Please find extracts
from our Diocesan Magazine. Full copies of the printed edition which includes
the parish notes are available from the Diocesan
Office
When I awoke one morning
last November there was a lake shimmering below a wooded hillside, in
a wide window of landscape proportions. At first I
thought that these were the vestiges of some picturesque dream, and
half-expected them to dissolve into rooftops and satellite dishes. But
an
hour later, it was all still there, the large shimmering lake, the trees
touched by late autumn's awesome colours, and the great mounded lawn that
slopes down to the boathouse.
I was sitting at my desk in 'Lady Guthrie's Room' in the Tyrone Guthrie
Centre at Annaghmakerrig in county Monaghan. Her photo on the mantelpiece
showed her as a lady of finely-chiselled beauty. But the room's strongest
'presence' was that of Susan Allibone, who married John Moorhead, whose
family seat was Annaghmakerrig. It felt as though old Susan wass still
there, in a manner of speaking, looking out from the gilt oval frame which
holds her likeness. The photo, about half-lifesize, and in which she wears
a bonnet, was taken in 1881 and signed 'Windom Grove', which probably
signifies the photographic artist or studio. The picture has been lightly
colour-tinted, as was the fashion of those dim-distant days of monochrome
photography, giving Mrs Moorhead's cheeks a rosiness that adds to the
sense of her presence. She looks to her right, her gaze passing between
my desk and an old portmanteau, and out over Annaghmakerrig Lake, seeming
to ignore my strange presence there.
I've been here before on a number of occasions, and enjoyed the ambience
of different rooms. This time, I motored here, but on my first visit,
more
than twenty years ago, I came by train to Dublin and continued my journey
by Rowe's Bus to Cootehill, county Cavan - just over the border from
Annaghmakerrig - where the then Director, Bernard Loughlin, collected
me in
his car. That was back in the very early days, during the first year,
in
fact, of the Guthrie Centre's existence as a retreat for writers and
artists. For nineteen years, Bernard and his wife, Mary, imbued the cold,
formal facade of Annaghmakerrig with a welcoming warmth and helped shape
the place into the centre of international centre repute that it is today.
They have since left to reside in Spain, where they've established an
artists'
retreat, along the lines of Annaghmakerrig, one imagines, and on this
occasion I was welcomed, no less warmly, by the new Director, Sheila
Pratchke (who was domiciled in Waterford for awhile some years ago).
I've met many artistes and writers here over the years. On my first
visit here, I brought a small clock-radio, to wake me up bright and early.
I
soon realised, however, that the Tyrone Gurthrie Centre has its own integral
time, quite independent of the mechanical or quartz variety, and only
nominally ruled by sunrise and sunset. My clock radio was the only radio
in
the entire house, I think, and the late Brendan O Hehir, from Galway,
used
to come in to my room every evening and listen to the news. Brendan was
a
prolific author and broadcaster, and wanted to keep abreast of happenings
in
the outside world. He wrote a number of best-selling books, among which
was (if I remember correctly) Lead Us Into Temptation, originally published
in
an Irish language edition. We enjoyed many chats, and when I heard, a
few
years later, that he had passed away, I felt I had lost a friend.
And there was Niall Quinn (the sea-faring novelist, not the footballer),
who insisted on going about the house with a wax ear-plug in each ear,
deaf
to the charms of everything but his own inner world (which, in due time,
he
shared with the great book-buying public). A book of his short stories
and a
novel were published by Wolfhound Press in Dublin, to critical acclaim.
Sir Tyrone Guthrie, of course, was a great man of the theatre in
Ireland, Great Britain and North America. His autobiography, A Life In
The
Theatre, has become something of a minor classic of the genre. Here in
Ireland, we tend to remember him firstly as the man who bequeathed his
Big
House to the Irish people. And it is thanks to his largesse and generosity
of spirit that I and some twenty others (visual artists, writers,
photographers and playwrights) were able to live his dream of a retreat
for
writers and artists, amidst the mist and drumlins, in his beloved
Annaghmakerrig.
