DIOCESAN SYNOD ADDRESS 2004 

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THE THEME OF MY ADDRESS LAST YEAR WAS ‘LISTENING'; THIS YEAR IT IS ‘RESOURCING'. TO A LARGE EXTENT, THE FOCUS WILL BE LOOKING AT OURSELVES FROM ‘THE INSIDE –OUT' AS IT WERE. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL NOT BE INWARD LOOKING, FOR MY INTENTION IS TO EXAMINE ASPECTS OF OUR LIFE TOGETHER IN THE SEE IN ORDER THAT THEY MAY BE BETTER REOURCED FOR THE BENEFIT OF US ALL; FOR THE COMMON GOOD. IN SO DOING, FREEING US UP TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN OUR WITNESS TO THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE GOSPEL IN SERVICE OF OTHERS FOR THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM.

I WISH TO REFLECT UPON RESOURCING AT THREE LEVELS : THE CENTRE; THE LOCAL AND FROM OUTSIDE. BUT BEFORE DOING SO, I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF SOMETHING I SAID LAST YEAR WHICH IS, IN A WAY , THE MOTTO OF MY EPISCOPATE. I BORROW FROM SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO WHO ONCE SAID OF HIMSELF :

‘FOR YOU I AM A BISHOP; WITH YOU I AM A CHRISTIAN' .

WHAT I NOW COMMENT UPON MUST BE SET IN THIS CONTEXT.

RESOURCING THE CENTRE

WHATEVER WAY YOU LOOK AT THE GEOGRAPHY OF THIS SEE OF CASHEL & OSSORY, COMPRISING AS IT DOES SIX ANCIENT DIOCESES, IT IS CERTAINLY LARGE. IT COVERS 4,000 SQUARE MILES AND INCLUDES LARGE PARTS OF A FEW AS WELL AS THE TOTALITY OF MOST OF 7 COUNTIES OF THE ‘SOUTH EAST' – WICKLOW, WEXFORD, CARLOW, KILKENNY, LAOIS, WATERFORD , TIPPERARY . WE ALSO PLAY ‘NIP AND TUCK' WITH OFFALY, LIMERICK AND I THINK, CORK.

THERE ARE 33 PARISH GROUPINGS THROUGHOUT THE SIX DIOCESES WITH 144 CHURCHES, PLUS SCHOOLS , HOSPITALS, INSTITUTIONS AND OTHER PASTORAL EXPRESSIONS OF THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE PAROCHIAL LIFE OF THE SEE, THE MOST IMPORTANT OF WHICH ARE YOU, CLERGY AND PARISHIONER ALIKE. THE ANNUAL COMBINED BUDGET OF BOTH COUNCILS FOR OUR MINISTRY AND MISSION IS APROACHING 2 MILLION EUROS.

ONE OF THE TRADITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF EFFECTIVE EPISCOPACY IS THAT THE BISHOP IS A GOOD ADMINISTRATOR. CERTAINLY, TO BE A GOOD ADMINISTRATOR REQUIRES CERTAIN PERSONAL SKILLS. BUT IT ALSO REQUIRES ADEQUATE ‘BACK-UP' AND RESOURCING. I WISH TO PAY PARTICULAR TRIBUTE TO OUR DIOCESAN SECRETARIES AND TREASURERS, DENISE HUGHES, JOAN DEACON AND LESLEY MOYNAN. THEY ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE HEART OF ALL THAT EFFECTIVELY HAPPENS CENTRALLY. THEY ARE REPOSITORIES OF HELPFULNESS, KINDNESS , PATIENCE AND NO LITTLE COMMON SENSE AND WE ARE INDEBTED TO THEM, PERSONALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.

AS YOU MAY KNOW, THIS IS JOAN'S LAST DIOCESAN SYNOD IN HER OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS SECRETARY AND TREASURER OF FERNS, FOLLOWING HER WISH TO RETIRE AT THE END OF MARCH NEXT YEAR. THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY AT A LATER DATE TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE FOR HER WORK AND INVOLVEMENT WITH THE DIOCESE OF FERNS, WHICH BEGAN INDEED IN THE LATE 1940'S. BUT I WISH TO NOT ONLY SAY ‘THANK YOU' TO HER TODAY, BUT ALSO EXPRESS MY PERSONAL APPRECIATION OF HER WILLINGNESS TO REMAIN IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY FOLLOWING HER RETIREMENT. THANK YOU FOR THIS TOO, JOAN.

JOAN'S RETIREMENT HAS`RAISED THE ISSUE OF OUR PRESENT AND ESPECIALLY FUTURE ADMINISTRATIVE NEEDS. IN SHORT, HOW ARE WE TO BEST RESOURCE THE SECRETARIAT CENTRALLY, WITH MODES OF COMMUNICATION AND ADMINISTRATION, IN KEEPING WITH BEST CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE?

