21.09.2014
New Deacons Urged to Look on Challenges as God Given Opportunities
Archbishop Michael Jackson ordained five men and women to the Diaconate in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, this afternoon (Sunday September 21). The Revd Kevin Conroy, the Revd David Martin, the Revd Alan Breen, the Revd Abigail Sines and the Revd Cathy Hallissey were ordained before a large crowd of family and friends as well as clergy and members of their parishes.
Also present were well wishers from the parishes of Stillorgan, Howth, Greystones, Glenageary and Kilternan in which they will serve as Intern Deacons until next summer.
The sermon was preached by the Revd Gary Dowd, Rector of St Paul’s, Glenageary. He reflected on the changing nature of the church, its ministry and its mission. He said that while many tried to resist and impede change, he believed that the church was in a period of transition “as we struggle to deal with the gradual realisation that much of what served us so well in the past in terms of structure and practice, has to be shed or radically reformed, so that the church has the freedom to minister more dynamically and effectively”.
He observed that the five candidates for ordination came from diverse backgrounds and suggested that this could be a sign that the old boundaries and divisions within the institutional church were crumbling.
He reminded the candidates that God had called them to serve and said that serving others was at the heart of all ministry. He also urged them to maintain the sense of excitement and enthusiasm that they felt in advance of their ordination.
He said that the church and the candidates would face challenges and uncertainty ahead “but instead of becoming increasingly disillusioned, lethargic and cynical we must look on the current challenges we face as a church as a God given opportunity to offer the good news of Jesus Christ to the world in new, fresh and dynamic ways. As God is still calling diverse and gifted people to serve the church, we should be facing the future filled with hope and optimism”.
The Revd Gary Dowd’s sermon is reproduced in full below.
Photo captions:
Top – Newly ordained Deacons – the Revd Alan Breen, the Revd Cathy Hallissey, the Revd Abigail Sines, the Revd Kevin Conroy and the Revd David Martin with Archbishop Michael Jackson this afternoon.
Middle – The candidates for ordination make their declarations surrounded by their colleagues in the Chapter Room of Christ Church Cathedral.
Below – The Revd Gary Dowd.
Ordination of Deacons
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
21 September 2014
Sermon by the Revd Gary Dowd
Forgive me for beginning on a personal note. But it is just over 28 years since I was ordained deacon, together with Paul Willoughby and the late Stephen Hilliard, in this very building by Archbishop Donald Caird. I have no idea where that time has gone. I cannot recall who preached at that service back in June 1986 let alone anything that was said from this pulpit so I am under no illusions that any of the five candidates this afternoon will remember, let alone be inspired or motivated, by anything I might say.
On the day I was made deacon, I probably looked at some of the senior clergy present and offered a silent prayer “Lord, please may I never end up like them”. But of course in those intervening years I have become them and these days I must confess, I am often weary, disillusioned and cynical about the church I have tried to serve. If the institutional church were a ship I have come to see it as being rudderless, fatally holed below the water line, sinking, a vessel long since abandoned by many of those in whom we have invested so much of our time and energies trying to keep on board. If I was being totally honest with David, Kevin, Alan, Cathy and Abigail I would NOT want to be in their shoes this afternoon, starting out, as they are, in ordained ministry in 2014.
I realise that this could hardly be described as a very positive message so far. Nothing like the affirmation or encouragement each of them need on this life changing occasion.
Let us try and change that. Just a few minutes ago the Archbishop asked each of the candidates the following question: Do you believe in your heart that God has called you to the office and work of a deacon in his Church? Each replied: I believe that God has called me. You cannot get much more positive than that: I believe God has called me. However ageing, cynical fools like me view the current state of the church and the effectiveness or otherwise of its ministry and mission, God continues to call people to serve the church. Of course, God can revive the church. God will revive the church, God is reviving the church, despite the best efforts of some of us, but that church is unlikely to be in the form that many of us have known or been familiar with. That thought may well frighten us. Some will always resist change, try to selfishly cling on to what makes them feel comfortable and secure, they will do all in their power to hinder innovation, thwart fresh ideas and impede new ways of being church but I have come to believe that we are presently living through a period of transition as we struggle to deal with the gradual realisation that much of what served us so well in the past in terms of structure and practice, has to be shed or radically reformed, so that the church has the freedom to minister more dynamically and effectively.