Just inside the entrance to the drawingroom, there's a portrait of the
late writer and academic John Jordan. I have particularly warm memories
of
the late Professor Jordan, and of my first meeting with him. It was late
in
the evening twenty years ago and I was sitting alone at the round tea-table
in a corner of the dining room in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, lingering
over
a pot of 'Ceylon', when Professor Jordan happened along
"Before you say anything" he said to me, "I must warn you
that I'm a
marxist!" To this day, I can't decide whether or not he was being
tongue-in-cheek. It didn't seem to have any relevance then, in any case,
for, as I recall, his conversation touched only on writing and, fleetingly,
arthritis. Professor Jordan was a writer and critic celebrated for his
appearances on RTE's television book programme hosted by Patrick Gallagher.
More than a modicum of tragedy attached itself to John Jordan. He was
a
quite brilliant intellectual, but was, like so many Irish writers of an
earlier generation, totally immersed in a world of alcohol. The people
at
RTE valued his contributions highly, for, a few days before each recording
of the programme, they took the trouble to seek him out and ensure he
was
'dry' by the time the cameras rolled. At that time he was a relatively
young
man, with a Wildean private life, wracked by arthritis and finding some
solace, one presumes, in the numbing mists of alcohol. I remember an
impromptu reading of poetry and prose in the Music Room one evening, and
his kindness towards my own modest contribution. It was a kind of farewell
gathering, for most of us were leaving for home next morning. Parting
glasses were raised and we were all tipsy and glum. Professor Jordan read
from a collection of his stories, entitled Yarns. It was obvious that
one or
two of the stories were painfully autobiographical, but he read them with
an
unwavering voice. Alcohol might numb the senses, anaesthetise the pain,
but it didn't in the least diminish his courage or artistic integrity.
Later
that year, he was appointed Editor of Poetry Ireland magazine, which
position he filled for many issues of the magazine, but was seen less
and
less on television screens. He died tragically at a literary event in
Wales, apparently choking to death in his hotel room, while intoxicated.
On one occasion, I was domiciled next to the Music Room and the sublime
playing of world-renowned concert pianist, John O'Conor, for endless hours
pursuing perfection across ebony and ivory. When he left, Rosaleen Linehan
arrived to tinkle the ivory, polishing her songs and sketches for a Revue
performance in the Gaeity Theatre.
It wasn't all work and no play, of course. There was, among other
things, Annaghmakerrig Lake. During the first year or so of The Guthrie
Centre, powerboats zoomed up and down the lake, snarling and whining and
making life miserable for everyone but themselves. They were apparently
members of some local club, and they seemed to me the aquatic equivelant
of joy-riders in motor cars, or the so-called 'boy-racers' of today.
Annaghmakerrig Lake is part of the Guthrie Centre, but there was some
legal
loophole, happily repaired, through which they drove the power-boating
equivelant of a coach and four.
Three of us put out one afternoon in a very small boat that bobbed like
a demented cork. Annaghmakerrig lake is quite a large body of water,
seemingly placid, but with treacherous currents at one end, and there
have
been a number of boating tragedies here over the years, among them a young
local boy. An intrepid member of our trio stood up in the boat and poled
it
like a Venetian gondolier. He was a cameraman or something at RTE and
was
used to maintaining the perpendicular under pressure. We'd just about
convinced ourselves that we'd see dry land again, and had settled back
to
enjoy the experience, when there was a roaring sound in the sky above
us.
A small private plane, from a flying club
across the border in Northern
Ireland, climbed high and then came in low at us, climbing up again at
the
last moment. The chap poling the boat didn't seem in the least put out
by
it. It was just some chap from the flying club, 'buzzing' us, he said.
Having a bit of fun. We were 'buzzed' two or three times more, before
the
pilot tired of his 'fun' and veered away out of sight over the hillside.
(More about Annaghmakerrig next month)
On Tuesday the 7th of January the first of six evenings in the Abbeyleix
Manor Hotel took place. In was attended by members of Kilcooley &
Fertagh,
Templemore, Clonenagh, Rathdowney, Abbeyleix & Killermogh, Portlaoise,
Stradbally and Castlecomer groups / unions of parishes. On this first
night
about sixty people attended. The evening started with worship lead by
Rev
Barbara Fryday. We used an interesting liturgy from 'A Wee Worship Book'.
Following the worship, Canon. Patrick Harvey spoke for a few minutes on
a
series of leaflets available from APCK on beliefs of the Church of Ireland.
At this point all were encouraged to go and get a drink from the bar !!
