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Venerable Stephen
Forde takes his seat in the Chapter Room
of Lisburn Cathedral as the new
Archdeacon of Dalriada on Thursday 4th
January.
The Venerable Stephen Forde, Rector of Larne and Inver with
Glynn and Raloo, was installed as Archdeacon of Dalriada,
Diocese of Connor, on Thursday 4th January. The installation, by
the Dean of Connor the Very Reverend John Bond, took place in
the Chapter of St Saviour, Connor, in Lisburn Cathedral. The
Venerable Gregory McCamley, Archdeacon of Down, was the
preacher, and the Bishop of Connor the Rt Rev Alan Harper
pronounced the Blessing.
A native of Rathfriland in County Down, Mr Forde later lived in
Downpatrick and attended Campbell College in Belfast. He gained
a degree in architecture at Edinburgh University before training
in theology at the Church of Ireland Theology College, Dublin.
He was ordained in 1986 and was curate at St Mary's, Crumlin
Road, Belfast, until 1989 when he was appointed Chaplain, or
Dean of Residence, at Queen's University. In 1995 he was made
Rector of Booterstown and Mount Merrion in the Diocese of
Dublin, and during this time was Chaplain to UCD and Chaplain to
Blackrock Clinic. He returned to Connor in 1999 as Rector of
Larne and Inver with Glynn and Raloo, and was appointed
Carrickfergus Rural Dean in 2001.
Pictured at the Installation of
new Archdeacon of Dalriada in Lisburn Cathedral on
Thursday 4th January are L to R: The Venerable
Gregory McCamley - Archdeacon of Down, Venerable
Stephen McBride - Archdeacon of Connor, the Rt Rev
Alan Harper - Bishop of Connor, Venerable Stephen
Forde - Archdeacon of Dalriada and the Very Reverend
John Bond - Dean of Connor.
Mr Forde met his Scottish wife Fiona at university and the
couple has three children. The creation of a third archdeaconry
in Connor at the Connor Diocesan Synod last October meant
Carrickfergus Rural Deanery was transferred to the Archdeaconry
of Dalriada to equalise workloads in anticipation of the
formation of the Archdeaconry of Belfast. Anticipating his new
role, Archdeacon Forde said: 'It will be a challenge to balance
the work of a busy parish with the demands of being an
Archdeacon. I want to help the church and the diocese to be fit
for the 21st century. I will be helping the Bishop in the task
of building relationships across the diocese with the church and
having a sense of mission in that. I want to see the structures
of the church serve the church, rather than the church serving
the structures.'
One of the first duties of the new archdeacon will be to
represent the diocese during a visit to Connor's link diocese in
Yei, Southern Sudan, later this month. This partnership was
formalised at the last Diocesan Synod.
16/01/2007
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