Irish news digest

Without words in Cork, Cloyne and Ross

Each day in Easter Week the diocese is publishing a photograph without words to illustrate Easter and Holy Week 2020.

Windows smashed in Tyrone church hall for a second time

A Church of Ireland hall on the outskirts of Dungannon has been targeted for a second time.

Ulster Unionist MLA Rosemary Barton has called on the wider community around Brantry in the South Tyrone area to help stop the criminal attacks on the old Branty Parish Church Hall.

Mrs Barton said: “To have this rural Church Hall damaged last week was disgraceful but to have it again targeted just two days after the first attack with more windows broken and more damage caused is shocking and outrageous.

“While there is an onus on the police to provide a service for everyone, including the parishioners of Brantry Parish, there is also a responsibility on everyone, including the residents of this rural area to do whatever they can to help stop these attacks and assist with catching the culprits.

“I call on all of those in the local area to Brantry to help put an end to this criminal activity and intimidation of the parishioners of this Church.”

In a social media post Dungannon PSNI said: “Over the last week, the old church hall on Brantry Road outside Dungannon has been burgled twice with damage caused on both occasions.

“There’s absolutely no excuse for this and we are keen to find out who is responsible.

“If you know anything, give us a call on 101 or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111. Ref 1017 18/04/20.”

Day of Prayer and Fasting for Down & Dromore

Bishop David McClay has invited the Diocese of Down and Dromore to set aside Saturday 25 April as a day to pray and fast with a focus on healing and evangelism. He also invites us to pray the Lord’s Prayer together with our neighbours at 8.00 pm that evening.
Bishop David writes …

Dear Friends

One of our clergy said to me regarding Easter Sunday past, “While we cannot meet with each other we can still meet with the risen Lord’’.

I have a picture in my heart and mind of people from every parish in our diocese setting aside time on St Marks Day, 25 April to fast and pray. I can visualise hundreds and thousands contacting friends and neighbours to join them in a similar way to how we stand applauding the NHS and concluding that Saturday together “in the presence of the risen Lord” by standing at thousands of doors in hundreds of streets across our diocese at 8.00 pm praying aloud the Lords Prayer.

We can do it together!

Using every means you can, please call your friends, fellow parishioners and others to join with many in this opportunity for us to meet with the risen Lord.

He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!

Prayer Topics

Please pray on St Mark’s Day and in the days ahead. Come Holy Spirit.
For those who are sick at this time, that they would be healed (name those known to you).
For those working in the NHS and other front–line services, that God would protect them (name those known to you).
For many to come to faith in Jesus in these days (name those that you want to see come to faith in Jesus Christ).
For a move of the Holy Spirit in your parish (pray by name for your rector, rectory family, church staff, select vestry members and all who hold any office and serve in any way).
For those who are the decision makers in our nation (pray by name for politicians and others known to you).
For an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our diocese (pray by name for Bishop David, his family, the diocesan staff team and their families).
Thank you
Click here for a brief guide to Christian fasting –
[[] https://www.downanddromore.org/news/2020/04/a-brief-guide-to-christian-fasting- ]

Online gathering for Connor youth leaders

Connor Youth are inviting youth leaders from across the diocese to an online gathering on Tuesday April 28 at 4pm.

The gathering will take place over Zoom and leaders can contact diocesan youth officer Christina Baillie for the details of how to gain access. This gathering will provide an opportunity to leaders to share ideas about what has worked for their young people, and to encourage one another at this time.

It will be informal and will last around one hour. If you are interested, please contact Christina on
[ christinabaillie@connordiocese.org ]

Archbishop’s message to the parishioners of All Saints’ Blackrock on the Church’s 150th anniversary

Archbishop Michael Jackson of Dublin writes –
“April 21 2020 marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the consecration of All Saints’ Church, Blackrock. I want to wish the parishioners and rector of today everything that is best as they celebrate this milestone. Like everyone else, they are celebrating this momentous occasion in socially distanced isolation and from without the church building for which they care year after year.

“The art and architecture inside All Saints’ Church gives voice to a range of themes and opportunities for the spiritual imagination to savour. A Scriptural and a missional note are struck and sustained in The East Window which challenges and inspires priest and people to this day through the depiction in beautiful glass of St Paul preaching in Athens, Christ blessing the children and St Patrick preaching to the people of Ireland. Interestingly, the builders of All Saints’ were the firm J and W Beckett. It was to this family that Samuel Beckett, the Nobel Laureate, belonged.

“My hope had been to celebrate this auspicious occasion with the parish. The onset of the coronavirus has rightly changed all of this. My hope and prayer, however, remain that we will convene on another occasion to do justice to this moment of delight and happiness for everyone. Meanwhile, I offer to all members of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, and to anyone else anywhere who wishes to join in this celebration of religious and spiritual life, the opportunity in these days to say at some point on Tuesday the Collect of All Saints’ Day in solidarity with the parish of All Saints’ Blackrock:

“Almighty God,
You have knit together your elect
In one communion and fellowship
In the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints
In all virtuous and godly living
That we may come to those inexpressible joys
That you have prepared for those who truly love you;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Prayer points

Pray for those at risk of child sexual abuse. Charities have warned lockdown measures may allow perpetrators to take advantage of the increased time children spend online. Pray for children’s safety and for wisdom for authorities in addressing this.

There are many “unsung heroes” at the moment whose work is taken for granted. Pray today for shop workers who put themselves at risk of infection to man tills and restock shelves so we can still buy the provisions we need.

CAP comments – ‘Our clients can’t afford to save for a rainy day. Sudden changes to their circumstances can have serious implications’. Please join us in praying for those struggling financially.

God in creation