Rev. Liam Collins will be installed as vicar of St. Luke’s Church in Rincon on Sept. 6 in a celebration that will include the Rt. Rev. Henry Louttit, 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia.  

“I’m excited to be part of this dynamic and growing congregation,” Collins said. “All members of a church need and deserve a vibrant faith community to empower and equip them for ministries of service. I look forward to young families being a particular focus, as the challenge is constant for the church to offer meaningful opportunities for spiritual and emotional patterns that are healthy, happy and whole for the entire family.”

The installation service will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the church on Goshen Road. A covered dish meal will follow the festive service. The Rt. Rev. Louttit will participate, in his last visit to St. Luke’s before retiring as bishop.  

Collins is a native of Ireland. He was ordained as priest on June 12, 1971, at St. Patrick’s College in County Tipperary. He earned both bachelor of philosophy and master of divinity degrees from St. Patrick’s College, and a master of family studies degree from Mercer University in Macon.

He has served churches in metropolitan and rural locations in south Georgia for 38 years.  Most recently, his notable work has included initiating an outreach ministry to students and faculty at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“The primary focus of my ministry has always been seeking to awaken all to the bonds of love and respect that unite us as God’s people,” Collins said. “The church, in structure and service, is called to act when the most vulnerable and needy among us reach out for hope and healing.  We are God’s very heart, hands, and feet in this wounded, broken world.”

Collins has been married to his wife, Mary, for 15 years.  

“It's been a great privilege for Liam and me to have shared our ministry together for the past 15 years. I have discovered a passion for religious and spiritual development for adults and children,” said Mary Collins.  

She added her belief that St. Luke's will be the ideal community for her husband and herself to be able to share their gifts in being co-ministers with this vital congregation.  

“We are so blessed to be called to be part of such a loving, hospitable community of faith,” she said.

Collins follows the Rev. Dr. Ellen Richardson, who served St. Luke’s in an interim priest capacity for one year.

St. Luke’s began services on March 30, 2003, under the spiritual leadership of Rev. Dr. Robert LeFavi.  For over a year, St. Boniface Catholic Church generously offered the use of their sanctuary as a place of worship for the congregation of St. Luke’s.

On April 1, 2004, ground was broken for the construction of the current church building on Goshen Road.  The following year, construction was completed for the Ashley Center, a multi-purpose building behind the sanctuary that features a social hall and three Sunday school rooms.