The rain held off today (Sunday 30th June 2024) for Derry & Raphoe Youth’s annual barbecue at the Summer Madness festival, which is taking place in Portglenone again this year.
The event is Ireland’s largest Christian youth festival and our team of leaders are looking after around 20 young people, from seven different churches in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.
This year’s theme is ‘Living Life on Purpose’, with a strong signal to young people that what they choose to do with their lives matters, and that there’s no better choice they can make than to choose Jesus Christ.The festival takes place over five days – from Friday until Tuesday – and there’s a huge variety of activities to keep youthful minds occupied. These include seminars, workshops, sports, gamesand gigs, and the highlight each day is the worship session in the Big Top, which draws hundreds to sing and pray together.
Today’s Derry & Raphoe Youth barbecue saw our Diocesan Youth Officer, Claire Hinchliff, step up to the plate – well, the grill, actually – and she was ably assisted by Pauline Beadle who took care of the vegetarian options on the menu. The chairman of D.R.Y., Rev Peter Ferguson, was there to lend a hand, literally, while no diocesan barbecue would be complete without a visit by C.I.Y.D.’s National Youth Officer, Simon Henry, who duly obliged by dropping in, just in time for lunch.
A Service of Thanksgiving was held in Holy Trinity Parish Church in Dunfanaghy on Sunday afternoon (23rd June 2024) to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the church’s consecration. It was led by the Group’s Rector, Rev David Skuce, and the sermon was preached by Bishop Andrew Forster.
The Bishop remarked on the faith and courage of the parishioners who built the church a century and a half ago on a site given by Stewarts of Arts. Designed by the celebrated engineer and architect John Lanyon, the work was completed in 1873 and the church was consecrated the following year.
Bishop Andrew described this as a time of uncertainty and fragility for the Church of Ireland, which had been disestablished five years earlier. He praised the confidence of those early parishioners, and others elsewhere in the Diocese, who – freed by disestablishment – embarked on the construction of church buildings, focusing on what they were really called to be – the people of God.
The Bishop invited the congregation to visualise five picture postcards of what the New Testament said the church could be like – the people of God; the body of Christ; the family of God; the Holy Temple; and the bride of Christ – using the themes to illustrate our calling to be good followers of Jesus and our responsibility to leave a good legacy for future generations.
There were joyful scenes in Christ Church Derry on Sunday evening (16th June 2024) both during and after the Service of Ordination in which three new OLM Deacons were ordained for the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe – Rev Linda Hughes, Rev Eleanor Craig and Rev Gillian Millar.
Relatives and friends of all three women – including many supporters from their respective parishes – were in church to see the laying on of hands by the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster.
“I know that this evening,” the Bishop said, “each of us will have a deep sense of both celebration and prayerfulness – celebrating the journey that God brings us in life and celebration as we see our candidate deacons take this very important step in their own discipleship and this very important step in their ministry.
“It is a joy for me to ordain any time,” Bishop Andrew said. “t’s a joy for me to ordain Eleanor and Gillian and Linda this evening. I’ve been part of their journey towards ordination and it’s been such a blessing for me to see three children of God open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, open to the prompting of the Church and open to the call of God in their lives. We want you to be blessed tonight because you’re a blessing to us, and we hope and pray that tonight will be really very, very special and that it will live long in your memory.”
The sermon was preached by Rev Dr Patrick McGlinchey, lecturer in Missiology and Pastoral Studies at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, who posed the questions: what was really needed in order to be ready for ordination; and what were the true credentials of the ordained person?
Dr McGlinchey suggested that the answers could be found in the first Scripture reading (Isaiah6 vs 1-18). “Even though thousands of years separated Isaiah in Jerusalem from Gillian, Eleanor and Linda, there are some interesting meeting points because as you read the story you realize that Isaiah had three unique credentials for his ministry and he had been called to exercise these traits to fulfill what God wanted him to do.”
