THE Irish Churches have thanked Dr Nicola Brady for her "insightful and skilled leadership".
Dr Brady, who has been general secretary of both the Irish Council of Churches and Irish Inter-Church Meeting since 2016, is taking up a new position as general secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
The Rev Dr Ivan Patterson, President of the Irish Council of Churches, paid tribute to Dr Brady as "someone motivated by her rich faith in Christ and His call to 'love our neighbour'".
"She has brought her talents of heart and head to help the Church find relevant ways of responding to various societal needs and not least the ongoing work of peace building," he said.
"While we will miss her insightful and skilled leadership, she leaves a significant legacy on which we can build for the future."
Bishop Brendan Leahy, co-chair of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting, said that "as an intelligent and astute observer of socio-cultural developments, Nicola has enabled us to engage meaningfully with significant initiatives and projects that furthered our mission of promoting good relations among Churches as we looked together outwards towards the wider society".
"We will certainly miss her gentle but clear sense of purpose and direction."
The tributes were paid to Dr Brady at an Irish Inter-Church Meeting on the theme of 'Identity and Belonging - Past, Present, Future' held at the SMA Dromantine Retreat and Conference Centre in Newry.
ENDS
