| Friday 3rd July, 2009 You are here: Home - 3rd July 2009 Index Page |
Front Page
‘Faith and service’ symbolised in first aid charity’s cathedral window
 |
| Pictured in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, at the dedication of the new stained glass window (left hand window) are (left to right) the Revd Dr Gordon Gray, Bishop Gordon McMullan, Sir Brian Jenkins (Prior of the Order of St John), Bishop Alan Abernethy, His Honour John McKee, the Very Revd Hugh Kennedy and Dean Houston McKelvey. (Photo: Brian Little, Press Eye) |
The Venerable Order of St John - the parent company of St John Ambulance, the leading provider of first aid and health and safety training in the United Kingdom - recently held its annual service of commemoration and rededication in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast. The large congregation, which included representatives of national, civic and ecumenical organisations, saw hundreds of volunteers and friends of the Order renew their commitment to the mission of the charity and remember those lost through death during the past year. The service was led by clergy and laity, including two of the St John Chaplains, the Revd Dr Gordon Gray and the Revd Wilfred Orr.
Editorial
RELIGIOUS TOPICS - FORGIVENESS
"The quality of mercy is not strain’d, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath". So, in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, forgiveness of debt is recommended by Portia, dressed like a doctor of law. However, in the Bible, forgiveness is not simply a recommended quality, but it is actually central to the Christian understanding of the relationship between human beings and God. Full Text
Home News
North Belfast teenagers meet Earl of Wessex at St James’s Palace
By Karen Bushby
Two teenagers from north Belfast recently had the opportunity of meeting the Earl of Wessex, HRH Prince Edward, at St James’s Palace, thanks to Sister Valerie Thom of the Church Army. Sister Thom, who is the Church Army Community Evangelist in the Greater Shankill area of Belfast, accompanied Chelsea Lewis, 15, and Toni O’Neill, 16, to the Palace; also with the group was Christine Peeples, a leader who assists in Sister Thom’s youth project in north Belfast.
Indian Orthodox Church delegation visits Armagh
The Most Revd Dr Mathews Mar Thimothios, Metropolitan of the Indian Orthodox Church’s Diocese of Europe and Africa, recently visited Armagh, where he and other clergy and members of the Indian Orthodox Church in Ireland were met by the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper. Dr Mathews was joined by Fr Koshy Vaidyan, the Vicar and President in Dublin; Fr T. George, from Drogheda; Jason Poovathur, from the Belfast congregation; and John Matthew, Secretary of the Church of Ireland Dublin parish of St Thomas.
CMS Annual Outing
 |
The Church of Ireland Men’s Society (CIMS) recently visited Donegal for its annual outing. Pictured in Laghey parish church following a service of Holy Communion are (from left) Canon Wilfred Young (CIMS Honorary Lay Secretary), Dean Patrick Rooke (CIMS General Secretary) and the Revd Ken McLaughlin, from Inver parish, who assisted at the service. (Photo: W. Mitchell)
Down and Dromore Synod
An ‘energising and important’ Synod in the life of Down and Dromore
By Annette McGrath
 |
| Young members at the Down and Dromore Synod (from left) Cherith McClay (Willowfield), Jill Acheson (Tullylish), Johnny Crimble (Mount Merrion) and Naomi Francey (Gilford). |
It was Bishop Harold Miller’s closing remarks which were the most telling at this year’s Down and Dromore Diocesan Synod, held in the Jethro Centre, Lurgan, Co. Armagh, on Tuesday 23rd June. Commenting that the day had far exceeded his expectations, the bishop said that it had been "an energising Synod and a very important one in the life of the Diocese."
This was the first year in which more younger members had been integrated into Synod and that undoubtedly made the event more engaging and vibrant. In another first, the pre-Synod service of Holy Communion was a Methodist form, conducted by the Revd Donald Ker, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland. The music was led by Carl McCambley and members of the Shankill parish (Lurgan) worship team.
Youth Update
Diocesan youth network’s annual conference
David Brown, the Church of Ireland Youth Ministry Co-ordinator, writes about the diocesan youth network’s annual conference which took place recently in St Katherine’s retreat centre, London.
 |
| David Brown (middle row, extreme left) is pictured with Church of Ireland diocesan youth representatives and CIYD staff at the St Katherine’s conference. |
For the second year in succession, a group of diocesan youth representatives and youth officers from across the Church of Ireland - supported by the Church’s Youth Department (CIYD) - met at St Katherine’s retreat centre, London, for the network’s annual conference. With a deliberate focus on gathering together diocesan youth officers, the network provides an opportunity for those engaged in youth ministry throughout the Church of Ireland at a strategic diocesan level to engage in spiritual retreat and to highlight issues of common concern and practice.
