Retired clergy finish 2025 programme in St Anne’s Cathedral
The Retired Clergy Association (NI) held its final meeting of the year in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Thursday 20 November, when the guest speaker was the Revd Cameron Mack, Dean’s Vicar in St Anne’s and the recently appointed Connor Diocesan Liturgical Officer.
Members were welcomed by the Dean of Belfast, the Very Revd Stephen Forde, following which the RCA (NI)’s chairperson, the Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, celebrated Holy Communion in the Chapel of Unity, assisted by Canon Raymond Fox who read the Epistle and led the intercessions.
Culture and ministry
After a short break for light refreshments, Cameron began by outlining both his personal experiences of training for ministry and his experiences to date in St Anne’s.
He felt that the culture and ministry of the Church of Ireland were changing, in that more and more people and potential future clergy were now coming into the Church from a much wider range of denominations and backgrounds, bringing with them their own personal cultures, outlooks, views and experiences.
He believed that seeking to integrate all these into the culture and structures of the Church, together with its traditional roots, spiritual resources and worshipping communities, presented the Church with one of its most pressing and important present-day challenges.
Returning to his own personal experience, Cameron recalled that he was originally introduced to the Church of Ireland through contact with the Chaplaincy Centre in Queen’s University Belfast, eventually coming to “fall in love” with the liturgy and the richness of the language of the Book of Common Prayer and discovering the “profound spiritual resources of the Church of Ireland”, all of which, he said, had “something important to offer”.
Members then split into three discussion groups to consider some of the points which Cameron had raised in his talk, also drawing on their past personal experiences of ministry and parish life.
Thanks
Bishop Rooke thanked Cameron for giving members “a lot to talk and think about” and the honorary treasurer, the Ven John Scott, presented him with a token of members’ appreciation. (Pictured above).
AGM
Following the talk, members held their annual general meeting which was chaired by Bishop Rooke. He reviewed the association’s activities throughout 2025 and introduced the honorary secretary, Canon Jim Campbell, and the honorary treasurer who outlined next year’s proposed programme and the association’s statement of accounts respectively.
The following were appointed and elected to the committee and to the offices indicated for the incoming year:
Chairperson: the Rt Revd Patrick Rooke; Honorary Secretary: Canon Jim Campbell; Honorary Assistant Secretary: the Ven Donald McLean; Honorary Treasurer: the Ven John Scott; Honorary Assistant Treasurer: the Revd Bobbie Moore; Committee members: the Revd Brian Cadden, the Revd Mercia Flanagan; Canon Raymond Fox; Canon Walter Laverty; and the Rt Revd Trevor Williams.
The Revd Clifford Skillen will continue as Communications Officer, though he stood down from the committee after 16 years.
Congratulations
Before the meeting closed, members warmly congratulated Bishop Edward Darling who would soon celebrate the 40th anniversary of his consecration to the episcopate.