Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Bishops' Appeal Supports African and Asian Projects
At its summer meeting the Bishops' Appeal, which is the Church of Ireland's principal vehicle for supporting the developing world, made grants totalling over £60,000 to three projects in Africa and one in Asia.
A grant was made to Mid-Africa Ministry which is working in the Diocese of Makamba in southern Burundi where unrest has led to great suffering. The parishes of Mushara and Munyange are caring for some 8,000 people who lack the most basic necessities and the support of the Bishops' Appeal will contribute to the provision of clothing, cooking utensils and medicines.
In Keyna the Church Missionary Society Ireland is working in the Diocese of Kajiado where the population of 500,000, mainly Maasai people, is suffering from drought and famine. Assistance has been provided for a diocesan feeding programme which aims to relieve the immediate needs of some 2,500 people. CMSI is also working in Uganda where, in the Diocese of Ruwenzori, a construction unit has been established under the supervision of mission-partner, Norman Jackson. The intention is to recruit and train workers for local building contracts and a grant was approved to fund the purchase of equipment and materials.
Some 95 per cent of the drinking water in Bangaladesh has been contaminated and Christian Aid are involved in a four year project, with local partners, to educate local communities and to enable them to secure safe drinking water. The overall cost of the project is £87,000 and the Bishops' Appeal has contributed £20,000.
Today (Saturday) at 12.30 in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the choir of St Mary's Church, Hendon, will give a recital. At 8.00 pm, and nightly, except Sundays, until 3 August, the Galloglass Theatre Company will perform its highly acclaimed production of Gulliver's Travels.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the services in St Patrick's will be sung by the choir of St Mary's Church, Hendon, while in Christ Church Cathedral the visiting choir will be the St Edmund Singers from England.
On Monday the Annual Conference of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland begins in the Church of Ireland College of Education in Dublin. The Society is an interdenominational organization which brings together the hymn traditions of many Churches. As part of this tradition there will be a "Songs of Praise" service in Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday at 7.30 pm. The service is open to all and BBC Radio 2 plan to record it and to use selections in its regular "Sunday Half-Hour" programme. The presenter of of "Sunday Half-Hour", the Revd Roger Royle, will do interviews for the programme.
On Wednesday evening in Co. Wexford the Ardamine union of parishes will hold its Summer Bazaar in Riverchapel Community Centre.
The second recital in the 20th Festival of Classical Music in St Barrahane's Church, Castletownshend, Co. Cork will be given on Thursday evening. The concert, which is supported by the British Council, will feature Ioana Petcu-Colan (violin) and Antoinette Baker (organ).
The Dublin Diocesan Office, in Church of Ireland House, will be closed until Tuesday 15 August.
Earlier this year Columba Press published a selection of the sermons of the former Bishop of Cork, the Rt Revd Roy Warke.
Another collection of Cork sermons, which includes Bishop Warke's retirement sermon, has been published by St Fin Barre's Cathedral. Sermons 1998/99 contains sermons by the Bishop Warke and his successor, the Rt Revd Paul Colton, as well as contributions from the Archdeacon of Cork, the Ven. Robin Bantry White, and the Dean of Cork, Dr Michael Jackson. The collection is available from the St Fin Barre's Cathedral shop at IR£5.00 and all proceeds are in aid of the Cathedral Restoration Fund.