Home News
Lord Eames Visit
 |
Lord Eames (left) is pictured during a recent visit to Clonegam parish church, Diocese of Lismore, where he preached on the historical connection between the Church of Ireland and the Beresford family. Looking on are (from 2nd left) Lady Eames, Canon George Cliffe and the Marchioness and Marquis of Waterford.
Institution
 |
The Revd Alastair Graham (centre) seen following his institution as rector of the Mullingar union of parishes, Diocese of Meath, with his brothers, the Revd Gordon Graham, Professor of Philosophy and Arts at Princeton Theological Seminary, USA, who preached (left), and the Revd Winston Graham.
Tributes paid to former Church of Ireland Press Officer
Tributes have been paid to Andrew (Andy) Doloughan, an experienced journalist, who was highly involved in the life of the Church of Ireland, particularly in Dromore, Co. Down, and acted as the Church’s Press Officer during the 1990s. Mr Doloughan, who died recently at the age of 92, began his career in journalism at the Dromore Leader in the late 1930s as a court reporter in district courts. After 20 years with the Leader, he moved briefly to the Belfast Telegraph, before working for the Banbridge Chronicle for a further 27 years, for 22 of which he served as the paper’s editor. He came out of retirement to become acting Press Officer of the Church of Ireland during a few years of vacancy in the permanent post in the 1990s.
Two male members join Mothers’ Union
The Tuam, Killala and Achonry Mothers’ Union (MU) festival service took place recently in Kilglass parish church, part of the Kilmoremoy union of parishes, Diocese of Killala. In the course of the service, Canon Neal O’Raw and the Revd George Trimby (husband of the Revd Cathy Trimby, rector of Tubbercurry, Diocese of Achonry) were enrolled as members of the MU by the Diocesan President, Mildred Gilmore. Canon O’Raw, who is rector of Killala, was commissioned as Diocesan Chaplain by the MU All Ireland Chaplain, Bishop Richard Henderson.
Reunion of class of ’89
 |
Pictured are a number of those who recently came together in St Polycarp’s church, Finaghy, Belfast, for a celebration of Holy Communion to mark the 20th anniversary of their ordination. The celebrant was the rector of Finaghy, the Revd Clifford Skillen (front row, 2nd right), assisted by Canon Stanley Johnson (backrow, 3rd right). Also presentare (back row, from left) the Revd Ian Ellis, Canon John Clarke, the Revd Bruce Pierce, the Revd Chris Pollock, Canon Denis Sandes and the Revd David Skuce (front row, from left) the Revd Terence Cadden, the Revd David Oxley and the Revd Brian Cadden. Unable to attend were the Revd David Griscome, the Revd David Morrow, the Revd David Slater and the Revd Paul Thompson.
Diocese of Dromore parish starts new building project
As part of a recent Sunday morning service, the entire congregation of Seagoe parish, Portadown, Diocese of Dromore, moved from the church into the car park to take part in the cutting of sods to launch the building work on a new £1.4m parish centre.
Wide-ranging changes in Church’s Ministry of Healing
Over the past 77 years, there have been many changes in the personnel and organisation of the Church’s Ministry of Healing (CMH), but its core values and principles have remained the same: to fulfil Christ’s commission to preach, teach and heal. Since 2007, the executive of the CMH has been engaged in a comprehensive review of the work and function of the organisation. Under Clifford McSpadden, it has undertaken a strategic process which has been described as "humbling and exciting" to help it produce a clearer vision, identify values and determine how it could best support and resource parishes, healer prayer groups, dioceses and the wider Church in the future.
Protestant community should ‘apologise’ for part in troubles - Bishop Miller
The Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Rt Revd Harold Miller, has said that the Protestant community in Northern Ireland needs to accept its part in the Troubles and apologise and confess its sin. He went on to say that Protestants were inclined to think that they were entirely the victims of the Troubles and that it was others who had prolonged the decades of sectarian conflict.
Church of Ireland’s youth work praised at Dublin launch of youth audit
The Minister of State for Children and Youth Affairs in the Republic of Ireland, Barry Andrews TD, spoke of the importance of the role of youth work in the issue of child protection, as he launched the audit of youth work within the Church of Ireland compiled by David Gardiner of DSG Consulting on behalf of the Church of Ireland Youth Department.
