26.08.2014
Kevin Conroy – Looking Forward to Ministry as Intern Deacon in Stillorgan
On Sunday September 21 five new Deacons will be ordained in Christ Church Cathedral. They are Kevin Conroy, David Martin, Alan Breen, Abigail Sines and Cathy Hallissey and they will be Intern Deacons in parishes in Dublin and Glendalough where they will work until next summer. Each has written a piece about themselves and each day this week they will be profiled in turn.
Kevin Conroy (St Brigid’s and All Saints, Stillorgan)
Kevin Conroy (pictured) has just completed the four year part–time Mth course in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute and will be ordained on September 21 before serving as Deacon Intern in St Brigid’s and All Saints, Stillorgan, Dublin.
Kevin was was born in Portlaoise in 1965 and is the youngest of four sons (Brian, Declan and Aiden) who are living with their own families in Dublin and London. School was spent with the Christian Brothers in Portlaoise following which, being so impressed with the life and work of the Brothers, he joined the congregation in 1983 and spent five years as a junior–professed brother living in a number of monasteries across Dublin and Wicklow.
Kevin left the congregation and married Olive in 1991 whom he met when they were both members of the Westland Row (Dublin) folk group and subsequently settled in Wicklow town. They were blessed with three children, Shane (1993), Cathal (1996) and Cian (1999), and entertained by two pets, Bella (cat) and Buddy (dog).
Kevin currently works in the IT industry but has been employed in a variety of industries and sectors over the years including:
· Agfa – Sales Support (remember films?!);
· Bayer – Credit Controller;
· Central Bank of Ireland – Programmer/Analyst;
· SAP – Engagement Architect (a.k.a. technical account support lead).
Kevin’s role has brought him across most of Europe and into the Middle East but be warned, he relies on his children to fix pcs and phones!
Kevin’s journey to ministry in the Church of Ireland and study at CITI was helped along by Fr John Byrne O.P., Canon John Clarke and Dean Dermot Dunne whose gentle support carried him through a time of considerable unsettlement and questioning. His presence in CITI might best be remembered for playing the piano accordion in support of prayer services on those occasions when a pianist could not be found. There are allegations that he occasionally played a bum note which, of course, he denies.
“I am looking forward to my future ministry with great hope, especially as my employer has given me the opportunity to explore chaplaincy activities in support of my colleagues,” Kevin comments.