The All-Ireland President of Mothers’ Union, June Butler, joined Diocesan President, Jacqui Armstrong, and members of the Derry and Raphoe Mothers’ Union at a tree-planting ceremony on the outskirts of Londonderry on Thursday, to mark the Queen’s forthcoming platinum jubilee.
The women were greeted by blue skies and glorious sunshine as they gathered at Brackfield Wood, which skirts the River Faughan, just off the main Derry to Belfast Road near Killaloo. The area has been earmarked by the Woodland Trust for the cultivation of a centenary wood, and will eventually include 40,000 native trees commemorating soldiers who lost their lives during the First World War.
The MU members were met by staff from the Woodland Trust who provided them with spades which the women used to plant 70 trees – a mixture of native oak and cherry trees. They were also addressed by one of the Trust’s ambassadors, Peter Cregg MBE, who outlined the organisation’s plans for the wood.
The Diocesan President led the women in a prayer of thanksgiving for Her Majesty’s 70 years of faithful service. Mrs Armstrong said the Queen had shown kindness and compassion, great integrity and wisdom. She had never been afraid to stand up and say, “I believe in God; I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my rock and my salvation. She has had her roots firmly planted in the ground.”
The tree-planting ceremony was the idea of Mrs Kathleen Finlay, who had written to the Queen to explain what the diocesan MU would be doing to mark the platinum jubilee. In her letter, Mrs Finlay said they hoped for only one thing for today’s event – a sunny day – and the ladies certainly got their wish.Ms Armstrong thanked the All-Ireland president and Mr Cregg for coming to the ceremony; the women (and Rev Canon Robert Clarke) for planting trees on behalf of MU; and two of the Woodland Trust’s staff – Dave Scott and Tommy Pringle – for advising on and assisting with the tree-planting, and for providing the tools.
Today will mark the end of an era in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe as Rev Canon David Ferry retires after 20 years’ service as a hospital chaplain in Londonderry. “I’ll miss the miracles,” the Tyrone man says of his “special calling”. He will be succeeded from tomorrow by the Rector of St Augustine’s Church, Rev Nigel Cairns.
Canon Ferry retired as Rector of the Balteagh group of churches in 2019 but carried on ministering to patients, families and staff in Altnagelvin and Waterside hospitals. It was a role he had first embraced under the late Bishop James Mehaffey.
“Chaplaincy’s a special calling,” Canon Ferry says. “It’s one of the ministries that Christ set apart – care for the sick, care for the disadvantaged – so to be called to that, and to be involved in that, always spoke to me about some sort of special vocation. It’s just an enormous privilege. To be with people, to hear people’s stories, to have the end of life conversations with people, to be the last person to say a prayer with them, it’s an amazing privilege.
“The last two years have been particularly trying, given how Covid has affected hospitals. Canon Ferry and his colleagues found themselves supporting not only patients and relatives, but staff too. “That was a big part of it, but I think their lives were being refined too. There’s nothing like a good furnace to do a bit of refining – so Scripture tells us. There was a whole mixture of bad things [during Covid] but, in that, there was a whole lot of good stuff happening as well, an awful lot of good stuff.“
The last two years tested your vocation,” Canon Ferry concedes. “Everybody in the hospital was tested, whether they knew it or whether they didn’t. Nurses in here were trying to organise not only their nursing life but home education for their children, so everybody was tested.
“We [chaplains] did the same thing [we always did] but we just did it differently. We had FaceTime with patients. That to me was so far removed from how I would do ministry – I take people by the hand, but we couldn’t do that. The staff were very good, though; they kept us all safe; they advised us what PPE to use. Families really appreciated it. We would make a telephone call. I found it very difficult because it wasn’t the way I operated, put it that way. But you’d say to the family, put your phone on speaker and I’ll pray for you all. And it didn’t matter where they were sitting – they could be at home – and I’d say put your phone on speaker and I’ll pray for you all. It was different. It was very different.
”Hospital chaplains are confronted with death and serious illness on a daily basis, but Canon Ferry says the relentlessness never got him down. “As Christians, we’re called to a great hope,” he says. “The world tells us that death is the end of all things. As a Christian, as a Christian chaplain, my hope is – for them, and for me – that death is not the end. Death is an experience we will all have in life. It’s the only thing in life that makes us all equal. But it’s not the end. Whenever you are there with a family and can reassure them through scripture – ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions and I’m going to prepare one for you’ – whenever you bring people to that sort of understanding, then death becomes….different.
