After ordination, until 1983 he was a teacher in the vocational school in Ringsend, Dublin. From 1980 to 1983 he served in the diocesan Secretariat for Education. In 1983 he was appointed University Chaplain. He furthered his studies at University College Dublin, from 1985 to 1987 where he earned an MA in Philosophy. In 1991 he returned to Rome, to undertake a doctorate in philosophy at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum which he completed in 1995, at the same time carrying out the service Spiritual Director at the Irish College. He returned to Ireland and was Parochial Vicar at Foxrock Church from 1995 to 1998, and director of the diocesan, and then national programme for vocations from 1998 to 2006. He was appointed parish priest of Glendalough in 2005, serving until 2009. He was appointed Secretary General of the Preparatory Committee of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. From 2007-2014, he was the Director for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and secretary of the Commission of the Bishops' Conference on Bioethics. He was also a member of the board of directors of Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Dublin. From 2005 to 2009 he served as a Consultor to the Congregation for Catholic Education. From 2013 until 2014 he was administrator of the Sacred Heart parish, Donnybrook in Dublin. He has published several articles in journals such as The Linacre Quarterly and Studies. In a ceremony at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sligo, Bishop-elect Doran said: "I must confess to being a little surprised to find myself here this morning. Two weeks ago, we finalised a development plan for the parish, and that was the only plan I had in mind for the foreseeable future. I have learnt over the years, however, that vocation is never static".
Bishop of Elphin
He was ordained as bishop on 13 July 2014 by Bishop Christopher Jones with the Principal Co-Consecrators being Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam and Archbishop Charles John Brown. In February 2017, the Irish Catholic newspaper announced that Bishop Doran had reached an agreement for a new community of religious sisters to establish a house in his diocese. These are members of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother congregation, and would settle at Sacred Heart Parish, Roscommon.
Controversies
Abortion
In October 2013 he resigned from the board of the Mater Hospital after management confirmed it would comply with the new Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act. Following the result of the May 2018 referendum. Doran said, "What I’d say to a Catholic who voted 'Yes', is this: if you voted 'Yes' knowing and intending that abortion would be the outcome, then you should consider coming to confession," "where you will be received with the compassion shown to any other penitent." "All sins are ultimately about decisions that impact on our relationship with God."
Views on homosexuality
On 24 February 2015, in advance of the same-sex marriage referendum, Doran said, "The reality is that those who wish to change the Constitution are not actually looking for marriage equality. They are looking for a different kind of relationship which would be called marriage; a relationship which includes some elements of marriage, such as love and commitment, but excludes one of the two essential aspects of marriage, which is the openness of their sexual relationship to procreation. This is only possible if we change the meaning of marriage and remove that aspect of openness to procreation." In an interview with NewsTalk Breakfast radio in March 2015, Doran differentiated between marriage and same-sex relationships: "One is of its very nature, directed towards the upbringing, the care of children, and one which isn't and they can't be said to be the same." and that some people who have children "are not necessarily parents". The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, subsequently described it as "an unfortunate phrase" and hoped that people were not offended by Doran's comments. Doran later said that he regretted the hurt experienced by people either due to his choice of words or to the manner in which what he said had been subsequently reported.
Views on contraception
In August 2018, at an event commemorating the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae, Doran claimed "the fact that are less likely to become pregnant also takes away from women one of the principle motives or freedoms for saying no to unwanted sex", and stated "There is a very direct connection between the contraceptive mentality and the surprisingly high number of people who seem ready to redefine marriage today as a relationship between two people without distinction as to sex." In response, the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, tweeted "Please just make it stop! Increasing access to & availability of contraception is and will remain public health policy. Religion plays an important role for many on an individual basis - but it will not determine health and social policy in our country any more. Please get that."
