MEMBERS of the Catholic church gathered for the installation of a new Bishop.

Joseph Toal was installed as the Bishop of Motherwell last night during a service at the town's Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral.

In April, Pope Francis announced that Bishop Toal would leave his current role as Bishop for Argyll and the Isles to lead Scotland's second- largest diocese.

Wellwishers flocked to the church to support the 57-year-old, who is originally from Roy Bridge in Inverness-shire.

During the service, he addressed the clergy and made reference to his previous post in Argyll and the Isles before saying: "I would like to pay tribute to the faith and generosity of those who have built up this Diocese and have handed on a fine spiritual tradition, with such a strong loyalty to the Church and an on-going desire to live our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Thank you for your welcome and the prayers which continue to be offered in support of my ministry."

Bishop Toal, who had been acting as administrator for the diocese, took over from the retired Bishop Joseph Devine who vacated the post in 2013.

During the service, Bishop Toal said he would "try to follow Bishop Devine's example" in involving young people in the church, which he felt was an important part of his job.

hannah.rodger@ eveningtimes.co.uk