Lady Sheil Installed as Lay Canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh
Lady Brenda Sheil was installed by the Dean of Armagh, the Very Revd Patrick Rooke, as a Lay Canon of Armagh Cathedral at a service of Choral Evensong on Sunday 16 November 2008 at 3.15pm. Lady Sheil was appointed to the Lay Canonry, which became vacant upon the death of Mr Robin Lewis-Crosby earlier this year, by the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper, who will be present at the service. The former Archbishop of Armagh, the Rt Revd Lord Eames, has been invited to give the address.
Lady Sheil has given distinguished service to the Church of Ireland and the wider Anglican Communion over the past two decades. She is one of the two lay Honorary Secretaries of the Standing Committee of the Church of Ireland's General Synod, having been elected to the position in 1999, the first woman to have held the post. Armagh Cathedral has six Lay Canons - the first were appointed in 1997 and Lady Sheil will be the tenth to take up office.
In welcoming Lady Sheil, Dean Rooke said, ‘Lady Sheil has made an enormous contribution to the Church of Ireland and to St Patrick's Cathedral - we feel she is "one of our own". Her father, the Revd Ford Patterson, was a Rector in Armagh Diocese and as a "child of the Rectory" she has always maintained close links with Armagh. Lady Sheil has been an active member of the committee of the Friends of the Cathedral and served on the Board of the Royal School in Armagh.'
In anticipation of Sunday's installation, Lady Sheil commented, ‘I am humbled by this appointment. Without belittling anything else, it is one of the greatest honours I have ever received. I was married in Armagh Cathedral by my father, who was a priest in the Armagh Diocese for fifty years, so the installation will be a very poignant occasion. As a "child of the Rectory", I have always looked to Armagh Cathedral so it is wonderful that this is taking place there.'
Extracts from the Address by the Right Reverend Lord Eames, OM
"The appointment of Lady Sheil to be a Lay Canon is recognition of her years of service to the Church of Ireland as a dedicated lay person. As one of the Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod her influence on the central life of our Church has been immense. I recall much of her input to the work of the General Synod and its Standing Committee during my time as Archbishop. Her legal mind brought to our work such valuable insights. She devoted an immense amount of time to the needs of the Church of Ireland. During her time as Chair of the Pensions Board she has achieved much for the recognition of the needs of clergy. As a daughter of the Rectory she knew those needs at first hand.
I feel her appointment is one more reminder of the importance in the life of the Church of Ireland of dedicated and gifted laity. Here in a Cathedral she loves her experience and dedication will find one more opportunity to contribute to the well-being of the Church of Ireland".