The preacher said God wanted all three candidate deacons to grow in and to develop in their ministry. Trait number one, he said, was that Isaiah had a big vision of God, which he had gained from a literal vision. Isaiah discovered that God was real and it was this vision which probably sustained Isaiah’s entire prophetic ministry. “Whatever else is needed for ministry, we all need this compelling vision of a God who is real, a God who’s not dead but alive, a God who cares deeply for people to whom we minister and, ‘soon-to-be deacons’, a God who cares deeply for you.”
Dr McGlinchey said, though, that the vision of a great God brought with it a painful sense of our own inadequacy. Any who were called to ministry desperately needed an awareness of their own inadequacy so that they would truly rely on God alone. “You are not ready for ministry, you’re not qualified, you don’t have the credentials if you think that you are already up to the job…It’s when you recognize that you cannot do this task on your own strength that you truly will rely on the Lord.”
“For ordination you need a big vision of God; a sense of our inadequacy and our need of God; and finally a willingness to be available to him.” Dr McGlinchey shared with the new deacons what he referred to as a recipe – with only three ingredients – for sustaining that level of commitment in their ministry. The very first was being close to Jesus. The second was to preach the Gospel. And ingredient number three was to get to know and come to love the people to whom they were called to minister. “Your people will not care how much you know until they know how much you care. So, it’s that challenge to get alongside the people, to really get to know them, to pray for them by name, to be available for them, to be present to them, and as you do that you will be fulfilling the calling that you’ve been given.”
After the sermon, the candidate deacons stood before Bishop Andrew and answered a series of questions as part of the Rite of Ordination. The candidates then knelt before the Bishop and he placed his hands on their heads, asking God to pour out his Holy Spirit upon his servants. The new deacons were each vested with a stole by the Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller, and presented with a bible as a sign of their God-given authority to proclaim His word. The three women were then acclaimed by the clergy present and by the congregation.
The readings for Sunday evening’s service were delivered by Daniel Millar, Valerie Ferguson and Anne Heaslett. The music was provided by the Christ Church Choir, accompanied by Ben McGonigle on the organ and piano.
The Aghanloo, Balteagh, Carrick and Tamlaghtard Group of Parishes welcomed Bishop Andrew to St Lugha’s Parish Church, on Sunday morning (16th June 2024), for a special service at which gifts from the Church Wardens and members of the congregation were dedicated to the glory of God.
The service was led by the Rector, Rev Rhys Jones, who began by welcoming Bishop Andrew and his wife, Heather, to the service of worship, and by leading the congregation in prayer for the Bishop and his family.
During the service, a number of gifts were dedicated including new Advent and Lenten cloths in memory of all those who died in conflict; new Christmas and Easter colours in loving memory of Davey Moore; Pentecost cloths in memory of Robert Douglas; Trinity colours in memory of Dorothy and Rae King; and Communion linens on behalf of the Mullan and Smyth families. A new alms plate was gifted on behalf of the parishioners and a commemorative plaque was dedicated to the Glory of God and the honour of all our service personnel.
Also, during the service, a presentation was made on behalf of Rev Rhys and the Parish to Mrs Margaret Mullan, in recognition of her 12 years’ service as the Rector’s Warden.
Today’s Scripture readings – from 1 Samuel 15 v 34–35 and 16 1–13, and Mark 4 v 26–34 – related how David, Jesse’s youngest son who had been out “keeping the sheep”, was chosen as the Lord’s anointed one; and how “a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth…when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants”.
Bishop Andrew focused on these readings in his sermon, telling the congregation that each of us in the family of God had a role to play. “What is Jesus saying [in the Parable of the Mustard Seed]? He’s saying that small things matter. Small things are important. That Jesus Christ takes the small things that we offer him and uses them to build his kingdom: the kind word, the loving action, the faltering prayer – Jesus uses it.
“The small things matter,” Bishop Andrew said, “and it means that each of us, even if we feel inadequate, even if we feel we’re not like this one or that one, the small things – the little seed offered to God – he takes it and does something remarkable through it.”
Bishop Andrew said the parishioners of the Balteagh Group were blessed with four of the most picturesque parishes in the Diocese. Addressing the congregation in St Lugha’s, he said he wanted to thank them for the way they looked after their church and invested of their energy and care and love for the church.
