11.05.2025
The Revd Jane Burns Appointed Rector of Holy Trinity Killiney
The Revd Jane Burns has been appointed as the new Rector of the Parish of Holy Trinity, Killiney. Jane is currently Curate Assistant in Taney Parish. The announcement was made in both parishes this morning (Sunday May 11).
Jane hails from a farming background in Athy in County Kildare. Growing up, her faith was established and nurtured by her parents and in Athy Union of Parishes and Athy Model School. It was further developed during secondary school in Kilkenny College.
Jane is married to Dermot, Project Manager and Data Protection Officer in the Representative Church Body. Before ordination to the priesthood, she lived in Athy where she was actively involved in parish life for over twenty years. Dermot and Jane have three children, Jamie, Ellen and Kate. Jamie is a primary school teacher and Ellen and Kate are both students.
She previously worked in administration in the Representative Church Body, FBD Insurance and with Christian Aid Ireland. She describes a sense of vocational calling being a part of her life since her teenage years. Encouraged by her then Rector, Cliff Jeffers, she undertook the Archbishop’s Course in Theology between 2008 and 2010. In 2015, she commenced a part time role as Church and Community Officer with Christian Aid Ireland. She has travelled overseas twice with Christian Aid, to Zimbabwe and India, both experiences leaving a profound impact on her. She describes Christ’s command in Matthew 22:37–39, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and our neighbour as ourselves as summing up the basis of her personal faith.
Her role in Christian Aid ensured that she spent lots of time with Church congregations. It was during this time that she sensed God gently guiding her towards exploring Ordained Ministry. This was encouraged by her then Rector, Olive Donohoe and members of Athy Union, as well as the Diocesan Vocations Group. The Archbishop sent Jane to Selection Conference in 2019, after which she began the non–residential pathway towards the MTh in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. She describes being truly blessed by the people she encountered through her time in CITI and the experiences she had on placements in Kildare and Newbridge Union, Crumlin and Chapelizod and Christ Church Cathedral. She was ordained to the diaconate in Christ Church Cathedral in September 2022 and served as Deacon Intern in Taney Parish. Ordination to the priesthood followed in September 2023 and she has served since then as Curate Assistant to the Revd Nigel Pierpoint in Taney Parish.
Following the announcement of her appointment Jane said: “The past almost three years in Taney Parish have been a time of extraordinary privilege and blessing. I have received wonderful affirmation and encouragement from the parishioners, the Ministry Team and our ecumenical partners in Dundrum as we have walked together on our pilgrimage of faith. I will always be grateful to Rev Nigel for his pastoral care, training and friendship over the past three years.
“And so, with a heart full of gratitude for my time in Taney and St Nahi’s, I now look towards ministry in the Parish of Holy Trinity, Killiney. My family and I are looking forward to ‘new beginnings’ in Killiney. I feel honoured and thankful for the trust that the nominators and the Archbishop have placed in me. I look forward to serving the parishioners and the wider community as we walk together on this stage of our journey of faith. In the words of St Paul, I will ‘… rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who are weeping.’” (Rom 12:15)
Archbishop Michael Jackson wished Jane and her family well as they settle in to their new parish. “I am delighted that the Reverend Jane Burns has accepted my appointment of her as rector of Holy Trinity Killiney,” he said. “Jane comes from Athy in the Diocese of Glendalough and has worked for three years in Taney Parish in the Diocese of Dublin. We all wish Jane and her family well as they settle into the life of Killiney.”