”The prospect of retirement holds little appeal for Canon Ferry. “I’ve no clue about what retirement’s going to be like,” he says. “I’ve always tried to live each day in God’s plan as best I can, but it’s not something I’m really looking forward to. I’d love to have a gripe about the Bishop, or the Church or the hospital – it’d make it easier to go – but I don’t. I never ever had a gripe. I don’t know what a gripe is. I’m sure it’ll be great some morning when it’s teeming out of the heavens and I don’t have to get up.
”Will he miss chaplaincy work? “Oh aye. I’ll miss the miracles,” he says. “You see, as a hospital chaplain, every day you see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear and the dead raised. You see those miracles every day. Somebody comes in here not able to walk, they go down to surgery, in two days they’re skipping. They come in here, they can’t see, [surgeons] take off their cataract and they see the very best. Put a hearing aid in…we have become so used to that, and we don’t see the miracle.
“I’m not going to start preaching but I think we need to look, we need to see the miracles. I often say – it’s a Presbyterian thing – but I always say you need to see the burning bush. There’s loads of them [miracles], loads of them, so I’ll miss the miracles. I’ll miss what the patients teach me: they teach me to be thankful, to appreciate the people I need to appreciate.
After twenty years in the hospitals, what in his opinion are the qualities that make for a good chaplain? “I think a good chaplain needs to stay out of God’s way and to know that we’re neither in control nor responsible,” Canon Ferry suggests. “I’m not in control of your life, I can’t keep you alive no matter what prayers I say. If it’s God’s decision that you’ll pass away today then you’ll pass away today. It’s my job to tell you that: God’s in control, not me. And I’m not responsible for you if you pass away; I’m not responsible for where you end up eternally. My responsibility – as the good book tells us – my job is to stand in the gap between God and his people, and as a chaplain that’s what I do, I stand in the gap between God and the patient.”
Canon Ferry has certainly earned his retirement. From tomorrow on, the task of ‘standing in the gap’ between God and the patients in Derry’s hospitals will fall to the Rector of St Augustine’s Church, Rev Nigel Cairns.
During his training for the ministry, the new chaplain watched his predecessor at close quarters, so he has a good understanding of what he’s letting himself in for. “I did a placement with Canon Ferry,” Nigel says. “It’s a frighteningly big commitment, but I enjoyed hospital chaplaincy very much. I appreciated the opportunity to journey with people through the worst of times and through the best of times.
“Miracles do still happen,” Nigel says, “and sometimes hospitals are the places where we see them occurring.
“I regard it as a great privilege to step into Canon Ferry’s shoes. I would like to acknowledge the loyal and dedicated way in which David has nurtured and developed the role of chaplain, widening it to include not only patients and families but the hospital staff too. The importance of that was very evident during the pandemic.”
Bishop Andrew has paid tribute to the outgoing chaplain and offered words of encouragement to his successor. “Canon David Ferry’s ministry to the sick and dying, to anguished relatives, and to hardworking staff in our hospitals has been of enormous comfort, often at the most difficult moments in people’s lives. In particular, I’d like to acknowledge the immense work he and his colleagues did during the pandemic, when hospital visiting was severely restricted. I thank God for the many qualities David has which equipped him perfectly for the role of chaplain. Our Diocese is immensely grateful for all that he has done to further God’s kingdom.“
Obviously, David is a hard person to replace, but I am confident that in Rev Nigel Cairns we have found a worthy successor. Nigel has many of the same pastoral gifts as David, and I have no doubt that patients, families and healthcare staff will benefit greatly from his care and support as chaplain.”
Photo 1: “I’ll miss the miracles,” says Rev Canon David Ferry, who retires today after 20 years as a hospital chaplain.
Photo 2: Rev Nigel Cairns looks forward to journeying with. people “through the worst of times and through the best of times”.
