Christ Church, Kilkeel 
Welcome to Christ Church Online
Thanks for dropping in. Please take time to browse the site and do come and visit us in person if you’re in the Kingdom of Mourne. Read More…
Thanks for dropping in. Please take time to browse the site and do come and visit us in person if you’re in the Kingdom of Mourne. Read More…
Our vision statement for the Parish has been refreshed in the light of the “What next for Kilkeel Parish?” discussions which have taken place since January 2011.
“Called to Care. Called to Share.”
In a nutshell we believe this encapsulates the variety and nature of witness that God is seeking from us here in Kilkeel. We are not disregarding the Know, Grow and Go motto which has served Christ Church so well during the last number of years, rather we are seeking to refresh, refocus and regroup with our emphasis on caring and sharing as broadly and completely as we can. It’s not actually about doing more (though it might be) but it’s about responding to God’s call upon our lives with renewed zeal and expectation.
You can find out more about “Called to Care. Called to Share.” from the booklet of that name which is available at the parish office or by clicking on the link on the home page.
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.
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 Carinagh 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 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.
Rev. Ken McGrath
A former teacher at Sullivan Upper School in Holywood and Principal of North Coast Integrated College, Ken and his wife, Annette, also taught in a Nairobi School for five years. In the midst of their time in Kenya, the couple had the opportunity to adopt two Kenyan babies. Ken says “Charlotte and John remain a wonderful gift from God 17 years on!”
Ken was Ordained Curate at Lisburn Cathedral in June 2003 and was instituted as Vicar (Development of new Ministries) at a special service in Lisburn Cathedral in January 2006. The approach came from Kilkeel Parish when Ken was into his 6th year ministering at Lisburn Cathedral. “The call to Kilkeel is one we feel excited by and we are now looking forward to the years ahead expectantly” said Ken.
Lynda Quinn
Born, raised and educated in Kilkeel Lynda worked in administration in Newry before moving to Belfast where she worked for the Civil Service for 7 years. She and husband John returned to Kilkeel to raise their family, Rachel, Peter and Zoe. Lynda and her family have been very involved in Christ Church, not least Lynda’s involvement with Mothers’ and Toddlers in particular. For the past 18 months Lynda has been working as Family and Community Outreach worker for the Parish.
