“I AM but a little child,
? the Very Reverend Victor Stacey said in his sermon at his installation as the new Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral.
The former rector of Dun Laoghaire was installed as Dean of the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland at a service of Evensong.
The service was attended by a number of representatives from State and civic life as well as ambassadors from several countries, the Papal Nuncio and guests from other churches including the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Reverend Diarmuid Martin along with representatives of the Metropolitan Chapter, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Salvation Army.
Church of Ireland members present included the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Reverend Alan Harper OBE; the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Reverend Dr Michael Jackson; bishops and retired bishops; members and former members of the Chapter of St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
In his sermon Dean Stacey suggested that people would be expecting him to set out his stall
“to indicate my priorities and hopes for this venerable building and its ministry
?.
“They will be brief and general because there is still that little child making first, slow, tentative steps,” he told the congregation.
“I am humbled and grateful to the chapter who elected me, and only hope I can prove worthy of the trust they have placed in me. Whether my tenure is long or short, it will be very short in terms of the history of this place. I can only hope to build on the foundations laid by those who have gone before me. My sense of the enormity of the challenge and my inadequate qualifications for it has been abated somewhat by the huge number of messages of good will and prayerful support.
?
He stated that the ministry would be a collaborative one.
“The Chapter and Board had their responsibilities and were well up to the task, he added.
“We are blessed with wonderful workers whose interest in the place goes beyond paid work. We could not survive without our friends and volunteers. St Patrick’s must enable and allow each to fulfill their ministry.
?
The Very Reverend Victor Stacey succeeds the Very Reverend Dr Robert MacCarthy, who retired at the end of January. Canon Stacey was Rector of Dun Laoghaire from 1995 to 2012 and Prebendary of Maynooth, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.