Father Marc Trickey is to retire as Chaplain of the Commandery of St John in the Bailiwick of Guernsey after 15 years in the role.

The Very Reverend Marc Trickey was appointed as County Chaplain, Bailiwick Staff, Guernsey, by the Priory Dean of St John England in 2005, having been recommended for the role by Nik Van Leuven, the then Chairman of the Bailiwick Council of St John.

“It has been an honour to serve as Chaplain and support the great work of St John Ambulance in Guernsey. I have witnessed the growth of the charity and the development of the one St John vision – bringing people together for the good of the organisation and the wider community,” Marc Trickey said.

“I obviously knew a bit about St John prior to my appointment, but I had not had much direct involvement, other than having to call on the services of ambulance staff when I stepped on a weaver fish, but I have learned a lot about the various roles of St John in the community.  It goes without saying that the work of the emergency ambulance service is extremely well thought of in the island, but then there are the other practical sides of St John, such as training people in life saving first aid, event cover and the provision of youth work, which the charity does a very good job at. Not just teaching first aid but also working together and developing friendships and life-long skills,” he added.

Father Marc says he not only saw his role as one of providing support for organisation, but also reminding all those connected with St John of the roots of the charity going back to St John of Jerusalem.

“Although we welcome people from all faiths and no faith, I hope I have acted as a reminder to staff and volunteers of the foundations of St John and therefore encouraged those who serve to live by the values of St John and act for the faith and service of humanity.”

As a member of the board Marc Trickey provided support and counsel for fellow directors. “I have never felt the need to speak for the sake of it, and I don’t have the financial or legal expertise of so many on the Board, but I always tried to add value to the debates and discussions, and I hope that, on occasion, I was able to act as a voice of moderation.” he added.

Knight Commander of St John Guernsey Andrew Henton said “Father Marc has been involved with the Commandery since its formation in 2012, but was active within St John before then.  He has been a source of constant support and counsel; his spiritual guidance has been invaluable.”

As Chaplain to St John Father Marc also conducted the annual church service and re-dedication and represented Guernsey at national events at the St John Priory in England.

Marc Trickey was brought up in a Christian family and attended church as a youngster before getting the calling to train as a priest. “I think I resisted it for about 4 years, but I finally went to speak to the vicar who told me he’d been expecting the conversation for a while,” he said.

After studying theology at Durham he was ordained in 1964, initially working in Hampshire, before moving to Guernsey in 1977 to become Rector of St Martins and then serving a Dean of Guernsey.

The Very Reverend Marc Trickey will hand over his duties at a ceremony in October and will be succeeded by Reverend Dr David Coulter of St Andrew’s Church in the Grange, a former Army Chaplain, Chaplain General to HM Land Forces and Chaplain to St John  Ambulance Wiltshire.

Father Marc Trickey, pictured with Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp and incoming Chaplain Dr David Coulter at a ceremony to celebrate 25 years of the Flying Christine III.