The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, brought a number of ‘furry friends’ with him when he visited Gartan National School in Donegal, this morning, along with the Rector of Conwal with Gartan, Rev David Houlton. It was the latest in a series of school visits Bishop Andrew’s making to schools throughout the Diocese of Raphoe.
The pupils and their teachers laid on a special assembly for the Bishop, who’s a patron of Gartan N.S. It included a number of hymns performed by junior and senior pupils, and prayers led by the seniors.
Bishop Andrew used a number of puppets as props to preach to the children about the Parable of the Lost Sheep, explaining to them how important each one of them was in the eyes of God. He also thanked the teaching staff, telling them that they – like healthcare workers – were among the ‘heroes’ of the pandemic, for the way in which they had performed their duties over the two years of the Covid crisis.
The Bishop and Rev Houlton were given a guided tour of the new extension to Gartan N.S. which is still under construction. The extension will double the school’s size when it reopens after the summer holidays.
There was a healthy turnout of people from different parishes in the Diocese of Derry for the Evening Service in Christ Church, Limavady on Sunday March 13th to hear from a special visitor from the South Seas.
Rt Rev William ‘Willie’ Alaha Pwaisiho, a retired bishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, was in the North West at the invitation of old friend Rev Canon Mike Roemmele to share about ministry, life and culture in Solomon Islands, where the two men first met more than 50 years ago.
In the late 1960s, the young Mike Roemmele was teaching in the Solomon Islands with Voluntary Service Overseas and the even younger William Pwaisiho was a student in the school where he taught. The two have since completed many decades in ministry – in Rt Rev William Pwaisiho’s case as a bishop – before their well-earned retirements.
It was a busy day for Bishop ‘Willie’ who preached in St Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry on Sunday morning before delivering another homily seven hours later in Limavady. In his address there, Bishop Pwaisiho talked about the Melanesian Church’s debt to people from these shores who brought the faith to the South Sea Islands, and who supported the church there with people, money and prayers.
The Rector of Christ Church, Rev Canon Aonghus Mayes, led Sunday evening’s Service. He was assisted by Bishop Andrew Forster, who welcomed Bishop ‘Willie’ to the Diocese. There was a third Bishop in church for the occasion – Rt Rev Patrick Rooke, retired Bishop of Tuam, Killala, and Achonry.
Canon Mayes thanked Bishop Pwaisiho and Canon Roemmele for sharing with the congregation. The Rector led the congregation in praying for the people of Ukraine, in light of recent events there, and for better stewardship of the earth’s resources.
After the service, Canon Roemmele gave a slide presentation in Christ Church Limavady’s Parish Hall, assisted by his old friend. Canon Roemmele brought along many artifacts and mementoes from his time in the Solomon Islands which were placed on display for their audience to view. The two men talked to the group about the impact of climate change on the islands – a number of which have been lost to the sea in recent decades – as well as the effects of decolonisation.
The evening concluded with Bishop Pwaisiho reciting the Lord’s Prayer in Pidgin English.
Relatives who lost loved ones during the worst year of the Troubles – 1972 – took part in a Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving in Saint Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry on Friday the 11th March, which was organised in conjunction with South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) to mark the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism.
The Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, who led the Service, welcomed those who were “parents, husbands and wives, sons and daughters” of those who were being remembered. “Many of you have carried emotional scars over many decades,” the Dean said. “In the words of the theme of this Service, I hope that the hurt you have felt and continue to feel is acknowledged, so your pain will be healed by our loving and merciful God.”
SEFF spokesman Kenny Donaldson addressed the congregation, saying the Service had come about because they were staring into 30 years of 50th anniversaries. “1972, as you painfully know, was the worst year of the Troubles in the context of the loss of human life. Almost 500 people perished as a result of those Troubles and 4,000 were injured, and I also want to say that there is a family who are contributing, tonight, and they still await even closure around that issue,” – a reference to the family of one of the ‘Disappeared’, Columba McVeigh.
Mr Donaldson said they had gathered as one in the Cathedral to send out a message of solidarity and of unity. “We come from across the religious, and no-practising, and across the political spectrum, in whatever shade you come. But as we always say within SEFF, we need to start realising, what is the ‘them and us’ within our society in Northern Ireland? Is it Protestant and Catholic? Is it Unionist and Nationalist? Or is it actually where we stand on the issue of the sanctity of human life? That surely, folks, is the real ‘them and us’.”
