04.09.2014
The Revd Eugene Griffin Looks Back on a Busy Year as Intern Deacon in Rathfarnham
The Revd Eugene Griffin (pictured) will be Ordained to the Priesthood on Sunday September 28 in Christ Church Cathedral at 3.30 pm. He has been appointed Curate of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla where he will serve with Rector, Canon Paul Houston. Over the past year since his Ordination to the Diaconate, Eugene has been serving as in Intern Deacon in the Parish of Rathfarnham. Here he writes of his experience.
Eugene Griffin – some thoughts on the past year.
It only seems like yesterday that I and my classmates registered as students in Trinity and here I am writing a piece for the Dublin and Glendalough website looking back on my year as Intern–Deacon in Rathfarnham Parish but also looking towards my Ordination to the Priesthood in September. Sometimes life’s journey can take your breath away!
Working in a parish the geography of which I wasn’t familiar with was my first challenge. Like most areas in Dublin, Rathfarnham has grown a lot over the last twenty years with new estates being built in that time–span. After a couple of days going around in circles, I gave up the ghost and invested in a sat–nav. Bliss! From then on, I always knew how to get where I wanted to go.
In a way, that is a metaphor for my internship year. There were new skills to be learned (like my involvement with the Good News Club or taking the school assemblies in High School and Rathfarnham National School), new people to meet (visiting parishioners in their homes or in hospital), new places to go (accompanying parishioners on trips to the theatre) and new ways of worship (the alternative Sunday evening service or an hour by the cross on Good Friday). On the academic front, I grappled with my dissertation which involved plenty of research, interviews, reading and writing.
In all of these new and exciting experiences, I had guidance from a host of people around me: from my internship trainer the Revd Anne Taylor, Katie Heffelfinger who had the dubious pleasure of supervising my dissertation and the various people along the way who have given me the tools for my future ministry.
Underpinning all of this is my faith in God and His good grace, my spiritual sat–nav for the journey that has been and my journey to come. Drawing alongside people as they live their lives and growing relationships is at the core of what I want my ministry to be. Bringing people closer to one another and closer to God is my mission.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the clergy and people of Rathfarnham. In a nut shell, I learned more from them than I could ever possibly teach. The times we spent ‘being together’ are very precious to me and the fond memories I have will remain with me for a long time to come.