A wintry scene greeted parishioners and friends on their arrival at St Columb’s Cathedral in Londonderry this morning as they bade a fond farewell to the newly-retired Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, who celebrated his last service as Rector of the Parish of Templemore just three days earlier, on New Year’s Eve. It was a measure of the affection in which the Dean is held that so many people ventured out in such treacherous conditions – driving through snow and ice on a freezing January morning – to express their best wishes to him on his well-earned retirement.
Civic leaders and even a member of the aristocracy rubbed shoulders with parishioners and members of Dean Stewart’s family at today’s 11am Choral Eucharist Service. Among those present were the Lord Lieutenant for the County Borough of Londonderry, Ian Crowe MBE CStJ; the Deputy Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Alderman Niree McMorris; and His Grace, the Duke of Abercorn, who travelled all the way from Baronscourt, near Newtownstewart, to attend the service.
The service was led by the Pastoral Assistant at St Columb’s, Rev Canon John Merrick, and the sermon was preached by the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, who drew upon the Gospel reading from Saint Matthew 2:1-12, which recounts the Magi’s visit to the child Jesus. Bishop Andrew said he wanted Dean Raymond to know that the cold outside the church didn’t match the warmth of the affection and gratitude felt by those who had gathered to mark his retirement, and celebrate his long and good ministry.
The reading – which is the Gospel for the Epiphany – was, the Bishop said, a fitting reading for this moment in the life of the Cathedral and Diocese, as they gave thanks for the ministry of Dean Stewart, and marked the completion of one remarkable journey, even as they trusted God for what lay ahead.
“Raymond’s ministry spanned some 46 and a half years,” Bishop Andrew said, “all in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe, which is quite remarkable. It has been a journey marked by faithfulness rather than fanfare; by steady devotion rather than self-promotion. And in that it reflects something of the Magi themselves: they don’t linger in the story; they do what they’re called to do; they offer what they have; they worship him whom they encounter; and then they return home by another way. The story isn’t about the Magi in the Epiphany. It’s about the one whom they come to worship.
“That is the goal of Christian ministry. It’s not about the minister; it’s not about the priest; it’s not about the preacher. It’s about the one whom they seek to point their congregation towards – to Immanuel, ‘God with us’.”
Bishop Andrew reminded the congregation that Dean Stewart was ordained in St Columb’s Cathedral, 46 years ago, by then Bishop Robin Eames, and since then he had served as Curate in All Saints Clooney; and incumbencies in Dunfanaghy, Castledawson and Tamlaght O’Crilly Upper and Lower. These placed him among communities very different in character and context, yet united by a shared need for faithful, prayerful ministry. In each place, Dean Stewart had brought a deep love for the traditions of the Church of Ireland – not as museum pieces to be preserved but as living gifts to be received with reverence and offered with care.
“He has been, throughout his ministry, a thoughtful liturgist, attentive to detail, sensitive to space and to science, and deeply aware that how we worship shapes who we become. As a preacher, he has never sought to dazzle but to illuminate – to let the light of Scripture fall clearly and honestly on the lives of God’s people – and his preaching has been marked by depth, balance and pastoral wisdom, rooted in prayer and shaped by a deep respect for both text and congregation.
“Above all, Raymond’s ministry has been sustained by prayerfulness and a holiness of life that has been evident to all who have worked with him, worshipped alongside him, or simply observed him quietly going about his calling. Like the star of Epiphany this has not been a light that draws attention to himself but one that points consistently and faithfully to Christ.”
Bishop Andrew expressed personal gratitude to Dean Stewart for the welcome and hospitality he had extended during the eight and a half years of his Deanship. “He has exercised a ministry of guardianship and generosity, and he has held this Cathedral not as a possession but as a trust, a sacred space, where memory and hope meet, where history is honoured and the Gospel proclaimed afresh in each generation.”
The Epistle reading – from Ephesians 3: 1-12 – was read by Ms Jacqui Armstrong. Musical worship was led by the Cathedral Choirs of Boy Choristers, Girl Choristers and Lay Clerks, directed by Nicky Morton and accompanied by organist Louis Fields.
At the end of the service, the Deputy Mayor, the Lord Lieutenant and the Duke of Abercorn paid tribute to the Dean’s decades of ministry and stewardship of the Cathedral. Presentations were made to the Dean and his wife by churchwardens William Lynn and Muriel Hamilton, on behalf of the parishioners; and by one of the girl choristers on behalf of the boys’ and girls’ choirs.
Choir members formed a guard of honour as the Dean left the Cathedral at the end of the service. The congregation made their way in gentle snowfall to the nearby Diocesan Centre where they enjoyed refreshments and fellowship.
The full gallery of photos can be viewed on our Diocesan Facebook page.