However, the Bishop told the congregation that while the presence of God wasn’t bound up in a building, there was something about coming into a prayerful place – where generations had prayed and sung and worshipped and loved and cared for each other – that became really precious. “It becomes something that for you, and maybe generations of your family, this place – or Balteagh or Carrick or Tamlaghtard – have become really precious to you. And it’s more than simply bricks and mortar, stone and plaster; it’s a place that encapsulates for you what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to serve him.”
The Bishop thanked the parishioners for being present and ready to play their part in God’s family. “I want to thank you if – humbly, falteringly at times, maybe even frightened at times – that we’re prepared to take the step of faith, to follow Jesus and serve him because, let me tell you, it’s the most wonderful thing in the world to be a follower of Jesus Christ and you and I are called to follow him.”
Music for today’s service was provided by the Aghanloo Combined Choir which comprised members of all four churches in the group and the wider community. After the service, the congregation moved to a nearby gazebo – erected in the church grounds specially for the occasion – to enjoy refreshments and fellowship.
St Columb’s Cathedral’s long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated Festival of Cloaks was officially opened on Friday evening, June 14th 2024, by the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Most Rev Pat Storey, at a ceremony attended by the Lord Lieutenant for the County Borough of Londonderry, Mr Ian Crowe MBE.
The Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, told those present that he believed nothing like the festival had ever been held in Northern Ireland before. Speaking, he said, as a son of the Diocese of Kildare, he was delighted that the legacy of St Brigid in spreading the Gospel all across Ireland was now being recognised.
Opening the festival, Bishop Storey said it was a delight to be back in Derry-Londonderry and back in St Columb’s Cathedral. The Bishop shared something of the history of St Brigid – the patroness saint of Ireland.
“What’s a cloak for?”, Bishop Storey asked. “A cloak is to protect, to keep warm and to cover. And the legend around Saint Brigid is that there’s room for everyone under Brigid’s cloak. No one is beyond the Good News of Jesus Christ.
“Like Brigid, we’re alert to every opportunity for every single person on the planet. Brigid was known in particular for outreach in giving to the poor; for praying for healing and for caring for the planet. But most of all she made the most of her history and heritage of Christian faith. Brigid was centered on Christian faith. That is what she was for. That is what she felt her vocation was. So she acted and spoke only to share Good News.
“That legacy still exists in my cathedral – in St Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare – in this cathedral, and in the South we even get a bank holiday now in the name of St Brigid, which is almost the best thing of all. So, tonight, if you can be anything, be a Brigid. It is with great delight that I officially open the Festival of Cloaks.”
The Bishop of Derry, Most Rev Dr Donal McKeown, said the wonderful range of 78 cloaks on display reflected the “marvellous diversity” in our community and on this island. “I hope this will enable us to cherish our diversity, to see that as a richness and not as something that divides or threatens us. I hope it enables us to be proud of our past – recognising the rubble that’s there and seeing it as an opportunity to build a foundation for our wonderful young people who deserve better than earlier generations ever obtained or received.
“This is a very imaginative approach,” Bishop McKeown said, “to sharing a range of creativity but I hope it will enable all of us to look at the past and find a shared past – in its multiplicity of identities a shared past – because once we have a shared past, our spiritual intelligence through the grace of God will enable us to look forward to a shared future.”
As Bishop Andrew Forster moved forward to address those present, he was surprised by an unexpected rendition of ‘Happy birthday’, followed by a round of applause. Visibly taken aback, the Bishop pointed out that he wasn’t alone in having something to celebrate: Malcolm and Irene Hewitt, who were seated near the back of the church, were celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary – which prompted another round of applause, this time for the happy couple.
Bishop Andrew praised the organisers of the festival which he said would enhance the experience of visitors to the city throughout the summer.
The Bishop said there were frequent mentions of ‘robes’ in the Bible but he said Jesus talked about a ‘cloak’ in chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel, when he said if someone wants your tunic, give them your cloak. “One of the most important parts of the teaching of Jesus is to open our hearts to the generosity of God – the generosity of God in the giving of Himself and of ourselves to others, because those verses talk about that.
