The new Bishop of Argyll and the Isles in Scotland has been urged to imitate St Columba, who founded a monastery on the isle of Iona in the 6th century. Bishop Brian McGee was installed as bishop at St Columba’s Cathedral in Oban last week. The Diocese of Argyll and the Isles covers part of the west coast of Scotland and the Western Isles, including Iona. In his homily Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh described the journey of St Columba to Iona 1,400 years ago. He said: “As you are chosen and set aside today, Brian, Christ simultaneously commissions you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last. It will seem strange, it may feel a little unlikely for some time to come, but Christ has chosen you and placed you here to be a spiritual father and guide to the people of this diocese. And he has commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last. In a small way, you even imitate St Columba himself. Your mother and sister Brona are here, and I’m sure your dad James, gone to God a number of years ago, would have been very proud of you.” He continued: “In all great moments, the Church prays the litany of the saints, and today is no exception. So during the litany of saints we are about to pray, what are gifts that we ought to beg for you on this most solemn occasion? I think we need look no further than the figure of St Columba himself. Columba was a spiritual man; Adomnàn tells us that he was an ‘island soldier’, devoted to prayer, fasts and vigils. He says that he was ‘an angel in demeanour, blameless in what he said, godly in what he did, brilliant in intellect and great in counsel’. Quite a tall order, then ... “A soldier dedicates himself fully and risks his life for what he loves and believes in. An island soldier, imitating Columba, will add to that a love of prayer and personal discipline.” Following the episcopal ordination, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said: “When I was Bishop of Paisley, Brian was one of my priests. He was a dedicated pastor and a thoughtful priest. I have no doubt that he will make his own distinctive and valuable contribution to the deliberations of our conference.”