A diocesan Service of Thanksgiving to mark the retirement of the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy as Bishop of Connor will be held in St Patrick’s Church, Ballymena, on December 19.

Admission to the service will be by invitation only, and each parish in the diocese has been allocated a number of invites.

The service in Ballymena will begin at 7.30pm.

Bishop Alan, who is retiring on health grounds, will be taking part in services in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Christmas Eve, and in Lisburn Cathedral, on Christmas Day, before his retirement on December 31.