THE CLERGY AND OTHERS

By 1963 the number of families attached to the church had grown from 300 to 537 and was expected to rise further. The Select Vestry felt the time was right to seek full parochial status for St Molua's. Early in the following year the Board of Nomination had no difficulty in deciding that the man to be Rector of Stormont Parish was the Curate-in-Charge who had done so much for the church already. On 16 December 1964, the first Rector of St Molua's Church, the Rev. Edgar Reid Hamilton was instituted by the Archdeacon of Down and Dromore, the Venerable G.A.Quin, in the absence through illness of the Bishop.

In 1976 Rev. Hamilton was appointed Rural Dean of Dundonald Rural Deanery. This was an honour with mixed blessings as, at one time, he had two vacant churches in his care while without a curate himself, although, fortunately, each of them did have one. In 1981 he was appointed Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of Down and Dromore and, in 1985, a Canon of St Anne's Cathedral. This was happily an honour without too many extra duties - the most onerous probably being to share the annual Christmas charity 'sit out' on the Cathedral steps with the Dean and his fellow Canons. In 1990 Canon Hamilton had to resign from St Anne's when he was appointed Representative Canon and Prebendary of Wicklow in the Chapter of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. His father had also been a Canon in the Chapter.

A popular and hard working incumbent, there were many who expressed sincere regret when, at the Easter General Vestry in 1992, Canon Hamilton announced his intention to retire early the following January. His successor was the Rev. David Humphries who, before his appointment was also a Vicar of St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast though, in his case, Vicar Choral. He was instituted on 17 May 1993.

As the numbers in the new parish increased, the need for a curate became urgent, a need that was frustrated by a chronic shortage of money and a decrease in the number of candidates entering the Ministry of the Church of Ireland. The first curate assistant at St Molua's was not appointed until 1965 when the number of families had already reached 573 - and was still rising. Rev. Ivor McCausland joined the staff after his ordination in Down Cathedral in June 1965. Tragically, the young man died suddenly only four and a half months after his appointment. A shocked parish erected the first stained glass window in the church as a memorial.

It was nearly a year before the services of another curate became available. Again a newly-ordained man, Rev. John Rodney Griffith, took office in September 1966 and remained for two years before being appointed senior curate to St Nicholas's Parish Church in Carrickfergus in June 1968. He later became an Army chaplain. As a memento of his time in St Molua's he and his wife donated the silver baptismal shell which had been used for their own daughter's christening. Another year elapsed before his successor arrived. This time a more mature man, Rev. Richard Rennison Wilson, who had been a curate in Cookstown for three years before going to the USA. His father's illness precipitated his return and he was with St Molua's until October 1970 when he became Rector of Rathdowney Parishes in Co Leix. He died in November 1992 when Rector of Dundalk.

With a shortage of available candidates from the College, another two years passed before the next curate came to St Molua's. The number of families on the books had now risen to over seven hundred and the Diocesan Office, concerned about the situation, offered a grant towards the salary of a curate for three years. This enabled another experienced man to be considered and Rev. Charles Douglas James Goddard, curate at St John's Orangefield, applied for and was appointed to the post in April 1973. He remained for two years until his appointment as Chaplain to the Mission to Seamen in 1975.

The continuing dearth of candidates coupled with shortage of funds now left the parish without a curate for five years. Other churches were suffering similar problems, which led to the establishment by the General Synod in May 1974 of the Auxiliary Ministry. This innovation allowed individuals, who did not wish to enter the full-time ministry, to undertake part-time work with a parish after a shortened period of training. The work was on a voluntary basis with expenses only being paid.

Concerned about St Molua's continuing lack of a curate, the Bishop (now Dr RHA Eames) offered the services of an Auxiliary minister and the Diocesan Office agreed to give a grant towards his expenses. Rev. Harry Long started in January 1981, his remit being all Sunday services except two and two evenings of parish visiting each month. Unfortunately he was only in office for a very short time before resigning on medical grounds in March of the same year. With no immediate prospect of another curate, the Bishop gave permission for Harry Crawford, a parishioner, to assist at Holy Communion.

