Former Archbishop of Armagh, will conduct the ordination service
On Sunday next 30th August 2020, two people from the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the Church of Ireland will be ordained deacon. They are Patrick Gerrard Culleton (photo above) and Sabrina Ann Cooke (here -)
Usually ordinations like this happen at one great gala event attended by many hundreds of people from far and near. This year, however, the now familiar CoronaVirus restrictions mean that Pat Culleton will be ordained on his own with a small group of people in attendance in St Peter’s Church, Bandon on Sunday morning, and Sabrina Cooke will be ordained in Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork at a similarly small event on Sunday afternoon.
It should be noted that all of the available seats within the regulatory limit for both occasions have already been assigned; so it will not be possible, sadly, to welcome or accommodate any more people to either service.
“These restrictions in no way diminish the significance of the ordination”, said Bishop Colton:
“An ordination like this is for the whole church of God. The work of a deacon may best be described in one word: service – humble service as an ordained person in the life of the Church.
“This ministry of service is at the heart of all Christian ministry. As the ordination service itself says “Deacons in the Church of God serve in the name of Christ, and so remind the whole Church that serving others is at the heart of all ministry. Deacons have a special responsibility to ensure that those in need are cared for with compassion and humility.”
Bishop Colton will not be able to preside at the ordinations himself this year, however, as he is recovering at home from an operation to replace his shoulder last Saturday which was necessary following an accident, a fall, on the summit of Mount Gabriel earlier in the month of August. At Bishop Colton’s request, the Right Reverend Dr Richard Clarke, now resident in the Diocese in retirement, and former Archbishop of Armagh, will conduct the ordination service.
Both Sabrina and Pat have been serving until now in lay ministry in the Diocese as licensed readers. Pat has also been serving as a local lay minister doing pastoral work.
Sabrina (40) who is originally from County Tipperary, holds a Professional Certificate in Ministry from the University of Chester, as well as both a Master’s Degree in Philosophy and a Degree in Language and Cultural Studies: German and Philosophy from University College Cork. She spent two years in Germany, Aachen and Bochum, and speaks French and German. She is the mother of two children Alexander, 9 and Helena, 7.
Pat (73) was born and raised in Co. Wexford. He served in the Irish Army and worked with Cork County Council until his retirement in 2011.
Following his ordination Pat will serve in the ordained local ministry in the Bandon Union of Parishes.
Sabrina, having completed her third year in a Masters of Theology at Trinity College, Dublin, is now entering her final year of training for full-time stipendiary ministry and will serve in an internship under the Very Rev. Susan Green in Cloyne Union of Parishes.
The Service in the afternoon at 3.30 p.m. may be viewed on the St Fin Barre’s Cathedral webcam either of these –
[[] https://www.churchservices.tv/corkstfinbarre ]
[[] https://corkcathedral.webs.com/ ]
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