29.08.2016
Rebecca Guildea – Looking Forward to Putting Training Into Practice in Zion Parish
On Sunday September 18 Archbishop Michael Jackson will preside at the ordination of four new Deacons in Christ Church Cathedral. Following their ordination to the diaconate they will serve as Intern Deacons in parishes in Dublin and Glendalough. Tom O’Brien will serve in St Mary’s Parish in Howth, Rebecca Guildea will serve in Zion Parish in Rathgar, Stuart Moles will serve in St Patrick’s Parish in Greystones and Anne Lodge will serve in Raheny Parish. This week they introduce themselves in their own words. Today we hear from Rebecca Guildea.
Born in 1988, I grew up in Oxford, England, and came to personal faith in Christ at age 16, during a youth meeting at a local church. I studied theology at King’s College, London, originally with a view to overseas mission work. I met my husband, who is from Skerries, Co Dublin, in 2009, during my final year at college, and we were married in October 2010. We settled in Dublin, where I worked as a receptionist, but I felt a continuing calling to ministry. My husband and I agreed that a good way to test this would be for me to work as an intern at a parish church for a year, and so, again, we relocated to London, where I worked as a ministry assistant for St Barnabas Church, Kensington. We returned to Dublin in 2012, and our son, Noah, was born in November of that year. I began attending the diocesan vocations group in October 2012, and in 2014 was recommended for training.
The last two years of college have definitely been among the most enjoyable, and the most challenging, of my life. Juggling family life with academic work hasn’t always been easy, but God has been faithful, and the support from the college community has been wonderful. I’ve enjoyed the pastoral studies elements of the course immensely, and have been blessed with several wonderful placements, including Trinity College Chaplaincy, St Ann’s, Dawson Street, and St Matthias, Ballybrack. The greatest joy has been using the training I’ve received out in the real world of parish life. I’m really looking forward to beginning work at Zion Church, Rathgar. I’ve already received a very warm welcome from the Revd Stephen Farrell and the ministry team there, and it’s a real privilege to be able to serve with them, and hopefully begin to put some of my academic study to use.
During my deacon year, I will be writing a dissertation on a theology of the mind, and the integration of psychology and theology in parish ministry. I’m very much excited about the possibilities this holds, both for my own personal development, and as a subject which I think is vital to effective pastoral ministry.