† The United Diocese of Cashel Ossory & Ferns †
† The United Diocese of Cashel Ossory & Ferns † | |
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Diocesan Magazine April 2003 | ||||
Please find extracts from our Diocesan Magazine. Full copies of the printed edition which includes the parish notes are available from the Diocesan Office 3: DIOCESAN LINK NEWS FROM SWEDEN 5:ARCHBISHOPS APPEAL TO POLITICAL LEADERS OVER IRAQ 7:Bishop Peter's Enthronements 10: Laois Church of Ireland Youth Council 11 FROM THE DIOCESAN YOUTH OFFICER 1 PRESS OFFICERS NOTES ST. EDAN'S CATHEDRAL, FERNS. The Bishop is pleased to announce the following appointments to the Chapter of the Cathedral in Ferns: Archdeacon: The Venerable P. G. Mooney The Installations will be held in the Cathedral on Sunday 4th May, Easter 2. Time to be decided, but will be either be late afternoon or early evening.
The Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Eames, and the Archbishop of Dublin, John Neill, have encouraged all Church of Ireland clergy to remember in their public worship the needs of those who have serious decisions to make regarding the war in Iraq. They have asked that constant prayers be said for the peace of the world, for those who would be the inevitable sufferers in any conflict and for those leaders of the nations who have such a responsibility at this time.
March 23rd Carlow April 5th Kilkenny College May 4th Rathdowney June 1st Gorey/Carnew (Please note that collections taken at Confirmations are for the Bishop's Fund for Training for the Ministry and should be
Saturday 12th April Hotel Kilkenny, Kilkenny.
The co-ordinator for the Diocese is pleased to announce the following Training Days: 22nd April Abbeyleix Parish Hall 8.00pm Please note that new Safeguarding Trust Books are available from the Revd. P. Heak in Kilkenny. Phone 056 71854 or email pheak@eircom.net
The General Synod of the Church of Ireland takes place from 13th/15th May in Dublin.
All parishes will be availing of the offer from the Standing Committee of the General Synod to order up to five copies per parish of Large Print Hymnals. Clerics will have already ordered these and invoiced by Church House. However, the delivery for the entire Diocese (including Ferns) will be delivered to St. Canice's Library, Kilkenny, and can be collected from there (probably in May. Notification will be given.
Following the last highly acclaimed Ceiliuradh conference, The conference is open to all who are interested in theology and The fee for week and day participants includes refreshments and Many opportunities are available throughout the week to explore KEY SPEAKERS AND FACILITATORS INCLUDE: + James Alison, Catholic priest, theologian, mendicant itinerant CONFERENCE FEES Full Week: €300 A booking form can be printed out from the following webpage: CONTACT DETAILS: Christ Church Cathedral, P: + 353 1 677 8099 For further information about Ceiliuradh 2, please consult
The District Annual Meeting for the South District of the above association takes place on Sunday 6th April, in St. Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny. Link News Marriage Services have come and gone, and seem like ancient history now! However, the whole idea was extremely well received and supported. I have read lots of reports of what branches did during the special week! However, the Services which took place in three different places - in Tramore, Bagenalstown and Carnew, must all be deemed a huge success. Even though they took place right in the middle of enthronements, institutions etc. they were all well supported and the organisers should take a 'bow' for all their hard word and thanks indeed to everybody who took the trouble to travel, and especially to those who brought families along. Tramore: as reported on last month (but photographs now appear) In Bagenalstown we were delighted to welcome Mrs. Janet Crampton, well known to many and when living in Athy Janet served as Dublin Diocesan Chairperson. However, now the Cramptons work out of Meath Diocese. After her initial words Janet posed the question 'Why was marriage week needed' ? Firstly, because Marriage is something to CELEBRATE - not easy, but worth the effort and indeed with so much negative reporting of marriage, and statistics giving the rate of breakdowns, perhaps a bit of weight on the other side has to be good! And also because it is good, we must encourage anyone experiencing difficulty to seek help. Counselling must be sought, but perhaps better still, young people contemplating marriage should always seek to attend some sort of pre-marriage course. Here Janet mentioned our own COMAC. A reminder then that we needed to give thanks for what has been entered into - the marriage service - for the gift of sharing, living together, the gift of children. Here Janet encouraged all to teach children about marriage. How children enjoy playing at weddings! The wedding dress, the bridesmaid, the cars, the music, the flowers, but what was the most important part of the service - the Promise. Promise to God, to each other which must not be enterprised, nor taken in hand unadvisedly, lightly or wantonly. Marriage is not often