The Colton Building at Midleton College; Christ Church ‘Retreat in the City’; New Diocesan Secretary; Mothers’ Union Celebrates 125 Years; St Patrick’s Canons
The Colton Building at Midleton College
Friday 21st September was an historic day at Midleton College, Midleton, County Cork, as Minister for Education and Skills, Ruaírí Quinn T.D., officially opened The Colton Building, named by the Governors in honour of the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross.
This major new capital investment was co-funded by the DES and Midleton College. The new facility provides state-of-the-art Information Technology, Home Economics and Project Maths rooms. In addition specialist Spanish, History, Geography and Religion classrooms are located within the building. Lockers, circulation space and bathrooms for students are also situated in ‘The Colton Building’.
Principal, Simon Thompson, said that the new facility is named ‘ … in recognition of the outstanding leadership given to the governing Boards of the College by our Chairperson,
Bishop Paul Colton. His vision, commitment and determination to ensure that the College’s proud history of education and pastoral service to the community is allowed to flourish into the future underpins the confidence of the Boards in supporting this major investment.’ In thanking Minister Quinn for officiating at the opening, the Principal thanked also all those who have served the College in professional or voluntary capacities and acknowledged their part in building the College’s reputation for academic and pastoral excellence.
Minister Quinn noted the ‘palpable engagement of students and teachers in their work’ during his visit. The Minister said he believed that Midleton College can more forward with confidence into its fourth century of education, a record almost without parallel in Ireland.
Bishop Colton, expressing his pride at the naming of the new building, stated he accepted the honour on behalf of all who work, study and live at the College and make it the outstanding and unique school that it is.
Christ Church ‘Retreat in the City’
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin and the nearby St Werburgh’s Church will be the locations for a Lenten retreat from February 15 to February 17 2013. Entitled “Retreat in the City”, the weekend–long event aims to give participants spiritual inspiration for their journeys and will be led by Ian Adams, Anglican priest and author of Cave, Refectory, Road.
Beginning on Friday evening, February 15 and continuing until after lunch on Sunday February 17, “Retreat in the City” will have a Lenten theme inspired by the monastics and spiritual writers of the past. Throughout the weekend, Ian Adams will lead sessions focusing on the season of Lent and what the monastics have to provide inspiration for the season as we journey towards Easter. There will also be time and space for personal reflection and spiritual directors will be available for retreatants to talk to. The whole weekend will be bound together by worship based on monastic offices.
The retreat is being organised by Christ Church Cathedral’s residential priest vicar, Revd Garth Bunting. “All of us lead very busy lives, with a lot going on and a lot of noise. The idea of a spiritual life is that we find peace and quiet regularly to listen to God’s voice. Going out to the countryside to find peace and quiet is great but that does not reflect our everyday experience. So we’re going to have the retreat here in the middle of the busy city,” he explains.
The retreat is open to all. It is non residential and costs €85 which includes tea and coffee as well as lunch on February 16 and 17. For those visiting the city there are a number of reasonably priced hotels within a few minutes’ walk of the cathedral.
For more information or to obtain a booking form for “Retreat in the City” contact the Revd Garth Bunting at garth.bunting@cccdub.ie or on +353 1 677 8099. Participants can apply online at http://www.christchurchdublin.ie/Worship/Retreat.htm
New Diocesan Secretary
When Archdeacon Robert Warren moved to Dublin from Limerick & Killaloe, a number of offices fell vacant. At the September Finance Committee and Diocesan Council meetings Mrs. Yvonne Blennerhasset was invited to take on the role of Diocesan Secretary which will ensure the continuing smooth administration of the diocese.
Yvonne is well known to many as a diocesan lay reader and comes to the post of diocesan secretary with a background in administration.
Mothers’ Union Celebrates 125 Years
Members of Mothers’ Union from all over the country gathered on Sunday September 23 for a special service of choral evensong in Christ Church Cathedral to mark the organisation’s 125th anniversary in Ireland.
In his welcome the dean of Christ Church, the Very Reverend Dermot Dunne, said it was great to see so many people turn out to celebrate 125 glorious years of Mothers’ Union in Ireland. He pointed out that the organisation had a special place in the cathedral as the All Ireland Mothers’ Union Chapel was located in Christ Church.
The sermon was preached by the Bishop of Kilmore Elphin and Ardagh, the RightReverend Kenneth Clarke, who told the congregation that Mothers’ Union was about Christian compassion, love and courage. He added that Mother’s Union was having an impact right around the globe.
Bishop Clarke said that people sometimes looked at Mothers’ Union and wondered what it was all about. He said there was sometimes a perception that it was for people in the latter stages of life. Others saw Mothers’ Union as a tea–making service, he said. Still others viewed the organisation in the past tense. However, the Bishop pointed out that there were over four million members of Mothers’ Union throughout the world. A total of 49 percent of members were in India and 48 percent were in Africa. Just two percent of members came from the British Isles and Ireland, he stated. “Mothers’ Union is actually making an impact in many countries and is a vital lifeline in many churches,” he said.
In answer to the question: What is Mothers’ Union about?, Bishop Clarke said the organisation was centred on Christ. Detailing the history of the organisation’s founding by Mary Sumner, a vicar’s wife, he said she sought to have Christ at the centre of Mothers’ Union. “Mothers’ Union is Christian in its roots and Christian in its shoots or branches,” he said.
He said that Mothers’ Union was also about compassion for people expressed in serving people and helping them and this love and compassion could be seen in branches throughout Ireland. But he added that there was also a “Holy hate” – a hatred of injustice, greed, the over commercialisation and sexualisation of children and a hatred of seeing children missing out on childhood.
Finally, the Bishop said Mothers’ Union was about courage. Referring to the Gospel reading which stated: “There is a time to be born and a time to die” Bishop Clarke said that there was a time when some things must die. “Our 125th anniversary is a good time to ask if there are some things that need to die in Mothers’ Union because they are no longer fruitful… to discard things which may hinder us in doing what Mothers’ Union is all about,” he said. “The 125th anniversary is the time to have courage to face these things.” However, he added that there is also a time to be born and that as some things die, other things are born anew.
The service concluded with the dedication of the new lights in the Mothers’ Union chapel.
St Patrick’s Canons
The Chapter of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin has elected a number of new Canons recently, including two Ecumenical Canons: the Revd Kieran O’Mahony OSA and the Revd Dr Heather Morris. The Revd Kieran O’Mahony was installed as Prebendary of Finglas on Sunday 23rd September and the installation of the Revd Dr Heather Morris as the Prebendary of Clondalkin will take place at Evensong on Sunday 30th September at 3.15pm. The Revd Mark Gardner will also be installed at Sunday’s service as the Prebendary of Maynooth and the Revd Timothy Kinahan as Prebendary of Monmohenock.
The Dean of St Patrick’s, the Very Revd Victor Stacey, said ‘I very much welcome the election of the Revd Kieran O’Mahony and the Revd Dr Heather Morris as Ecumenical Canons on the Chapter of St Patrick’s Cathedral. I believe each of them will contribute something important to the life of the Cathedral, as did their predecessors the Revd Enda McDonagh and the Revd Kenneth Newell.’
Also installed Sunday past were the Revd Canon Patrick Lawrence as Chancellor and the Revd Canon Robert Warren as Prebendary of Tipperkevin. The Revd Wayne Carney will be installed as Prebendary of Taney on Sunday 4 November.