“There’s a physical generosity – somebody wants your tunic, give them your tunic as well, they’re going to need your cloak – but there’s a generosity of spirit, isn’t there? There’s a generosity of spirit that looks on someone who is perhaps in need and wants to go the extra mile to help. There’s a generosity of spirit that says to those who are struggling that we want to help. There’s a generosity of spirit that sees the other as part of the family of God and part of our responsibility. So, the cloak that Jesus talks about sharing, speaks into our hearts about having a generosity of spirit and a generosity of heart.
“In this city that we all love, and across this city, let’s work and pray for a generosity of spirit, that the cloak is freely given, that we have a generosity of heart to those who struggle, to those from whom we differ, that we have that generosity of spirit that says ‘Yes’ to the generosity of God in our lives and we share the cloak as Jesus tells us to do.
“I want to wish great success on this wonderful display right throughout the summer.”
Music for the service was provided by Tracey McRory who performed on the harp and the violin; soprano, Susan Wilson, accompanied by Ben McGonigle; and the Cathedral Girls’ Choir, directed by Nicky Morton,
The Festival of Cloaks will continue at St Columb’s Cathedral until the 31st of August, and will be open from Monday to Saturday from 10am until 4pm.
There was a surprise in store for Bishop Andrew, on Friday 14th June 20242, when he travelled to Gartan National School to officially open its new extension and playscape. The staff at the school had done their homework and found out that the Bishop was celebrating his birthday, the same day and, while the school community gave thanks for their impressive new classroom block and wonderful new playground, Bishop Andrew was presented with a chocolate birthday cake, complete with sparkling fountain candle.
It wasn’t the only cake on hand at the school, which overlooks Gartan Lake. There was another, with the words ‘Celebration Day 2024’ iced on it, which captured perfectly the sense of achievement among staff and pupils as another academic year drew towards a close.
There were tears among pupils and parents as four of the older children bade farewell to their teachers and fellow pupils before preparing to head off for the summer and then the next stage in their education. Presentations were made to two pupils for their perfect attendance records this year.
Principal Ann Gourley thanked the many people who had helped make the new extension a reality. She said the school had been waiting for the new classroom since 2007. And she praised members of the school community for helping to raise the funds – and doing the work – that led to the opening today of the new playscape.
Bishop Andrew said the boys and girls at Gartan were a credit to their parents and guardians, and said he was “hugely proud” of Gartan School. “A happy, healthy, learning environment in school is not only a blessing to what happens in here,” he said, “it’s a blessing to each and every home that’s represented [here] and it’s a blessing to the wider community.”
The Bishop was subsequently invited to perform not one but two opening ceremonies, cutting the ribbon on the new extension and then on the play area.
Members and clergy from Londonderry’s four main Christian denominations have taken part in a special service to mark the Feast Day of Saint Columba. It’s believed this afternoon’s service in St Augustine’s Church – ‘the Wee Church on the Walls – [on Sunday 9th June 2024] was the first united inter-denominational service in honour of the city’s founder and patron saint.
Incessant rain meant that the original plan, to hold it in the grounds of St Augustine’s and on the city walls, was revised and the service was moved indoors. The venue was an appropriate one since archaeologists believe St Augustine’s is the site on which Columba founded his first church, Dubh Regles.
The Rector, Rev Nigel Cairns, welcomed “the great and the good” – his fellow clergy – and what he called “the most important people”, the members of the congregation, to what he called a “significant inter-denominational day of being together – a day for our city and for our Christian witness in it”.
The Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller, said the psalmist reminded us that it was a good and pleasant thing when brothers and sisters dwelt together in unity. “It is good to be together and to share ecumenically in what we believe to be the first of this kind of service in the city – certainly that we’re aware of. I bring greetings from the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, who is in Gartan as we’re gathering here so, again, not only are we joining together here but we’re joining our praises and prayers in other places where Columba is remembered.
“Of course,” the Archdeacon said, “it’s important for us to remember not just the person and the stories that we have and that we pass on about Saint Columba, but to remember his charism, that of bringing the Word of life and the Word of hope and of love to this community and indeed to many other communities as well.”