In his sermon, the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, pointed out that the sanctuary of the cathedral had been decorated with flowers in the colours of the Ukrainian flag for Friday evening’s Service. “Of all people,” Bishop Andrew said, “you understand the anxiety, the fear, the heartache that all the people of Ukraine are going through tonight. It’s very appropriate, this evening, that we pray for them and also [that] we give to their relief later on this evening.” As they left the church, the congregation were invited to contribute to a collection which will be used to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
The Bishop said he was honoured and humbled to share with people who had borne pain and heartache and grief with dignity and grace. “You have lived through years of lost experiences, of opportunities that never came, of children that were never born, of grandchildren that were never to be because of a bullet or a bomb.”
Bishop Andrew described grief as a journey without a terminal or destination. It was a journey people had to travel throughout their lives. “To be frank, as a pastor, I have stood in awe of the resilience of many people just like you who have gone on to live their lives, to bless their families and help their communities, yet I know that the years of trauma and the tears of trauma are still incredibly raw, and they are tears that never truly go away.”
The Bishop recalled some of the worst incidents from 1972’s “dastardly roll call”, names that he said were carved into the granite of our memory and etched into our collective psyche: Bloody Sunday, Aldershot, Claudy, The Abercorn, Bloody Friday. “And let me say something that all of you know only too well, that tears transcend division: there is no difference in a broken Protestant heart and a broken Catholic heart; there is no difference in the heartache and grief and tears of loss. And what we do tonight, all these years later – and what you do, I’m sure, most nights – is grieve. Tonight, we grieve together. Grief is that terrible emotion of having to say goodbye, compounded when we’re not ready to say goodbye, and multiplied when the grief is caused by the wicked and evil intent of another human being.”
The God whom they worshipped tonight was finely tuned to our hurts and fears, heartache and pain, Bishop Andrew said. “Our God is the God who comes alongside those who grieve, but – more than that – who carries us in our hurt. We grieve today and grief is that emotion that in some strange way helps us – it breaks us, but it helps us understand the depth of love that we have for that person whom we have lost. Grief writes in capital letters the word ‘Love’, because it shows us again and again the love that was given to us by the one we’ve lost, and the love that in a strange way we still give to them after all these years.”
Friday evening’s service was a ‘Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving’. “Today, what we are thankful for,” the Bishop said, “are the gifts of God that every life lost in 1972 and all those other years of our Troubles, the gifts of God that all those lives were to families, and friends and community. I know it’s a very different context but St Paul in one of his letters wrote this: ‘I thank my God every time I remember you.’ And thankfulness, turned to prayer to God, gives us a renewed strength; thankfulness, turned to prayer to God, gives us grace and resilience for the good days and the hard days.”
During the Service, Eugene McVeigh – whose brother Columba was shot dead and buried secretly by the IRA almost 50 years ago – shared a reflection. The Old and New Testament readings were given by the brother of a murdered police officer and the daughter of a Claudy bomb victim. Other readings were delivered by people who lost loved ones in 1972 and by a former police officer who was grievously injured in an IRA booby-trap bombing in 1988.
Dean Stewart was assisted in the Service by Rev Canon John Merrick and Fr Michael Canny, and the Dean welcomed other clergy who were in the congregation.
The new Rector of Desertmartin and Termoneeny, Rev Philip Benson, led prayers for the people of Ukraine on Friday evening (25th February) during his Service of Institution in St Comgall’s Church in Desertmartin.
The new incumbent was instituted by the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, who described it as “a red-letter day” for the parishes. The service marked the end of a vacancy that had lasted over two years, following the retirement of the previous Rector, Rev Mike Dornan.
As the service drew to a close, Rev Benson gave thanks to God for the peace that he offered us, and prayed for those living in areas where there was conflict and violence. “So, we commend to your merciful prayer the people and government of Ukraine that being guided by your providence, they may dwell secure in your peace. Grant to their leaders and all in authority wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve their people. And we ask your blessing upon the work of the United Nations and all who seek to build peace.”