After which (eventually !!) those attending were then were organised into
groups for the teaching and discussion. This was lead by Rev. Cliff Jeffers
and the topic for the first night was the historical reliability of the
New
Testament.
Over the next five sessions we will be exploring different types of worship,
from the Book of Common Prayer, Youth Worship, The Eucharist and others.
Each evening there will also be reviews of different resources available
to
us to help us explore who we are. The exploration of our beliefs will
continue looking at the life of Jesus from the New Testament, and especially
the Gospel of Luke, and how we should respond to him in our day and age.
One person who attended the first evening commended; "We learned
to discuss
our beliefs with each other and felt enriched by the whole evening."
On Tuesday the 11th of February we are hoping that Bishop Peter will be
able
to join us for the evening. He plans to address us for a few minutes during
the evening as our new bishop.
If you would like to join us for the last few of these evenings, please
contact the Rector of one of the above parishes for details.
By the time you read this,
Bishop Christina will have made a "flying" visit
to Dublin to share in the consecration of our new bishop. At the end of
January, three members of the diocese of Lund will spend three days in
the
diocese in order to attend the enthronements in Ferns & Kilkenny.
The Revd
Marie Korner, the Dean of Lund Cathedral and the diocesan deacon will
stay
here in Kilcooley and we will travel together to Ferns on Friday, 31st
January and then, on Sunday, 2nd February, to Kilkenny. It is hoped that
there will be in imput into these Services by our link members. It is
hoped
that, at least, some of you will meet them at these events. If you attend
one of these enthronements, do approach our visitors and welcome them.
Bishop Peter will be meeting with our committee in mid-January to get
to
know them and to help in the planning for the coming year. We welcome
him.
Bishop Christina would like to bring her Diocesan Board ( like our Diocesan
Council) to meet members of our diocesan administrative bodies in the
autumn. We are exploring the possibility of them coming to our Diocesan
Synods in October.
As you know, the Lutheran Church of Sweden is one of a group of Lutheran
Churches who are signatories of the Porvoo agreement with us. (Estonian
Evangelical Lutheran Church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland,
the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, The Evangelical Lutheran Church
of
Lithuania, the church of Norway and the church of Sweden, the Anglican
churches of England, Ireland the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church
in
Wales. )The experience in my parish recently is that there are a number
of
members of these Churches living in our diocese. We should be aware of
the
fact that members of these Churches are in full communion with the Church
of Ireland and are therefore to be treated by us as though they are members
of the Church of Ireland. For us, this means that we regard baptised members
of each of these Churches as members of our own, we welcome overseas congregations
from these Churches into the life of our Church, we welcome those who
are ordained as bishops, priests and deacons in any of the ten Churches
to minister in accordance with the receiving Church¹s regulations
and we are to consult with each other on significant matters of faith
and order, life and work.
The Church of Denmark declined the offer to sign and the church of Latvia
has yet to decided whether to sign or not. Through this Agreement we have
been able to form our link with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden,
which with your prayers and support is growing to the benefit of all. Barbara Y. Fryday
The
bishop, black sheep, bull’s heads and a place for mitres
By Patrick Comerford
THERE has been some discussion on Internet forums recently about a rather
unusual grant of arms made by the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland
to
Bishop Pat Buckley.
The former Father Pat Buckley was consecrated by an excommunicated bishop,
so that his ecclesiastical title is considered to be "valid but unlawful"
in Roman canon law. However, the patent from the Deputy Chief Herald,
Fergus Gillespie, acting "on behalf of and by the authority of the
Government of Ireland", styles the grantee "The Right Reverend
Patrick Buckley, Presiding
Bishop of the Oratory Society of Larne, in the County of Antrim".
Canon law
obviously had no influence on the civil authorities in this instance.