The Rev Peter Morris from Carlisle Road Methodist Church and the Rev Nigel Cairns shared excerpts from the Amra Cholm Cille (or Dallan’s Eulogy), translated by P.L. Henry. These reflected Columba’s devotion to the Gospels and his role as a peacemaker among warring tribes in Ireland and Scotland.
The minister of First Derry Presbyterian Church, Rev Colin Jones, read a Scripture reading from the Gospel of St Mark, and this was followed by an inter-denominational address by the Bishop of Derry, Most Rev Dr Donal McKeown.
Bishop McKeown said if you asked most young people here what the big event of this weekend was, they were unlikely to choose today’s inter-denominational service, nor even St Columba’s Day. They were more likely to suggest Taylor Swift’s first UK concert. Over the 20 months from March last year until Christmas this year, the Bishop said, Swift will have performed 152 shows on five continents grossing over $1billion. “Against that,” he said, “all our celebrations this weekend, in all our different traditions, pale into insignificance. And yet we’re celebrating Saint Columba just over one-thousand-five-hundred years after his birth. So, I ask myself whether the songs of Ms Swift will be remembered long after the end of her career, or 1,500 years after the end of her career?”
Dr McKeown wondered why Saint Columba was being remembered after such a long time. “Maybe because we see in him a figure who struggled with many of the realities that afflict people in every generation. He knew like we do what can happen when family and community loyalties clash and people get hurt. He knew what it meant to be sorry for past events but not trapped in them.”
The Bishop said there were a number of things we could learn from Columba who, he said, didn’t skirt round the reality of hatred or exclusion in his own day. In a culture where so many slogans want us to be angry about everything, Columba would want us to do better than to be anger-mongers. The Gospel that Columba loved, Dr McKeown suggested, challenged us to become great people, focused not on ‘me’ and ‘my little world’ but the welfare of our community, our society and our world.
Columba was a monk who lived in community, the Bishop said. The life of a monastery can’t have been easy, but renewal in the church – in all our churches – so often involves groups coming together and supporting one another in reaching out to the margins. Columba reminded us of the importance of community-building, especially in an age of lonely individualism. “Without the example of Columba and so many prophetic leaders, there’d be little renewal for any of us,” Bishop Donal said.
Closing prayers were offered by the Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, who asked God to take away all hatred and prejudice and anything else that may hinder us from Godly union and concourse. “We remember with thanksgiving those who in times past left these shores to bring the message of God’s love to people in other parts of the world. But today, with more and more people coming to our shores from other parts of the world, we pray that their understanding of God’s love will bring a fresh vision to our lives.
“O Lord, we thank you for the saints of our own nations; for those who in earlier years pioneered the Gospel in our land; for those who kept the lamp of faith burning in times of spiritual darkness; for those who bravely suffered martyrdom for the truth they loved; for those who went as messengers of Christ to distant lands to share the Good News with others; for those who fought the battle for social righteousness and cared for the poor and oppressed. Keep us ever mindful, O God, of the example of these your saints, and make us more worthy to follow in their steps, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.”
Bishop Andrew has paid tribute to the Rev David and Rev Heather Houlton who retire today after six and a half years ministry in the Parish of Conwal Union with Gartan. Rev David has served as Rector throughout that period, while Rev Heather has served as Chaplain of Letterkenny University Hospital and Associate Minister of Conwal Union and Gartan.
The couple’s last service [on Sunday 9th June 2024] was an important one for the local Church of Ireland community, the Annual Diocesan St Columba Celebration which usually takes place outdoors at Gartan Abbey – not far from where Columba is reputed to have been born – but which was forced indoors instead this year, to Gartan Parish Church in Churchhill, because of driving rain.
Bishop Andrew said it was an auspicious day – the actual Feast Day of St Columba – but that there was a sadness to the day, as well, as they bade a very fond farewell to Rev Heather and to Rev David from the parishes and from the diocese. “I want to thank Heather and David personally for their ministry in Conwal and Gartan over the last six and a half years. You very quickly endeared yourselves to your parishioners and your ministry has been marked by real love of your people and a love in sharing the goodness of God with them.
