Tomorrow afternoon Bishop Richard Clarke will be enthroned as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. There should be little doubt that the House of Bishops, we believe under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, has chosen well.
The Archbishop elect has an excellent blend of accredited study and experience gained of ordained ministry in a greater variety of posts than the majority of the clergy.
He was nurtured in the faith of the church he will guide. He needed no introduction to the Mothers’ Union when he was ordained. His mother was a national leader in the MU.
He has experience of ministry on both sides of the border. He is clearly identifiable as an Anglican in both worship and outlook whilst having established capabilities of outreach with his informed understanding of other expressions of Christianity. His involvement in ecumenical encounter and in participation in and leadership of the General Synod committee responsible for shaping the church’s involvement in this key area, brings him to a particular ministry from Armagh in which this is an essential requirement and skill.
There are many challenges which await the new Archbishop of Armagh. Included amongst these are –
– The political discontent in Northern Ireland which has been recently demonstrated with its attendant threat to ongoing essential peace making and the securing of a more certain future for all valid expressions of cultural and political identity.
– The economic situation afflicting most parts of this island which also threatens peace-making and the viability of the church in various locations.
– The identity of the Church of Ireland as expressed in its style of worship, the manner and conduct of its mission.
– The irrelevance of the church and Christian belief to many people as evidenced in a recent census.
– The breakdown in family life in many areas and the irrelevance of marriage to an increasing number.
– The challenge of same sex relationships and related issues of inclusiveness.
Over and beyond this there are two specific areas which would benefit examination under the aegis of the new Archbishop.
The maintenance of the unity of the Church of Ireland during forty years of violence despite the tensions caused by different interpretations of the reasons for its existence, was in no small way due to the fact that there were clergy like the archbishop who were raised in the Republic but who came north to experience ministry there. That many from ‘the south’ stayed and gave a life time of service enabled the maintenance of a balance in the witness of this church. Regrettably this feature of ordained ministry in this Church of Ireland is no longer the influence which it once was. Indeed the migration of clergy seems to have a distinct southward direction in recent years. Of course there are other factors in play, but the new archbishop may care to encourage more clergy to do as he will have done twice in his ministry, namely, to come north.
Bishop Richard Clarke knows and has demonstrated that a prime responsibility of episcopal ministry is that of ‘pastor pastorum’. The church would do well to remember, because he will, that the clergy of the diocese of Armagh can but be very close to the top of his priorities. The ministry of the bishop as the pastor of the pastors, their spouses and families, will continue to be upheld by him.
Leadership by the new archbishop in this area and in encouraging its practice and development throughout the church will do more to renew the church than many schemes and dreams which are sponsored in dioceses from time to time. When clergy are aware of the genuine support of their bishop and he is known as an established friend in their home who knows the pressures and opportunities in their parish, the spiritual synergy is enhanced and clergy are renewed and reenforced in their commitment to their ministry. When the bishop himself has known pain and loss, and comes amongst his clergy as a wounded-healer reflecting those characteristics of the risen Christ, there is an authenticity in ministry which goes to the very heart of faith.
Bishop Richard Clarke is fully deserving of the prayers of the church.
Houston McKelvey