It has been announced this morning, Easter Day, that the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd John McDowell, has appointed two new Canons for Armagh.
The Revd Colin Darling, Rector of the Parochial Group of Ballymore and Clare, has been appointed Prebendary of Tynan in the Chapter of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh. The new Canon is also the Diocesan Director of Ordinands.
Mrs Janet Maxwell, Head of Synod Services and Communications, has been appointed as a Lay Canon in recognition of her significant contribution and distinguished service to the Church of Ireland over many years at various levels. Armagh Cathedral has six Lay Canons – the first were appointed in 1997 and Mrs Maxwell will be the fourteenth to take up office. Mrs Maxwell succeeds to the stall formerly occupied by the late Canon Wilfred Young OBE.
Welcoming the appointments, the Dean of Armagh, the Very Revd Shane Forster, said: “I have known Janet for many years, and I am therefore well aware of the huge contribution she has made to the central workings and administration of the Church of Ireland over several decades. Janet tends to work in the background to ensure the smooth running of General Synod, so I am delighted that her distinguished service and dedication to the Church of Ireland is being recognised in this special way.
“The new Prebendary of Tynan succeeded me as Rector of Ballymore and since coming to the diocese Colin has immersed himself in parish life. He has also made a significant contribution to the diocese in his role as Director of Ordinands. Through his work with those sensing a call to ordained ministry, he has offered great encouragement to a new generation of clergy. I look forward to welcoming both new Canons in their respective roles to the Hill of Armagh and to their future engagement in the life of the Cathedral.”
The Revd Colin Darling said: “It is truly an honour to have been appointed Prebendary of Tynan in the Chapter of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, and I would like to sincerely thank the Archbishop for appointing me to this position.”
In response to her appointment as a Lay Canon, Mrs Maxwell said: “I was very surprised and humbled by the Archbishop’s invitation to serve as an Honorary Lay Canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral and it will be a privilege and a genuine pleasure to have a closer connection with the Cathedral, which I have found to be a place of peace and renewal over the years. For a long time, I have been an admirer of the Cathedral for its outreach and the breadth of its embrace to the community, as a place of State welcome and as a host to so many gatherings of the wider Church.”
A service of installation will take place after the summer.