After nine years without a curate Rev. Peter Marshall Rutherford came to St Molua's following his ordination in St Patrick's, Ballymacarret in June 1983. He remained for two years before leaving to become an Army chaplain in 1985, since when St Molua's has been without a curate. Others, however, have in individual ways helped ease the load on the Rector. Tony Orr, a Lay Reader from St Mark's, Dundela, was one, and in 1992 Mrs Jill Boal, a parishioner, having completed her studies was licensed as a Lay Reader for St Molua's - the first parishioner so to be. Only one parishioner, Ralph Baxter, who was secretary of the first Hall Committee, has entered the full time ministry. He is now Dean of St John's Cathedral, Winnipeg. Another parishioner, Michael Houston, started training for the Auxiliary Ministry in 1992. He was ordained Deacon in 1995 and Priested in 1997.

Without resident clerical help for so much of his ministry Mr Hamilton often had occasion to invite others to share his pulpit. The benefit of being from a clerical family was evident when, at different times, both his father (the former Dean of Waterford) and his brother, Canon Noble Hamilton of Banbridge, were guest preachers.

For special services, anniversaries, patronal festivals, missions etc., other Church of Ireland clerics were invited, the Bishops of Ossory, Killaloe, Cork, and Meath amongst them. The Bishop of Repton has represented the Church of England. One Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Rev. G.O. Sims DD.PhD, preached at Harvest in 1967, and another, the Most Rev. A.A. Buchanan, at the Patronal Festival in 1970. The faces of several of the Rector's personal friends, Rev. Kenneth Smyth of Newtownards, the Very Rev. J.H.R.Good and Rev H. Leckey (later Dean of Down) also became familiar to worshippers.

The first non-Church of Ireland clergyman to occupy St Molua's pulpit was Rev. Dr J. Park D.D. of Stormont Presbyterian Church, when he preached at the Patronal Festival in 1975. His Kirk Session was included in the invitation. With the increasing movement towards ecumenism the Rector regularly exchanged pulpits with Dr Park and his successor Rev. J.R. Savage in Christian Unity Week. Another Presbyterian and personal friend of the Rector, the Rev. Prof. Finlay Holmes, Professor of Church History at Union Theological College, has also been a welcomed guest on a number of occasions.

In the early days of the parish the cleaning was done mostly by volunteers, but when the church and new hall came into use, it became obvious that some paid help was needed. In March 1962 a sexton, Alfred Dalton was appointed on a part-time basis. He remained in this capacity for some time but was eventually upgraded to full time employment and remained with the church until 1978. He was succeeded by a series of lady cleaners with the work in the intervals between their employment again being done by volunteers. In 1981 David, a parishioner, agreed to look after the premises in a temporary capacity - and stayed, to everyone's satisfaction, for over ten years. In 1991 Barry was appointed sexton and became a valued member of the permanent staff.

The final paid member of the church staff has been the organist. St Molua's has been fortunate here and has established a fine reputation of musical excellence. But organists and choir have been so closely linked that they must be dealt with in a chapter of their own.

THE MUSIC OF THE CHURCH

The first organist of the church, Brian Hunter, was also a fine singer with a particular gift for choral work. He was appointed in 1960 at the tender age of eighteen with a salary of £50 per annum. As well as establishing an adult choir to lead the worship in the temporary hall, he started training classes for boy singers. For a number of years the church paid for two boys to go to choir courses in Armagh and Enniskillen. In 1975 two boys, Malcolm and Alisdair, were invited to sing in Canterbury cathedral with the choir of St James's Church, Trowbridge.