The top portion or chief on the new coat of arms shows three bulls’
heads
an allusion to the bulls’ heads traditionally used as heraldic
insignia by
members of the Buckley families, rather than any suggestion of
bullheadedness on the part of Pat Buckley. But the main symbol on the
bishop’s new shield is "a lamb passant sable" perhaps
not so much a an
adaptation of the arms of the Diocese of Connor, or even a reference to
the
pallium or Y-shaped woollen garment given by the Pope to a new bishop
as the
sign of his office, but a rather humorous way of describing Pat Buckley
as a
black sheep although he prefers in his own book to describe to himself
as
"a thorn in the side" of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to the standard rules of heraldry, the official arms of a bishop
traditionally appertained neither to him personally nor to his rank. They
were attached to his jurisdiction, and so neither a suffragan bishop nor
an
auxiliary bishop, though possessing a local titular description, had an
official coat of arms. However, the new grant of arms assigns Pat Buckley
all the heraldic trimmings long associated with a Roman Catholic diocesan
bishop: a pectoral cross behind the shield, a bishop’s green hat
(although
the tassels are gold rather than green in this instance), and, in the
margin, a bishop’s mitre superimposed on two croziers.
Pat Buckley, who has chosen as his motto "Tolerance, Love, Diversity",
was
once an outspoken critic of the authority and trimmings of office in the
Roman Catholic Church. Now there is some surprise that he is replicating
those same hierarchical structures and is seeking to enhance his prestige
by
securing a not inexpensive grant of episcopal arms from an Irish state
office. The Bray genealogist Sean Murphy, who runs the Centre for Irish
Genealogical and Historical Studies, recently wondered whether "the
Office
of the Chief Herald would have been well advised to steer clear of appearing
to validate a controversial schismatic episcopal title".
An anachronistic art?
Ecclesiastical heraldry and coats of arms for bishops may seem a little
anachronistic and out of date for many today. Indeed, I understand that
none
of the bishops of the Church of Ireland has had an official confirmation
of
a coat of arms in recent decades. At times, all the trappings of heraldry
can convey the wrong images, symbolising medievalism or an established
past
in which church wielded power and demanded privilege.
But in her recent books, Royal Roots Republic Heritage, Dr Susan
Hood of
the Representative Church Body Library has shown how the modern Irish
state
has adapted, modernised and democratised our heraldic system, that our
heritage is maintained in this art form without carrying all the baggage
of
aristocratic pretension and a class system that is thankfully passing
away.
Dr Hood’s book manages to be learned and erudite on the one hand,
yet lively
and humorous on the other. And she shows how an ancient and almost
anachronistic office was brought into the modern era and made relevant
by
the Irish-speaking, Oxford educated nationalist, Edward MacLysaght.
It has been argued that since the disestablishment of the Scottish
Episcopalian Church and the Church of Ireland, the arms of the sees in
law
became extinct, although bishops in both churches continue to use them,
and
Dr Hood’s book notes how the bishops of Connor and Derry and Raphoe
had
their coats of arms registered in both London and Dublin in the 1950s.
Despite the decision of the bishops not to have their coats of arms
confirmed by the Chief Herald’s Office, most if not all our dioceses
continue to use the original coats of arms in some combination, and diocesan
arms often bedeck the black scarves of members of cathedral chapters.
Rich symbolism
Most of the diocesan coats of arms probably date from the
post-Reformation period, and so, with the exception of the arms of Armagh,
Dublin and a handful of other dioceses they are rightfully the insignia
of
the bishops of the Church of Ireland, despite disestablishment, and their
use by Roman Catholic bishops is anachronistic if not misleading.
There are no recorded coats of arms for eight dioceses Aghadoe,
Ardfert,
Emly, Glendalough, Kilmacduagh, Leighlin, Lismore and Ross. The
amalgamations of Emly, Glendalough, Lismore and Ross with Cashel, Dublin
Waterford and Cork predate both the Reformation and the general growth
of
interest in ecclesiastical heraldry.
In the rest of the dioceses of the Church of Ireland, coats of arms draw
on a rich array of images from the Bible, symbols of the faith, and emblems
associated with the history and heritage of the cathedrals and dioceses.
They include crosses, the Bible (Dromore, Kildare and Killala), the
ubiquitous green shamrock (Ardagh, Killaloe and some versions of the arms
of
Dromore) representing the Patrician explication of Trinitarian faith,
a
single key (Ardagh and Killaloe), three stars representing the Trinity
(Kilfenora), crossed keys (Cashel, Down, Limerick and one version for
Waterford) croziers (Clonfert, Connor, Elphin, Ferns, Killala, Kilmore
and
Limerick), a lamb representing the Lamb of God (Connor, and Elphin), and
saints and bishops (Ossory, Tuam and Waterford and Lismore).
