Parish of Killyleagh says farewell and thank you to Jerome and Mary Munyangaju
Killyleagh parishioners, local people and clergy gathered in the church of St John the Evangelist on Sunday 26 July to say farewell and thank you to Revd Canon Jerome Munyangaju and his wife Mary.
Jerome has ministered in Killyleagh for 15 years and he and Mary will shortly return home to Kigali, Rwanda. There they will progress the work of their charity, Bird of Paradise Ministries (www.bopm.org.uk), which assists the neglected elderly in Rwanda.
The congregation included the Revd Hiram Higgins and members of the local 1st and 2nd Presbyterian Church congregations, as well as Fr. Eugene O’Neill and members of the local St Mary’s Star of the Sea Church. The Very Revd Henry Hull, Dean of Down, was also in attendance.
During his address, Jerome said that the occasion was not about him but the church. He reflected on his 20 years in Northern Ireland and more specifically his 15 years in Killyleagh. Referring to the twitter tagline of recent Open Golf winner Zach Johnson, “Practice Hard, Play Hard and Pray Hard”, Jerome spoke about how we can be apply these maxims to the demonstration of our faith, particularly in the service of the church.
Following the address, Stewart Poole, Rector’s Churchwarden, thanked all who had come or been involved in the service and finally, offered a “Murakoze” – “thank you” (in the Kinyarwanda language) to Jerome for his 15 years of ministry in Killyleagh.
The following gifts were presented on behalf of the parish:
A bouquet of flowers (including Bird of Paradise flowers) was presented by Bethan Davies; a collection of locally crafted gifts was presented by Tony Davies; a cheque for £1300 was presented by Elsie Berner; an original watercolour of St John the Evangelist, Killyleagh Parish Church including Psalm 103:1–2 by local artist Wendy Cromie was presented by Edwina Marr; a gift of Belleek Pottery was presented by the organist, Mark Haffield, on behalf of the choir.
Both the Revd Hiram Higgins and Fr. Eugene O’Neil then spoke briefly before making presentations on behalf of their congregations.
Jerome and Mary gave short speeches of thanks for the gifts and best wishes before Dean Hull pronounced the blessing. Tea and refreshments were served in the Parish Hall after the service.
The offering was donated to Bird of Paradise Ministries.
(With thanks to Stewart Poole for the report and photos).