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Our Vision

Our purpose is summed up in three words: Know, Grow and Go.

Everything we do together as a church should be about helping people to know and discover the reality of a living relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. We all need to grow in that relationship; in our understanding of who God is and how he wants to use us.

We go and live out our faith, to care and to share as we serve people around us. 

Some Of Our Team

Rev Alison Calvin
Rev Alison Calvin

Rector

James Henderson
James Henderson

Rector's Warden

 

 

David Charleton
David Charleton

Parish Evangelist

Sidnee Irvine
Sidnee Irvine

Sexton   

Sidnee was born and raised in Kilkeel and is married to Paul. They have three children, Matthew, Andrew and Sarah. As well as looking after the church and halls Sidnee is a dedicated Boys' Brigade officer. Sidnee loves where she is from and enjoys nothing more than walks in the Silent Valley with her family. 

Sylvia Nicholson
Sylvia Nicholson

Parish Administrator 

Some Background

The parish has two centres of worship, Christ Church and Carginagh, and each has its distinctive identity. We rejoice in our diversity as churches, but rejoice even more in our unity, as we seek to serve God and our community together.

A Little History

The present church in Kilkeel was consecrated in 1818. By 1837 it was necessary to reroof the church and the gallery was lowered to give extra seating in 1853. A new gallery was erected along with a south transcept in 1857/8. The north transcept dates from 1886 and the apsidal chancel from 1903. The Pratt Memorial Hall at Carginagh was built in 1889 in memory of a former Rector of Kilkeel, the Revd E. O’B Pratt, incumbent 1883-1887. In 1991 at Christ Church, we completed an excellent suite of halls and rooms that are in constant use and we’re blessed with extensive car parking.

 

Kilkeel

Kilkeel is a small fishing community situated at the foot of the Mountains of Mourne and the mouth of Carlingford Lough. The name comes from the 13th century church ruins in the centre of the town, Cill-Caol (Gaelic) meaning ‘The Church of the Narrows’, but there are references to Kilkeel as a Christian settlement in the 11th century. The harbour is the home port for the largest fishing fleet in Northern Ireland and there are fish-processing factories around it, pleasure angling off the piers and lobster farming along the coastline. The mountains sit behind the town with the craggy Sleive Bignian dominating the skyline. There are many opportunities for hiking, climbing and walking, eating and shopping and in the summer many visitors flood into the town from nearby Blue Flagged Cranfield Beach.