12.04.2014
Athy Welcomes New Rector as the Revd Olive Donohoe is Instituted
An evening of celebration in St Michael’s Church, Athy, ensured a warm welcome for the new Rector of the parish. The Revd Olive Donohoe was instituted as the Rector of Athy and Kilberry by Archbishop Michael Jackson yesterday evening (Friday April 11).
The church was full of parishioners, both from her new parish and her former parish of Stradbally, along with family, friends and well wishers. The congregation included Bishop Walton Empey, former Archbishop of Dublin and clergy from neighbouring parishes as well as representatives of both the Roman Catholic and Methodist communities in Athy. Also present was Alice Leahy of Trust, the Dublin homelessness charity which Olive has supported for some years. Dean Philip Knowles, formerly Dean of Cashel, took part in the service.
Introducing the service, Archbishop Jackson said he was delighted to welcome Olive to the parish and to the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. “This is an auspicious occasion for the Church of Ireland in Athy. An Institution is always a joyous occasion as a member of the clergy takes up a new responsibility which is at the heart of Church life,” he said.
The humorous, touching and inspiring sermon, which resulted in spontaneous applause at the end, was delivered by the Archdeacon of Tuam, Canon Gary Hastings. He said that the parish was getting a bargain with their new Rector. He described Olive as a “very able lady” who was kind, compassionate, wise and could get things done.
He said that institutions could be worrying events for both the new Rector and parishioners. The Rector may worry if she had made the right choice and if there could be “an unexploded parishioner” who had been harbouring a grudge for generations waiting around the corner. Although he conceded that those in Athy looked reasonable. Parishioners may worry also, wondering if she would listen to them, engage with them and get involved, but he reassured them that she would.
Canon Hastings said that many people did not know what the job of the Rector entailed and believed that they only worked on Sundays. However, he outlined a huge range of skills needed, from counselling to a basic knowledge of animal husbandry. Somewhere near the bottom of the list came Jesus, he stated but said that none of the rest of the work was possible without Jesus.
“The Church is about people. People minding each other, loving each other, praying with each other and everything else should come after that,” he stated. “Her real job is to pray – to pray for you, with you, to teach you to pray and to be beside you [at points of celebration and points of crisis]. This girl has been around a few corners and has a lot to teach you. She is on your side and that is the side of Christ.” He asked her new parishioners to remember that Olive is a human being and urged them to look after her so that she could look after them.
After the service in Athy Parish Centre, Rural Dean, the Revd Leonard Ruddock, praised the team effort that went into running the parish during the vacancy.
Niall Perry, secretary of the Select Vestry, explained that following the departure of their previous Rector, the Revd Cliff Jeffers, they took the opportunity to take stock of all the good work that had been done. He said that he felt, with the appointment of Olive, that they could build on that sound base.
Fr Tim Hannon, representing the local Roman Catholic parish, spoke about the building of relationships within the community and wished Olive every blessing. Methodist Minister, the Revd Bill Olmsted, agreed with the preacher’s assessment of Olive, adding that she worked extremely hard and was a “priest, a pastor and a very good friend. Deputy Jack Wall said it was wonderful for Athy to have a new rector and wished Olive well.
Olive thanked her new parishioners for the warm welcome and thanked them for making her feel at home so soon. She thanked Canon Hastings for his sermon and said it was lovely to be so happy together in church.
Archbishop Michael Jackson concluded proceedings by saying that visitors to the parish had gained a “real sense of the warmth that was at the heart of the community in Athy”. He said that Olive was a warm and compassionate person who loved being with other people. He paid tribute to the Revd Leonard Ruddock for the efforts he put into making the evening go seamlessly and wished the parish and Olive well as they entered Holy Week with the opportunity it presented for the rector to meet her parishioners at this powerful time in the Christian calendar.
Photo captions:
Top: The Revd Olive Donohoe and Archbishop Michael Jackson.
Bottom: The Revd Olive Donohoe and some of parish’s church wardens.