Reports include – Bishop Trevor Williams in RTE ‘Would You Believe?’ Special; Civic Reception in Dun Laoghaire for Dean–Elect of St Patrick’s; A C of I Parish’s survey rejects same-sex unions
Bishop Trevor Williams in RTE ‘Would You Believe?’ Special
C of I press – The Rt Revd Trevor Williams, Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, ‘goes undercover’ among the people in his diocese. Bishop Williams sets out to find out about their needs, before challenging himself to do something about meeting them. He wants people to talk to him ‘on the level’, without deference or prejudice, saying, ‘I have been a Bishop for four years and I’m just about getting my feet under the table … I’m about to embark on this journey, because I need to find what my role is. I need to get in touch with community and find out what makes people tick…’
This isn’t, however, ‘Secret Millionaire’. He has no cheque book, only the conviction that Christianity still has a powerful role to play in society. The bishop says his role is about finding more meaningful ways to bring Christ into the lives of people, who, he believes, need Him now as much as ever: ‘I don’t think this journey or what I am about is about promoting the Church of Ireland. I’m not a Director of the sales force. I am here, in whatever humble way I can, to share the good news that we have found in the story of Jesus and that’s what I am about…’
The bishop states that he is an unlikely choice of bishop. Raised by a single parent in Dublin, after his father’s premature death, it was service, not ambition, which took him into the Church. During the Troubles, he worked in cross-community mediation at Northern Ireland’s Corrymeela Centre. He was also a BBC radio broadcaster, although he remains somewhat reluctant performer. He says, ‘I am really enjoying being a bishop. It’s not something I thought I would be. My life has taken various twists and turns. The fact that I am here is really strange, the only thing I can rely on is that God has something to do with it.’
Leaving aside his crozier and his medieval cathedral, he heads to St Munchin’s Family Resource Centre on Limerick’s Northside, where he dons a hair-net to work in the kitchen, preparing meals on wheels, before delivering them to some of the city’s most vulnerable people.
http://ireland.anglican.org/news/3992
Civic Reception in Dun Laoghaire for Dean–Elect of St Patrick’s
Seventeen years of service in Dun Laoghaire was celebrated at a civic reception to mark the election of the Revd Canon Victor Stacey as Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral. Canon Stacey was elected Dean of the National Cathedral last month and his installation there will take place on Saturday March 31 at 3.00 pm. However, his elevation means that he will be leaving the parish of Dun Laoghaire after many happy years and Msgr John O’Connor noted that St Patrick’s gain would be Dun Laoghaire’s loss.
The civic reception was organised by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and took place in County Hall in Dun Laoghaire. The event was attended by a huge crowd of parishioners, clergy from across the Dublin and Glendalough dioceses, friends, representatives of other churches as well as local councillors and council officials.
Speaking at the reception, an Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Cllr John Bailey, congratulated Canon Stacey on his election and said it gave him great pleasure to celebrate his contribution to life in Dun Laoghaire. He recalled that Canon Stacey arrived in the parish in 1995 and was involved in a myriad of activities locally. “It is a great privilege for the community of Dun Laoghaire to see a man who served here elected as Dean of St Patrick’s,” he said.
Archdeacon Ricky Rountree, rector of Powerscourt, paid tribute to him and wished him well in his new position. “St Patrick’s Cathedral is dear to all of us as our National Cathedral and it draws its Canons from the whole of the Church of Ireland,” he explained. “We look forward to Victor leading the cathedral into the next chapter of its history.”
Msgr John O’Connor described Canon Stacey as an “ecumenical bridge builder” between all the church communities in Dun Laoghaire and said his house had been open to members of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic communities. He said he was a deeply spiritual man who had the “welfare of his parishioners and the Gospel at heart”. “St Patrick’s gain is our loss,” he added.
Thanking the Cathaoirleach and councillors for arranging the event at short notice, Canon Stacey, observed that things were progressing at a rapid pace. “I’ve enjoyed very much my 17 years in Dun Laoghaire. We clergy, like Gardai and bankers, are a peculiar lot. We move around a lot. My time in Dun Laoghaire has been my longest time living anywhere. After a few years of service in the inner city I hope to return to Dun Laoghaire to retire,” he said.
Irish delegation to present Pope Benedict with Congress bell
Journal.ie – The pontiff will promote the International Eucharistic Congress by ringing a bell presented by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
http://www.thejournal.ie/irish-delegation-to-present-pope-benedict-with-congress-bell-383745-Mar2012/
A C of I Parish’s survey rejects same-sex unions
News Letter – Correspondence – In the continued absence of a united biblical directive from the Irish Bishops (on homosexual persons being appointed to clerical office), one concerned parishioner of Killowen, Coleraine, drafted a concise questionnaire, as follows:
Three brief questions on same-sex relationships within the Church of Ireland:
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/community/letters/parish-survey-rejects-same-sex-unions-1-3616973
Catholics must accept changing church may take longer than their lifetime
Irish Times – Rite and Reason – The Association of Catholic Priests is spearheading the organisation of an event, Towards an Assembly of the Irish Catholic Church, on May 7th. One advantage of this is the association is an independent body, thus having more freedom both in the …
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/0313/1224313202426.html
Catholic Church in the North apologises to abuse victims
Irish Times – The CatholicChurch in Northern Ireland has unreservedly apologised to victims of institutional abuse and given assurances it will co-operate fully with an official investigation. At a meeting between members of the Survivors and Victims of …
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0313/1224313204298.html