Pray for Bishop Darren and Karen, just left for the Arctic
Suffragan Bishop of the Arctic and former rector of Knocknamuckley, The Rt Revd Darren McCartney, left to take up his post on 18 January. Darren’s wife, Karen, will travel with him having left her senior position in Administration at QUB. The couple will settle in Iqaluit, the capital of the eastern Arctic territory, and live some way out of town in the See House. They will arrive in time for the installation in the cathedral of the new Diocesan Bishop, David Parsons, on 20 January.
Many challenges will face Darren as he takes up his ministry. ‘For instance, among the Inuit people, suicide is a major problem,’ he says. ‘It is far above the Canadian average so that is something we need to address as a matter of urgency.’ There is also domestic violence, drug abuse, anti–social behaviour – all issues we are familiar with at home, but in a society that is experiencing change at the rate it is happening in the Arctic, these are major concerns. The native people of the Arctic have moved from the nomadic, self–sufficient traditional way of life that they were accustomed to over the centuries to what is now a more settled and ordered life–style in a dramatically short space of time.
‘The outside world only gets a glimpse of the Arctic through the likes of David Attenborough’s television programmes. People are simply not aware of the struggle of day–to–day living and, faced with all that, we have to make the Gospel relevant,’ said Darren.
In his post as Suffragan Bishop, Darren will cover a diocese that is one and a half million square miles in size. From his base he will move around on skidoos and twin engine aircraft to minister to the fifty thousand Anglicans that make up The Diocese of The Arctic.
For a great picture of their future ministry and the area to which they go, listen to The Church of Ireland Gazette’s interview with Darren here.
Please pray for them:
For Darren and Karen and their families after the emotional wrench of parting
For wisdom in Darren’s role as Bishop
Integration into the community at Iqualit
For Karen, that she finds her role, particularly as as Darren spends a lot of time travelling
The provision of a vehicle