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The Very Rev John Dinnen
Dean of Down Cathedral |
Bishop Harold Miller is pictured
presenting a diocesan crest to the Very Rev John
Dinnen at the Diocesan Council lunch.
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The Very Rev John Dinnen, Rector of the Parish
Church of Saint Malachy, Hillsborough, who was appointed Dean of
Down Cathedral in 1995, will be standing down at the end of
October 2006. Mr Dinnen will be continuing as Rector of
Hillsborough Parish.
In a statement, Dean Dinnen said: �On the basis of medical
advice, and the opportunity available to the Permanent
Commission to review local ministry in Downpatrick, regrettably
I plan to relinquish my position as Dean of Down at the end of
October. It has been a privilege to share in the life and
witness of this historic site on the Hill of Down and all that
it means to Christian people across the world.�
John Dinnen � An appreciation of his years as Dean of Down
Given by Bishop Harold Miller at the Diocesan Council lunch held
in his honour
It was with a deep sense of regret that I
accepted John Dinnen�s decision to stand down as Dean on 31st
October 2006. I know this decision was arrived at after much
thought and prayer and, as John has said, with some medical
advice that he needs to be doing a little less at this stage in
his ministry. To be both Dean of Down and Rector of Hillsborough
for an eleven year period is quite an achievement. We are all
glad that John will be continuing his ministry in St. Malachi�s
� it is that thought which tempted me to entitle this
appreciation �I come to praise John, not to bury him�!
John�s term as dean has almost completely coincided with my own
as bishop. He was appointed by Bishop Gordon McMullan in 1995 in
what I believe was a well-judged decision. Titles and rank have
never been something sought by John Dinnen, who is (I know over
many years) a man of the utmost humility and integrity. However,
he accepted the role with a sense that it was God�s will and
purpose for a period of time.
During those years he has tried, as best anyone can, to hold
together his demanding role as dean with the even more demanding
role of rector in a large and thriving parish.
The last decade in Down Cathedral has seen the fruit of his work
and ministry. Over that period, the pilgrimage from Saul to
Downpatrick on St. Patrick�s Day has been re-established as a
regular annual feature after the years of the troubles � and not
only a feature, but a real experience of God�s grace and history
in Down over so many centuries, for the hundreds who come. It
will simply not be the same for me, as bishop, to arrive at the
Cathedral with John not there to welcome the �procession�!
John has also worked to develop links with the local community
in Down District with services in the Cathedral which bring
community representatives together - not least for those in the
medical profession. The highlight of these is the annual Carol
Service on Christmas Eve, which seems to get bigger and bigger
each year.
John is a man after Patrick�s heart. He is committed to the
Gospel, courageous and earthed in sound doctrine. One of the
times when he was most criticised (often in an un-nuanced and
controversial way) was in relation to the visit of Buddhist
monks to Down Cathedral. John immediately and wisely said that
the monks would be most welcome, and that he in person would
greet them at the Cathedral and show them around. However, he
reminded us that the Cathedral was consecrated for worship only
in the name of the Holy Trinity and therefore nothing which
could be construed as Buddhist worship could take place within
it. A balanced and perfectly reasonable judgement. It was sad
that it became an unnecessary controversy. My hope is that John
will not be remembered for the controversy, but for his
reasoned, sound and generous Christian principles.
In the spirit and vision of Patrick�s missionary journey to
Ireland, John initiated the Down Cathedral Travel Awards in
2005. With the help of the Friends of the Cathedral and the
Chapter, and in spite of having debts from the restoration work,
the fund turned attention to the Cathedral�s mission in the
wider church. This year 3 young people received support to work
in Mexico, Uganda and the Dominican Republic.
Another achievement of John Dinnen�s time as dean was to bring a
Bill to the General Synod to reduce the size of the Cathedral
Board, which in its old form was large and unwieldy. He also
oversaw the structural work on the building over the last years,
making it more welcoming to tourists, and providing much needed
and up to date facilities. I know there is much more he would
have liked to have achieved with the building � not lease its
liturgical reordering in a way more suited to its architectural
style, and that he will rejoice in seeing the next dean
developing from the point where he has left off.
John, we thank you, not just for being dean but for sharing
yourself with Down Cathedral over those years. You have been a
good and faithful servant.
Bishop Harold Miller
28th September 2006
