07/04/2014

New Catholic Bishop Of Derry Installed

Bishop Donal McKeown has been installed as Bishop of Derry at a ceremony in St Eugene's Cathedral on Sunday, succeeding Bishop Seamus Hegarty who resigned due to ill health in November 2011.

The two principal elements of the ceremony were the reading of the papal mandate by the Nuncio Archbishop Brown appointing Bishop McKeown to the diocese and Cardinal Brady and the Nuncio leading the new bishop to the cathedral or bishop's chair.

During the Mass, Bishop Donal gave his first homily.

The new bishop was born in 1950 in Belfast and his childhood was spent in Randalstown, County Antrim.

After ordination in 1977, he embarked on a 23-year career as a teacher, eventually in 1995 becoming President of St. Malachy's College.

In 2001, Fr McKeown was appointed Auxiliary Bishop in Down and Connor. His Episcopal Motto is 'Veritas in Caritate', the truth in love.

In February 2014, Bishop McKeown was appointed by Pope Francis to lead the Diocese of Derry.

(CVS/CD)

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