Irish news digest

Photo above – The children of St Apollo School, Luwero, welcome the Christ Church, Lisburn, team on their arrival at the school in 2017. This year’s visit has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Christ Church Lisburn mission team steps out for Ugandan school

The coronavirus pandemic has meant the cancellation of flights to Uganda, but a team from Christ Church Parish, Lisburn, plans to walk there, metaphorically speaking, instead – a distance of 6,064 miles!

The 20-strong team was due to travel from Lisburn to St Apollo School in Luwero Diocese on June 27. This would have been the fourth team from Christ Church to visit Luwero, where the parish has built a school in conjunction with the charity Fields of Life.

St Apollo School was established in 2007, but had only one small building and held many classes under trees. Christ Church raised £75,000 and, in partnership with Fields of Life, two new blocks of classrooms were built. A team visited in 2012 to work on the classrooms.

Christ Church continued to support the school and raised more than £24,000 for a staff residence which a team helped complete in 2015. A Christ Church team was back at St Apollo in 2017 where, among other things, they did practical work as well as RE lessons, sport’s days, women’s work, and attended a diocesan seminar for 60 leaders.

The Ven Paul Dundas, rector of Christ Church, said this year’s trip was originally planned for February but was moved to June to allow more people to take part. Among nine new team members there are three teenagers.

But all Fields of Life mission visits were cancelled before Easter. Paul said he had recently been in touch with Bishop Eridard of Luwero. “Uganda is also in lockdown. Churches are closed, schools are closed and people cannot move about. They do not have the technology that most of us do, and they are very concerned about finances and people’s well-being,” he said.

Richard Spratt, Fields of Life Chief Executive, had come up with the idea of walking the 6,064 miles from his home to the Fields of Life Office in Uganda to raise awareness and funds in the fight again coronavirus in Uganda.

The Christ Church Fields of Life team, supported by friends and family, is now stepping out to clock up the miles – observing all the rules of isolating, social distancing etc – to help Richard achieve that 6,064 mile goal.

Paul said: “We want to support the needs of St Apollo School during lockdown. There are a lot of children who don’t have access to technology, education or good nutrition. We live in a world of great uncertainty, where education is still so important.”

Christ Church Parish began its part in the 6,064 mile walk on May 1, and those taking part will collate their miles as the weeks go by. “This will keep us focused as a group said Paul. “When we get those 6,064 miles done we will have gotten there.”

You can support the team’s efforts via Just Giving –
[[] https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ChristChurchLisburnUgandaTeam?fbclid=IwAR2IP62WpczCAhVlWpDHOsUpWPJOF2q0e-BMS8_H5y748xRorRncLWmU5_M ]

Co. Monaghan parish seeks funds for repairs and new memorial area for Senator Billy Fox

Christ Church, Aughnamullen, in rural County Monaghan, has a very small congregation and has major fundraising to do.

Two years ago, church members repaired the belfry at a cost of €30,000, and now they need to re–roof the building at a cost of €300,000–plus. With a congregation of 12–15 persons active in the church, this is a mammoth task. However, they intend to create a memorial interactive area in one third of the church, in memory of the late Senator Billy Fox who was the only Oireachtas member to lose his life during Troubles, and whose remains are buried at the church, along with remains of Cromwell’s soldiers and monks dating back to 865.

They are applying for Leader funding and, if they are successful, they will receive 75% of the cost – and they are asking Church of Ireland members nationally if they could donate a minimum of €5 to this cause, on their Gofundme page. All donations will be gratefully received.

Diocese of Clogher prepares for phased easing of Covid-19 restrictions

In view of the recent announcement by the Irish Government that there is to be a phased lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, the Bishop of Clogher, Bishop Larry Duffy, has asked parishes to reflect on how some degree of normality can be returned to parish life. Bishop Duffy states that ‘while it will be some time yet before we see the restoration of what we would consider a normal routine at parish level, journeys always begin with small steps, taken together and for the good of all and, especially, taking into consideration the welfare of clergy and the needs of all our people.’

Bishop Duffy has asked parishes to consider how congregations can be best accommodated while maintaining social distancing, once the celebration of public Masses is possible in the near future. He has also allowed for parishes in the Republic to provide for the celebration of baptisms, once there are no more than 10 people present and there is strict social distancing.

The Bishop’s statement covers funerals, Cemetery Sundays, Priests and Parishes supporting each other, and Financial support.

The fact that some priests aged over 70 are cocooning and not available to celebrate public Masses is also acknowledged. However, the bishop is fulsome in his praise of those priests who have helped each other out. ‘I thank our priests for the way in which they have crossed parish boundaries both in terms of supporting each other and of allowing people to partake insofar as possible in the Divine Mysteries at this difficult time. This is sign for present and future.’

Christian Aid service on RTÉ

A service with Christian Aid Ireland and music from the Ignite Community, Dublin, will be broadcast on RTÉ One television and RTÉ Radio 1 Extra this Sunday (10th May) from 11.00am to 11.45am. The service will be led by Christian Aid Ireland’s CEO, Rosamond Bennett, with the Rev Dr Liz Hughes.

Christian Aid is sponsored by 41 Churches across Britain and Ireland, including the Church of Ireland, and is among five mission and development agencies currently being supported by the Bishops’ Appeal to help with the global response to Covid–19.

Priest hears confession in Dublin car park amid social distancing

St. Mark’s Church in Tallaght, Dublin has been hosting the sacrament of confession in its car park in a bid to maintain social distancing. A priest who was photographed hearing confession in the car park of a church in Tallaght, Dublin in order to adhere to social distancing has gone viral on Twitter.

Points for Prayer

God in creation