20/09/2026
🌟Message from Bishop Michael Router🌟
On my Installation as Bishop of Derry
Sunday, 20 September 2026
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Just over two months ago Pope Leo XIV appointed me as Bishop of Derry and today, as I begin this new chapter of my ministry, I do so with a deep awareness of the great responsibility that has been entrusted to me. On my visits to the diocese since July, I have been greatly encouraged by the warm welcome I have received from the laity, clergy and religious. I look forward to getting to know the people of the diocese better in the months and years ahead.
I grew up in Virginia, Co. Cavan, in a home where faith was simply part of everyday life. That experience taught me something I have carried throughout my thirty-seven years of priesthood – that faith is passed on not primarily through programmes or strategies, but through relationships, through families who pray, communities who care for each other and people who quietly witness to Christ in their ordinary everyday lives.
The Diocese of Derry has a remarkable heritage of faith stretching back to Saint Eugene and Saint Columba. That commitment has endured through hardship, change and challenge. It is both an honour and a privilege for me to now become part of such a strong faith community.
We know that the Church today faces significant challenges. Much has changed since I was ordained in 1989. My episcopal motto, In Manus Tuas Domine – “Into Your Hands, O Lord” – expresses how I hope to approach the years ahead. We do not know exactly where God will lead us, but we can trust that the Church is in his hands and that the Holy Spirit continues to guide us.
Our task now is not simply to maintain what we have inherited but to become missionary disciples for our own time. That will require parishes to work more closely together, greater participation by lay people, investment in faith formation, new ways of reaching young people and a willingness to use modern means of communication to proclaim the Gospel.
Jesus began his mission by meeting people, listening to them, walking with them and inviting them to follow him. We must do the same because each of us, through our Baptism, shares responsibility for the mission of Christ.
Today I ask for your prayers. Pray that I may have the health, strength and wisdom to serve you well.
So, with confidence in the Holy Spirit and with hope for the future, let us place ourselves and our diocese into the hands of the Lord.
+ Michael Router
Bishop of Derry