“Heather, I want to thank you, in particular,” the Bishop said, “for your ministry in the hospital in Letterkenny as a chaplain. I know from around the diocese that that has been deeply appreciated by so many. Thank you for all you have done.”
And turning to her husband, Bishop Andrew said, “I suppose a Yorkshire man has to go back to Yorkshire, doesn’t he, to retire? We’d much prefer you to stay in Donegal, but we do wish you every blessing for the future. We’ve great thankfulness for all that you’ve done and, you know, you’ll always have a welcome in the homes of Donegal; you know that.”
In his sermon, Bishop Andrew held St Columba up as a model for the modern church to follow and as an inspiration for God’s people nowadays. The saint was born “up the road” in the year 521, the Bishop said, and he was born into a noble family, an aristocratic, princely family. He could’ve held onto that chieftain lifestyle; he could’ve stayed a favourite son of a favourite prince, and lived with all the benefits and prestige that that would have brought him. “But not so for Columba, because Columba was a follower. He was a wholehearted follower of Jesus Christ.
“For him, being a follower would lead him on pilgrimage, pilgrimage to do the work of God in different places. And for us, if we follow the example of Columba, we’re to be followers, followers whose pilgrimage might keep us in our own locality but yet it is still a pilgrimage that should lead us deeper into the love of God, as his children. The problem is, at times, that we end up following the wrong things, whereas Columba, this prince, decides ‘I will be a follower of Jesus Christ’ and following Christ for Columba becomes this absolute passion in his life. And what he did as a result of that, I think, is a wonderful model for the church today.”
Bishop Andrew said the monastery that Columba founded in Derry became much more than the walls of a building in which the worship of God happened. It became a place of education, of rudimentary healthcare, a place of commerce and trade, and a place where people learned skills. And Columba replicated that in Ireland and Scotland. “He was this passionate follower of Jesus Christ and his passion for being a follower meant that he couldn’t keep it to himself,” Bishop Andrew said. “He has this amazing model of planting churches and out of the planting of a church bless[ing] the wider community.
“And I think it’s a beautiful picture for us if we’re to be truly Columban followers that we see the church not simply as the monastery where we worship God and [which we] then disappear from, but that the family of God and we as individual followers of Jesus Christ are people who share that in every aspect of our lives.
“Following him means whether it’s in education, or in our workplace or wherever we are, that we are followers of Jesus, carrying his love and his grace with us. Unfortunately, in society today, we’ve got too reticent, too nervous to do that, whereas you and I believe it’s the most wonderful thing in the world to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
“Columba knew it was the most wonderful thing in the world. That’s why he planted monasteries all over the place, and I think it’s a wonderful picture for us, in a secularising world. He started off in a pagan world, sharing the light of Christ; we live in a secularising world and we can follow his example in sharing the light of Christ in every aspect of life. That’s what it means to be a follower. It’s not simply locked up in the walls of a monastery or the walls of a church.”
Bishop Andrew paid tribute, too, to the Britannia Band, who provided music as usual for today’s service. And afterwards, also as usual, the congregation enjoyed fellowship and refreshments thanks to the generosity of the Gartan parishioners.
(Photos provided by Ven. David Huss, Archdeacon of Raphoe)
There was double cause for celebration in St Eunan’s Cathedral in Raphoe on Sunday evening (28th May 2024) as Rev Canon Mervyn Peoples was installed as Prebendary of Killymard and a member of the Cathedral Chapter on the day that he and his wife, Diane, celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary.
The couple’s children and grandchildren were in the Cathedral for an historic occasion for the Raphoe Group and an emotional one for the Peoples family.
The service was led by the Dean of Raphoe, Very Rev Liz Fitzgerald, and presided over by the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster.
The appointment was first announced last December by Bishop Andrew, and filled the vacancy in the Cathedral Chapter which followed the retirement of Rev Canon Judi McGaffin.
Canon Peoples has served in more than a dozen parishes in our diocese since his ordination, and clergy and parishioners from many of them were in St Eunan’s for this evening’s service.
