Previous Parish Priests
Fr Patrick Bonaventure Geoghegan ofm 1 January – March 1839
Fr Bonaventure Geoghegan, first Parish Priest of St Benedict’s
Fr Platt 1839
Fr Young
Fr Farrelly
Fr Hogan
Fr McEncroe 1843
Fr Mellitus A. Corish osb October 1850 – 30 June 1864
Fr Mellitus Corish in his Benedictine cowl
Fr Timothy McCarthy 1864–68
Fr Patrick Carroll 1869–70
Fr John Dwyer osb 1872
Fr James Byrne osb 1873
Dean Patrick Slattery 1875–78
Dean Edward O’Brien 1878–87
Dean O'Brien was in charge of St Benedict's in the foundation days of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan in the parish
Monsignor C. L. Coonan (Administrator) 1888–89
+ Bishop Joseph Higgins 1890–1899
Bishop Joseph Higgins
Fr John Robinson (Administrator) 1889–91
Fr Francis Timoney cp (Administrator) 1892–96
Fr John Carroll (Administrator) 1897–1903
Fr Carroll left St Benedict's when he was appointed the second Bishop of Lismore
+ Archbishop Michael Kelly 1902–11
Archbishop Michael Kelly
Fr James Furlong (Administrator) 1903–09
Fr John Byrne (Administrator) 1910–12
Fr Thomas Barry (Administrator) 1913–19
Fr John Halpin (Administrator) 1920–26
+ Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Sheehan 1923–35
Archbishop Michael Sheehan
Fr John Muirhead (Administrator) 1927–32
Cyril B. Callaghan (Administrator) 1932–35
Monsignor John Norris 1935–50
Monsignor Norris Catholic Church Chronicle, vol. 14, no. 31, November 1935, cover.
Fr Patrick Landers (Administrator) 1950–51
Fr John Roche 1952–67
Fr William Malone (Administrator) July 1955-56 [when Fr Roche was serving as chaplain aboard the R. N. aircraft carrierVengeance]
+ Bishop William Murray 1967–72 [William Murray was first appointed Assistant Priest in the parish in June 1960]
Fr Terence Purcell 1973–2005
Fr Terence Purcell (1922–2006) celebrates his last Mass at St Benedict’s