Earlier in the service, the Preacher, Rev Chris Mac Bruithin – who has known the new incumbent since their student days – disclosed to the congregation in St Comgall’s that their new Rector was a Star Trek fan – “when I say fan, I mean fanatic” – was a Leeds United fan and had already ‘liked’ Desertmartin FC on social media. He also had a quick wit and was very good at puns. “I thought that tonight, in Philip’s honour, and in light of our Gospel passage, I might try my hand at some puns. It’s a reading in which branches are bearing fruit and I thought, ‘Philip’s branching out in the Diocese, he’s going out on a limb coming here, but he’s landed a plum job.’”
Rev Mac Bruithin reminded the new incumbent that God himself had brought him to the Parishes of Desertmartin and Termoneeny to bear fruit, where he would do things in his own way in the skin that God had put him in.
“You’ll learn very quickly,” the preacher told the congregation, “that Philip has a gentle strength, and that in my experience is a rare thing to come across; Philip has a sincere love of God; he has a genuine love of people and he will love you. He has a knowledge of scripture and he has an ability to teach it, and he has a sensitivity for reconciliation.
“Philip, you could have applied those talents and transferred those skills to other careers and made lots of money and made a real success, but you’ve offered them as a gift to God.”
Before instituting the new Rector, Bishop Andrew assured him that “the modesty” of the gathering – the church was still practising social distancing and sitting in alternating pews – did not reflect the huge welcome that he was getting. “Our prayer tonight, as you begin this new chapter in your life as a family, as you begin this new chapter in your ministry, our prayer tonight is that you will quickly feel at home, that you will know the love of the family of God in these parishes, and you’ll know the equipping of the Holy Spirit as a family and as a minister of the Gospel in this place.
“A Service of Institution is a red-letter day, it’s a red-letter day for a parish. It’s a day when we look back in thankfulness for all that’s gone before, and we look ahead, we look ahead with excitement as to what God plans for us in the future. You know, we’re living in challenging times for any church as we move out of the pandemic, and what you will have in your new rector is someone who will help you together to find what it is to renew, rebuild and re-energise the Church of Jesus Christ in these parishes for what we face ahead, with both trepidation but also joy, because this is God’s work, and we delight in being part of God’s work this night.”
During Friday evening’s service, gratitude was expressed to the Rev Tommy Allen, who had provided cover in the parishes during the two-year vacancy. Bishop Andrew was assisted in the service by the Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller; the Diocesan Registrar, Rev Canon David Crooks; the Rural Dean, Rev Canon Colin Welsh, and the Bishop’s Curate, Rev Carmen Hayes.
A Donegal Church of Ireland parishioner was presented with one of the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland’s highest honours, on Sunday 20th February, when her fundraising efforts on behalf of the charity – spanning over half a century – were recognised in her local church in Castlefinn.
The Irish Free State Salver – a silver plate which recognises voluntary endeavour – was presented to Pearl Barnett, by the Legion’s President in the Republic, Lt. Col. Ken Martin, during a Service of Holy Communion in St Patrick’s Church, Donaghmore. Several of the organisation’s most senior officeholders in the Republic were also there in person to pay tribute to Mrs Barnett. The service was led by Rev Arthur Burns.
Mrs Barnett has been a stalwart of the Poppy Appeal in Donegal since her early teens. She follows a tradition begun by her parents, ex-Service man Thomas Nesbitt and his wife Lydia, many years ago. “I’m giving my age away,” Pearl laughed, “but I joined them in collecting for the Poppy Appeal before I was 14 – that’s 55 years – ago. My father died in 2010, the year of the bad winter, but my mother said she would keep the fundraising going for him. She was still doing the Appeal up until three years ago. She’s 95 now, so now I’m doing it for her.”
Pearl was overwhelmed by today’s presentation. “I was expecting to meet two men from the Royal British Legion at the Service, but I’d no idea this was going to happen.”
The Poppy Appeal’s organiser in the Republic, Brian Crawford, told the congregation that he was a volunteer and that he relied on the help of hundreds of other volunteers throughout the Republic of Ireland. “One of our best volunteers is your parishioner, Pearl, who has been collecting for the British Legion for years, with her mother Lydia. The two of them have been putting me and others to shame over the years, so we are here to thank Pearl – and Lydia – for all their service to the British Legion.”