The sermon was preached by the Rector of the Parish of Agherton (Portstewart), Rev Malcolm Ferry, reciprocating the service done almost eight years earlier when Canon People’s preached at the installation of the new Canon Ferry in St Columb’s Cathedral.
In his sermon this evening, Rev Ferry said, “Knowing Mervyn for as long as I do, I know that honour, position and status do not fit well in the same sentence as the name ‘Mervyn Peoples’. Mervyn was never one to look for – or be remotely interested in – the ladder of perceived success and fame. To use a football analogy, Mervyn did his talking ‘on the pitch’ of parish life by his work. He is a pastor first and foremost; a pastor second and always; and a pastor loved and respected.
“Where should a pastor do his talking?,” Rev Ferry asked. “On the pitch – which, for Mervyn, was the living rooms of the homes he faithfully visited; the bedsides where he brought the love and compassion of God to the sick and dying; and, of course, to the hospital wards where like all of us who are ordained, prayer and ministry to whoever stopped and said, ‘Hi, Father, can you come and pray with the family?’
The preacher said that two lives were about to change after, and as a result of, this evening’s service: Canon Peoples’ life and “the life of this cathedral church”, placed in the midst of Raphoe and district.
“So, this pastor’s heart now has a role within this historic place,” Canon Ferry suggested. “The change for Canon Peoples will be one he takes very seriously. He is a senior clergy of the Diocese and with that comes a need to be careful in the use of foolish words or gimmick-led tokenism, especially when it comes to the proclamation of the Gospel. Mervyn has that genuineness of faith that won’t dip into the mire of popularism.
“Mervyn will ‘struggle’, in a sense, with the status of being in a position of authority and wisdom, not because of lack of knowledge – far from it – but because he’s normally, I’m going to say, shy when it comes to being the centre of attention. So, Mervyn, step up…… you are a man of wisdom and faith, and the younger clergy and people will benefit from your purity of faith and humble example.
“The second life that must change is the life of this place. The Dean has now, as one of her colleagues, a pastor of Gold Standard. His witness here may be to support and encourage the pastoral heart of this wonderful place. It would be such a wonderful thing for the beating heart of a building like this to be the pastoral heart of the parishioners and of the town and wider community.”
Rev Ferry said the life of the Cathedral wasn’t set back in some ancient times. The life of this place was not to hark back to some perceived glory days. The life of this place was now, he said. “The life of the cathedral will reflect the time we find ourselves [in] now. We are to proclaim the Gospel now – this evening and for the days to come – in this historic and and beautiful church.
“And there in that sentence – ‘We are to proclaim the Gospel now’ – it creates a door for me to open, which Mervyn will expect. In his mind, he would say, ‘First and foremost, Malcolm, this evening should be about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ Now, that would be Mervyn’s call to me.”
After the sermon, the Diocesan Registrar, Rev Canon David Crooks, brought the new Canon forward and read the Bishop’s Mandate, after which Dean Fitzgerald invited Canon Peoples to make the Chapter Declaration.
The congregation had to wait until the supper afterwards, in the nearby Cathedral Hall, to hear from him again. There, Canon Peoples thanked Bishop Andrew for conferring on him “the great privilege” of being a Canon in the ancient Cathedral of St Eunan, and Dean Fitzgerald for making the preparations for the Service of Installation.
“It was in this Cathedral parish,” he said, “that I commenced my ministry in 2006, under Dean Hay, who unfortunately cannot be with us tonight due to health reasons, but we wish him well. And this unique place holds very, very special memories for me, from the Mothers’ Union concerts here in the hall to the unforgettable Sunday School. And I also want to mention tonight my many friends and colleagues who have made the journey here tonight, in many cases travelling many miles to be with us. I thank each one of you for your support and the encouragement that you have been to me over so many years.
“Tonight I want to thank especially our preacher, Rev Malcolm Ferry, whom I have known and respected for many years, having served under him in All Saints Clooney in Londonderry. We worked really well together, we never had an argument or a bad word or a falling out throughout all the years we were there, and I’m sure that’s largely due to him.