I read with great interest the profiles of each of the candidates as they appeared on the Diocesan website at the end of August. Firstly, I was struck by the diversity of backgrounds within the group and the circuitous route each has already travelled to get to this point this afternoon. At least two have lived or worked on another continent. Sensing a call to move from Hawaii to Dunmurry certainly demonstrates that God has a sense of humour! All the candidates have already been involved in other forms of ministry, often within other denominations and traditions, much of it innovative and new. And now they believe that God has called them to be a deacon in his church, God obviously wants to work through each of them as they build on those experiences. A very real danger for those of us who have responsibility for these intern deacons for the next nine months is that we will be tempted to overlook, ignore or belittle that experience. “O forget what you have done in the past, this is how things have always been done in the Church of Ireland!! Such an attitude would be to the detriment of both the newly ordained deacons and to the wider church as a whole. Could the diverse nature of this group of candidates be a sign that old boundaries and divisions within the institutional church are finally crumbling? Is the Church of Ireland at last ridding itself of the perception that it is little more than a private members club? Hopefully we are finally moving towards becoming the inclusive, witnessing community that welcomes every seeker regardless of their background or tradition.
David, Kevin, Alan, Cathy, Abigail, in believing that God has called you to be a deacon in his church you also acknowledge that God is calling you to serve. No matter what sort of preferment may come your way in the future you should never forget, as some of us unfortunately do, that serving others is at the heart of ALL ministry. Recently, prominent church figures such as Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, have been putting renewed emphasis on their call to service. Both have chosen to shun many of the traditions and symbols of office in order to give them greater opportunities to come along side people, humbly offering themselves and their gifts to others. All of us are called to do the same.
One thing that has changed quite dramatically over the 28 years since I was ordained is the standing of clergy in the wider community. Once upon a time it set you apart, gave you status, guaranteed you a place at the top table, automatic access to places such as hospitals and insured you had a platform from which to speak. Those days, in my experience, have largely gone. Surely this is not a great cause for regret, but rather a welcome development. With fewer barriers and pre conceptions between those of us who are ordained and the people we encounter, it should make ministry that little bit easier.
The second thing that came through from reading those profiles of the candidates today was their excitement and enthusiasm about their forthcoming ordination and the hopes they had for their future ministry. Sitting in on a few select vestry meetings over the coming months should soon temper that. Seriously though, I urge those about to be ordained deacon today, do everything you can to maintain that sense of excitement and enthusiasm going forward, make time to pray , read, study, think, spend time with family and friends, get away from time to time, maintain your hobbies and interests outside of the church, otherwise you will burn out. You may think that you have travelled in a rather roundabout way to get to this stage but please believe me when I say there are many more ups and downs, twists and turns, highs and lows yet to come. That sense of being “called by God” doesn’t mean that a smooth path lies ahead. As in any walk of life there will be the routine, the mundane and the downright boring, but you just never know what the next telephone call or knock on the door will bring. The excitement and enthusiasm each of you is experiencing as you look forward is, I hope, mixed with more than a little nervousness, apprehension and fear about your worthiness and ability to deal with all that lies ahead. That is quite normal, we would worry if it were not so.
One of the certainties about ordained ministry is the uncertainty of it. Those being ordained today do face more uncertainties than my generation, there can be no getting away from that. Is our parish system on the verge of collapse? Will there be the financial resources to provide stipends for as many full time clergy as we have had in the past? Is the institutional church in terminal decline? These are just some of the issues we face but ones that, so far, we have lacked the courage or the vision or the energy to really confront. But instead of becoming increasingly disillusioned, lethargic and cynical we must look on the current challenges we face as a church as a God given opportunity to offer the good news of Jesus Christ to the world in new, fresh and dynamic ways.
As God is still calling diverse and gifted people to serve the church, we should be facing the future filled with hope and optimism.