Diocesan News
Clabby Church marks 155th anniversary of consecration
A special Service of Thanksgiving has been held in St Margaret’s Church, Clabby, in Clogher Diocese to mark the 155th anniversary of its consecration.
The service was conducted by the Rector, Canon Maurice Armstrong, and the preacher was the Bishop of Clogher, the Right Revd Dr Ian Ellis.
The lessons were read by Mr Jim Monteith, People’s Churchwarden, and Miss Annie McDowell.
The hymns were ‘Angel voices, ever singing’, ‘Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!’, ‘Great is Thy faithfulness’, ‘My heart is filled with thankfulness’, ‘I will sing the wondrous story’ and ‘Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided’. The organist was Mrs Ann Bloomfield.
There were some special musical contributions from The Silvertones Choir.
A number of parishioners and people associated with the church led the prayers – Miss Rose Adams, Mr William Morrow, Mr Mark Byers and Mr Ryan Crawford – finishing with a prayer from the Rector.
A short history of Clabby Church was outlined by Mr Sam Morrow, who grew up in the parish. A deed for the site for church dedicated to St Margaret was dated 1864 and the first clergyman to conduct worship in Clabby School, built in 1864 and paid for by the Revd J.G. Porter, was the Revd Nathaniel Hone, Curate of Tempo from 1838 to 1842.
The Revd Frances James Hurst became the first rector in 1873 and under his direction, a magnificent stained glass east window was installed and dedicated in memory of Mr Porter. The church had been constructed in the 1860s, the gift of Mr Porter as the landlord.
The church was consecrated by the Most Revd Marcus Gervais Beresford, Archbishop of Armagh, as Clogher Diocese was part of Armagh Diocese at the time.
At a tea reception in the parish hall afterwards, an anniversary cake was cut by Mr Morrow.
For further information please contact:
Diocesan Communications Officer, Clogher
07708 869823
Mr Brian Donaldson
[email protected]