There are two versions of the arms of Ossory the “ancient”
one showing a
bishop in his mitre and pontifical robes, holding a crozier and Bible
and
standing between two pillars; the second, “modern” version shows
five
crosses encircling a covered cup, which may be an allusion not only to
the
chalice but also to the Butlers of Kilkenny Castle, the principle lay
patrons in the diocese. And while Ossory has two coats of arms, neighbouring
Leighlin inexplicably has none, while Ardagh and Killaloe are virtually
the
same, but for minor differences in colours and shading.
There are no less than three different arms for the Diocese of Derry.
The
ancient arms show a church. Another version is similar to those of Meath,
with three mitres. Today, the Diocese of Derry uses two crossed swords,
the
emblem of Saint Paul, in arms similar to those used by the See of London
since 14th century but with the addition of a gold Irish harp on a blue
background it may be the Diocese of Derry, but the herald who designed
these arms was insistent that it was the city of Londonderry.
If you ever thought the bishops of the Church of Ireland no longer use
mitres, take a look at the coats of arms still used by most of our bishops
today on their headed notepaper and on official documents. Each of them
usesa mitre above the shield; mitres are used as charges (the main features
or items) in the arms of eight dioceses Cloyne, Cork, Derry (some
versions), Elphin (some versions), Ferns, Kilmore, Limerick and Meath;
and bishops wearing mitres and full robes appear on the arms of four dioceses
Clogher, Ossory, Tuam and Waterford.
Some diocesan arms today
The arms of the Diocese of Dublin can be seen on the diocesan website
at
http://dublin.anglican.org and at the top of the Archbishop’s Letter
on Page
3 of the Church Review. With a mitre, shield, and episcopal crosses, they
are similar to the arms of both Armagh and Canterbury. The arms of Armagh
are identical to those of Canterbury, showing a pall or pallium, the
Y-shaped woollen garment bestowed by the Pope as a sign of an archbishop’s
office, and an episcopal staff, except in Armagh this staff is of silver
rather than gold, and it is topped with a small gold cross rather than
a
small silver cross. The arms of Dublin are virtually identical to those
of
Armagh, except that the Y-shaped pall has five rather than four black
crosses on it.
The arms of Dublin are plain and simple to use. But diocesan arms become
more difficult to visualise and use simply as increasing numbers of dioceses
are amalgamated.
The arms for Cashel, Waterford, Lismore,
Ossory, Ferns and
Leighlin are more difficult to marshal. They have become blurred at the
top
of the cover of the Diocesan Magazine, where the crossed keys of Cashel
can barely be seen on a shield, with a mitre above. But they can be seen
more clearly, though not in colour, on the diocesan website at
http://cashel.anglican.org .
They show five coats of arms in all, four of them quartered on a shield,
and a fifth containing the crossed keys of Cashel superimposed
in the
centre. Interestingly, of the four arms quartered together on the main
shield, both the first and third represent the two conflicting insignia
given for the Diocese of Ossory, ancient and modern; the second represents
the Diocese of Ferns; and the fourth is the usual representation for the
Dioceses of Waterford and Lismore, which were united in 1363. But once
again, there is the inexplicable absence of any representation of the
Diocese of Leighlin, which was united to Ferns in 1597. And if two versions
of the Ossory arms are used, why not use both versions of Waterford and
Lismore? The unfortunate effect, in heraldic terminology is to give the
impression that the Bishop of Ossory is married to the only daughter who
has
inherited the coat of arms of the Bishop of Cashel!
The arms now used for the United Dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe appear
on the front cover of the diocesan magazine, Newslink. They show the arms
of
the Diocese of Limerick on one side, and a peculiar combination of the
arms
of Killaloe and Clonfert on the other. There may never have been any coats
of arms for the dioceses of Ardfert, Aghadoe, Emly, and Kilmacduagh, either
due to early amalgamations or because as Gaelic strongholds they were
far
removed from the Anglo-Norman concerns with the trappings of heraldry.
But
why omit the arms of Kilfenora with a red rose (perhaps representing
faithfulness) and three stars representing the Trinity?
Saint Patrick’s Cross
Other dioceses have a rich heraldic heritage too. The arms of Kildare
not
only show an adaptation of the arms of the FitzGeralds of Kildare
the only
diocese to use a version of the so-called Saint Patrick’s Cross.
