Miscellany – News and views Aug 6

‘Let’s Go Hydro’

DDYC does ‘Let’s Go Hydro’

Down and Dromore Youth Council is inviting young people from around the diocese to ‘Let’s Go Hydro’ for an afternoon of fun in the water park followed by food and a bit of a Bible Blast.

They would love to see your young people there, please share this info with youth leaders and families.

There are three different dates for three different age groups. Each event starts at 3.00 pm at Let’s Go Hydro and finishes there at 7.30 pm.

See details at –
[[] https://www.downanddromore.org/news/2020/08/ddyc-does-lets-go-hydro ]

One of the great environmental broadcasters

Tributes rightly have been paid to the former UTV journalist Brian Black who died on Tuesday after his car plunged into Strangford Lough. Mr Black worked at RTE before moving to UTV where he spent over 20 years reporting news and presenting the current affairs programme, Counterpoint. He also made several environmental programmes including Hidden Heritage and Bog on the Brink. A skilled and experienced yachtsman he sailed 12 voyages to Greenland to record the effects of climate change.

Ordination of new Bishop next month

It was announced at the end of June that the Tipperary native (60) had bee chosen to be the new Bishop of Kilmore, taking in Co Cavan as well as parts of Leitrim, Fermanagh, Meath and Sligo.

The Episcopal Ordination of the Very Reverend Martin Hayes as Bishop of Kilmore will take place in Cavan next month.

Rev Hayes will be ordained at a ceremony in the Cathedral of SS. Patrick & Felim on Sunday, September 20 at 3pm.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the numbers attending the ceremony will be greatly reduced and will be by invitation only.

Further details on the ordination ceremony will be published in due course.

It was announced at the end of June that the Tipperary native (60) had bee chosen to be the new Bishop of Kilmore, taking in Co Cavan as well as parts of Leitrim, Fermanagh, Meath and Sligo.

Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, the Papal Nuncio to Ireland, was amongst those in attendance at the service in the Cathedral to welcome the new bishop.

Rev Hayes succeeds Bishop Leo O’Reilly who retired on health grounds in December 2018.

The Bishop-elect entered Saint Patrick’s College seminary, Thurles, in September 1983, before being ordained a deacon five years later on April 4, 1988.

Broughshane parish hosts ‘A Question of Faith’ talks

A series of midweek talks looking at big questions and organised by St Patrick’s Parish Church, Broughshane, will run throughout August. The series of four talks is entitled ‘A Question of Faith.’

The first guest, the Rev Prof Stephen Williams, Queen’s University Belfast, will speak on Faith and Reason, on August 5.

On August 12 the speaker will be the Rev Dr Ron Elsdon, former rector of St Bartholomew’s, Stranmillis, on Faith and Science.

Guest speaker on August 19 will be the Rev Dr Peter Sanlon, Emmanuel Anglican Church, on Faith and the Bible, and Gareth Black, Solas, will speak on Faith and Suffering in the last in the series on August 26.

The Revd Dr Andrew Campbell, rector of Skerry, Rathcavan, and Newtowncrommelin, said: “It’s great to assemble such as great set of speakers to look at these critical issues facing Christian Faith. We hope that these talks will help people who struggle with faith and give an answer for the hope that we have. (1 Peter 3:15).”

Find out more at the trailer for the video here –
[[] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rMI3tm5lFY ]

Famous Actor Sam Kydd from NI

Born Samuel John Kydd 15 February 1915 Belfast

An army officer’s son, Kydd was born in Belfast, UK and moved to London as a child. He was educated at Dunstable School in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. During the mid-1930s Kydd was an MC for the Oscar Rabin Band and one of his “Hot Shots”. He would warm up audiences with jokes and impressions (Maurice Chevalier was a favourite) and even some tap dance routines then introduce the other singers and attractions on the bill.

During the late 1930s he had joined the Territorial Army serving with the Queen Victoria’s Rifles and when war broke out he was called up for active service. Early in the Second World War, he went to France with the British Expeditionary Force but was quickly captured, spending the rest of the war in Stalag XX-A, a camp near Thorn in German-occupied western Poland. Kydd later wrote of his experiences as a POW in his autobiographical book For You the War Is Over.

During his internment in the German prisoner-of-war camp, where he remained for the next five years, he took command of the camp’s theatrical activities – devising and staging plays. He felt so strongly about his work there that, when he was offered repatriation after three years, he turned it down to continue with his theatrical work. In recognition of his valuable services during these years he was awarded a pair of drama masks, made by the Red Cross from barbed wire.

Born Samuel John Kydd 15 February 1915 Belfast – Died 26 March 1982 (aged 67) London, England

Pointers to prayer

Beirut is devastated
Beirut is facing a tragedy
Letus stand together
Let us rescue the wounded and those who lost their homes
Let us pray for the victims.
O God, have mercy on our beloved Lebanon and on its heartbroken people. Do not hide Your face from us!

Today we pray for domestic abuse survivors. We pray for those who fled abuse during lockdown, keep them safe as they rebuild their lives. And for those who remain in abusive relationships, we pray as lockdown lifts they can access support to find a safe refuge.

God in creation

Rathlin kittiwake