Dean Forde installed in Belfast Cathedral
The 14th Dean of Belfast, the Very Revd Stephen Forde, was installed in St Anne’s Cathedral in a service on Sunday February 4.
Dean Forde, formerly Archdeacon of Dalriada and rector of the Parishes of Larne and Inver with Glynn and Raloo, was also instituted as Incumbent of the Cathedral Parish
The Bishops of Connor and Down and Dromore, representatives of community life in the city, visiting Bishops and leaders of the other main denominations in Northern Ireland attended the service which followed the order for Choral Evensong. The Bishop of Connor, the Rt Revd Alan Abernethy, gave the address.
The service was led by the Cathedral Choir and the Larne Concert Choir with the St Cedma’s Singers (Larne Parish). Members of the Brass section of the Ulster Orchestra also took part.
During the service, the Dean–elect was presented for institution into the Cathedral Parish by the Archdeacon of Belfast, the Ven George Davison, and the Act of Institution was conducted by the Bishop of Connor. Archdeacon Forde was installed as Dean of Belfast by Archdeacon Davison, accompanied by the Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Rt Revd Harold Miller.
The new Dean was then presented to the people by the Bishop of Connor, and welcomed by the Very Revd Martin Graham, Administrator of St Peter’s Cathedral, on behalf of all the church leaders.
Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession were offered by clergy from the Larne area and the Benedictine Monks of the Holy Cross Monastery, Rostrevor, sang the responses.
During the service, there was a collection for Belfast Cathedral’s Black Santa Sit–out.
Dean Forde said: “With the redevelopment of the Cathedral Quarter, and the arrival of 10,000 students at the University of Ulster, this is a time of new beginnings and new horizons.
“I hope the Cathedral will be a place where people who are rushed and hassled by life’s demands will find rest and refreshment, a place of peace in a world of many pressures. I also hope the Cathedral will be a place of ecumenical encounter, a place where bridges are built and barriers dismantled. Above all, I pray this will be a place where people discover how much they matter, because they will discover how much they matter to God.
“While I am excited at these new opportunities, I am also conscious that being Dean of Belfast is a massive challenge and a daunting task. I approach this new role, knowing that will I need the prayers and support of so many others: The staff at the Cathedral, the Cathedral community who call this place their spiritual home, and also support from the wider community in Belfast, as well as from the clergy and people of the two dioceses that this Cathedral serves.
“Yet I know that the God who calls is also the God who equips. All I can ask is that people will pray for me, and work with me, to achieve God’s ambitions for this great Cathedral and to embrace all the opportunities of God’s future.”