And they
also show an open Bible with the words: “The Law was given by Moses,
but
grace and truth by Jesus Christ.”
There is something about a tastefully designed yet modern coat of arms
that conveys continuity and heritage in the faith in a way that can never
be
replicated by a brash and pushy logo produced on the drawing boards of
an
advertising agency. It is a heritage we should not dismiss too easily.
Bishop Pat Buckley’s grant of arms can be viewed at:
http://www.nli.ie/Arms24.htm . Dr Susan Hood’s book, Royal Roots
Republican Heritage, published recently by the Woodfield Press, is available
through the RCB Library at Eur 25.
Rev Patrick Comerford is Southern Regional Co-ordinator of the Church
Missionary Society Ireland. Contact: theology@ireland.com
Hello again from Laois CIYC. Thankfully we are now past the long winter
months and can finally start looking forward to some bright evenings and
some more brilliant events from us here in Laois!
We have had a very eventful Christmas and New Year so here’s all
the gossip!
PAST EVENTS
On 27December we held a junior disco in Mountrath Hall. Over 120 young
people attended the event from Laois, Limerick and Roscrea. The music
was
great, the atmosphere amicable and the crowd was brilliant. We hope to
host
more of these discos in the New Year so watch this space!On 29December
we had our annual day trip to Dublin, except this year it was
slightly different. Over 70 young people from Laois and Johnstown enjoyed
their day ice-skating, shopping and ‘catching a flick’ and we
had a great
time organizing it!On New Years Eve the Gandon Inn was filled with young
people (and not so
young!) with the common aim of ringing in 2003 together. A great time
was
had by all, many of who ‘danced their shoes away’ and by others
who met new
people and made new friends.
At time of going to press, we are planning the LCIYC year and our aims
for
2003. For information on events for February, notices will be read at
your
Sunday services or please contact me, Nicola (087)9664657 or Shirley (086)
8510118. You can also obtain info by logging onto
www.lciyc.cashel.anglican.org <http://www.lciyc.cashel.anglican.org/>
.
Don't forget: if you would like your name to be on our ‘exclusive’
mailing
list please don't hesitate to call.
That’s all the gossip for this month. God bless, Nicola and Shirley.
*******We decided this month to include a little bible verse for you to
read
and which will help you through your days in school, work and at home….
Enjoy!******
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:3
Hi From D-Grupe Portlaoise
Well, we hope that you had a lovely Christmas and that you are now looking
forward to the summer hols!
During December, twenty young people from Portlaoise and ‘round traveled
to
Gorey to an Under 18s disco which was organize by Ferns CIYC. We also
went
to the cinema in Carlow to see the much acclaimed ‘Harry Potter’….no
comments re the film… but the trip was brilliant. Over 80 young people
attended the disco and danced until the small hours of the morning! We
hope to join up with Ferns in the near future again so watch this space!
Portlaoise Junior Youth Club hosted, for
the first time ever, a puppet show
in the Parochial Hall on 28December. The puppets were organized by Rev.
Cliff Jeffers and his band of helpers…thank you. Over 20 children
attended
the show which included crafts, songs and food. For those who missed out
on this brill show, the youth club hope to host another one in the
not-so-distant future again.
At time of going to press, six young people from Laois are
successfully formulating a youth band under the guidance of Rev. Philip
Heak. They are planning to play at services around Laois. Their debut
service will be in Borris-in-Ossory on 25January. It will be an informal
service so please come along and support them.
That’s all the news for now, folks. For information regarding
future events please contact me or Sharon (086) 3470462.
God bless,
Nicola Rowan
Chairperson (087)9664657
Thank you to all those who made the Under 18 Disco in Gorey on the Saturday
before Christmas such a success. We are especially grateful to Rev’d
Mark Hayden and the members of the Select Vestry for allowing us to use
the Hall at short notice. It was brilliant to see members of “D Grupe”
Youth Club from Portlaoise with us again. “D Grupe” came to
our first event in Courtown in June last Year and it was great to renew
old Friendships!! Perhaps Romance may blossom the Next time!!!
