The parishioners of Conwal with Gartan have today been finding out the name of their new Rector. He’s the Rev Adrian Dorrian, currently Vicar of the Lecale Area Mission Partnership (LAMP parishes) in the Diocese of Down & Dromore and a former president of Church Mission Society Ireland. A date has yet to be arranged for his institution but Rev Dorrian will succeed Rev David Houlton, who retired last June.
Adrian is a native of Groomsport, in County Down, where he was a Sunday School teacher, a Church Warden and a BB officer. He attended Bangor Grammar School before studying at Queen’s University, Belfast, graduating with a degree in Theology and Drama.
Before his ordination in 2006 (at the age of 24), he had been working as a youth drama worker with the Christian outreach Youth Initiative. When he was first instituted as a rector, in the Parish of St Peter and St James, Belfast in June 2009, he was believed to be the youngest rector in Ireland. Five years ago he was instituted as Vicar for the LAMP Parishes – a group of more than a dozen small parishes supporting each other in the Downpatrick area.
In addition to his CMS Ireland work, Rev Dorrian has served on a number of high profile committees including the Church of Ireland’s Northern Ireland Community Relations Working Group and the Church’s Mens’ Society. He has sat on the Liturgical Advisory Committee for most of his ordained life. “I teach liturgy for the OLM [Ordained Local Ministry] programme,” he points out, “and provide liturgy training for Diocesan Reader candidates at central Church level.”
Rev Dorrian said it would be a wrench for him and his wife Anne to leave the LAMP Group of Parishes, having enjoyed their nine years’ ministry in East Down, but he said they were looking forward to the move to Letterkenny. “We enjoyed nine wonderful years in Downpatrick – me in ministry and Anne working as a teacher in two local schools. I was responsible for developing the work among children and young people, which was incredibly fulfilling.” He built warm relationships with other churches in Downpatrick and looks forward to continuing that work in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. “Everywhere I’ve been,” he says, “ecumenical worship has been a big part of my ministry. It’s very important to me and Anne.
“It’ll be a wrench to leave East Down, but Anne and I are looking forward immensely to this new challenge in Conwal and Gartan. We love Donegal – I have family roots there – and we know Letterkenny, in particular, quite well. We’ve stayed there frequently in the past. We’ve good friends in the county, too, so we’re excited about this next step in ministry and eager to find out what God has planned for us.”
