Bishop from Down leaves for the Arctic; Connor team visits Yei institutions; Out of Africa: Christian Unity Concert; Commissioning of ChristChurch Cathedral Girls’ Choir; Belfast honours Hamburg-born mayor; Carroll awards for young peace activists; Academic selection dominates Londonderry post-primary debate; Gay marriage: the debate in the Republic of Ireland
Bishop from Down leaves for the Arctic
Suffragan Bishop of the Arctic and former rector of Knocknamuckley, The Rt Revd Darren McCartney, leaves to take up his post on 18 January. Darren’s wife, Karen, will travel with him having left her senior position in Administration at QUB.
The couple will settle in Iqaluit, the capital of the eastern Arctic territory, and live some way out of town in the See House. They will arrive in time for the installation in the cathedral of the new Diocesan Bishop, David Parsons, on 20 January.
Many challenges will face Darren as he takes up his ministry. ‘For instance, among the Inuit people, suicide is a major problem,’ he says. ‘It is far above the Canadian average so that is something we need to address as a matter of urgency.’ There is also domestic violence, drug abuse, anti–social behaviour – all issues we are familiar with at home, but in a society that is experiencing change at the rate it is happening in the Arctic, these are major concerns. The native people of the Arctic have moved from the nomadic, self–sufficient traditional way of life that they were accustomed to over the centuries to what is now a more settled and ordered life–style in a dramatically short space of time.
‘The outside world only gets a glimpse of the Arctic through the likes of David Attenborough’s television programmes. People are simply not aware of the struggle of day–to–day living and, faced with all that, we have to make the Gospel relevant,’ said Darren.
In his post as Suffragan Bishop, Darren will cover a diocese that is one and a half million square miles in size. From his base he will move around on skidoos and twin engine aircraft to minister to the fifty thousand Anglicans that make up The Diocese of The Arctic.
Connor team visits Yei institutions
The team from Connor Diocese arrived in Yei, South Sudan, on Tuesday January 15, travelling from Dublin via Amsterdam, Kigali in Rwanda and Entebbe in Uganda the previous day. After a few hours sleep in Entebbe, the team of eight caught an early flight on a 19–seater Eagle Air plane from Entebbe to Yei airstrip.
The team is led by David Gough of CMS Ireland, who are facilitating the trip. It includes the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, Archdeacon Stephen Forde, Canon Sam Wright, the Rev Andrew Sweeney, Dr Frank Dobbs, Judith Cairns and Diocesan Communications Officer Karen Bushby. Connor has been in partnership with Yei Diocese since 2006 and since then a number of teams have visited South Sudan, which became independent in July 2011.
They were transported to the offices of the Bishop of Yei, the Rt Rev Hilary Luate Adebe, where the Bishop gave them a historical overview of the diocese which was devastated during the course of two civil wars lasting almost half a century. Bishop Hilary joined the team for lunch at the Episcopal Church of Sudan Guest House, and afterwards led the group on a three hour tour of the various institutions run by the diocese. These included the Martha Clinic with its new children’s ward and eye clinic, Emmanuel Primary School, the Yei Vocational Training College and Yei Teacher Training College.
Despite a cloudy sky the temperature is in the 30s. The team has received a very warm welcome from Bishop Hilary, diocesan staff and staff in the ECS guesthouse.
Out of Africa: Christian Unity Concert
The Christian community in Birr are getting together to raise funds for Swaziland.
There will be a Christian Unity Concert in St. Brendan’s Church, Oxmanton Mall Birr 8:00 p.m. January 19th 2013 Admission will be €12 and €10 for concessions
One of the concert organisers, Michael Hanna, writes ”The concert will feature a variety of performers including Triona Marshall on Harp, Trench Trust Organ scholars, Jonathan Carter, Baritone and Birr Choral Society and Friends. The concert is taking place during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity so there will also be some liturgical moments that will link the musical items, mission and cross community solidarity. This is quite an innovative approach to Christian Unity activities which can too easily become routine and in recent years have been poorly attended. It also is a novel way of bringing together in one event our diocesan themes of Confidence, Community, Caring and Celebration – Confidence because it offers a chance for young musicians to perform publicly for the enjoyment of all, Community because it is a cross community venture, Caring because of its mission focus and Celebration because, well, we intend to have a good time in a good cause!”
