Farewell Interview | Father Darren McFarland

Portrait of Father Daren McFarland (with Elizabeth) by photographer Fran Monks. Part of the ‘Portrait of Keble’ exhibition.

Father Darren was appointed Assistant Chaplain in 2012. He is leaving this summer, having survived two Wardens, three Chaplains and five Directors of Music. We asked the former Warden, Sir Jonathan Phillips, with whom he was longest in harness, to interview him about his time at Keble.

When, in January this year, you were installed as an Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral in recognition of your service in the Diocese, the Bishop of Oxford described you as a wonderful human being. This is a judgement shared by so many who’ve known you at Keble. What brought you to the College in the first place?

I first came in 2011 following my appointment as Vicar of St Andrew’s Headington, which is a Keble parish. Having been given membership of the SCR, I began exercising my dining rights on Sunday evenings, coming to Chapel and dinner. The then Chaplain, Jenn Strawbridge, suggested in 2012 that I might like to become Assistant Chaplain and get my dinner free! And two dinners a week have kept me at Keble until now.

What have been your personal highlights over the past twelve years?

Involvement in the College’s patronage of its 70 parishes has been particularly rewarding. It has required much travel across the country and I have met fantastic people in extraordinary places with beautiful churches. I have been impressed with how seriously Keble exercises this role and builds relationships with the parishes and their clergy.

Another highlight was taking charge for the final term of your Wardenship. Nevsky Everett had left for the Chaplaincy in Bucharest and you asked me to act-up until Max started in September 2022. It was wonderful to work with the musicians and Chapel officers to shape the liturgy over that term and to introduce some changes which have stuck. I remember asking you who you would like to preach in your last term. It was quite a list you gave me, but everyone said “yes”, the titles of the preachers ranging from Regent to Lord High Almoner!

What will you miss most?

As well as Chapel, my experience of the College has been mostly about its community. Keble has a great capacity for warmth and welcome. When I walked anxiously into the SCR for the first time I was immediately made to feel, not least by you and Amanda, that this was somewhere I belonged. Over the years I have met astonishing people, forged strong friendships and had a lot of laughs.

As I have been coming to terms with leaving, I have thought a lot about a word you often used when talking to students – commensality. I looked into the etymology and was struck most strongly by the definition “together at the table”. As a Christian, I have been together with friends and strangers at the altar table in the Chapel, and as a member of College I have been together with friends and strangers at the table in Hall. Coming together over food has shaped my experience of the College and that is a loss I will feel most keenly in the coming months.

So why leave?

I moved to Oxford from Glasgow to be in the same city as my partner Simon, who is the Chaplain of Merton. After 22 years there, he has been appointed Dean of Lincoln and we are moving to that great cathedral city as he prepares to take up his role in September. The next chapter of my vocation is just beginning to unfold.