Applause broke out after Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church; Barbara Harris, the first female bishop; and the other prelates together asked God to make Hollingsworth a leader in the church.

Then for a few shining moments, with his wife and four children gathered around him, Hollingsworth, 50, broke out in a broad smile and basked in the adulation pouring toward him throughout the Cleveland State University Convocation Center.

Now comes the hard part.

The diocese that he takes over has shrunk rapidly from 74,000 baptized members in 118 northern Ohio parishes in 1966 to 32,000 baptized members in 2002. Of those, only 24,000 are communicants, or more active members in the diocese's 103 parishes.

And Northeast Ohio is a flashpoint in the turmoil over the national church's decision to ordain Robinson and to acknowledge the blessing of same-sex unions. Last month, five diocesan churches that uphold traditional teachings on sexuality brought in conservative bishops for a confirmation service in a borrowed church. Last week, the five churches announced they have their own conservative bishop and asked Hollingsworth, a strong supporter of Robinson, to stay out of their parishes.

But Saturday's consecration was not disrupted by any protest.

Many Episcopalians think they have the right guy in Hollingsworth, who is used to deflecting shots as a goalie in adult hockey leagues. He endeared himself to churchgoers even before his election with his admission that he has already overcome one tough opponent - alcohol addiction.

"Sobriety saved my life," he said in a recent interview. The strength he was given to battle alcoholism two decades ago as a young priest is a gift Hollingsworth said he hopes to offer back to others in the church.

With the church growing grayer as well as smaller, many also see in Hollingsworth, a father of children ages 4 to 13, the chance for greater outreach to youth.

"He's going to bring some youth and an appeal to younger people," Marjorie McDougle, 45, senior warden of St. Timothy Church in Macedonia, said after the service.

Certainly, for one lovely spring morning in a once-in-a-decade changing of the spiritual guard, there was a spirit of celebration.

The audience was energized by the procession of bishops and clergy in colorful robes as well as by the Trinity Chamber Orchestra and a 240-voice choir that presented a beautiful array of liturgical music from black spirituals to classical and folk offerings. At one point, Bishop J. Clark Grew II, retiring as bishop of Ohio after a decade, danced and encouraged people around him to sing.

Amid the pageantry, Hollingsworth added personal touches.

He selected a layperson, Massachusetts state legislator Byron Rushing, to give the sermon. At one point, Rushing asked Hollingsworth to turn 360 degrees, reminding the new bishop and his flock, "You are in this together."

And, after he was made a bishop, Hollingsworth gathered children around him, assuring them the church is not complete without their presence.

"In Jesus' love of us and in our love of Jesus, we're all tied together . . . people we agree with, people we don't agree with," he told the children.

Afterward, when he was asked if the Holy Spirit was present, a jubilant Hollingsworth pumped his fists in the air and said, "Absolutely. Absolutely."

But the new bishop is being thrust immediately into the episcopal fire.

One of Hollingsworth's first decisions will be whether to go ahead in the next month with long-planned pastoral visits to three of the five churches that have asked him to stay away - St. Barnabas in Bay Village and the Church of Holy Spirit and St. Luke's, both in Akron.

"Bishop Hollingsworth faces an uphill battle to avert the crisis and curb the mounting membership and money losses in the diocese," the Rev. R. James Tasker of St. Barnabas said in a written statement. Tasker was not in attendance Saturday. "It will take nothing less than a return to biblical faith to restore trust and any sense of normalcy."

In earlier interviews, Hollingsworth said he would like to meet with leaders of the five churches. He said he is willing to go as far as he can to meet the needs of conservative parishes while preserving unity in the diocese.

It's not the easiest assignment for any new bishop, Hollingsworth acknowledged. But he said it is the right one for him. "While I regularly have self-doubt and insecurities, I haven't for once doubted this is a faithful thing to do," he said. "It's not self-confidence that draws us deeper into faithfulness. It's God-confidence.

"I have confidence in God that the people of the Diocese of Ohio and I can make a worthy thing together of our companionship in Christ."

The Rev. Nancy Roosevelt of Christ Church in Shaker Heights, a longtime friend, said Hollingsworth is "the man for the hour."

She has several friends in alcohol recovery, and like many of them, she said, Hollingsworth is an open, honest person. He will work hard to find common ground in the diocese, she said.

When she has helped churches choose new clergy, Roosevelt encouraged members to ask themselves, "Who would you want to die with?"

The 11th bishop of Ohio is one of those persons, she said.

"I would trust Mark with my soul," she said. "Mark would be someone I'd want to die with."

END