A former Curate in Enniskillen Parish, Monsignor Noel Treanor has been ordained as the new Bishop of Down and Connor. He succeeds Bishop Patrick Walsh, who has retired.

Bishop Treanor (57), who is a native of Tyholland, County Monaghan, was ordained in St Peter's Cathedral in West Belfast. He will be taking over the second largest diocese in Ireland.

It was back in 1986 that Fr Treanor, as he was then, was appointed Curate in Enniskillen where he was in post during the November, 1987 Remembrance Day bomb. He also did a stint on Lough Derg as Confessor.

He was ordained a priest in 1976 in St Macartan's Cathedral, Monaghan and, after further studies in Rome, he was recalled to Clogher and appointed an Assistant in Monaghan town and given authority over the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council.

In 1981, he was sent back to Rome for five years of further study of theology and, during this time, he served as the Prefect of Studies at the Irish College. In 1985, he returned once more to Clogher and was appointed Director of Adult Education for the diocese.

Following his three-year posting as Curate in Enniskillen, Fr Treanor was assigned to the EC's Episcopal Commission, 'Comeche', a lobby group for Europe's Catholic churches. That was in 1989.

In 1993, he was appointed secretary general of Comeche for a three-year term and was reappointed for successive terms since then.

It was in February this year that Monsignor Treanor was named as successor to Bishop Walsh.

Cardinal Sean Brady was principal celebrant of the concelebrated Ordination Mass in which he was assisted by Bishop Walsh and the Bishop of Clogher, Most Rev Dr Joseph Duffy. The Cardinal paid tribute to the retiring Bishop Walsh, and he thanked God for his 25 years service as bishop, 'when you served the people of this diocese superbly, with extraordinary love and dedication'.

He assured Bishop Treanor he could count on the advice and support of Bishop Walsh and Cardinal Daly, and that he could rely on two excellent auxiliaries, Bishops Farquahar and McKeown.

The attendance of the two-hour long ceremonial Mass was led by President Mary McAleese, politicians and representatives of Christian denominations. Included were Cardinals Daly, Desmond Connell and Keith Patrick O'Brien, the Archbishop of Edinburgh and, Guiseppe Leanza, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland.

At the political end, the NI Assembly was represented together with the Dáil and, also, the Irish and British Ambassadors to the Vatican.

In is address, Bishop Treanor said his intention was to listen and to do his best to hear and understand, 'and to do so for as long as it takes to gain a sense of what is in your hearts and minds as the clergy and laity of this diocese, my new home'.