New Bishop Consecrated for Argyll and the Isles, Scotland

Fifty year old Brian McGee was ordained as the 11th bishop of the diocese, having been appointed by Pope Francis in December of last year. He studied in Ireland and was ordained as a priest in 1989. He was formerly the Vicar General of the Diocese of Paisley, a small diocese near Glasgow, and had served as Moderator on a preparatory committee for the forthcoming diocesan synod there.

The Mass of Consecration, which was attended by around 700 people, took place in Saint Columba’s Cathedral in Oban. The main celebrant and homilist was Archbishop Leo Cushley. The other consecrating bishops were Bishop John Keenan of the Diocese of Paisley, and Bishop Joseph Toal, who was the Bishop of Argyll and Isles until Pope Francis appointed him to head the Diocese of Motherwell. They were joined by other Bishops and Emeritus Bishops from Scotland, as well as Archbishop Antonio Mennini, the Papal Nuncio to Great Britain.

In his homily, Archbishop Cushley spoke about Saint Columba, the Irish abbot and missionary credited with spreading Christianity in Scotland in the sixth century. Columba travelled across the Irish Sea to Iona, within the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles, 1400 years ago. Archbishop Cushley noted that Columba and his successors were accepted as the religious and moral leaders of the people, and that the monks of Iona were famous and respected throughout Europe for hundreds of years. Archbishop Cushley also emphasized that the people of Scotland owe him a debt of gratitude for the gentle influence that the faith has had on their society.

Saint Columba’s biographer, Adomnàn, called the abbot an ‘island soldier’ who had great apostolic zeal and an impressive devotion to prayer. The Archbishop prayed that Bishop McGee will take Columba as a spiritual guide as he enters into his ministry.

Immediately after his consecration, Bishop McGee told the BBC he intends to learn to speak Gaelic, an ancient Celtic language used by a number of Scots, particularly on the larger islands. “It is the language of many people in this diocese, and it is only right that their bishop should be able to lead them in prayer in their native tongue. It will be difficult for me. I am not great at learning other languages, but I do think it is the right thing to do.”

The consecration has an impact on the Catholic Church in Scotland in general. Argyll and the Isles was the last vacant See, and now the Conference of Bishops has all eight of its members for the first time in years. The President of the Conference, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow recalled Bishop McGee when he was a young priest in the Diocese of Paisley. He described him as a dedicated pastor and a thoughtful priest, who will make his own “distinctive and valuable contribution” to the deliberations of the Bishops’ Conference.

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