RENOVATION work on a popular Marian grotto at the oldest Catholic Church in Belfast has been completed.
New paving has been installed in the grotto area, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, at St Mary's Church in Chapel Lane in the city centre.
A statue of Our Lady has also been moved from the parish hall into the refurbished garden area.
Work on the outside of the building has also included the complete replacement of the main roof coverings and the repairing and re-pointing of walls and stonework.
Masses were celebrated at the church last month after extensive interior work was finished.
St Mary's, where Mass was first celebrated in 1784, had been undergoing both external and internal restoration since May and the total renovation is expected to cost more than £300,000.
The Living Youth building, beside the church in Chapel Lane, was the venue for Masses for two months during the summer after the church was closed to facilitate the work.
Meanwhile, a new priest has been appointed to serve St Mary's by the Mill Hill Missionaries.
Fr Gerard Doyle has arrived at the parish from Kilkenny, where he served as Rector of the Mill Hill House.
Originally from Kilkenny, as a secondary school pupil he was taught by Fr James Boyle, who is the current parish administrator at St Mary's.
Ordained in 1991, Fr Doyle ministered in Cameroon for two decades.
His move to Belfast coincides with the closure of the St Joseph's Mill Hill House in Kilkenny, with the relocation of residents and activities to Dublin.