SUPPORTED BY BOTH COUNCILS, A SUB-COMMITTEE CONVENED BY THE O'MORCHOE, IS MEETING TO DISCUSS OUR NEEDS AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ME BEFORE THE END OF NEXT MONTH. IT IS MY HOPE THAT ALL ASPECTS OF ADMINISTRATION WILL BE REFLECTED UPON, INCLUDING FACILITIES WHICH ARE IN KEEPING WITH DISABLED AND HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF BOTH COUNCILS TO ‘HASTEN ON' WITH PRODUCING A ‘DRAFT SET OF RULES FOR THE HARMONISATION OF PROCEDURE AND REGULATIONS' FOR OCCASIONS SUCH AS THIS AND THEY ARE BEFORE US TODAY FOR APPROVAL. THIS IS PART OF THE PROCESS OF ADEQUATELY RESOURCING THE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION. I AM MOST GRATEFUL TO THE O'MORCHOE ONCE AGAIN AND TO MR PETER CLIFTON-BROWN (AND TO CANON J.L.B. DEANE OF CORK ) FOR THEIR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.

ACCORDING TO OUR RULES, IT IS THE PREROGATIVE OF THE BISHOP TO CALL THE MEETING OF THE DIOCESAN SYNOD ANNUALLY. SYNOD MEANS ‘TOGETHER ON THE WAY' .

HOWEVER, I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO RELATE THIS CONCEPT TO THE PRESENT PATTERN OF HAVING TWO SYNODS MEETING IN TWO SEPARATE VENUES ON TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS TO DISCUSS MUCH THAT IS FAMILIAR AND INDEED HELD IN COMMON. IT IS MY HOPE THAT FROM NEXT YEAR, NEXT JUNE IN FACT, WE SHALL MEET CONJOINTLY AS DIOCESAN SYNODS.

THAT IS, WE SHALL MEET TOGETHER AS MEMBERS OF THE ONE BODY OF CHRIST IN ONE SEE FAMILY TO TRANSACT OUR BUSINESS AND TO FULFILL OUR CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATIONS. IF BUSINESS ARISES WHICH IS PERTINENT TO ONE COUNCIL RATHER THAN ANOTHER, MEMBERS ARE FREE TO HEAD FOR TEA AND A CHAT, AS HAPPENS FOR EXAMPLE, AT GENERAL SYNOD. FURTHER, WOUDN'T IT BE HELPFUL IF WE MET IN LATE AFTERNOON AND FINSIHED IN THE EVENING, RATHER THAN TAKE UP A WHOLE MORNING AND AFTERNOON, WHICH FOR MANY IS PART OF A WORKING DAY?

THERE IS HOWEVER ONE ASSURANCE WHICH I WISH TO MAKE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS THAT I HAVE NO INTENTION OF REQUESTING A CHANGE IN THE STRUCTURE OF OUR COUNCILS. I AM HAPPY THAT THE CASHEL AND FERNS COUNCILS REMAIN AS THEY ARE. IN SHORT, THAT FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, WE RETAIN BOTH THE FERNS AND THE CASHEL COUNCILS. BUT I HOPE TO STRENGTHEN THIS ‘SPIRIT OF TOGETHERNESS' BY FORMING ‘SEE WORKING GROUPS' WHICH WOULD REPORT TO BOTH COUNCILS AND TO SYNOD ON SUCH AREAS AS ‘MINISTRY AND PARISH DEVELOPMENT'; ‘UNITY AND INTER-FAITH AFFAIRS; EVANGELISM AND MISSION'; ‘HEALING AND PASTORAL CARE'.

ANOTHER WELCOME ASPECT OF RESOURCING THE CENTRE IS THE AGREEMENT OF COUNCILS TO THE PROVISION OF PC'S FOR EACH RECTORY AND CURATAGE. AS A RESULT, I HAVE ASKED EACH PRIEST TO INFORM DENISE HUGHES OF THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS BY NEW YEAR, SO THAT INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS CAN BE GREATLY FACILITATED BY EMAIL CONTACT. CLERGY WILL BE PROVIDED WITH TRAINING WHERE REQUIRED AND I WOULD ASK EACH CLERIC TO PLEASE CONTACT THE REV'D MIKE GRAHAM, CO-ORDINATOR OF THE CHURCH OF IRELAND INTERNET COMMITTEE, WHO IS READY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH YOUR OFFICIAL CHURCH OF IRELAND EMAIL ADDRESS. WE KNOW OF THE GOOD WORK OF THE REV'D PHILIP HEAK AS YOUTH OFFICER AND WE SINCERELY THANK HIM FOR IT AS WELL AS ANTICIPATE NEW DEVELOPMENTS UNDER HIS GUIDANCE IN FERNS. SOME MAY NOT REALISE THAT HE IS IN CHARGE OF OUR TINY PORTION OF CYBER SPACE AS OUR WEB SITE MANAGER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK IN BOTH AREAS AND I KNOW FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THAT HE IS WILLING TO PROVIDE PRACTICAL ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE IN THESE INTERNET AREAS FOR OUR PARISHES.

HOW WE COMMUNICATE THE ‘GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL' AND HOW IT IS PRESENTED IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF SUCH WITNESS TO PARISHIONER AND ENQUIRER ALIKE. AN APPROPRIATELY RESOURCED CENTRAL SECRETARIAT IN EASY AND READY TOUCH WITH THE NEEDS OF THE PARISHES FOR THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE SEE IS A VITAL PART OF RESOURCING THE CENTRE AND INDEED THE EPISCOPATE.

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