The new Bishop of Ferns, Dr Denis Brennan, was loudly applauded in St Aidan's cathedral, Enniscorthy, yesterday when he said the greatest compliment which could be paid to the diocese's former Apostolic Administrator, Dr Éamonn Walsh, was "to continue steadfastly in his work of healing and reconciliation."
His first address as bishop "was about Bishop Éamonn and his tireless work over the past four years to bring justice and healing". It was "about persons who were abused by priests of the diocese; it's about their struggle to be listened to and to be believed, their ongoing pain and their search for healing". It was "about the priests of the diocese, good men, who in very challenging times stayed at their posts".
It was also "about the Church of Ireland neighbours among whom I grew up and whose sense of God and good neighbourliness I have always admired".
Dr Brennan was speaking fol- lowing his episcopal ordination by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, the papal nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarrotto, and Dr Walsh.
Fr Joe McGrath, parish priest of New Ross, said: "The reason for our joy is the fact that in spite of all that has happened, we go on with the knowledge that the Lord is at hand and he will steer our path. Our recent history has been sad and distressing. Our diocesan family and those directly hurt have been through sad times and experiences we all regret."
The first reading at the Mass, from the Book of Lamentations, was "both Denis's acknowledgement of the hurt and scandal and also his message of hope for the future.
"The future must be based on all the past. Nothing in our past will be forgotten, ignored, airbrushed out or unrepented of. But neither will any one experience dominate."
Fr McGrath said that a great part of the joy now felt in Ferns was because they had "Denis, a Wexford man, leading us . . . Our hope is that his will be the model diocese in what is, and has always been, the model county."
Among the overflow attendance at the ordination was Cmdt Lester Costello representing President Mary McAleese, Minister of State John Browne representing the Taoiseach and Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, representing the Government.
TDs present included Dr Liam Twomey, Brendan Howlin, Paul Kehoe, Tony Dempsey and MEP Avril Doyle.
Also present were the Mayor of Wexford Tommy Carr, the chairman of Wexford County Council Jimmy Curtis, Wexford County Manager Eddie Breen, Wicklow County Manager Eddie Sheehy and Garda Chief Supt Michael Murphy. There was a guard of honour outside the cathedral.
Cardinal Desmond Connell led 15 bishops, including the Catholic primate of All-Ireland, Archbishop Seán Brady, and the Archbishop of Cashel, Dr Dermot Clifford. Also there were four ministers of the Church of Ireland, a Presbyterian and a Methodist minister, and a minister representing the Coptic Church.
