wfn.org | [ACNS] New Secretary General Commissioned

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ACNS 3934     |     ACO     |	  18 JANUARY 2005

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http://www.aco.org/acns/articles/39/00/acns3934.cfm

New Secretary General commissioned

A new chapter of history in the Anglican Communion began today as the
Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon was officially commissioned as Secretary
General in a service in St Andrew's House Chapel in London. The
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, presided at the
liturgy and preached the homily.

In his homily Archbishop Rowan Williams spoke of the challenges that
await the new Secretary General and spoke of our identity as a
Communion. "So Christ takes hold of us and we of him. He becomes part of
our life, our identity. He has made it by his grace and freedom, so that
we become part of him, his body," he said. "As we seek to live out the
apostolic calling, we have to see ourselves as bound, bound up, in him,
and bound up in each other. To minister to a Communion - not just to one
church, one congregation, one locality - to minister to a Communion
worldwide, is surely to minister into this reality. We are bound
together, because we are bound in Christ; bound in the one hope of our
calling. Prisoners of hope, together. There is nothing we need more than
to be reminded of how we are bound with Christ and with one another in
that way."

Portions of the service were taken from Prayer Books and service books
used around the Communion including Kenya, Ireland, the USA, New Zealand
and England. The music included hymns, songs and chants from Africa,
Ireland, England and South America. A selection from the writings of the
100th Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, was read during the
service.

Taking part in the service were Mother Lillian CSA, the Rt Revd John
Paterson, chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council, who hosted the
day, the Most Revd Clive Handford, Primate of Jerusalem and the Middle
East, the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd John Neill, the Dean of
Canterbury, the Very Revd Robert Willis, and the Dean of St Paul's
London, the Very Revd John Moses, the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral
Dublin, the Very Revd Desmond Harmon, and Mrs Fung Yi Wong from Hong
Kong.

Anglican Communion Office staff members Susanne Mitchell and the Revd
Dorothy Penniecooke also took part. The gathering took place in the
Anglican Communion Office formerly the Convent of the Community of St
Andrew, which is about to mark its first year of operation. Following
the words of commissioning, Archbishop Rowan gave Canon Kearon a Compass
Rose symbol as a mark of his new office, especially created by
Canterbury Pewter in Virginia.

During the one-hour service special prayers were offered for the victims
of the Tsunami disaster and a special offering, for the use of the
Primate of Southeast Asia for disaster relief, was collected from the
100-member congregation.

Among those attending the service and lunch were the Irish Ambassador to
the UK, HE Daithi O'Ceallaigh, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of
All Ireland, the Most Revd Robert Eames, members of the Compass Rose
Society led by Bishop-elect the Revd Canon Philip Poole of Canada, and
members of Inter Anglican Finance Committee.

During the reception the Archbishop of Dublin said, "A very happy
occasion and very good to see so many representatives of the Communion.
Very particularly, I'm happy to see Kenneth coming over here to lead the
Anglican Communion with such encouragement from his friends in Dublin
and with such warm ecumenical support."

The Rt Revd John Paterson, chair of the Anglican Consultative Council,
said, "I am delighted to welcome Canon Kearon on behalf of the ACC, the
most representative body in the Anglican Communion."

Also attending the service were ecumenical guests from the Russian
Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Council and the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster.

The commissioning comes within 12 days of the arrival of the new
Secretary General to St Andrew's House. After settling in he and his
wife will be living in the precincts of Lambeth Palace. The Revd Canon
Kenneth Arthur Kearon was born in Dublin in 1953. After education at
Mountjoy School he attended Trinity College in Dublin where he studied
Mental and Moral Science for a degree in Philosophy. After further study
in Cambridge and Dublin, he was ordained deacon in 1981 and priest in
1982. He served a curacy in the parish of All Saints Raheny and St
John's Coolock in the diocese of Dublin & Glendalough and then was
appointed Dean of Residence at Trinity College.

In 1991 he became Rector of the parish of Tullow (Dublin) before
becoming Director of the Irish School of Ecumenics in 1999. He has also,
since 1995, been a member of the Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral,
Dublin, and has served as its Chancellor since 2002. Kenneth is a member
of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, Co-ordinator of
Auxilliary Ministry (NSM) Training in the church, and a member of the
Irish Council for Bioethics.

He is author of Medical Ethics: an Introduction (Columba 1995) and has
contributed to a number of volumes on Education, Family and Medical
Ethics. Kenneth is married to Jennifer, and they have three daughters.

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