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| Bishop of Connor Elected Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland | |||||||
| The Rt Revd Alan Harper, Bishop of Connor has been elected Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland by the House of Bishops of the Church of Ireland. Making the announcement in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the Most Revd Dr John Neill, Archbishop of Dublin said: "It gives me great personal delight to make this announcement, as I look forward, as indeed do all the Bishops, to working in partnership with Alan and under his leadership. Bishop Harper is a man of deep faith, great ability and pastoral insight and I am certain that he is the person that we were guided by the Holy Spirit to elect to this office. He will represent the Church of Ireland in situations in Ireland and beyond with great courage and clarity, and it will be a joy to work with him." The Primate-elect, The Right Reverend Alan Harper said: "I am deeply humbled and honoured by the trust placed in me by my colleagues. I pray that God will guide me in fulfilling the responsibilities of the role of Archbishop of Armagh. I am conscious of the privilege of serving the Church in this role. I look forward to meeting the people of my new diocese and those members of the Church throughout the island of Ireland. As I look forward, I also express sincere gratitude to the clergy and people of the diocese of Connor, where I have served for 22 years, the last six years as Bishop. They have nurtured me and welcomed me and my family into their homes and parishes, sharing both joys and sorrows." The House of Bishops also decided that his election would take effect from 2 February 2007. In the meantime, the Dean and Chapter of St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh have elected The Venerable Raymond Hoey, Archdeacon of Armagh to carry the diocesan responsibilities for the Diocese of Armagh. The Provincial responsibilities are carried by the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Reverend John Neill until this date. Upon taking up his responsibilities as Archbishop of Armagh, the Right Reverend Alan Harper will be the 104th in the succession of abbots, bishops and archbishops of Armagh since St Patrick. Curriculum Vitae Born
20th March 1944 Profile Chair,
CCB Born in Tamworth on 20 March 1944, he was educated at Moorgate County Primary School, and then The Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth, Queen of England, Tamworth, Staffordshire. He studied Geography at Leeds University being awarded a BA Hons in 1965. During the academic year 1965/66 he was University Map Curator and Departmental Librarian in the Department of Geography, University of Leeds. In July 1966 he was appointed a member of the Archaeological Survey of Northern Ireland (subsequently the Historic Monuments Inspectorate) as Field officer and subsequently Senior Inspector of Historic Monuments. In 1974 he took up a post as Principal Assistant Planning Officer (Archaeology and Environment) in the Planning Department of Staffordshire County Council before entering the University of Dublin (Trinity College) in 1975 to study for the Testimonium in Divinity, awarded in 1978. Bishop Harper was ordained deacon in 1978 and priested in 1979. He began his ministry in Northern Ireland undertaking his curacy at Ballywillan in Connor diocese from 1978-1980. In 1980 he moved to Derry diocese to be incumbent of Moville and then became incumbent of Christ Church Londonderry from 1982-1986. Returning to Connor diocese and the Belfast area, Bishop Harper moved to be incumbent of Malone from 1986-2002. During this time he was also appointed Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of Connor (1986-2002), Rural Dean of South Belfast (1989-1996), Prebendary of St Audoen, St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin (1990-2001) and Director of Post Ordination Training (1990-2001). From 1999-2002 he was also Archdeacon of Connor and Precentor of St. Anne's Cathedral, Belfast. Bishop Harper's passion for archaeology and history led him, in 1980, to be appointed a member of the Historic Monuments Council for Northern Ireland and to become its Chairman from 1986-1995. In 1996 he was appointed an OBE for Services to Conservation in Northern Ireland. Meeting on 17 December 2001, the Episcopal Electoral College elected him Bishop of Connor in succession to Bishop James Moore. He was consecrated on 18 March 2002 in St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast and enthroned in Christ Church, Lisburn on 25 April. On 9 January 2007 he was elected as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland by the House of Bishops (to take effect from 2 February 2007). Bishop Harper is married to Helen and they have four children and one grandchild. |
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