Commissioning of ChristChurch Cathedral Girls’ Choir
After a lot of hard work and commitment on the part of both the girls and the cathedral Music Department, the Cathedral Girls’ Choir are going to be singing their first service of the year on Sunday 20th January 2013 at 11am. The music will include Schubert’s Mass in G, Mendelssohn’s Lift up Thine Eyes and Archer’s Brightest and Best. All are most welcome to attend this very special service.
Belfast honours Hamburg-born mayor
Irish News – A former Belfast lord mayor forced to leave the city after a campaign of intimidation has been honoured.
The life of Sir Otto Jaffe was celebrated as an Ulster History Circle blue plaque dedicated to him was unveiled at his former workplace on Donegall Square South.
Born in Hamburg in 1846, he went on to establish a successful linen business with his brother and brought the firm to Belfast.
He was elected a city councillor in 1894, became mayor in 1899 and was re-elected five years later.
He was knighted in 1895 and went on to become a high sheriff.
Sir Otto was known for his generosity and during his first term as mayor he raised £10,000 for the dependants of soldiers and sailors serving in the Boer War.
He contributed £1,000 to the original building fund for the Royal Victoria Hospital and campaigned for free libraries to be established.
As president of the Belfast Hebrew congregation he made a huge contribution to building a synagogue near Carlisle Circus in the north of the city.
Sir Otto founded the Jaffe Public Elementary School at the corner of Cliftonville Road and Antrim Road in 1907.
In 1916 he was forced to move to England after his family were intimidated during the First World War due to their German roots. He died in London in April 1929.
Ulster History Circle chairman Chris Spurr said: “Otto Jaffe contributed significantly to the enterprise of Victorian Belfast and 113 years ago this month his adopted city honoured him by installing Jaffe in his first term as lord mayor.
“In turn he honoured the city by his various philanthropic activities.”
Lord Mayor Gavin Robinson said the council was “committed to fully playing its role in highlighting our city’s rich and diverse heritage”.
Carroll awards for young peace activists
New Letter – A peace foundation in memory of the first Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer to be murdered is to honour two young anti-violence activists.
The Steve Carroll Foundation is highlighting the contribution to peace made by young people who show their commitment to a shared future.
Constable Carroll, 48, was shot dead while on duty in Craigavon, Co Armagh, in March 2009 by the Continuity IRA. Two men are serving jail terms for his murder.
His widow Kate Carroll said: “I firmly believe we as a community have a moral duty to continue Steve’s vision of young people being able to enact change and bring lasting peace where it is so desperately needed.”
Students Enya Doyle and Lauren Sloan established a cross-community social media movement lobbying for equality of sentencing in murder trials following the conviction of Mr Carroll’s killers. His widow expressed disgust at the 14-year minimum term imposed on one of those found guilty.
The Foundation was launched at Stormont today. It has created a set of annual peace awards, presented at the launch to the students.
Mr Carroll was born near London and lived in Co Kildare for a period before marrying his wife in 1985 and making Banbridge, Co Down, his home…
…Ms Doyle and Ms Sloan established a cross-community peace movement based around a Celtic music ensemble called Not in My Name, formed in response to the policeman’s killing. It included music from all communities and used concerts to promote peace.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/headlines/carroll-awards-for-young-peace-activists-1-4680045
Academic selection dominates Londonderry post-primary debate
BBC news – The leader of the Catholic Church in Londonderry, Monsignor Eamon Martin is to meet school governors to discuss the “next step” in his proposals to reform post-primary education in the city.
The paper, called Together Towards Tomorrow puts forward a number of proposals.
They include the abolition of academic selection and co-education instead of single sex schools.
There have been over 300 individual responses to the paper.
Monsignor Martin’s proposals for finding an alternative to academic selection were rejected by Lumen Christi College in Derry, one of Northern Ireland’s leading grammar schools, when they were put forward last year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-21023441
Gay marriage: the debate in the Republic of Ireland
BBC news – In the Republic of Ireland, same-sex couples can enter a civil partnership, but now the debate has moved on to whether or not they should be permitted to marry.
New laws to allow gay marriage are expected to be introduced in England and Wales before the next election in 2015.
There are no plans for similar legislation in Northern Ireland, assembly members as recently as October rejected a proposal that same-sex couples should have the right to marry.
But the issue of gay marriage is on the political radar in the Republic
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21021697