About Us
Who we are.
Who we are – Our Family.
Part of the Christian Church
The Apostles’ Creed sums up what we believe.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Part of the Anglican Communion.
Founded in 1867, at the Lambeth Conference, the communion has more than 85 million members, and is the third-largest Christian Denomination in the World, after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
The Archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, recognised as primus inter pares (“first among equals”), but does not exercise authority in Anglican provinces outside of the Church of England.
The churches of the Anglican Communion consider themselves to be part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, and to be both catholic and reformed. (Catholic means – broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests. All embracing. It does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church.)
Part of Church of Ireland
The modern Church of Ireland came into being after the passing of the Irish Church Act 1869, which ended the Church’s status as a state organisation; its bishops were removed from the House of Lords, and its property transferred to the government. Today the Church operates as an all Ireland body. Its administrative offices are in Dublin, and the Archbishop of Armagh is the most senior of its 12 bishops. It is a reformed, Protestant church which maintains some of its pre-reformation traditions.
Part of the Diocese of Armagh
The Diocese of Armagh is led by The Most Reverend Francis John McDowell, B.A. Hons, B.Th., Dip.B.S. Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland and Metropolitan. The heart of the Diocese is The Cathedral Church of St. Patrick, Armagh, which is under the care of the Dean, The Very Rev. Shane Forster. There are two Archdeacons Ven Terry Scott (Archdeacon of Armagh) and Ven Elizabeth Cairns (Archdeacon of Ardboe). There are 43 Parish groups within the Diocese, of which we are one.
Part of the Church in Sixmilecross and Carrickmore
Sixmilecross
St Michael’s Church sits in the Village of Sixmilecross in Co. Tyrone. We minister alongside Sixmilecross Presbyterian Church and Sixmilecross Free Presbyterian Church. There is also a small Roman Catholic Oratory in the Village, which is connected to the Roman Catholic Church in the neighboring village of Beragh.
Carrickmore
St Columbkille Church, in the Parish of Termonmaguirke, sits on the Main street of the town of Carrickmore, Co. Tyrone. The only other church in the town is the Roman Catholic church of St Colmcille, in the Parish of Termonmaguirc.
Learn more.
Who We Are – Our History
550 Monastic Foundation by St Columbkille in what is now the Village of Carrickmore.
1172 Synod of Cahsell. Ireland gets Diocese and Parishes.
1291 Termoncomyn mentioned in list of the valuation of the Benefices of the diocese of Armagh. (Pope Nicholas’ taxation)
1662 A new Church was built in Carrickmore, on a site which is now occupied by the Roman Catholic churchyard. (The chancel of this new church was destroyed in the war between William and James.) In 1662 the incumbent was Rev Roger Blythe, who received sixty pounds per year. He was non-resident and paid a curate, Danyell Hickes, who received ten pounds per year to run the parish. A good deal for Mr Blythe, though it seems the parish did not do so well from the arrangement, nor did the curate. This sort of arrangement was widespread throughout Ireland and did great damage to the reputation of the Church.
1733 A petition was made to build a new church for the parish in Sixmilecross. The petition was successful, the new church was built and the building in Carrickmore was allowed to fall into decay. (This move was due to the majority of protestant people in the area living in Sixmilecross)
1786 A request was made by various people for a rebuilding of the church in Carrickmore. A grant of five hundred pounds was received for this work from the board of First Fruits.
1792 The present Church of Ireland building in Carrickmore is opened.
1837 The present Church of St Michael, Sixmilecross is build and Rev Andrew Christie is installed as Rector.
1843 Church of the Holy Trinity at Drumnakilly is built as a chapel of ease for Termonmaguirke.
1861 The tower of Termonmaguirke Church is restored and a spire erected, in memory of the late Rector Rev C.C Beresford.
1969 Termonmaguirke and Sixmilecross are amalgamated into one parish, on the resignation of Rev J.H.M McCandless. Rev R.E.M Benson who was Rector in Sixmilecross became Rector of both Parishes.
Carrickmore Rectory was sold to the Royal Ulster Constabulary when the parishes were joined. It was later destroyed in an I.R.A bomb attack.
2021 Today the two churches remain united with Rev Alan Barr serving as Rector of both. Rev Barr continues to live in Sixmilecross.
Meet the Rector
Rev Alan Barr was born in County down. After some years working in the Laboratories in the Belfast City Hospital he followed his heart to the Church Army, where, in 1989, he was commissioned as an Evangelist. In 2007 Alan was Ordained as a minister in the Church of Ireland and in 2009 he became Rector of Sixmilecross and Termonmaguirke.
Alan is Married to Liz and they have two grown up daughters.
