Help us, O Lord, never to nurse the grievance that separates us from you and from one another. Grant us grace to forgive those who have wronged us. May we know that no sin is so great that it cannot be confessed; no wound so deep it cannot be healed and no sinner so lost that grace cannot bring them home. Amen.

William Booth (1829-1912)

Anglican liturgists focus on healing and reconciliation; Amnesty calls for public inquiry into Omagh bombing; Events upcoming; Premier in NI

Student interest in religion, beliefs and values welcomed; Bishops condemn Home Office 'go home' campaign; Salvation Army must be confident in Word of God, says new leader

Brian Spencer, Alex Kane and Liam Clarke have commented on the past week’s confrontations in Northern Ireland. Spencer asserts Sinn Fein doesn’t speak for Ireland. Kane and Clarke question the lack of tactical thinking in the Unionist base. Excerpts and links to their comment follows.

Creator God,  you breathe life into all you have made;  
through design and diversity,
   colour and complexity,
   matter and mystery,
you astound us by your power,
   your imagination,
   your involvement.
 We praise you, we worship you, we live for you.

Thank you for visiting CNI. We are having a weekend break and hope to resume posts next Tuesday.

Church's mini-village plan for Ballymena meets opposition; Eminent theologian Seán Freyne dies; DUP seeks Dickson schools meeting; Walking the wards - hospital chaplaincy; Ireland criticised for not offering asylum to whistleblowers - Canon Comerford; Genealogy Lectures

Civil rights group responds to UK Home Office 'go home' vans; Blessing for fundraising bikers; New Sydney Archbishop; Zimbabwean women forced to flee homes for refusing to reveal their vote; Chinese house church leader Samuel Lamb dies

It was the Swinging Sixties, the world was in the grip of Beatlemania, hemlines were rising and bouffants, beehives and free love were all the rage. But in the midst of this cultural revolution, 18-year-old Eleanor Stewart from Oxfordshire decided to turn her back on a life of parties and boys and enter a convent as a nun. The news was met with relief by her parents and a mixture of consternation and unbridled hilarity by her friends.

Lord God, we become used to your blessings,
 and assume that you will continue to bless today
the things you have always blessed in the past.
 Remove the scales from our eyes,
 that we may see the things 
you wish to bless in our own day,
 and give us holy imagination 
to perceive what you will bless tomorrow. Amen.

Friends of Armagh Cathedral 75th anniversary concert; ‘Protestant’ theatre group is launched; Creative Spirituality Day; Dublin Interfaith Walk to Mark International Day of Peace; Exciting times at JIMS Kilkeel

Regulator issues charity pay warning; Boardroom pay at charities 'not excessive', claim charity chief executives; Art exhibition comes from Cairo to St Paul's; Gay couple may sue Church of England to wed in church

We pray for our families and friends

that the power of the Holy Spirit
may be in our lives,
so that we may live fully with his gifts
of wisdom and understanding,
of knowledge and right judgement,
of courage and reverence,
and of wonder and awe
in God’s presence.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

New book casts doubt on origins of St Patrick; Villiers regret over IRA park name; Chamber Choir of Sheffield University at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin; New rector

Kirk maintains its resistance to the unjust bedroom tax; UK Salvation Army welcomes appointment of André Cox as new international leader; C of E Pensions Board publishes 2012 annual results; Fears for future of 'famous' organ; Further school abuse claims reported