John Butler (Jesuit)
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (May 2017) |
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Bishop |
John Butler, S.J. (8 August 1727 – 20 June 1786) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest who was appointed as Bishop of Limerick in 1778 and resigned the position in 1779 without ever being consecrated.
Biography
Father Butler was a member of the prominent Butler dynasty. he was related to James Butler the then Archbishop of Cashel and Metropolitan. This was a source of controversy as Father Butler was unknown in Limerick and it was thought that the Archbishop was using his position to gain an ecclesiastical office for a relative.
Butler joined the
Ordinary Charles Walmesley
Vicar Apostolic of the Western District.
Pius VI thought it was in the interest of the faith to appoint Butler and he overruled Propaganda Fide. Fr Butler reluctantly left his parish and went to the family home at Cahir. There he met the Archbishop and a representative of the clergy of Limerick. When the Bull of appointment
arrived, however, Butler had second thoughts and he changed his mind. He wrote to the Archbishop and rejected the position. The following month he returned to Hereford where he lived out the remainder of his life.
References
- ISBN 0952256835.
External links
- https://archive.org/stream/irishecclesiast04unkngoog#page/n360/mode/2up
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120203225516/http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Irish_Colleges_on_the_Continent
- http://www.okeefeclan.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=586:okeeffe-chalices&catid=29:ancient&Itemid=59