St. Macartin’s Cathedral welcomes new curate assistant

Rev. Christopher West (26) has recently been appointed as the curate assistant, and when he spoke to The Impartial Reporter this week he was settling in well to his new role.

Rev. West had not initially set out to become a member of the clergy. When he left school he began studying medicine at the University of Dundee.

He said: “I always had a vocation to follow some sort of compassionate role, and I enjoyed the sciences, so it seemed like the logical step.

“But to cut a long story short, I started skipping medical lectures in Dundee and going over to St. Andrew’s for theology lectures, and got very involved in the cathedral [St. Paul’s, Dundee].”

The curate describing an early experience of “God’s love for me” in his teens in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, and a second experience whilst at university.

Rev. Chris West the new Curate at St Macartin's Cathedral Enniskillen..

He said: “During my time in university, in St Paul’s, I got involved as an altar server, so through serving and worshipping alongside the people there, and in that sacramental context, I felt more myself than any other time, and I decided to leave Medicine.”

Explaining the nature of his role, he said: “I’m serving alongside the Dean [The Very Rev. Dean. Kenneth Hal] as the curate assistant.

“Any clergy person is someone who takes three books seriously: the prayer book, the visiting book and the Bible, and I think that sums up my role in leading services with liturgy and proceeding at the sacraments, preaching, and visiting, and I assist the Dean in that sphere.”

Enniskillen and St. Macartin’s was attractive to the young clergyman for many reasons. He said: “The church takes the prayer book seriously and recognises there is no substitute for a deep grounding in the sacraments and the scripture.

“The friendliness, and the personality of the Dean was a great attraction to me as well – he is excellent at demonstrating God’s love for everyone in the community, and the opportunity to train under him was too good to miss.”

He continued: “Enniskillen is both lively and vibrant and there is a great sense of community. The ecumenical enterprise taking place here between St. Macartin’s and St. Michael’s Church was a huge draw for me,

“I’m someone who believes, ‘Why do apart what we can do together?’ and the relationship between the two churches here is a beacon of hope, not just for Enniskillen but also this island of Ireland.”

The Very Revd Dean Kenneth Hall (left), and Sam Morrow, (right), Secretary of St Macartin's Cathedral Select Vestry welcomes The Rev. Chris West the new Curate to the church..

Rev. West has an interest in young people and their role in the future. He said: “My sense is that young people are looking for a space where they can ask big questions without judgement, and I think sometimes in the past the church at large has been in business in giving nice, neat answers, but what people are looking for is a space to explore meaningful questions and a non-judgemental way to work things out for themselves.

“I think the role of the church is to make sure that everyone knows they matter in the eyes of the church and, more importantly, in the eyes of God.

“We need to be inclusive, and we need to be asking people to join in the conversation as opposed to telling them what we think they need.”

Rev. West sees a more inclusive church in society “where people can give the dignity of their gift, their opinion and their perspective”.

He addressed this further in his interview as he reflected on the role of young people speaking out in relation to climate change – a topic he has an interest in.

Reflecting on the role of the church in society, he concluded by saying: “Jesus is alive and at large both inside and outside the doors of the church.”

Rev. West grew up in and was baptised and confirmed in the rural parish of St. John’s, Mullabrack in the Diocese of Armagh.

He was officially welcomed into St. Macartin’s Cathedral on Advent Sunday (November 28). He was joined on his first Sunday in St.Macartin’s by his parents, Nigel and Linda, as well as his younger brother, Owen.

He had previously served in the Diocese of Dublin as the curate assistant of the Parish of Taney, Dundrum.

Rev. West pictured alongside his parents Nigel and Lind and his brother, Owen