The charity’s chairman in the Republic, Major Brian Duffy, presented Pearl with a record of her 55 years of “service and dedication” to the Poppy Appeal. He said the decision to award the Irish Free State Salver to Pearl, this year, was made by the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland Conference. “Donegal stands head and shoulders among the contributors to our Poppy Appeal,” he told the parishioners, “and thank you all very much for that. Pearl, as the coordinator of our Poppy Appeal in the county, your name is always on our lips at our conference every year. So, thank you so, so much.”
Thirty young people from six different parishes took part in an ‘in-person’ Confirmation Day event at the Acorn Centre (St Peter’s Church) in Londonderry on Saturday. It was the first such get together since the pandemic started two years ago.
The event was organised by the Diocesan Youth Officer, Claire Hinchliff. Claire was assisted by clergy and volunteers from the parishes involved. The programme involved the young people in activities and exercises designed to prepare them for when they make their confirmation over the next few weeks and months.
Bishop Andrew Forster – who’ll be confirming the young people – joined the group for a time. He recalled his own confirmation, over 40 years ago, and shared a reflection with the group based on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Unusually, for a Diocesan Confirmation Day, the number of boys taking part outnumber girls by almost two to one.
Relatives of the late former Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Dr James Mehaffey, attended a Service in St Columb’s Cathedral, this morning, during which a plaque was dedicated to the late bishop’s memory.
The dedication was performed by one of his successors, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, as the former bishop’s widow, Mrs Thelma Mehaffey, and the couple’s daughter Wendy and son Tim, looked on.
The Service of Choral Matins was led by the Dean of the Cathedral, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, who was assisted by the Parish of Templemore’s Pastoral Assistant, Rev Canon John Merrick.
Among those who provided music for the service was the Philip Mehaffey Memorial Organ Scholar, Lukas Lynch. The scholarship was set up by Bishop and Mrs Mehaffey in memory of their late son.
In his sermon, Bishop Andrew described how appropriate the first reading – Jeremiah 1:4-10 – was for the occasion. In the reading, he said, we saw a man who faced great challenges. God chose Jeremiah to be a prophet and effectively told him his job was going to be a terrible one, a difficult one, faced with opposition and heartache.
Bishop Andrew said the foundations of Bishop Mehaffey’s life and ministry were not far from the prophet Jeremiah. “His ministry was not far from what Jeremiah was called to do: at times to pluck up and tear down things that were wrong; to call out that which was in our society that pulled us apart. And then the other part of Jeremiah’s ministry was to build up and to plant.
“And I can’t help but think, today – and maybe today of all days, in this city – without Jim’s ministry, building up and planting, I truly believe we would be in a much worse place now than we are this day, and for that, every one of us must be thankful to almighty God.
“And for that, in generations to come, many generations to come – just like visitors who’ve come to this Cathedral and heard of Bishop Alexander and Mrs Alexander, have looked at the other plaques and monuments around this cathedral that have heralded the ministry and in fluence of good people – for generations to come, people will hear of the ministry of Jim Mehaffey, a man fully known and fully loved, a man blessed by the presence of God and equipped by his holy spirit, who tore down those attitudes that were wrong, and built us up into a better place, and planted grace into our hearts.
“Whenever I read today’s reading, in one way I couldn’t believe how appropriate it was for someone who built up so much, even physically. You know, today, as you and I drove to the cathedral, you might’ve seen the police presence outside Bishopsgate Hotel, because the Taoiseach is there for the commemoration later on today. The Taoiseach is in the Bishopsgate Hotel that came about because of the Inner City Trust, came about because of people like Jim Mehaffey, who weren’t prepared just to leave this place in rubble and in ruin, but to rebuild – and to rebuild better and to rebuild stronger.
“As we look back into the rubble of division, into the wreckage of pain, Jim’s example to us is to build up: to build up better, to build up stronger, and to look to the future. He was able to do that because, like Jeremiah, Bishop Jim knew that God knew him, that he was fully known, fully loved, that the presence of God walked in him, and that he was equipped by the Spirit.”
Bishop Forster recalled Bishop Mehaffey’s funeral, two years ago this month. “When we gathered in this cathedral, [Bishop Mehaffey’s daughter] Wendy told us that one of the last things her dad said was this – in its simplicity beautiful, but in its profundity incredible – simply this: ‘One helps the other.’ One helps the other. For me, that is the essence of the Kingdom of God. One helps the other.
