20.05.2024
Embarking on a Journey of Community and Adventure – Dun Laoghaire Welcomes the Revd Steve Brunn
A new chapter in the long history of Christ Church with Mariners, Dun Laoghaire, began on Friday evening (May 17) with the introduction of their new Priest in Charge, the Revd Steve Brunn.
Parishioners were joined by members of Steve’s family, friends, clerical colleagues and public representatives for the service which was celebrated by Archbishop Michael Jackson. Steve comes to Dun Laoghaire having been Chaplain and Dean of Residence in Trinity College, Dublin, for almost 10 years.
The sermon was preached by the Archbishop who spoke on the theme: ‘The adventure of community: Christ Church engages afresh with Dun Laoghaire’. He said that the Parish of Dun Laoghaire was built for community, adventure, friendship and generosity.
“Community and adventure deepen and extend our sense of ourselves, our potential for openness to the need we have of other people and our humanity. They put us to the test. It is a test that can only strengthen our own life of faith and the life of faith of our parish. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Tonight is an evening on which this opportunity opens up once again for Christ Church Dun Laoghaire,” he stated.
The Archbishop said that Steve had done something unique in Trinity College. When he started there he had a choice to make – his parish was either a community of almost 20,000 people or it was the tiny number of people who attended church there on Sundays and Thursdays, along with the choir.
“The people in the university have all of the human predicaments that confront any of us whatever our calling in life. Steve has built up that properly secular community spiritually and, in so doing, enhanced the footfall of the Church of Ireland presence there. In so many ways, and for so many different things, working as part of an ecumenical group of clergy alongside exuberant young people, Steve has enabled the Church of Ireland to be a definitive go–to place for the College and the University,” he explained.
He said that the parish and the priest were embarking on a journey of cooperation and collaboration and both were needed to be fruitful. “Continuity of prayerful and worshipful witness are what will enable everyone involved in the new journey of community and of adventure in Christ Church, beginning tonight, to take the leap of faith, hope and love which is what a parish is all about,” he concluded.
Welcoming Steve on behalf of the parish David Maybury thanked all who had helped keep the parish going in the vacancy. He reserved special mention for the Revd Gary Dowd, the Rural Dean, and the parish Lay Reader Daniel Standford. He said the parish looked forward with great anticipation to welcoming Steve and to getting to know their new Priest in Charge.
The Archbishop also thanked those who had taken care of the parish. He thanked the public representatives for being present and for being the bridge between the church and community. He said he knew Steve was looking forward to engaging with the parish and community in Dun Laoghaire and he encouraged parishioners to support that. He recalled Steve’s predecessor, the Revd Ása Bjork Ólafsdóttir, who came to Dun Laoghaire as part of the Porvoo Agreement with the Lutheran churches in the Baltic region.
The final word of the evening went to Steve who said he was delighted to come to Dun Laoghaire and looked forward to working with the people of the parish and the wider community. He looked forward to getting to know the parishioners.
There are more photographs on our Facebook page.
