It's Ordination season
The annual services of Ordinations of Priests and Deacons take place throughout the Church of Ireland in early summer. In Down & Dromore the services are held in June and this year on Sunday 25th June three ordinands were ordained as deacons in the diocese. The three are Craig Cooney, Adrian Dorrian and Paul Bates. Craig is serving his curacy in Shankill Parish, Lurgan, Adrian in St Mark’s, Newtownards and Paul, who is non-stipendiary, is curate in Bangor Abbey.
The service was held in Shankill Parish Church and the preacher was the Rev Jim Rea, Minister of Thomas Street Methodist Church, Portadown.
Craig was brought up in St Mark’s, Portadown. After university he worked for two years in the USA where he became involved in working with students in his local church. On his return to Northern Ireland he worked in marketing before becoming a student at the Church of Ireland Theological College. He became a Christian at Summer Madness in 1990.
Adrian grew up in Groomsport parish and has a background in youth work with involvement in many cross cultural youth initiatives. He is a veteran of many CMSI overseas youth mission teams and is a member of the Down & Dromore Youth Council.
Paul has a Methodist background but attended Holywood parish after his marriage, becoming a parish reader. He studied at the Church of Ireland College on a part time basis to prepare for non-stipendiary ministry and enjoyed a placement in Movilla Abbey (a joint Church of Ireland and Methodist church) during his training. His ‘day’ job is that of a Chief Design Engineer with a local aerospace engineering company.
The service of Ordination of Priests was held on Sunday 18th June in Dromore Cathedral with Denise Acheson, Aonghus Mayes, Rory Corbett and Robin Harris being ordained. They had previously been ordained as deacons in the diocese in June 2005. Rory and Robin are both in the non-stipendiary ministry. The guest preacher was the Rev Canon Paul Draper, rector of Ballydehob in the diocese of Cork.
Denise, who is curate in Ballyholme, is originally from Church Hill in Co Fermanagh. St Finnian’s, Cregagh is benefiting from having Aonghus as their curate. He studied theology and modern history before entering the Church of Ireland Theological College. Rory was curate in Aghalee during his year as deacon and now as priest has moved on to Donaghcloney. His background is in hospital medicine and university teaching. Robin, who is curate in St Gall’s, Carnalea has a 25 year broadcasting career behind him and is very involved in a voluntary capacity with the South and East Belfast Health and Social Services Trust.
(Photographs by Nigel Hunter)