A new chapter has begun for the Anglican Communion with the commissioning of Canon Kenneth Kearon as Secretary General in a service in St. Andrew’s House Chapel in London. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams presided at the liturgy and preached the homily.
In his homily Archbishop Williams spoke of the challenges that await the new Secretary General. “As we seek to live out the apostolic calling, we have to see ourselves as bound, bound up, in him, and bound up in each other. To minister to a Communion — not just to one church, one congregation, one locality — to minister to a Communion worldwide, is surely to minister into this reality. We are bound together, because we are bound in Christ; bound in the one hope of our calling.”
Portions of the service were taken from prayer books and service books used around the Communion including Kenya, Ireland, the United States, New Zealand and England. The music included hymns, songs and chants from Africa, Ireland, England and South America.
During the service special prayers were offered for the victims of the Tsunami disaster and a special offering, for the use of the Primate of Southeast Asia for disaster relief, was collected from the 100-member congregation.
Canon Kearon was born in Dublin in 1953. After education at Mountjoy School he attended Trinity College in Dublin where he studied mental and moral science for a degree in philosophy. After further study in Cambridge and Dublin, he was ordained deacon in 1981 and priest in 1982. He served a curacy in the parish of All Saints Raheny and St. John’s Coolock in the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough and then was appointed dean of residence at Trinity College.
In 1991 he became rector of the parish of Tullow (Dublin) before becoming director of the Irish School of Ecumenics in 1999. He has also, since 1995, been a member of the Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, and has served as its Chancellor since 2002.
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