Bishop Colton has served 27 years as Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross.
The Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork Cloyne & Ross, Doctor Paul Colton has announced that he will retire next year.
Bishop Colton is the second longest serving Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, having been in office for over 27 years and longer than anyone else since the first Reformation Bishop died in 1617.
In a statement, Bishop Colton said his last public service in the Diocese will be on Saturday April 18th 2026 in St. Fin Barre's Cathedral.
For all those reasons, Bishop Colton said that he felt, ‘under God that the time is right to retire.’ He continued: “This autumn also marks, for me, the completion of fifty years of ministry in the Church, more than forty-one of those in Holy Orders, and the others in lay ministry: as a singer, organist and lay reader.
“As the last bishop of the Church of Ireland to be elected in the Twentieth Century, it has been my calling and joy to journey with you from the last millennium of our Lord into this new century. There have been many celebrations and an equal number of challenges in church, society and in the world, as well as much to preoccupy us all in our own lives.
“Therefore, I have consciously chosen the Easter season as a time to depart. It is the season of resurrection hope, confident faith, and of joyfully moving forward in our discipleship into the future. It is the time when we read of the risen Christ accompanying the disciples on their journey.”
