Archdeacon Emeritus, the Ven Narelle Jarrett, was called home on November 4 at the age of 80. She had been suffering from dementia for several years.
Archdeacon Jarrett was the second Archdeacon for Women's Ministry, a position she held for 10 years until 2012. She was also a former principal of Mary Andrews College.
Trained as a teacher, she converted to Christ while in her first year of professional teaching at Sydney Girls’ High School. She trained at Moore College in the second half of the 1960s and held various ministry positions, including as a Christian Studies teacher and as a staff worker in campus ministry at the University of NSW.
She was appointed principal of Mary Andrew's College in 1985 when it was still known as Deaconess House and, in 1989, was ordained a deacon in the first cohort of female deacons in Sydney.
Archdeacon Jarrett served on many boards including the council of Ministry, Training and Development, the Mission Task Force, the Standing Committee and Synod of Sydney Diocese as well as General Synod. She was active in the governance of the Archbishop’s Overseas Mission Fund and the Anglican Deaconess Institution.
In 2002 she was asked by the then Archbishop, Peter Jensen, to lead the Sydney Diocesan Women’s Ministry Team to oversee equipping women for ministry. She was collated Archdeacon in 2002 by Archbishop Jensen, who had been in her class at Moore College in 1967.
“We all owe a great debt to Narelle for her Christ-centred and wise leadership,” Dr Jensen said. “She was a highly gifted teacher. She was innovative, faithful, courageous and caring of others. It was a delight to work with her in the cause of the gospel of Jesus.”
In his tribute, Archbishop Kanishka Raffel said, "Archdeacon Jarrett radiated godliness and grace. With her firm and winsome stand for biblical truth in all things, she made a significant contribution to the life of our churches and I thank God for her example in life and ministry”.
Her successor as Archdeacon for Women's Ministry, Archdeacon Kara Hartley, also paid tribute, saying, “Narelle had a great passion and commitment to advancing the ministries of women in the Diocese. A true servant of the gospel, as principal of Mary Andrews College and Archdeacon for Women's Ministry she exercised significant leadership in our Diocese. I am deeply thankful to God for the impact Narelle had on me and many other women throughout our church.”
The funeral will be held at St. Andrew’s Cathedral on Friday 25th November at 11:00am.