"We’ve come a long way from the problems we’ve identified in the Ryan report [the recent report on child abuse in the Republic of Ireland]," the Minister said, adding that "it [the report] has been replaced with a new, fresh set of discrete problems that require our attention even more. Youth work has a role to play in helping to identify a child at risk."
World News
Zimbabwe Prime Minister booed in Southwark Cathedral
The Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, who reluctantly joined a government of unity in the country with President Robert Mugabe, faced the wrath of exiles from his home country when he was heckled in London’s Southwark Cathedral. Prime Minister Tsvangirai, who was beaten and detained by Mugabe’s police in 2008, tried to tell about 1,000 Zimbabweans who had come to listen to him in the Cathedral on 20th June that it was time for them to return home. "There is peace and stability in the country," he declared.
Empty chairs at climate talks will ‘symbolise’ non-participants
When international talks about climate change open in Copenhagen in December, there should be three empty chairs at the conference table, a Church of Sweden expert on sustainable development has urged. Lutheran pastor, the Revd Henrik Grape, would like three chairs left empty at all future talks on climate issues to symbolise non-participants: the poor, future generations and creation itself.
New strain of anti-Semitism spreading, Chief Rabbi warns
The world is in the grip of a "virulent" new strain of anti-Semitism, says the Chief Rabbi of Orthodox Jews in Britain which, he added, was facing an increasing number of anti-Semitic attacks. Sir Jonathan Henry Sacks made his stark statements in a recently-published book, Future Tense, a work that warns of the possibility of new waves of attacks on Jews because of their often-perceived support for Zionism and the military activities of Israel.
North American Anglican group holds inaugural gathering
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a new entity composed mainly of groups that have left the Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada, concluded its fourday inaugural assembly on 25th June, in Bedford, Texas. "We are oriented toward a hopeful future that has been at the heart of this week. We are reaching out to North America in particular and the whole world with the transforming love of Jesus Christ," said former TEC Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, who was installed as Archbishop of ACNA.
Soap
Down at St. David’s
By Ted Woods
"Close your eyes tightly; no peeping and sit over there!" Andrea Cooper led her curate-husband to a chair in their sitting room. "I can see you squinting. I’ll blindfold you," she warned. "I don’t want your birthday treat spoiled. Now wait there - and no looking!" It was Jonathan’s birthday. He had suggested that they go out for a special treat in a fancy restaurant, but Andrea had insisted that they stay in and she would cook something special. It wasn’t like her to refuse a night out. What was she planning? What was the special birthday present?
Popular Culture
Turning empathy into action
Gareth Higgins
The events that saw over 100 Roma people displaced from their homes in Belfast a couple of weeks ago was met with a typical range of responses. Handwringing condemnation from across the political spectrum mingled with a few attempts at mitigating the disgrace - "You have to understand these people don’t want to work." - finished off with a comment from Esther Rantzen, suggesting that we northern Irish might be "addicted to violence". The strength of anger elicited by that statement deserves to be compared to how we feel about the events that precipitated it.
Life Lines
Who to support: Man. U or Barça?
Ron Elsdon
Cast your mind back several weeks to an evening when two top football teams faced each other in that European Champions League final: Manchester United and Barcelona. There was clear daylight between them, wasn’t there? After Man. U’s opening flourish, with Ronaldo threatening to put himself about, the boot was on the other foot - literally. The Barcelona players were the masters for a full 80 minutes and those of the English club were the reluctant pupils.
Book Reviews
THE LAITY IN CHRISTIAN HISTORY AND TODAY
Author: Kenneth Hylson-Smith
Publisher: SPCK, 2008
WHEN A CHILD DIES
Author: Jim O’Shea
Publisher: Veritas, Dublin
A PILGRIM’S GUIDE TO OBERAMMERGAU AND ITS PASSION PLAY
Author: Raymond Goodburn
Publisher: Pilgrim Book Services Limited
FAVOURITE HEROES AND HOLY PEOPLE
Compiled by Deborah Cassidi
Publisher: Continuum, London
THE ONE-STOP GUIDE TO CHRISTIANITY
Author: David Winter
Publisher: Lion; 128pp
Price: £9.99
News Extra
Standing Committee News, June 2009
The Standing Committee of the General Synod met in Dublin on 16th June. The meeting opened with a Scripture reading and prayers. The Archbishop of Armagh noted that the meeting was the first of the new triennium and welcomed new members from each diocese.
-
Honorary Secretaries’ report
-
Appointment of auditors
-
General Synod 2009 and 2010
-
Anglican Covenant
-
Interchangeability of Ministry Working Group
-
Code of Duty and Conduct for Clergy
-
Children’s ministry
Appointment