1. It seems that God, through his servant Pope Benedict XVI, has sent me to you as your bishop. I accepted this nomination as the greatest honour of my life, yes with some apprehension, but also with thanksgiving, trust, hope, joy and excitement. So as this grace is conferred upon me and at the beginning of my ministry, I invoke the mercy of Jesus Christ our Saviour, and the intercession of Mary, the angels, the saints, not least the intercession of our diocesan patron, St. Mirin himself. And I implore your prayers so that I may have the holiness and wisdom to carry out this Sacred Ministry.

 2. People who have known me since I was young, on hearing of my nomination, have typically said something like: “Your mother and father would be so proud of you.” So it is to them firstly I direct words and thoughts of love and respect – to Guido and Annita - who have gone to God, and to ask them to continue to love and care for and pray for their boy, on whom has been laid this holy honour and sacred responsibility. My brothers and sisters, happily here today, know just what is in my heart for it is in theirs too.

3. When a priest is nominated a bishop, he is invited immediately to write a personal letter of acceptance and of thanks to the Holy Father. This I have done, and living in Rome as I have been till a few days ago, I have also had the privilege and opportunity to thank him in person. I hope and I pray that I will live up to his hopes for all the bishops he appoints throughout the world.

 4. The Holy Father’s representative in the United Kingdom is his Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Faustino Munoz-Sanz. Unfortunately his engagements meant that he could not be here today in person, I am most grateful to him for his most gracious message which was just read by his delegate Monsignor Joseph Marino. He is was too who read earlier this liturgy the Apostolic Mandate from the Holy Father

 5. I want to thank Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien and the other Scottish Bishops who are here today for the warmth of their welcome and for their encouragement. Especially because of my work in seminaries, I have got to know them all quite well over the years. Now there begins a new kind of relationship.  With them, I will be a member of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, and I know I have much to learn from them. I pray that we will be united in a spirit of collegiality that will be both affective and effective.

 6. I want to thank Archbishop Mario Conti for ordaining and consecrating me a bishop today, and for passing on to me in Apostolic Succession the grace and ministry of the episcopacy. This constitutes an indelible bond that I value greatly.  Furthermore, we all owe him a debt of gratitude for looking after the Diocese of Paisley as Apostolic Administrator for the last year and more, and with him Monsignor Tom Monaghan as his Delegate in the Diocese.

 7. As a Glasgow priest, I gave Archbishop Conti, as my bishop, my obedience and respect. As a bishop-elect, I was accompanied by him on my first steps towards this day, and for that he has my gratitude. As Metropolitan, the Archbishop of Glasgow has a place of honour in the Ecclesiastical province of Glasgow, of which the Diocese of Paisley is a part, and we are all happy to accord the Archbishop that honour in this diocese, even though I am sure he will be relieved to be able to concentrate now on the government of his own archdiocese. Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell is the other Bishop in this province, and I acknowledge his presence here today as sign of a particular bond between these three dioceses of Glasgow, Motherwell and Paisley.

 8(i) I am so pleased that my predecessor Bishop John Mone, a much-loved bishop of Paisley for 16 years, is here today, and it means a lot to me that agreed to be a co-consecrating bishop at this liturgy. Bishop John – as everyone calls him – has given me every encouragement since my nomination, and now he has been part of making me a bishop in succession to him and in passing to the Pastoral Staff of the Diocese of Paisley. I thank him for that. I wish him every happiness during these years of hard-earned retirement. I know he will be a benign presence among us as bishop emeritus. I trust in his friendship and I hope for a remembrance in his prayers.

 8(ii) I had thought that today I would have been acknowledging 2 bishops emeriti of Paisley. But Bishop Stephen McGill was called to God just 10 days or so ago. His message in today’s commemorative booklet is all the more poignant for that and I am honored that he has given me his blessing as a successor of his. May he rest in peace.

 9. I am also so thrilled and gratified that Archbishop Raymond Burke of St Louis, Missouri in the USA has been able to be here and to be a co-consecrating bishop at this liturgy. Archbishop Raymond and I were friends during our theological studies in Rome in the 1970’s while we were both seminarians, he at the NAC and I at the Scots College, and we were both ordained priest in 1975. We have never lost touch during the last 30 years, and I am so glad he is here today. I hope to repay his kindness by visiting him in his diocese.

 11.I also thank the Right Rev. Tom Burns, Ordinary to the Forces, Right Rev. John Jukes, bishop emeritus of Southwark: and the Lord Abbot of Nunraw, Right Rev. Raymond Jaconelli,  for their participation in this liturgy of Episcopal consecration. Their presence is a further expression of the Catholic communion of the Church.

