DAILY NEWS

Irish news – 4th July

Mission Support Fund grants awarded;  Archdeacon appointed;  Dracula in St Patrick’s, Dublin;  Cashel institution;  Orangeman envisages Dublin parade;  Gay marriage: Shatter joins Gilmore in support;  Back-to-school payments due for 380,000 children;  Programme for high-risk children ‘very cost effective’;  Standing Committee Appointments    
Mission Support Fund grants awarded

Connor Mission Support Fund has this year awarded four grants to assist people wanting to be more involved in mission both at home and overseas.

Mother and daughter Carol and Clare Mulligan of Woodburn Parish, Carrickfergus, have each been awarded a grant towards their involvement in a Fields of Life project in Uganda from August 3–18.

Daniel Gill from Monkstown Parish receives a grant towards his training as a pilot with the Mission Aviation Fellowship in Australia.

And Connor Diocese Mission Experience Team Abroad (META) to Connor’s partner diocese of Yei in South Sudan, planned for January 2013, also receives funding. The META team will delivery clergy training, training for youth workers and communications training.

The Mission Support Fund was established by Connor Council for Mission to assist people wanting to be more involved in mission both at home and overseas.

The Council wants to deepen a sense of mission throughout all parishes within the diocese but has found the enthusiasm of many individuals keen to get involved is often dampened by a lack of resources to complete the task. 

Applications to the Mission Support Fund are invited annually from any individual who seeks to become actively involved in mission either in Ireland or around the world.

 Applicants must be able to demonstrate active membership of the Church of Ireland and belong to a parish within the Diocese of Connor.

Archdeacon appointed
Rev Robert Miller has been appointed Archdeacon of Derry. He succeeds the Venerable Donald McLean who has retired from the parochial ministry.

Dracula in St Patrick’s, Dublin
“A SCARY EVENING: Join us, IF YOU DARE,” is the invite for Wednesday July 4th at 7pm to see a dramatised reading of Dracula in the Cathedral, with Laurence Foster (as Jonathan Harker), and Micheal James Ford (as Van Helsing). Organist, Stuart Nicholson provides suitably Gothic incidental music as St Patrick’s celebrates the Bram Stoker Centenary. Admission is free. The event is sponsored by Dublin City Libraries.

Cashel institution
The Revd Michael Stevenson will be instituted as incumbent of Bunclody Union on Thursday 5th July at 8 p.m.

Orangeman envisages Dublin parade
BBC – A senior member of the Orange Order tells the Irish senate that members of the order from the Republic would like to see a parade in Dublin.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18687595

The Journal.ie – A senior member of the Orange Order told the Seanad that the organisation wants to contribute to the “normalisation of relationships within these islands”.

Gay marriage: Shatter joins Gilmore in support
The Journal.ie – The justice minister has become the second senior Cabinet member to show support for full marriage equality.
http://www.thejournal.ie/gay-marriage-ireland-shatter-gilmore-506853-Jul2012/

Back-to-school payments due for 380,000 children
Irish Examiner – Low-income families should get payments this month to help send more than 380,000 children and young adult dependents back to education this autumn, but fewer will qualify this year and the rates have been cut.

The Department of Social Protection paid over €90m last year to 196,000 homes for 384,000 school and college students under the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. 

However, Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has slashed the budget to €63.7m. Children aged two or three no longer qualify, and the amount payable has been cut by up to 25%.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/back-to-school-payments-due-for-380000-children-199494.html

Programme for high-risk children ‘very cost effective’
Irish Examiner – A HSE-funded programme for high-risk children claims to be up to four times more cost effective than private foster care and up to 10 times cheaper than private residential care.

Youth Advocates Programme (YAP) Ireland worked with 475 young people and families last year. It deals with those aged 10 to 18 who are at high risk of placement in care, secure care or custody, and operates in 11 counties. 

At the launch of its 2011 annual report, the YAP said it provided intensive support for up to 15 hours a week to children and families for a period of six months
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/programme-for-high-risk-children-very-cost-effective-199491.html

Standing Committee Appointments to Committees – June 2012
Finance and Arrangements Committee
The Honorary Secretaries (ex–officio)
 The Rev Shane Forster
 Mr Wilfred Baker

Legal Advisory Committee (General Synod)
The Hon Mr Justice Declan Budd
 His Honour Judge Tom Burgess 
The Rt Hon Sir Anthony Campbell
 Mr Michael Davey
 Mr Lyndon MacCann SC
 The Hon Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness
 Mr William Prentice 
His Honour Judge Derek Rodgers
 His Honour Judge Alistair Devlin The Hon Mr Justice Benjamin Stephens
 Mr John Wilson QC

Budget Sub–Committee
Mr Wilfred Baker
 Mr Andrew McNeile
 Mr Samuel Harper 
Mr Roy Totten
 Rev George Davison
 Rt Rev John McDowell

Bishops’ Appeal Advisory Committee
The Bishop of Cashel and Ossory
 The Bishop of Tuam
 The Rev Canon Jonathon Pierce
 Ms Ruth Handy 
Mr William Kingston
 Mr Albert Smallwoods
 The Rev Canon Noel Regan

The Broadcasting Committee
Ms Ruth Buchannan
 Mr Roger Childs
 Rev Eileen Cremin
 Very Rev Tom Gordon
 Rev Dr Bert Tosh
 Mr Paul Loughlin

The Literature Committee
Rev Canon Peter McDowell
 Dr Kenneth Milne 
Dr Raymond Refaussé
 Ven Richard Rountree
 Rev Ken Rue
 Mr Richard Ryan
 Rev Bernard Tracey OP

Central Communications Board (Standing Committee Representatives)
The Ven Robin Bantry White

The Ven Richard Rountree

Church of Ireland Representative to PACT
The Rev Canon Aisling Shine

Lay Judges of the Court of the General Synod
The Hon Mr Justice Declan Budd
 His Honour Judge Tom Burgess
 The Rt Hon Sir Anthony Campbell
 The Rt Hon Lord Justice Paul Girvan
 Mr Patrick Good QC
 Mr Lyndon MacCann SC
 The Hon Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness
 Mr Ronald Robins
 The Hon Mr Justice Benjamin Stephens
 Mr John Wilson QC

Commission on Ministry (Standing Committee Representative)
The Rev Brian Harper

Working Group on Disability
Rev Canon William Murphy
 The Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe
 Mr Ian Slaine
 Dr Timothy Jackson
 Mrs Carol Ferry
 Mr James Clarke
 Miss Audrey Tormey

Priorities Fund Committee
Mr Roy Totten
 Rev George Davison
 Mrs Joan Bruton 
Mr Samuel Harper 
Rev Andrew Forster
 Mr Glenn Moore
 Rev Adrian Wilkinson
 Rev Canon Stephen Neill
 Mrs Brigid Barrett