Anniversary service for the Very Rev Norman Barr

Monday November 13th 2006

A service celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Ordination of the Very Rev Norman Barr was held in Christ Church, Derriaghy on the evening of Sunday November 12.

The service was jointly organised by the Parish of Derriaghy , where Dean Barr was rector from January 1961 to October 1990, and the Parish of Dunmurry, where he and his wife worship in retirement. Dean Barr was made Deacon in St Patrick’s Church, Ballymena on March 24 1946 and was ordained Priest in St Mary’s Church, Belfast, on December 22 the same year.

The rector of Derriaghy, the Rev John Budd, conducted the service and the preacher was the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Harper. The rector of Dunmurry, the Rev Tom Priestly and former curates at Derriaghy, Canon Adam Johns and Canon Albert Ogle also took part in the service.

Following the service, Jim Braiden (People’s Churchwarden at Derriaghy) presented a gift to Dean Barr and Marilyn Kennedy (People’s Churchwarden at St Andrew’s, Colin) presented a bouquet of flowers to Mrs Florence Barr.

Dean and Mrs Barr then presented gifts, on behalf of the Parish of Derriaghy, to Mrs Goldie Bell and Mr Stanley Graham in recognition of their many years service as members of the choir of Christ Church, Derriaghy.

Dean Barr briefly recalled 60 years in the ministry, all of which was spent in the Diocese of Connor. He spoke of the various committees he was involved in during his active ministry, and how they all worked together so well and concluded by saying how he was delighted to have played a small part in the life of the Diocese over the years.