Three bishops in five years!
At the end of the recent Down & Dromore Diocesan Council meeting members held a brief presentation to bid farewell to the Revd Canon Alan Abernethy as he leaves Down & Dromore to become the next Bishop of Connor.
In leading the tributes Bishop Harold pointed out that the diocese of Down & Dromore had produced three bishops in the past five years (Ken Good, Bishop of Derry & Raphoe, David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews in the Scottish Episcopal Church, and now Alan Abernethy who is the new Bishop of Connor).
On behalf of the diocese Bishop Harold presented Alan with a diocesan crest and a set of stoles. A lovely bouquet of flowers was also given to Alan to take to his wife, Liz, who had been unable to attend. It is usual in such circumstances for the diocese to give an Episcopal ring, but Mrs Mary Moore, widow of Bishop Jimmy Moore (former Bishop of Connor) and a member of Ballyholme parish, is making a gift of her husbands ring to Alan. Another special gift for the new bishop is of a crozier, which belonged to the late Bishop Leslie Newbiggin.
After the presentation Bishop Harold opened the floor to fellow Council members to allow them to make their own personal contributions. One of the first tributes paid to Alan was by the Dean of Dromore, the Very Revd Stephen Lowry, who has known Alan since Primary School - the Lowry family and Abernethy family were neighbours and Alan was a frequent visitor to the rectory! Dean Henry Hull, Lady Brenda Sheil, Canon Ken Smyth, Revd Maurice Elliott, Mr Fred Rankin, Archdeacon Philip Patterson, Mr John Lyttle, Mrs Margaret Gallagher, the Revd Simon Doogan and Mr Neill Wilson also spoke and in everything they said ran a common thread - Alan's many gifts, talents and skills; his humility and his great passion for people and the scriptures.
An informal reception followed the presentation and it provided opportunity for other Council members to congratulate Alan and give him their best wishes for the future, assure him of their prayers, and to thank him for the contribution he has made to Down and Dromore - the diocese in which he not only has spent his ministry but was born, educated, nurtured and confirmed in.
Alan will be consecrated Bishop of Connor at St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast on Friday 29th June at 2.30pm.