IRELAND has its first Jesuit bishop, with Alan McGuckian ordained as Bishop of Raphoe on Sunday.
The episcopal ordination Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral of Saints Eunan and Columba in Letterkenny.
Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin told the congregation that Bishop McGuckian, 64, had been called to teach the "mystery of faith... that by His Cross and Resurrection Christ has redeemed the world".
"Bishop Alan will be entrusted with the task of witnessing to the truth of the Gospel and fostering in you a spirit of justice and holiness," he said.
"I encourage you to receive him as a minister of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God."
The new bishop, who is from Cloughmills in Co Antrim, has a strong track record in communications. "You have already shown, in your ministry with young people as a teacher and university chaplain, and through your creative gifts of communication, that you can engage with the challenges and questions of today, and do so with confidence, conviction and with humility," said Archbishop Martin.
"No doubt your familiarity with the thinking and spirituality of Saint Ignatius will help you live out, as a bishop, Pope Francis's call to discernment and for accompaniment of the real life situations of your people."
Archbishop Martin charged Bishop McGuckian to "continue to proclaim the Good News of Christ whether it is welcome or unwelcome; do not be afraid to correct error with unfailing patience and sound teaching".
"Remember we seek to present in public discourse 'a coherent ethic of life' encompassing our precious teaching about the sacredness of all human life and the dignity of the person, about the centrality of the family, about solidarity and the need for a fair distribution of goods in the world.
"We stand for universal truths and values that are drawn from our personal encounter with the joy of God's love, together with an understanding of the human person that is rooted in the natural law and which strives for the common good.
"Ultimately everything we say is founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord."
Archbishop Martin also stressed that it was important for bishops "to learn new ways of presenting our sincerely held perspectives alongside the opinions of those of other faiths and none, and to encourage conversations at a national level on significant issues and values".
