Bishop Alan McGuckian to be installed as Bishop of Down and Connor on Sunday

Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ will be installed as the new Bishop of Down and Connor this weekend.

Bishop McGuckian had served as Bishop of Raphoe until his appointment by Pope Francis in February as the Bishop of Down and Connor.

This Sunday, at a special Mass in St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast, Bishop McGuckian will be formally installed to his new post.

Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop Emeritus of Armagh, will preside over the Mass.

The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin will be among the concelebrants, who will also include the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Most Rev Luis M Montemayor and Most Rev Noël Treanor, the Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union and Bishop Emeritus of Down and Connor.

Bishop McGuckian's two brothers. Fr Bernard and Fr Michael, will also aid in the Mass, as will the Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown and Bishop Emeritus of Raphoe Philip Boyce.

A native of Cloughmills, Bishop McGuckian served in Donegal for six-and-a-half years following his appointment as Bishop of Raphoe in 2017.

In 1972, he joined the Jesuit novitiate in Clontarf in Dublin having studied a year of First Arts in Queen’s University, Belfast, where he studied Irish and Scholastic Philosophy.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1984 and worked in County Kildare before spending time in India and the Philippines.

From 1992-2003, Father Alan served as appointed as Director of the Jesuit Communication Centre in Dublin and from 2012-2017 he worked closely with the Diocese of Down and Connor in the ‘Living Church’ project.

The Diocese of Down and Connor is the second largest diocese in Ireland stretching from Portrush and Portstewart in the north of the diocese to Kilkeel in the south of the diocese. The Catholic population is 330,000 and there are 87 parishes and 151 churches in the Diocese.

John B McGuckian, his brother, and Jim Deeds, who assisted him with the 'Living Church' initiative, will also be involved in Sunday's ceremony.

Following the transfer of Bishop McGuckian, Monsignor Kevin Gillespie was elected as Diocesan Administrator of the Raphoe Diocese.

Monsignor Gillespie, a native of Gweedore, will have a caretaker role until a new Bishop is appointed.