like it is in a storybook, there the Prince and Princess get married and live happily every after. Most have problems to contend with and perhaps sadness to bear. Sharing those things, good and bad is what marriage is about. In our MU Prayer we pray for "…………..we thank you for family life with all its joys and sorrows". Life is made up of everyday happenings, a mixture of fun, laughter, joy and sadness, and it is this bundle of life that we offer to God for His blessing. She ended by saying that next time we are invited to weddings, in between deciding what to wear, etc. remember to pray for the couple who are going to be married, and ask God to prepare them for their new life, and to strengthen and enable them to keep the promises they are going to make. Again thanks to all the three area chairpersons, and their teams, for the expert organisation. I am told that only two Dioceses in Ireland made the effort to and used this opportunity - and we were one! Well done to everybody. (I was not able to be present in Carnew, so cannot report on what was said there, but the speaker was the Revd. Derek Sargent from Waterford and I'm sure his words were equally wise and encouraging. The Revd. Sargent is the clerical representative on the COMAC Committee at present.)
An Leighlin Area Meeting takes place on Wednesday 2nd April in Killeshin Parish Hall, Carlow. Speaker is Ms. M. Magnier and the Special Theme is: VIOLENCE IN SOCIETY.
This project is to buy toys, or make available money to buy toys, for the crèche in the prison in Portlaoise. This is a new venture and will be closely monitored by Lesley Sandes and Vivienne Black. Parents offending and ending up in prison affect many children. This is an effort to help these children - to make their regular travel to prisons - better and a little more enjoyable (if that is the right word). Projects, similar to this, are ongoing in England. DATES FOR DIARY; " MU EXECUTIVE VISIT TO LUND - 23RD/27TH APRIL Denise Hughes
In a joint statement the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Robin Eames, and the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, today urged the United Nations Security Council to uphold the principles of the UN Charter in working to resolve the Iraq crisis. The Archbishops said: "While we acknowledge the iniquities of the regime in Iraq and the complexities of the current situation, we hold the view that war in Iraq will deepen a humanitarian crisis of grave magnitude, with untold human suffering and loss of life, especially for the children of Iraq; it will lead to loss of infrastructure, together with serious damage to the environment; it will reinforce and polarise division and hatred between communities resulting in further destabilisation of the region and of the international community. "We urge the United Nations Security Council to uphold the principles of the UN Charter that strictly limit the legitimate use of military force, and to refrain from lowering the thresholds for using violent means to solve international conflicts; and urge the British and Irish Governments to express clearly their support for the upholding of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. "We appeal to the political leaders of the United States and the United Kingdom to refrain from military action against Iraq without the clear mandate of the United Nations Security Council. The new Bishop of Cashel & Ossory, the Right Revd. Peter F. Barrett, has in the past weeks since his consecration at the end of January, knocked on five cathedral doors and been inducted installed and enthroned in five of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses - in Ferns, Ossory, Lismore, Old Leighlin and Cashel. The sixth is scheduled for May/ June, in Waterford, when ongoing restoration work is complete. Early on Bishop Peter decided to set himself a challenge, and choose to preach on a different theme at each separate enthronement. In his own words "……..not only because of the challenge this presents, but to spare some of the boredom of listening to the same thing over and over! But also because of the wish to keep in with my clergy who, by dint of office rather than choice, will be present at all six. We don't want a clerical coup just yet!" At this stage certainly no sign, as yet! He decided to examine his ministry as a bishop through an exploration of the instruments, the symbols, of the Bishop's Office at each Service. This has told much about what the office and work of a bishop is about in the Church of God today. It has been a most informative exercise not least for those who in his own words 'by dint of office' must be at all engagements, a great guessing game has ensued! The ceremony of installing and enthroning a Bishop enables the people of the Diocese to acclaim and welcome their Father in God. All the occasions were happy and joyous ones and the new Bishop is received by the Dean and Chapter of each Cathedral, and by the those attending the Services. He is seated in his episcopal chair (the 'Cathedra', from which a cathedral takes its name), and becomes, as of right, the principal minister of word and sacrament in the diocese. At each service gifts symbolic of his ministry in the diocese are given to him and the new bishop invites the congregation to share in the sign of peace. In his sermon in St. Edan's Cathedral, Ferns, the new bishop explored the significance of the ring worn by the Bishop. A Bishop's ring traditionally symbolises unity in the diocese, in the Church. In Ferns Bishop Peter drew attention to the great ecumenical strides made in that particular diocese, through its understanding and expression of ecumenical witness and the example of Christian togetherness that has been set, especially in the loving but delicate sphere of inter-church marriage. In St. Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny, the symbolism of the mitre was examined. The mitre - the hat - was described as somewhat like a 'tea-cosy' - symbolises the Holy Spirit's life-giving presence in the Church and in the world. Bishop Peter aptly said that the mitre was not 'everybody's cup of tea', but along with the pastoral staff, the mitre is, in fact, the most visible of the emblems of a Bishop's Office. It is on diocesan letterheads, literature and all official documents. The mitre represents the tongues of fire which fell on the Apostles at the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem - it symbolises the Holy Spirit, and if nowadays the Christian commitment is to be taken seriously, then all must all be aware of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It was in Kilkenny that Bishop Peter was presented with his cloak and mitre by the Dean of Ossory, the Very Revd. Norman and being enthroned on the ancient seat of St. Kieran. Moving on down country, to the far south-west of the Diocese, the next in line was St. Carthage's Cathedral, Lismore. A cold wet dark night, mid-February, but those who travelled were warmly welcomed. The sermon on this occasion spoke about the pastoral staff, the staff which is carried by a bishop throughout his diocese. It is modelled on Christ the Good Shepherd. Nowadays a bishop must be a manager, expert in all things technological but it is the pastoral role, his personal presence and ministry in parishes in the diocese which is of fundamental and primary importance. Unique on this occasion a young lady from Greece presented the bishop with a Greek New Testament. Eleni Vittoratis was on a visit to the local national school, part of an European Education Project. Eleni's materal grandfather is an ordained priest in the orthodox Christian tradition. As members of an actively devout and worshipping family they were delighted that Eleni had the experience of taking part in the enthronement ceremony - a memory to keep for the rest of her life The cathedra, the bishop's seat or throne, came under scrutiny in St. Laserian's Cathedral, Old Leighlin. The cathedra is the place of teaching and is a towering presence in all cathedrals. The bishop on this occasion traced the history of the cathedra from the middle ages to the present day and posed the question of its relevance today? His words were that the bishop's chair speaks of 'the what' the how' and 'the where'. A bishop is a chief pastor, he sits amongst his people, and listens and learns - a bishop as a religious leader must be seen in the middle of the ecumenical movement in the diocese. A bishop as a community leader must be in the middle with those who seek to welcome in the service of the Kingdom the stranger, and those who by dint of class, colour or indeed sexual orientation do not feel welcome, for whatever reason. A bishop, in the middle between the fanatic and apathetic, urging deeper reflection on issues relating to war and peace: the fragility, yet sacredness, of the whole of creation. And so to Cashel, to that famous rock, and to the Cathedral Church of St. Patrick's Rock on Sunday 2nd March. As the beginning of Lent approached and with talk of war, Bishop Peter felt it so very obviously appropriate that the pectoral cross should be examined. What did the cross ask of him? Surely, he felt, nothing more than as a constant reminder to faithfully and joyfully 'proclaim Christ crucified' by word and sacrament, prayer and praise, deeds and silence, in season and out. The cross is an instrument of the cruellest torture but the Christian looks not upon the means of torture in isolation but rather looks at the one who suffered on the cross and trusts that no human experience from birth to death, from the wood of the cradle to the wood of the cross, and indeed death itself, is outside the knowledge and compassion of God. For where Jesus is, God is, and Love loves on. It was apt that at this time September 11th was remembered, and its consequences for the whole world, and the fact that more suffering was being contemplated. Bishop Peter gave thanks for the work of agencies of relief and reconciliation, and of technological and medical research. On this occasion, special prayers were said for peace, peace in the world and particularly for those taking counsel together to try and settle the conflict by peaceful means. Senator Martin Mansergh speaking at the reception after the Cashel Service urged the new bishop to continue to be an active and committed ecumenist. He