The choir presented a service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Christmas 1960, a tradition which has continued ever since. In 1962 a similar Easter service of lessons and carols was held. As far as is known St Molua's was the first parish in Belfast to introduce this service at Easter. Mr Hunter formed a quartet with two other members of his choir and one singer from St Anne's Cathedral. Calling themselves "The Four Lyrics" they entered a competition at Butlin's in 1963, winning a £1,000 prize. Sadly the group had to break up as one of its members went to sea, but they did meet to sing again three years later.

Before transferring from the temporary hall to the church the choir expressed a wish to be robed. The choice being scarlet robes, with Canterbury caps for the ladies. The wish being acceptable they set to work to raise the necessary money. A concert, with the well-known tenor James Johnston as guest soloist, was held and enough money raised, not only to robe the choir, but to buy cushions for the choir stalls and a cupboard for their books. The acoustics of the church proved to be very good for music, if rather less so for the spoken word (a defect which has created some difficulties over the years) and the parish soon began to establish a reputation for excellence in this field.

A junior choir of boys and girls flourished in the early and mid 1970s, staging very successful concerts each year until the 'headhunting' of boys for the church choir and a fall off in support and attendance of the remaining members led to its disbandment. It was later re-formed in 1987.

Mr Hunter resigned in December 1969 to take up a similar post in Holywood Parish Church, County Down later moving to St Comgall's Church in Bangor. His place was taken by Mr T.V.H.McKirgan. Almost immediately Mr McKirgan developed problems with an elbow which required surgery and forced him to give up the post at the end of 1971. However, this was not before he had introduced the choir to competitive singing for the first time, entering it in Carrickfergus Musical Festival where it achieved a very creditable second place. The following year the choir won a cup at Holywood Musical Festival. More competition success followed under Mr McKirgan's successor James Drennan, LTCL, ALCM, formerly organist of St Donard's Church, Bloomfield, and an excellent artist as well as musician and teacher. He continued to build the musical reputation of the choir.

A new outlet for its talents presented with the first broadcast service from the church when Morning Prayer went on the air 'live' in June 1974. Soon afterwards the choir joined with others in a television broadcast of the BBC's "Songs of Praise" in St Anne's Cathedral. Other broadcasts, both from St Molua's and, as guests in other churches followed. The climax perhaps being the Christmas morning 'live' national broadcast by Independant Television in 1983.

The choir used its gifts in other ways as well. In addition to the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols at Christmas and Easter, sacred cantatas were sung at appropriate times. These included St John's Passion or The Crucifixion on Passion Sunday and Handel's Messiah at Christmas. The parish was fortunate in having the recording skills of parishioner Lionel to tape many of these occasions as well as deputising for the organist for a number of years. Other parishioners who have done relief duties at the organ have been Dr John Boal and Mrs Dorothy Leckey. Pleased with the recordings, the choir in 1977 went on to produce its own record of anthems and other pieces of sacred music. In combination with the choirs of St Mark's, Dundela and St Finnian's, Cregagh, it has also recorded hymns for use by churches in sparsely populated areas. These recordings were made in St Molua's, presumably because of the good acoustics. The same reason, probably, why the church was chosen in 1988 as the venue for a course for junior choirs run by the Royal School of Church Music, of which the church has long been a member. In 1976 Choral Evensong was sung for the first time in St Molua's at an a additional Sunday afternoon service. The service was well received and Choral Evensong continued to be a feature of 'Fifth Sundays' until Canon Hamilton retired.

CREATING A CHURCH COMMUNITY

Although the construction and paying for the church buildings absorbed much time and effort, the prime aim of the Rev. Edgar Hamilton, from the beginning, was the development of the parish into a close-knit community with particular emphasis on the spiritual side. In this he was solidly supported by the Select Vestry. A fine preacher, his services formed the core of the spiritual side of his work.

From the earliest days, in addition to the regular services, a Sunday School was held every Sunday afternoon in the temporary hall, with both kindergarten and senior sections. There were numerous children in the parish at that time and the number attending the Sunday School grew rapidly. By 1962 it had reached two hundred and there were twenty-three teachers. By 1964 the Kindergarten section had virtually reached saturation point.

