11.11.2026
The Revd Niall Stratford Appointed Diocesan Director of Ordinands
The Archbishop of Dublin has appointed the Revd Niall Stratford as Diocesan Director of Ordinands. The Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO) helps people to discover their gifts and use them in the Church.
The Revd Niall Stratford is Rector of the Blessington Union of Parishes in the Diocese of Glendalough. Niall spent a ‘lifetime’ in the world of insurance, investigating commercial and industrial accidents. During this time he answered a calling to the ordained ministry and was ordained for the non–stipendiary ministry in 2009.
He found that relating to and with people who had been involved in accidents of varying degrees was wonderful groundwork for the varied situations in ordained ministry he has encountered and he considers that his role in both was mutually inclusive and very much supportive of the other.
Prior to being appointed as Rector of the Blessington Union of Parishes in 2024 he served as a non–stipendiary minister in a number of different parishes throughout the United Dioceses.
Announcing the appointment, Archbishop Michael Jackson said Niall great experience will benefit the role.
“I am very pleased that Niall will be the Diocesan Director of Ordinands and thank him for undertaking this role,” he commented. “Appropriate discernment and informed encouragement of those exploring ordination is essential in the early stages. I wish Niall all that is best. He has significant experience and generosity of heart.”
Accepting the invitation to assume the role of DDO, Niall said he was “deeply humbled and honoured to have the privilege of serving the diocese and encouraging fellow Christians through this role”. He paid tribute to “the pathways of encouragement and support laid tirelessly by Canon Suzanne Harris and Canon Tom O’Brien over the past five years for those exploring a call to ordination”.
“I look forward to hearing and listening to the stories of all who are discerning their own individual journeys, together with engaging with them in fellowship which I consider to be an integral step in exploring the vocation to serving God,” he said.
Anyone interested in exploring ministry in the Church of Ireland is encouraged to meet with their local Rector in the first instance.