said that Christian Churches must support each other, and be open to each other and to share and at the same time respecting the different traditions. He urged him to be safe, but not too safe? Senator Mansergh quoted one of his favourite biblical injunctions, the advice of the Lord to Joshua: 'Be strong and of good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed!. As Oliver Goldsmith observed: 'philosophy is the good horse in the stable' if courage should fail! His words which were echoed throughout the dioceses, at all receptions following the enthronements, were to wish Peter, his wife Anne and family, many happy and productive years and a fruitful ministry in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory, and at the same time promising support. The full text of the five sermons preached are available on the Church of Ireland Website and the Diocesan website - www.ireland.anglican.org and www.cashel.anglican.org
One warm, bright late-August night the summer of 1982, while moonlight shimmered on Annaghmakerrig lake, we sat around the long table in the dining hall and chatted about life, literature, and the pursuit of happiness. French doors opened onto the lawn. An assortment of tee-shirts, blouses and other gaily-coloured items pegged to a clothesline, seemed to waft in the gentle breeze like eerie mid-air dancers. It wasn't quite midnight, but it can't have been far off it. Seven or eight of us were sitting variously around the dining area, which was also the part of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre around which 'socialising' (such as there was of it) took place. It was also a point of arrival and departure. The equivelant of the airport lounge, perhaps. Many of us were coming to end of our Residencies, and there was an air of regret - an impossible air of fin de siecle - about the place. We had come to the end of something wonderful and new. There had never before been anything like the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, in Ireland. People of high opinion opined (or perhaps, hoped) that it wouldn't last. It was one of the first institutions on the island of Ireland to be jointly administered in modern times by Belfast and Dublin, and as such perhaps was of symbolic as well as practical significance. There had been rumblings from some dark quarters, and there was an air of fragility, uncertainty. The big house was, after all, situated close to the border with Northern Ireland, which wasn't, back then, exactly a haven of peace and tranquility. If the tension was felt, it was never talked about. I do recall one occasion, though, when police were seen in the grounds. Apparently there had been an IRA threat to burn the place down. And I was reminded of troubled times when, walking one day in the square at Clones, two gentlemen in a car called out to me and beckoned me over. It always happens, I thought: here I am a stranger in town and these people are asking me for directions. In fact, they were plain-clothes detectives. Clones, they explained, was a 'frontier town' and they had to check people out. They were quite polite about it. And 'Annaghmakerrig' was like a magic word that quickly turned the enquiry into a friendly chat. One of them talked about his son at school, who was 'showing signs' of taking up writing. He seemed to be at once proud and worried at the prospect of his son following the path of penmanship. I think he wanted re-assurance of some kind, and I'm not sure if I managed to give that. But by and large, the world outside seldom intruded into the hallowed precincts of Annaghmakerrig; and that was - and is - part of the magic of the place. The events in our lives are like wine, kept in the cask of memory, maturing as time goes by. And then there comes a moment when you want to taste them again. The wine on that balmy late-August evening was from Bordeaux, I think. It must have been of a good vintage. It certainly created a magical ambience. Someone had loaded the dish-washer and it cycled into a curious rhythm, a kind of mood music-cum-post prandial samba. Several glasses closer to Bordeaux, one of the writers, barbara, glided through the french doors and onto the lawn, where she danced to the rhythm of the dish-washer, her light dress seeming to flow around her. It was a strangely surreal moment. The same lady, a few days before, had introduced me to the Sun Sessions - the wonderful early recordings of Elvis Presley. Barbara used to write - and write extremely well and perceptibly - for a now-defunct daily newspaper. She had a tape of all the songs Presley had recorded in the famous Sam Phillips studios in Memphis, in 1955, I think it was. An odd thing: I shared the story with a Dublin playwright, Michael West, at Annaghmakerrig, a few months ago, and he said that the washing powder used back then in that particular dish-washer would have been the 'Sun' brand. Which seems to add another surreal twist to the episode. Doesn't life have a curious symmetry - a strange way of connecting people and things? We talked a lot about Tyrone Guthrie back in those days. It was the early 1980's and Sir Tyrone had then been little more than a