DEATH OF DEAN OF CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL DUBLIN

It is with deep regret that we announce the death of the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, and Honorary Secretary of the General Synod, the Very Revd Desmond Harman.

Dean Harman died in the Blackrock Clinic this morning (Tuesday 18 December 2007) where he was receiving treatment after a heart operation.

Paying tribute to the late Dean, the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr John Neill said, “It was with the deepest sadness I learned of the death of Dean Desmond Harman who has been a valued friend of mine since we were both teenagers. He was in hospital receiving treatment and although there were complications, he seemed to be recovering, so news of his death came as a terrible shock.

Dean Harman’s death is a huge loss to the Dioceses and the Church as a whole. He served in ministry for over forty years and he will be remembered in every parish he served in as a gentle and caring pastor. His compassion also stretched beyond these shores and, in being a major driving force behind the creation of the Bishop’s Appeal for world development, he helped create a lasting institution which has positively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands. He was also a dedicated ecumenist and served as the Church of Ireland contact person for the Porvoo Communion and in that capacity helped to organise the recent Porvoo Primates meeting in Dublin in October. The respect and trust in which he was held by his colleagues was also demonstrated when they elected him an Honorary Secretary of the General Synod in 1999.

For his wife Sue and their children, the loss of a loving husband and father will be profound, all the more so, so close to Christmas. I have already offered my deepest sympathies and condolences both on my own behalf and on behalf of the clergy and people of the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. Our love, thoughts and prayers are with them.”

The Very Revd (Robert) Desmond Harman was born in 1941 and educated at Sligo Grammar School and at Trinity College Dublin, where he studied Hebrew and Oriental Languages. He was ordained in 1967 and served six years as curate-assistant of Taney, followed by thirteen years as Rector of Santry and Glasnevin. In 1986 was appointed Rector of Sandford and Milltown and Chaplain of Alexandra College, Bloomfield, Westfield, New Lodge and the Royal Hospital, Donnybrook. He was appointed a Canon of the Christ Church Cathedral Chapter in 1991 and served as Canon Treasurer from 2002 to 2004. In 2004 he was appointed by the present Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr John Neill as Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, succeeding the late John Paterson, and was installed on 24 April 2004. In that capacity he also served as incumbent of the Christ Church Cathedral Group of parishes.

As well as parochial responsibilities, the late Dean also served in many other capacities in the Church of Ireland, most prominently as one of the four Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod from 1999. He was editor of the Church Review, for many years, during which time he established it as one of the leading Church publications. At the central Church level, Desmond Harman was the driving force behind the Bishops' Appeal for World Development in its formative years. More recently he was appointed the Church of Ireland contact person for the Porvoo Churches (the communion of Anglican churches in Europe and Episcopal-Lutheran Churches in Scandinavia and the Nordic-Baltic Countries).

The Very Revd Desmond Harman is survived by his wife Sue and their three children.

- ENDS –