The Church of Ireland Diocese of Connor

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Service of Ordination of Deacon Intern

Wednesday September 18th 2013

St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, was the venue for the Ordination of Roderick Smyth as a Deacon Intern on Sunday September 15.

Roderick is from the Parish of St Gall, Carnalea, near Bangor, Co Down, and will serve as a Deacon Intern in St John’s, Malone.

The new Deacon, who was ordained by the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, was a chorister in St Anne’s Cathedral and also a Bass Lay Clerk while studying Music at Queen’s University, Belfast. He served as parish organist in St Gall’s for 20 years.

Roderick is married to Rosemary and they have a son and daughter who both live and work in London. For the past 33 years Roderick has worked in education, recently leaving the post of Head of Senior School at Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College. He has also been an examiner with CCEA.

During his theological training Roderick has had experience of parish ministry in different contexts. He has undertaken parish placements in Knockagoney and St George’s, both Belfast, and in St Mark’s, Dundela.

As part of his studies during his Deacon Intern year in Malone, Roderick will be researching a dissertation entitled: ‘Help in the land of forgetfulness.’ This will look at the church’s response to an ageing population and the provision of initial training for clergy and laity in the pastoral care of dementia sufferers in the Diocese of Connor.

Preacher at the Service of Ordination, which took place at 3.30pm on September, was the Rev Michael Parker, rector of the Parish of Carnalea.

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