A crowd of 1600 packed the Bishop Phelan Stadium at Catholic College, Sale, which had been transformed over three days to create a suitable venue for the ceremony.

The crowd included a large contingent from Bathurst.

Principal celebrant was Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart and co-consecrators were the Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn Christopher Prowse, who is the previous Bishop of Sale, and Bishop of Bathurst Michael McKenna, formerly a priest of the Sale diocese.

Thirty bishops and archbishops and more than 100 priests from around Australia gathered for the event.

Bishop O’Regan was assisted by Fr Terrence Fournier, who is the director of the National Liturgical Office for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Fr Garry McKeown from Bathurst Diocese.

Monsignor John Kallarackal from the Apostolic Nunciature in Canberra read the English translation of the Papal Bull appointing Bishop O’Regan and the Bull was then formally shown by Sale Diocese Chancellor Fr Brian O’Connor to the College of Consultors.

There was loud applause from all gathered when he raised it to the congregation.

After the formal questioning by Archbishop Hart, Bishop O’Regan lay prostrate on the red carpet before the altar during the singing of the Litany of the Saints, led by cantors Lynda George and Donrita Reefman.

Then followed the consecration of the bishop with laying on of hands of all gathered bishops and archbishops.

The open Book of Gospels was held over his head by deacons Mark Kelly and Tony Aspinall while Archbishop Hart read the prayer of ordination.

Following the anointing of Bishop O’Regan’s head with the oil of chrism and presentation of the Book of Gospels, the bishop received his ring of office from the Vechoorettu family from Cranbourne, his zucchetto and mitre from Sr Patricia Hickey and his bishop’s crozier from Rita Elswyk, who is diocesan coordinator of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

The Bishop’s siblings, Stephen O’Regan, Laurie O’Regan and Louise Clyne, accompanied by his godparents Jill Clark and Peter Herbert, brought the gifts to the altar for the Mass.

Bishop O’Regan was born and bred in Perthville and educated at St Stanislaus’ College.