Thanks also to all those who helped supervise
the Disco.At the time of Writing, the consecration of our New Bishop is
in a few weeks time and Ferns CiYC wish him and his Family God’s
Blessing in his Future Ministry and look forward to his enthronement in
St Edan’s Cathedral. For regular updates of Ferns Events check the
Diocesan Web site. www.cashel.anglican.org.
From
the Diocesan Youth Officer
Rev’d Philip Heak
2 The Colonnade St Canices Cathedral
Kilkenny
056 71854
e-mail: dyo@cashel.anglican.org
“Music in the Air”
J.S. Bach stated once that “All music is to the glory of God.”
Certainly this rings true to my experience and I find that music is one
of the very important tools of Youth Ministry. One could say that February
2003 alongside being the month of Love on St Valentines Day is also a
month of Music. The 1st February is the date set for “Regenerate”
which is a mammoth Christian concert to take place in the McAdoo Halll,
Kilkenny College from 7.30 pm. Many local bands will be participating
and Noel Kenny (from the Power to Change Campaign) will be the main speaker.
This joint venture between the Churches promises to be a brilliant night
and admission is only €2.00.“
Thanks to Dermot Finlay”
January also saw the retirement from playing on a regular basis of Dermot
Finlay. Dermot and his band have played at many Youth Services, greatly
enhancing the worship and helping people in their spiritual journeys.
Words cannot express our gratitude to Dermot, Spencer, James, David and
other musicians for the many times they have played. As a thank you to
Dermot, Laois CiYC and the Youth Officer are sponsoring the recording
of a CD which should be released in the next 6 months or so.
“New Bands in the Pipeleine”
Meantime, in the Diocese there are quite a few musical projects. We have
been recently meeting in Laois with a group of young musicians who will
be playing at their first service on the evening of the 25th January.
There are also plans to start similar projects in Wicklow and Wexford.
The groups are for instrumentalist and singers who are of proficient standard
to play at worship. You don’t have to be brilliant but must be able
to play to a reasonable standard and keen to learn. Any one interested
in joining a band, please contact me.
“New CD Church Hymnal Unplugged”
As an aid to help people learn new Songs, I have recorded a CD of some
36 hymns from the New Hymn Book. These are arranged simply in easy Keys
which are suitable for a range of Instruments such as Tin Whistle, Flute
and Guitar. On the CD which was muti-tracked at home, I play, Guitar,
Flute, Tin Whistles, Mandolin and Uilleann Pipes. Hopefully it will be
an aid to those seeking to easily learn new Melodies from the Hymnal.
It is entitled, “Church Hymnal Unplugged” and is available on
request.Diocesan Web Site
www.cashel.anglican.org
There are many ways to get to the Diocesan
Web Site. www.cashel.anglican.org, www.ferns.anglican.org, www.ossory.anglican.org
, www.waterford.anglican.org etc. will all take you to the same web site
2: After a Full month of the New Web Site
we’ve had 5000 page views!
3: Visitors have been from at least 21
different countries as far afield as the US, Yugoslavia, China and even
Senegal
4: The guest book is a great place to
swap information. There are notices from well wishers and even a few people
who are trying to find members of their family
5: If you want to add a picture to the
Web site simply e-mail it to Rev’d P Heak webmaster@cashel.anglican.orh
6: Excerpts of the Diocesan Magazine are
put online at the start of each month
7: The Parish & Cathedral pages are
one of the most visited sections of the Site. A quick way to get to your
parish is to type “www.cashel.anglican.org” followed by “
/” and the name of the parish with “.htm” at the end of
it For instance, www.cashel.anglican.org/lismore.htm or www.cashel.anglican.org/tullow.htm:
Many of the Cathedral pages have extensive
galleries especially, Leighlin, Lismore and St Canices.
9: The Website has separate pages for
all parishes, the Mothers Union, Education, Missionary Project, Vision
2020, Ordination, Lay Ministry, Diocesan Magazine, celebration of Faith,
Marriage Preparation (COMAC) the Diocesan Link, Prayer and Worship, GFS,
BB, Youth Councils, Diocesan Youth Officer, Safeguarding Trust, Youth
Resources, Confirmation, Cathedrals, and much more.10. The Web site is
updated every Tuesday.
If you would like to publicize a parish
event or change details, please e-mail the Webmaster, Rev’d P Heak,
webmaster@cashel.anglican.org.
