A first for parish of Ballyholme
Sunday 2 September saw a historic first in the life of the Church of Ireland Parish of Ballyholme. So far as could be established from central church records, it was the first time an ordination service had ever been held at St Columbanus.
The Right Reverend Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore presided and at the centre of the service receiving the laying on of hands was Ballyholme’s twelfth curate assistant, the Revd Alistair Morrison. Alistair has joined Ballyholme from a year’s placement as intern Deacon in the parish of St Colman’s Dunmurry, serving under the Revd Denise Acheson, herself a former curate of Ballyholme.
Before training for ordination Alistair was an architectural technician with a firm of architects which specialised in the restoration of historic buildings and he is the proud father of three children: Andrew, Peter and Judith.
Read Alistair’s reflections on his year as a deacon intern here.
Canon Tom Keightley rector of Alistair’s sponsoring parish of Belvoir was the special guest preacher in a service attended by friends, clergy colleagues and many of Alistair’s new parishioners in Ballyholme. In a characteristically animated and wide–ranging address, Canon Keightley insisted that with the falling away of old tribal and denominational loyalties and an ever–widening spiritual vacuum at the heart of community life, there was never a better time to be setting out in Christian ministry.
In a day of new beginnings, Sunday 2 September also saw the Commissioning of Jade Irwin as Ballyholme’s new Youth Team Leader. Jade grew up in Belfast and comes to Ballyholme from the Dream Scheme Project at Castlereagh Borough Council and Newtownbreda Baptist. A sociology graduate of Queen’s University, Jade is currently completing her studies for a Masters degree in Criminology.
Building on a long tradition of youth ministry in Ballyholme, Jade comes to St Columbanus as the parish’s sixth full time youth worker. She spoke during the Commissioning service of the joy of her own years as a young person growing up in a loving Church family, and that all important sense that she was valued for who she was. Jade has spent the summer shadowing her immediate predecessor Sam Johnston, who will be taking up his place at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in Dublin later this month to train for the Church of Ireland ministry.