 12. My dear brother, Father Gerard, was my special priest-helper today. He is a good man, a great brother, and an excellent priest. He knows that I love and thank him, and with him my brothers and sisters and family who are happily here today. I extend this embrace of heartfelt affection to my dearest and closest friends of past and present, many of whom are here today. Thank you all for your love and affection and prayers.

 13. With Father Gerard, as priest-helper, there was today Father Peter Gallacher, Parish Priest of Christ the King Parish in Glasgow, who has been my friend through thick and thin since our days in seminary in Rome. One of the great things Fr. Peter does for me is to make me go on holiday. I hope he has something in the pipeline!

 14. Mgr. Denis Carlin, a distinguished son of this diocese and formerly Rector of the Royal Scots College, Spain, is another friend of mine. I am grateful to Denis for breaking off from a well-earned sabbatical in the Holy Land to be here today. It was altogether fitting that he, as a priest of this diocese and as my friend, should be the one to present me to the Archbishop, asking him to ordain me. As with Fr. Peter, our friendship goes back to seminary days and it is one that has endured. (I hope it will endure this!)

 15. Speaking of seminary, I was called to you as Bishop from the Pontifical Scots College Rome where latterly I had the privilege of being the 50^th Rector in the College’s distinguished 405 year history and still very much counting. As things turned out, my appointment as Rector only lasted 18 months, but I wonder if it was God’s way of sharpening me up in mind and spirit for the office of bishop. So I thank the Vice Rector, Father Paul Milarvie, a superb colleague and friend, and the students and community of the College for a most rewarding, stimulating and enjoyable period in my life. I am glad to say that some of the seminarians are here today, including our two deacons, Gerald and Anthony.

 16. A lot of my life as a priest has been spent in seminary work at home and in Rome helping to prepare seminarians. Paisley Diocese needs candidates for the priesthood and it will be a priority of mine to encourage vocations. So I invite all young men who are going through the season of decision in their lives to ask if God is calling them to his service as a priest. We need a steady supply of priests to be part the fine presbyterate of Paisley Diocese, because without priests, there is no Eucharist and without the Eucharist the Church is only a shadow of itself.

 17. And it is to you my brothers in the priesthood that I reserve my most affectionate and heartfelt words. You have no idea what an honour it is for me to be your bishop. I hold you all in the greatest respect and esteem. If there is one thing I ask of the Lord, it is this: to be with you a priest and for you a bishop; to have the vision to inspire you; the conviction to encourage you; the energy to lead you; the wisdom to work with you; and above all the heart to love you. You have given your lives to God and to this diocese in the priesthood through which you are sacramentally configured to Christ the Head and Shepherd of his Church. My dear brothers, let us build up and care for this Diocese together for the glory of God.

 18.Thank you too to the Religious of the Diocese for being here today and for the precious witness of their lives and work. There is so much I need to learn about religious life from you, and I look forward to getting to know you individually and your Congregations and Institutes and communities.

 19. I am most grateful to the authorities and representatives of the other Churches (and other religions) for being here today. At the beginning of his Petrine ministry, Pope Benedict made Christian Unity (and dialogue with other religions) a priority of his. We must see that we do the same in Paisley Diocese.

20. I am equally grateful for the presence of civic authorities and parliamentary representatives. I acknowledge with respect the presence of the representative of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire Mr. Cameron H. Parker, and of the Deputy Lord Lieutenant. It is my earnest hope that we can work together for the good of our local communities and for Scotland as a whole.

 21. I must thank too Mgr. Tom Monaghan, Mgr. Gerry Gallagher, Fr. Jim Duggan and the Staff of the Diocesan Office for presiding over and attending to the practicalities of this time when they have had a Bishop-elect to see to as well. As well as their ordinary duties, they have done all that had to be done in my regard with a graciousness which has impressed me and made me feel welcomed.  I will not forget that. And with them, I thank Fr. Joseph Burke, the MC’s, and servers and all who looked after the liturgy today. I must thank Fr. Alex Buchanan and the choir for the music at today’s liturgy, and Mgr. Gerry Brennan and the Cathedral Staff for hospitality and myriad arrangements and details. 

22. And finally to all of you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ and especially to the men, women, young people and children of Paisley Diocese. Thank you for being here! What a welcome you have given me. Thank you. Please pray for me that I can be the Bishop for you and for this Diocese that Christ wants me to be. Be assured that God has poured out his love to you in the life, death and resurrection of his Son our Lord Jesus Christ which we have just celebrated in the Eucharist. Please know that your faith makes sense today as ever, that your hope in eternal life is real, that your love and service in Christ’s name is supremely worthwhile. On all of us here today and on this entire diocese, I invoke the intercession, blessing and protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the Church.