Diocesan News
Irish Inter-Church Meeting 2005 held in Cork
Over 70 delegates representing the Christian Churches in Ireland gathered in Cork this week to attend the first Irish Inter-Church Annual Meeting to be held in the city and also to mark the city's year as European Capital of Culture 2005.
The visit began on the evening of Ascension Day, Thursday May 5, with a Service of Welcome in the Holy Family Church, Military Hill. The Address was given by the Most Reverend Seán Brady, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Co-chair of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting, who reminded the large congregation of the Ballymascanlan Meeting of 1973 that later became the Inter-Church Meeting that continues to this day. He mentioned some of the cultural and religious influences that converged to make Cork a worthy holder of its current cultural title and he also drew attention to the book of papers from The Working Party on Spirituality entitled "The Dearest Freshness Deep Down Things" that was to be launched on Friday afternoon, saying,
"They have invited us, like the readings of our Ascension Service, to fix our gaze on the things of heaven - to be people of prayer, people of the Scriptures, people of wisdom and theological reflection. They call us to read and interpret the signs of the times - and at the same time to hear the voice of the two men in white robes - drawing us back into active creative engagement with our surrounding culture."
Other Inter-Church representatives also participated in the service: Fr Bernard Cotter, Priest-in Charge, Holy Family Church; Fr Pat McCarthy, Revd John Faris, Revd Daniel Nuzum and Revd Geraldine Gracie, comprising the local Ecumenical Committee; Mrs Valerie Fitzgerald, Presbyterian Church; Revd Godfrey O'Donnell, Romanian Orthodox Church in Ireland; Right Reverend Peter Barrett, President of the Irish Council of Churches and Co-Chair of the ICCM, with the Church of Ireland choir from Carrigrohane Union, under the direction of Marg Everett, leading the music.
The Conference Dinner was later held in the Gresham Metropole Hotel with the Director of Cork 2005, John Kennedy, as guest speaker.
The theme of Friday morning's meeting was "Spirituality and Culture: making the connections at local level in Ireland" and, prior to group discussions, three speakers shared their experience of the theme: Revd Frances Bach, C of I, and a contributor to the Working Party on Spirituality, Pamela Hardesty, artist and lecturer, Crawford School of Art and Design, Cork, and An t-Athair Seosamh Ó' Cochláin, Dean of Honan Chapel, UCC.
A Plenary Session, "Information about Ecumenical Activity in the Cork area", followed and at lunch time delegates made their way to Cork City Hall where Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Mary Sheilds, received the group and hosted a buffet lunch in its honour. The launch of the book, "The Dearest Freshness Deep Down Things," took place and then it was back to work on group discussion and evaluation until the meeting ended with prayers provided by the Lutheran Church.
Participants and organisers at the Inter-Church Service
L -r: Father Pat Mc Carthy, Revd Geraldine Gracie, Revd John Faris, Revd Godfrey O Donnell,
Revd Daniel Nuzum, Bishop Peter Barrett, Archbishop Seán Brady and Father Bernard Cotter.