 April 1965 to Anthony and Nora Router.  He has two sisters, Breda Murphy and Martina Keville.  He was educated in Virginia National School and in Kells CBS before entering the national seminary of Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, to study for the priesthood in 1982.  In Maynooth, he graduated with a Bachelor in Divinity Degree and a Higher Diploma in Education.  He was ordained to the diaconate in Maynooth College by the late Bishop Francis MacKiernan on 26 September 1987.  He was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Kilmore by Bishop MacKiernan in Saint Matthew’s Church, Maghera, in his native parish, on 25 June 1989.

Bishop Router began his ministry as a curate in the parish of Killinkere and in 1991 joined the teaching staff of Saint Patrick’s College, Cavan.  He was appointed Chaplain of Bailieborough Community School in 1996 and Priest in Residence in the Parish of Kilmainhamwood and Moybologue.  In 2002/2003 he studied at Mater Dei Institute of Education in Dublin and assisted during that time in Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Drimnagh.  He graduated with a Masters in Religion and Education in 2003.  On his return to the Diocese of Kilmore he was appointed the Diocesan Director of Adult Faith Formation and Pastoral Renewal while also serving as a Priest in Residence in the parish of Castletara/Ballyhaise.  His role included providing training, encouragement and support for Parish Pastoral Councils, Liturgy Groups, Eucharistic Ministers and Ministers of the Word.  He also helped to provide Adult Religious Education courses in the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, and in Manorhamilton, which were accredited by the Mater Dei Institute of Education and the Maryvale Institute. 

In 2010, in addition to these roles, Bishop Router was appointed director of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre.  In 2013, he was appointed as Curate to the Cathedral Parish in Cavan with responsibility for the Butlersbridge area.  In 2014, he was appointed as Parish Priest of Killann Parish, which includes the towns of Bailieborough and Shercock, and as Dean of the Bailieborough Deanery.  He was also a member of the College of Consultors of the Diocese of Kilmore and was chairman of the Diocesan Priests’ Council since 2017.

Bishop Router’s main area of interest outside of his ministry has always been in sport.  He played football for Ramor United and Killinkere Gaelic Football clubs in Cavan, was a selector with the Ballyhaise’s Minor and Senior football teams from 2004 to 2012, and a football and basketball coach in Saint Patrick’s College, Cavan, and Bailieborough Community School.  He maintains a keen interest in all sports, particularly in the fortunes of the Cavan Gaelic Football team and Bristol City FC.

During his time as Diocesan Director of Adult Faith Formation, Bishop Router wrote a regular column on religious matters in the Anglo-Celt and the Cavan Voice local newspapers.

He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh and titular Bishop of Lugmad by Pope Francis on 7 May 2019 and was subsequently ordained bishop in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh on 21 July 2019. 

In the archdiocese, Bishop Router assisted Archbishop Eamon Martin with pastoral and administrative tasks.  He chaired the Pastoral Team, directed the national and international synodal process within the archdiocese, culminating in a Diocesan Congress on Youth, Family and Faith last March.  Bishop Router also sat on the various administrative committees in the diocese and was a director of the Saint Patrick’s Diocesan Trust.

In addition, Bishop Router is chair of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s Council for Healthcare, Vice President of Accord CLG, Liaison Bishop and Vice Chair of the Irish Bishop’s Drugs Initiative, Chair of the Family Addiction Support Network and a member of the Irish Inter-Church Committee, the Commission for Pastoral Care, the board of Towards Healing and the National Synodal Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Irish Inter-Church Committee,  a member of Accord NI and The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS).

Bishop Michael is wished every blessing as he prepares to assume his new role as Bishop of Derry and in his ministry in his new diocese.