The mission of Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor as our Apostolic Nuncio in Ireland has been relatively short, but it has been especially significant for the Dioceses of the Tuam Province.

For some years now, the Bishops of the Tuam province have been working together to reconfigure our six Dioceses for a renewal of our mission. Since his arrival, Archbishop Montemayor has been very supportive of our efforts. With his help, we now have three new pastoral and administrative groupings, moving towards amalgamation into three new Dioceses.
As well as engaging directly with us as Bishops, Archbishop Montemayor has visited all of our Dioceses, meeting with people and listening to them. Many who participated in those various gatherings commented on how pleasant and how personable the Apostolic Nuncio was, but also how open and direct he was about the mission entrusted to us all as Catholics in the 21st century.

We join in thanking Archbishop Montemayor for the care that he has given to our local Churches, as well as for the support and encouragement he has given to each of us as Bishops.

We wish him every blessing and good health in his retirement.

Archbishop Francis Duffy, Archbishop of Tuam and Bishop of Killala
Bishop Kevin Doran, Bishop of Achonry and Bishop of Elphin
Bishop Michael Duignan, Bishop of Clonfert and Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh, and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora