There was a distinct family feel to the Service of Ordination in Newbuildings, on Sunday evening (21st June 2026), during which Glendermott & Newbuildings Curate, Rev James Shiels, was admitted to the Order of Priests by the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster. Rev Shiels’ wife, Julie, their sons Clarke and Daniel, and James’ parents Mary and William, were there to witness the laying on of hands.
Newbuildings Chapel of Ease is the newest church in our diocese and for its parishioners – as well as the new priest’s family – this was an immensely proud occasion. Welcoming the congregation to the Church of Ireland Centre, Bishop Andrew reflected on the significance of the service. “It’s a historic moment,” he said, “because it’s the first ordination that has happened in this special building – the youngest church building that we have in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. And I was so pleased when Robert and James suggested that we came here tonight to Newbuildings. I think James [who lives beside the church] was suggesting it because it was very handy. But it’s very special to be here this evening.”
Bishop Andrew also welcomed some of the new priest’s colleagues from the Theological College, his former Rector, Archdeacon Peter Thompson, and local MLA Julie Middleton. “But especially,” the Bishop said, “James, Julie, Clarke and Daniel, you’re all so welcome tonight, and it’s wonderful to share with you in prayer tonight as you take this new step of ministry.
“And I want to say to you, James and Julie, and to the family, how blessed we feel in the parish, and in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe, to have you. We know this last year for you has been an absolute rollercoaster of all sorts of different emotional experiences. We want to acknowledge that and, in acknowledging that, pay tribute to both of you as parents, and pay tribute to both of you as children of God for your faith, your grace, and the great love that you are showing to your family and this church family. So, for me, it’s a personal joy to be ordaining you tonight.”
The Scriptural readings were delivered, this evening, by Margaret Boyd, Dr Joanne Miller and Rev Matthew Gaw. Musical worship was led by Mrs Adrienne Edgar on the church organ.
The sermon was preached by the recently-appointed Dean of Derry, Very Rev Nigel Cairns, who – like Rev Shiels – served his curacy in Newbuildings. The First Reading [Isaiah 61:1-3a] could, Dean Cairns said, be described as “one of those great mountaintop passages of scripture”, because “it’s filled with hope and joy and restoration” and the promise of God’s transforming power. “In the appointed verses,” he said, “we find not only beautiful poetic words, but also words that describe the mission of God amongst God’s people. And I’m sure we’ll agree that for an ordination service, they are wonderfully fitting because they speak about being anointed by the Lord for holy service. ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed and bound up the broken hearted.'”
Isaiah 61, the Dean said, with words such as good news, hope and renewal, took our minds immediately to the Lord Jesus himself. “Isaiah 61 ultimately points to Christ, and James, that matters enormously, because priesthood will be futile if it’s viewed as anything that’s independent of the Lord Jesus. You see, we’re not freelance spiritual consultants with a peculiar dress sense. Christian ministry has to flow from the ministry of Christ himself. A priest is called to participate in the example of the great high priest.”
The anointing described in Isaiah 61 wasn’t an anointing for privilege, Dean Cairns said, but rather an anointing for service. “It’s more of a mandate, perhaps, a calling, you could nearly say a holy job description given by God himself.” A striking aspect of this holy job description was what Isaiah referred to as binding up the broken-hearted and comforting those who mourn. “I have no need to tell you that ministry does not take place in a perfect world, but rather, it takes place in a wounded one. Every congregation contains hidden griefs: marriages under strain; parents anxious about children; quiet illness; bereavement; illness; depression; regret. People arrive at church carrying burdens that are invisible to everyone else. And priests are called to minister into those places of pain: binding up the broken hearted.”
Dean Cairns felt Rev Shiels was well placed to deliver on the challenge of ministry. “I suspect, James,” he said, “that the most fulfilling times in your ministry will not be found in the dramatic moments, but they’ll be found in faithful companionship, sitting beside that bed, listening carefully after a funeral, praying quietly with someone whose world has fallen apart. And, you know what – referring to what the bishop said at the beginning of the service) – I think you are well placed to do that role. I think, I know, that you’ve been around one or two of those corners yourself. The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by somebody who’s never been in the desert, says Henry Newman. In other words, your calling isn’t a ministry of the untouched expert, but of a servant, who knows personally the grace of God, and who might even himself be described as a wounded healer. I think that’s what gives depth and authenticity to pastoral care.”
After this evening’s service, the congregation stayed on to enjoy refreshments and fellowship in the Church of Ireland Centre.
