Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 20 June 2009
Colloquium on Assisted Dying
Issues surrounding euthanasia and assisted dying continue to hit the headlines, provoking strong feelings on all sides. It is said that most people, including many regular church-goers, support legislation for voluntary euthanasia. Most theologians, however, do not.
Today (Saturday) at a colloquium in Trinity College, Dublin, the theological case on both sides, will be made by two of the leading experts in this area – Professor Robin Gill of the University of Kent and Professor Paul Badham from University College Wales, Lampeter, whose Is There a Christian Case for Assisted Dying? was published early this year. But theology is not all. An understanding of the medical, social and legal issues, in this country and in Europe, is also required and three professors from TCD – Maureen Junker Kenny, Des O’Neill and Ivana Bacik - will address these issues. A final panel discussion will be chaired by the Revd Rory Corbett, a NSM priest from the Diocese of Dromore who is also a consultant in the City Hospital, Belfast.
The colloquium has been organized by the editor of the Church of Ireland journal, Search, Canon Ginnie Kennerley, and the Church of Ireland chaplain in TCD, the Revd Darren McCallig.
Today (Saturday) in Courtown, Co. Wexford, Iris Checkett’s Japenese garden, Glen Richards, will be open to the public from noon until 5pm in aid of Ardamine union of parishes.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning RTE Radio 1 will broadcast a Service of the Word with the Revd Olive Donohue, Rector of Mountmellick. In the afternoon in Christ Church Cathedral the Archbishop of Dublin will ordain four deacons. Ruth Elms will serve as curate assistant in Stillorgan & Blackrock, Niall Stratford in Killiney, Ballybrack, Susanne Harris in Booterstown & Mt Merrion, and David McDonnell in the Christ Church cathedral group of parishes. In the evening in Hillsborough parish church the Bishop of Down & Dromore will ordain to the diaconate Robert Ferris for the curacy of Knock and Michael Dornan for Hillsborough.
The ordinations to the diaconate in the diocese of Connor will be held in St Patrick’s church, Ballymena, on Wednesday evening. The Bishop of Connor will ordain Graham Nevin for the non-stipendiary ministry, Simon Genoe as curate assistant for Lisburn Cathedral, Alan Irwin for Ballymena, Colin Welsh for Jordanstown and Tracey McRoberts for St Thomas’s, Belfast.
On Wednesday evening in St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore, the Bishop of Cashel & Ossory will license the Revd James Mulhall who will, in the first instance, assist in a non-stipendiary capacity in Clonmel.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the Revd Dr Alan McCormack, formerly Chaplain in TCD and now Rector of St Botolph without Bishopsgate in the City of London, will lead a group of London clergy on a three day study tour to Dublin. Meetings, lectures and seminars on Irish church history and politics have been arranged in all three Dublin cathedrals, and the group will also meet both archbishops of Dublin and the Dean of Christ Church and the Dean of S Patrick’s.
On Monday evening in St Peter’s church, Belfast, the Bishop of Connor will institute the Revd Adrian Dorrian to the incumbency of St Peter & St James. Mr Dorrian has been curate of Newtownards since his ordination in 2006.
The Down & Dromore Diocesan Synod will be held on Tuesday in the Jethro Centre, Lurgan. In the evening in All Saint’s Church, Mullingar, the Bishop of Meath & Kildare will institute the Revd Alastair Graham as Rector of the Mullingar union of parishes.