“It would be remiss of me if I did not thank my wife Diane for the many times that Church life meant that family occasions were sacrificed. This, of course, is something that all clergy experience in their ministry. Diane has been and continues to be a wonderful source of inspiration. Today, as you’ve heard, we celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary and each one of those years has been a blessing to me. It was pure chance that our anniversary fell on the date of my installation.”
Canon Peoples thanked those who had prepared the supper, and again thanked all those who had come to the service.
“At the end of my ordination service as a priest in 2007, the Bishop said these words: ‘Remember always with thanksgiving that the treasure now entrusted to you is Christ’s own flock.’ These words have resonated with me ever since. Christ’s own flock is, indeed, a true treasure that all ordained clergy have entrusted to them. It has been, and remains, a great privilege to treasure Christ’s own flock and to serve them wherever I have been across our great united Dioceses. And one thing I’ve found is that there are so many committed Christian people everywhere. All they ask is to be loved and cared for in Christ’s sheepfold. To be nourished, encouraged and built up in their faith. And, of course, I thank Almighty God for granting me the strength to carry out my ministry.
“Some people, in recent months, have asked me if I’m fearful for the future with regard to the outcome of our Diocesan Review,” Canon Peoples said. “I am not fearful, and rather optimistic, because we will have the opportunity to take stock and build an even stronger church in Derry and Raphoe. After all, we are Easter people – a people of hope – because, as I have said on many occasions over the years, we know that in the end God’s church will prevail. Of that, we can be certain.”
The proceedings were brought to a close by Bishop Andrew who said that sometimes the decisions that bishops made could make them unpopular and sometimes the decisions that bishops made could make them popular. “Do you see making Canon Mervyn Peoples a canon, I tell you, that’s made me very popular. It really has.”
Bishop Andrew took a moment to explain why he had appointed Canon Peoples to the position. “Mervyn has given sterling service to many parishes across this diocese. When I go around the diocese people will often ask me where Mervyn is and they’ll tell me of some kindnesses he has shown to them in the past. Without complaint he has been ready to go wherever he has been asked to go to serve God. He has done that with full energy, with full commitment, with a full love for God and his church. And, as Bishop, I want to acknowledge that in one of the few tangible ways that I can, by making him a Canon of the Cathedral. That’s one of the reasons – the service that Mervyn has given and continues to give.
“But I want to say – and this will embarrass him – St Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit. Now, fruit is something that grows on trees. An apple tree grows apples and a pear tree grows pears. For Christians, we are told by St Paul what the fruit of the Spirit should be that grows in us. You can read about it in Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, and he says this: ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control.
“That fruit of the Spirit is so evidently seen in the life of Canon Mervyn Peoples. And making him – and asking him to be – a Canon in this Cathedral was one way of being able to acknowledge his service and his godliness, and that’s a joy for me, as it is a joy for all of us in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.”
Families and clergy from across the Diocese arrived at the Dunlewey Centre in Donegal on Saturday for this year’s Family Fun Day, organised by our SEEDS Children’s Ministry.
The temperatures weren’t as high as in recent days, which meant that the midges were nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, too, the rain stayed away, and the longer the day wore on, the brighter and warmer it got.
While the bulk of the day was devoted to fun (as the name suggests), it began with worship, led by the Rector of the Parish of Urney, Rev Johnny McFarland, assisted by our Children’s Ministry Officer, Kirsty McCartney.
During the service, Emma Lutton of CMS Ireland shared a reflection with the children about the challenges facing refugees and migrants who were fleeing conflict in the case of the former, or seeking to improve their lives in the case of the latter.
After prayers and hymns, the day belonged to the families, with young and old enjoying the fun. The centre, which nestles between Dunlewey Lake and Mount Errigal (whose summit was shrouded by cloud today), is being extensively renovated.
Toddlers enjoyed the soft play area. Older children expended plenty of energy in well-equipped playground. It was hard to tell whether the adults or their young charges enjoyed the pedalos more. And for those in search of a more cerebral test, there were displays of weaving and spinning using a traditional loom and wheel.
