The end of an era; National Day of Commemoration; Diocesan Pilgrimage to Holy Land; Children’s Ministry Network Launches New Website; Church’s Ministry of Healing Thanksgiving Service and Gift Day; Trust phases out selection at 11
The end of an era
The 2012 Down and Dromore Diocesan Synod marked the retirement of the two Honorary Secretaries (Lay), Fred Rankin and Desmond Linton and another long serving Council member, Bert Wilson. Bishop Harold Miller described it as a “rare day when three such servants of the church retire,” and went on to thank each one individually for their invaluable contribution to the life of the Diocese of Down and Dromore. He presented each with gift, including a Down and Dromore plaque.
http://www.downanddromore.org/news/2012/06/The-end-of-an-era#more
National Day of Commemoration
The Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, will participate in the National Day of Commemoration on Sunday July 8 at 11.00 am at Collins Barracks.
Diocesan Pilgrimage to Holy Land
Prospective pilgrims interested in travelling with the Diocese of Connor to the Holy Land next year are invited to an information meeting on Thursday July 5.
The 11–day pilgrimage, taking place from November 12 to November 22 2013, will be led by the Very Rev John Mann, Dean of Belfast, and the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy. It will be arranged by McCabe’s Pilgrimages.
Bishop Alan comments: “This is a wonderful opportunity to engage with the places as well as the texts of the Bible and so to encounter and relate to Jesus in a new and thrilling way.
“We shall find the gospel made strikingly contemporary for us in the lives of the faithful Israelis and Palestinians whom we shall meet and who will guide us through their beautiful and troubled land.”
“The variety of sites and situations will speak to us all differently, but we shall all be united on a journey together, thirsting for holiness, forgiveness, peace and justice. The journey will also be full of laughter and joy, with profound worship and cherishing fellowship.”
The first two days of the pilgrimage are spent in Jerusalem, followed by an optional trip to Masada and the Dead Sea. There will be a visit to Mount Zion and to Bethlehem. The pilgrims then move via Caesarea, Haifa and Acre to Tiberias, and the second part of the pilgrimage takes in Jesus’s lakeside ministry, Nazareth and Northern Galilee.
The cost of the tour is £1,745 sharing a twin bedded room. Brochures and booking forms are available from Dean Mann at Belfast Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast, BT1 2HB; telephone 028 9032 8332 or email dean@belfastcathedral.org.
In March 2011, Dean Mann led a group of 85 people from Connor on the first diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Images from that very successful pilgrimage will be shown during the information meeting which takes place in the Halls at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Thursday July 5, beginning at 7.30pm. Feel free to come along and find out more.
Children’s Ministry Network Launches New Website
The Children’s Ministry Network has just launched its new website. The website is full of information about the Children’s Ministry Network, its activities and forthcoming events.
The Children’s Ministry Network (CMN) began in June 2011. The network is comprised of a representative from each diocese nominated by the Bishop and also a member of the House of Bishops, the Board of Education Secretaries, the Church of Ireland Youth Department Ministry Co–ordinator and up to three co–opted members including a representative from the Sunday School Society.
The network aims to support grassroots leaders, diocesan representatives and clergy who are engaged in children’s ministry. It also highlights the important role of clergy in promoting and supporting children’s ministry within their parishes. The network also aims to provide opportunities for parish and diocesan based training designed and delivered appropriately to meet local requirements.
The network aims to provide up–to–date information on a range of curriculum and other resources for use in children’s ministry in parishes. The new website has details of training events throughout the dioceses and provides recommendations and reviews of suitable resources.
There is a representative from each diocese on the network. The diocesan representative promotes children’s ministry and training events within the dioceses.
Church’s Ministry of Healing Thanksgiving Service and Gift Day
The Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland is holding it’s annual Thanksgiving Service and Gift Day with Holy Communion and Prayers for Healing on Wednesday July 4 at 3.00 pm in St George & St Thomas’s Church, Cathal Brugha Street. The address will be given by Revd Darren McCallig and light refreshments will follow the service.
St George & St Thomas’s Church is located around the corner from the Gresham Hotel and a car park is located on the corner of Sean McDermot and Marlborough Streets.
Trust phases out selection at 11
The Edmund Rice Schools Trust, which runs three Catholic grammar schools in Northern Ireland, declares its support for a plan to phase out academic selection.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18631074