St Mary’s of the Isle has been officially recognised as a cathedral during a special inauguration ceremony in Douglas.

The service, which elevated the church to cathedral status, was attended by visiting bishops from the UK such as the Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon and the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía.

During the ceremony, the Apostolic Nuncio read a decree from Pope Francis elevating the church to the status of cathedral, while installing Archbishop Malcolm in his chair.

The service also featured the President of Tynwald, Laurence Skelly, reading the Lord’s Prayer in Manx Gaelic, while children from St Mary’s Roman Catholic school sang songs such as ‘Shine, Jesus Shine’.

Monsignor John Devine, Dean of the Cathedral Church of St Mary of the Isle, said: ‘The inauguration was a wonderful celebration.

‘It was an honour for His Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía to be here, as well as having Archbishop Malcolm, dignitaries from the Isle of Man Government and Douglas City Council and local ecumenical partners join us for the celebrations.

‘The church was full and we had wonderful feedback from our parishioners who told us just how proud they were to witness this historic event.’