decade dead. Nowadays, his name is implied more than spoken. Much was made of the extra place always set at the dinner-table: was it for some wayward traveller or the founder of the feast? Perhaps both. The eerily-dramatic bronze head of Guthrie in the dim corridor by the main staircase, can be somewhat unnerving as you tiptoe past on the way to your room, in the house's midnight quiet. There was to be one more memorable night for us in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre that summer. Somebody organised a candle-lit reading of poetry and prose under the high vaulted ceiling of the music room ( which once served as a chapel). The room has a kind of haunted quality about it and the acoustics did something wonderful with our reading-voices that night. There was no Bordeaux, just the intoxication of the written and spoken word. The room's acoustics missed nothing, not a note, not a sigh, when John Jordan read from his book, Yarns. It was to be the last time I'd meet him. Now there is 'The John Jordan Room' and his portrait hangs just inside the entrance to the drawing room. In the drawing room one evening during my recent visit to Annaghmakerrig, I found myself reading extracts from James Forsythe's biography, Guthrie, gleaned from the bookshelves. It's a narrative encrusted with some wonderful and moving anecdotes, especially towards the end. When, in mid-December 1969, Guthrie was drained to exhaustion following a successful production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya in Minneapolis, and a mature student insisted on knowing what his next plans were, Guthrie replied, enigmatically: "We're going back to Ireland for the gathering up." "The gathering up?" repeated a puzzled Wallace. Lady Guthrie looked at him and explained, matter-of-factly: "We're going to die, dear boy." The 'gathering up' was originally a term borrowed from the patois of Russian peasants by the writer, Tolstoy, and borrowed in turn by the Guthries. Sir Tyrone's mother, Norah, did quite a bit of 'gathering up' when she got rid of all her bric-a-brac in house and greenhouse in the time leading up to her death. But the phrase wasn't spoken in gloomy tones by the Guthries: they had adopted the phrase primarily as a euphemism to signify the very mortal concerns of writing wills and 'setting their house in order'. Lady Guthrie, in her final months, was looked after by her cousin, Mary Quinlan, who gently read to her extracts from the Bible. One afternoon, Lady Guthrie awoke from a sleep and said: "Don't laugh, Mary. Dreamt I danced before God." A few days later, on July 25th 1972, she died, just over a year after her husband Tyrone passed away in the morning room. They are both interred in the family plot in Aghabog churchyard, among ancestral Moorheads and Powers, and close to the church where they worshipped when 'at home' in Annaghmakerrig. LAOIS CHURCH OF IRELAND YOUTH COUNCIL ***Hi again from LCIYC*** FROM THE DIOCESAN YOUTH OFFICER Upcoming training for Safeguarding Trust April and May will see the completion of training for those working with children regarding safeguarding trust which is now in its third edition. Safeguarding trust is the Church of Ireland’s code of good practice with reference to children’s and youth work and it must be adhered to by all who are working with children, even if on a temporary or occasional capacity. This includes Sunday school teachers, Youth Clubs, children’s choirmasters, clergy and some uniformed organizations. Scout and Guiding troop have their own codes but GFS leaders and BB leaders should attend the Diocesan training.
These sessions are for leaders and parish panel members should also attend if they have not yet been introduced to the code. Those who have already completed a safeguarding trust program in the last 3 years have no need to be re trained. However, those who only attend the first batch of training given by Barnardos so need to be re appraised of the Code as it has been significantly enhanced. Kilkenny College Confirmation retreat. A brilliant week end was had with those who are being confirmed at Kilkenny College this year. There was lots to do with games, Bible teaching, reflection, music and tree planting. The candidates were very pleased to meet with our new Bishop and a tree was planted by the new vice principal, Mr O Keefe which symbolized the growth of the Holy Spirit in the candidate’s lives. Please remember all those being confirmed in you prayers. Regenerate : part 2 Another musical feast has been organized for 19April. Last February, we were treated to an evening of praise and worship at the MacAdoo Hall in Kilkenny College. Building on the success of Regenerated part one, Regenerate part 2 has been organized for Saturday 19April. The evening will be firmly geared for young adults and music will be led by Barachus and other local Kilkenny bands. Regenerate is an exciting initiative between the local churches in Kilkenny and we hope that it will provide a catalyst for God’s work in the area. It promises to be a brilliant night, not to missed. |
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Last Modified: April 9, 2003 © Cashel & Ossory 2002