The Catholic Bishop of Clonfert has been installed as the new Bishop of Galway.
Michael Duignan is the first Irish Catholic church leader to administer two dioceses.
He succeeds Bishop Brendan Kelly, who has retired from the role in Galway.
Bishop Duignan described today's ceremony as a "threshold moment" for the Catholic Church on the island of Ireland and expressed hope that a more vibrant, welcoming and grounded future lay ahead.
In his homily, he acknowledged that many parishes were struggling to support a "vibrant faith community".
But the Bishop said he was convinced that many pastoral practices of the past could benefit the Church in the future.
He said a smaller faith community could be more grounded.
He said he hoped that the Church could find "its appropriate place within Irish society" and that, in turn, society would find a fair place for people of faith.
