Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Retirement of Bishop of Meath & Kildare
Today (Friday) the Bishop of Meath & Kildare, the Most Revd Patricia Storey, retires.
A native of Belfast she was educated at the city’s Methodist College and Trinity College, Dublin, before training for ministry in the Church of Ireland Theological College,. She was ordained in 1997 for the curacy of Ballymena in the Diocese of Connor and from 2000 until 2004 was Team Vicar in Glenavy after which she was appointed as Rector of St Augustine’s, Derry.
When Bishop Richard Clarke was translated from Meath to Armagh in 2013 the House of Bishops elected Pat Storey to succeed him and she became the first woman bishop in the history of the Church of Ireland. With that has come a certain weight of expectation which she has carried with seemingly infinite good humour. Her episcopal ministry has been bright, cheerful and positive. She has been good with people and an efficient administrator, especially in the chair of the Central Communications Board which is an important interface between the Church and the wider world.
In advance of her retirement Bishop Pat was interviewed by Ray Hayden and this has been posted on the Church of Ireland website at
https://www.churchofireland.org/news/13358/bishop-pat-storey-reflections-on
‘Summer Music at Sandford’ concludes this lunchtime (Friday) in Sandford parish church, Ranelagh, at 1.10pm with a recital by Dylan Donegan on the harpsichord. The series has been curated by the parish’s Director of Music, Dr David O’Shea.
On Sunday in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, the choir of Holy Trinity church, Southport, will sing at the 11.15am Eucharist and the 3.15 Evensong. On Monday and Tuesday Evensong at 5.30pm will be sung by the choir of Homerton College, Cambridge.
Earlier this month the Sunday School Society for Ireland (SSSI), which was founded in 1809, held an extraordinary general meeting at which it was unanimously decided to wind up the charity and transfer all residual assets to the RCB for the support of Children’s and Family ministry within the Church of Ireland, through the Board for Ministry with Children and Families.
This process has taken over 10 years and while this marks the end of SSSI in its current form the work and mission of SSSI will continue through the Board for Ministry with Children and Families, with the society’s name being in the future incorporated into the Board’s title.
SSSI wishes to thank all those parishes and individuals who have supported SSSI over many years. The Society deeply appreciates and values the encouragement it has received from so many places. Those who wish to financially support the work of The Board for Ministry with Children and Families should contact their diocesan Children’s Ministry Representative (see https://cfm.ireland.anglican.org/).
A short history of the Society, ‘To School Without Shoes’ by Helen Clayton was published in 1979.