07.12.2014
Trinity College Chapel Community Says Farewell to Revd Darren McCallig
The Revd Darren McCallig bade farewell to the community of Trinity College Chapel this morning (Sunday December 7). After seven years as Dean of Residence and Church of Ireland Chaplain of Trinity College, Dublin, Darren is moving to Denmark to become the Chaplain of St Alban’s in Copenhagen in the Diocese of Europe.
Before a congregation filled with family, friends and well wishers, Darren preached his last sermon as chaplain. It also happened to be the last in the ‘By the Book’ series which has been running in the chapel this term and has featured addresses by visiting speakers who highlighted books that had influenced their lives.
The volume he chose to speak on was God Is Not A Christian by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the chaplain recalled the morning that Archbishop Tutu joined them in Trinity College Chapel for Morning Prayer on February 17 2009.
He suggested that God Is Not A Christian contained three central convictions which Archbishop Tutu held dear and which he hoped had been central to the Trinity College Chaplaincy over the last seven years also.
The first conviction is the belief that we are all God’s children and therefore we are all, without exception, of equal worth and dignity. Discrimination of any type – racism, sexism or homophobia – is unacceptable and opposing discrimination is a matter of justice and love, the preacher said.
The second conviction is the belief that God is bigger than any religion and no faith, even the Christian faith, could ever encompass God.
The third conviction is that this is a moral universe in which justice and love will have the last word over injustice and hate.
The sermon received a round of applause. Podcasts of all the addresses given in the ‘By the Book’ series are available on the Chaplaincy website at www.tcd.ie/chaplaincy
Tributes flowed to the departing chaplain at a reception in the Public Theatre after the service.
Darren said that being Chaplain of Trinity College Dublin was the best job in the Church of Ireland citing the beautiful chapel, fabulous choir, the opportunity to cross borders and working with wonderful people. He thanked the many people who had contributed to his enjoyment of the job.
Dr Kerry Houston, Director of Chapel Music at TCD, said that Darren would be greatly missed but the time was right for him to move. He said Darren had brought a huge breadth of visiting speakers to the chapel pulpit and drew together the many strands of their addresses with his own thoughtful sermons. He also praised Darren’s attention to detail, the fellowship he brought to the chaplaincy and the help he gave to students. He warned him that taking a post abroad would mean that the chapel choir was going to follow him and said he could expect to see them in Copenhagen. He wished Darren and his wife, Analise, every success in the future.
Senator Sean Barrett added his voice to the tributes and presented Darren with a Trinity College tie, which while he had never seen him wearing a tie, was a symbol of the ties that bound them together.
Photo captions:
Top – The Revd Darren McCallig and his wife, Analise, with their family, friends and well wishers.
Bottom – Brian Conry, the Revd Darren McCallig and Fr Paddy Gleeson following Darren’s last service as Dean of Residence in TCD.