“In our challenges, great or small, may Jim’s – if I may say it – last sermon to all of us be his living legacy: that one helps the other; and that you and I will go on helping the other, because, like Jeremiah of old, like Bishop James Mehaffey, that we would know that whatever the challenges were, we faced them together, because we were fully known and fully loved; because God journeyed with us; and because we were equipped by his spirit. One helps the other. Jim Mehaffey helped us. May we be people who in thankfulness live out the sermon of his life: to build up and to help the other.”
The music at today’s service was provided by the Gentlemen of the Cathedral Choir and the Cathedral Choristers. The Organist and Master of the Choristers was Dr Derek Collins and the Assistant Organist was Mr Nicky Morton.
The Parish of Drumachose, in Limavady, has a new incumbent. Rev Canon Aonghus Mayes was instituted as Rector of the Parish at a Service in Christ Church, Limavady on Friday 21st January. He succeeds Rev Canon Sam McVeigh who retired in January last year after a 30-year incumbency.
The Service of Institution was led by Rt Rev Andrew Forster, who welcomed Canon Mayes back to the diocese where he had first learned about faith – growing up in All Saints, Clooney, where his late father, Canon John Mayes, had been a hugely popular rector.
The Institution was something of a family affair for the new rector’s kin. His mother, Alison, and sister Victoria, were in the front pew, looking on, while Victoria’s husband, Rev Canon Jonathan Pierce, preached the sermon.
In the address, Canon Pierce recalled serving with Canon Mayes a number of years ago, in East Belfast. “Where I work, in St Finnian’s, Cregagh, people remember Aonghus with great affection, even though he’s left 11 years. What they remember is his attentiveness in visiting when they were going through rough times. They remember his sense of humour and his fun. And while this is undoubtedly an exciting and positive day for this parish, I know that it’s also a sad day for the Parish of Moy, where Aonghus has spent 11 very happy years, and I know that people had been exceptionally kind and supportive to him in his ministry there.”
When a new rector arrived into a new situation, Canon Pierce said, there often seem to be so many things to do from the word go, but he advised Canon Mayes and his parishioners not to be too hasty. “Before rushing into anything, study the scriptures, spend time in God’s holy presence asking that question: what do you want us to do here, Lord, right now? How can we build up this community in faith? How can we serve our local community best? How can we radiate Christ’s love and his hope into some of the dark places and the dark situations that surround us at the present time?
“St Paul speaks about being watchful and thankful in his prayers. And what I think this means is taking stock of where God has already been at work and building on those things. It’s making time and space to see those areas where together – as a community of faith – you can make a really, really important contribution to the life of this town and the surrounding area. All of that takes discernment, it takes prayer and it takes resources, but once the vision is there – and it comes from God – the resources always tend to follow.”
Canon Pierce encouraged the congregation in Drumachose to take to heart three principles St Paul sets before us: the centrality of prayer in all things; the importance of relationships (and particularly how we relate to those outside of church); and the importance of teamwork and supporting each other in ministry.”
Bishop Andrew began the service by telling Canon Mayes that the “necessary modesty” of the congregation’s size – owing to Covid regulations – in no way reflected the warmth and sincerity of the huge welcome he would receive from the parishioners of Drumachose, and the whole community in Limavady and in the Diocese. “We welcome you home, to your home diocese of Derry and Raphoe,” the Bishop said. “You’ve been away too long.”
Speaking after the service, Canon Mayes paid tribute to his “amazing” former parishioners in Moy. “I will never be able to thank [you] for the love, support, prayers and encouragement you have given me throughout my time as your rector.” He also thanked his new parishioners in Drumachose for the warmth of their welcome. “I have to say, it’s not a little daunting the thought of following a much-loved rector of over 30 years, and also added to that the prospect of getting to know the names of some 1,400 new faces or, it’s probably better to say, getting to know the names of fourteen hundred new face masks.” The new rector told them what he would value most were, firstly, their prayers for the parish, its future, and for him; and, secondly, their faithfulness with regard to weekly worship “no matter what, this coming year”.