The first of the regular Sunday School parties were held in December 1960 with prizes for every child. In subsequent years most prizes were given for good attendance judged by the completion of Young Worshippers League of Church Loyalty cards. In later years, by popular request, the Sunday School was moved to the morning, after Morning Prayer. As the age distribution of the parish changed, the numbers, particularly in the Senior Sunday School, declined markedly until, by 1990, there were only 25-30 children on its rolls and 30-40 on the Kindergarten roll. This was not entirely surprising as one of the two local High Schools closed during the 1980s because of the drop in numbers of young people in the area and the number attending Tullycarnet Primary School more than halved over the years. When the new housing estate at Kinross was built children from the area were collected and brought to Sunday School by car. This service stopped during a particularly bad period of civil unrest in 1972-3 and, although it recommenced later, the demand fell as Sunday School numbers declined and eventually the scheme stopped altogether.

Regular series of confirmation classes were held both for young people and for adults. The services for adult candidates were held separately, usually in St Anne's Cathedral. With only intermittent help from curate assistants over the years, it was very difficult for Mr Hamilton to develop a satisfactory programme for the young people of the parish when they were confirmed and finished with Sunday School. The problem was what to offer this diminishing group of young people as a means of spiritual development. The demands of examinations and the multiplicity of out of school activities vied for their limited free time.

The escalation of "The Troubles" from the late 1960s compounded the problem. Different programmes were offered. A Bible class and study group for teenagers was started in 1963 which ran for some time. When, after a break of nine years, a curate was appointed in 1984, he organised a Sunday evening Compline Group. When he left, it was successfully taken over for some time by Mrs Hamilton, the Rector's wife. A branch of the International Bible Reading Fellowship was formed in the early days of the parish, and a number of parishioners subscribed to the Bible study notes and continue to do so to the present day.

A discussion group for adults also was organised early in 1964 but, in spite of varying its format to attract more participants, it was comparatively short-lived. A more formal Bible study group replaced it in January 1973 but it, too, was short-lived, another victim of the upsurge in civil unrest which made people reluctant to go out on winter evenings.

A parish mission planned for the autumn of 1972 was another casualty of the Troubles, but two missions were held in later years. The first, in the autumn of 1985 was led by Rev. Noel Battye, Rector of St Finnian's, and the second in 1992 by the Bishop of Repton, whose twin sister and her family were parishioners. On each occasion a programme of organised visiting of the parish by a number of volunteers was carried out before the mission began. The opportunity was taken during the pre-mission visits to enquire of the parishioners what their particular wishes were in regard to different aspects of parish life. It was a useful exercise with many good suggestions being put forward, some of which were later implemented.

The social bonding of the community has been mostly through its organisations, both for adults and children, although sterling work for senior parishioners was done by the Stewardship Committee of the Select Vestry. Various events, suppers, entertainments and outings were arranged and the church organisations contributed too by issuing invitations to concerts and plays. Special senior parishioner services were also held, with transport provided to and from church for those who needed it - as it was for other events as well. The Sunday School children played their part too by distributing the Harvest flowers and fruit to the ill and housebound.

Adult parishioners of all ages enjoyed events organised as purely social occasions - dances, coffee parties and parish suppers - taking the opportunity to get to know each other, many of the first parishioners having come to St Molua's from different 'parent' parishes. Coffee in the hall after Morning Prayer on Sundays has remained a useful meeting point for worshippers. There was, and still is, the companionship enjoyed when helping at the various fund-raising events. As many have remarked over the years, there are few places more conducive to meeting and making new friends than over a sink of dirty dishes !

A summer fete, run annually from 1990, which was primarily planned as a 'fun day' for the children of the parish, has doubled successfully as a fund-raising event, almost a summer partner to the Christmas Fair. For the youngest parishioners a crèche was organised as demand warranted it, giving their parents the opportunity of attending Morning Prayer.

And for almost all ages there were the organisations.