Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Bishops’ Appeal Allocations
At its June meeting, Bishops’ Appeal, which is the Church of Ireland’s principal vehicle for supporting the developing world, was delighted to be able to allocate substantial funding to a Christian Aid project in South Africa that focuses on highlighting the injustices around the mining industry that has caused radiation levels higher than Chernobyl and off the chart toxicities in the water for many poor communities.
Bishops’ Appeal also funded a South American Missionary Society project in Paraguay that allows many families in several villages to take up bee keeping and honey making as both a nutritional and income generating initiative, and two more boreholes for Fields of Life in Uganda which allows up to 4,000 people access to fresh, safe drinking water. A further water and sanitation project was supported through Habitat for Humanity Northern Ireland where water harvesting and potable water projects will be instigated in Cambodia, and a donation was made to a School for the Deaf in Beirut.
At the time of the meeting, donations for the Nepal Appeal had reached €42,600 and £11,700. Funds have been released through Christian Aid and Tearfund for their ongoing relief and rehabilitation work among those most affected by the earthquake.
The Council for Mission in the Diocese of Dublin & Glendalough, in collaboration with the United Society, Bishop’s Appeal and Friends of Sabeel has raised €109,848 and £14,204 for the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Work has begun to refurbish the medical staff’s On–Call residence and the first instalment of funding for the hospital’s solar panels has been sent. It is hoped that the remaining funds can be raised in Advent.
Today (Saturday) in Belfast, from 10am until 4pm, the International Divine Healing Ministries, which are run by Bro. David Jardine, have organized a Day of Prayer for a peaceful Twelfth of July. The Church of Ireland venue will be St Finnian’s church on the Cregagh Road.
In Dublin, the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Michael Jackson, will attend the Royal British Legion annual commemoration and wreath laying ceremony at Islandbridge and tomorrow (Sunday) morning he will participate in the National Day of Commemoration at Kilmainham.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning RTE will televise a service with the Mothers’ Union of the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory at which the preacher will be the Revd. Margaret Sykes, Diocesan President.
In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, the services will be sung by Peregryne, the vocal ensemble conducted by Dr Stuart Kinsella.
Dr Kinsella will be the speaker at the Friends of Medieval Dublin’s ‘Milestones of Medieval Dublin’ series of Tuesday lunchtime talks in the Wood Quay Venue at the Dublin Civic Offices where he will talk about the foundation of Christ Church cathedral. In Christ Church, at the same time, Dr Clodagh Tait will speak about ‘Motherhood in Seventeenth–Century Parish Registers’ in the penultimate lunchtime lecture in the ‘Women & the Church’ series.
On Thursday evening at 8pm the 35th St Barahane’s Church Festival of Music begins in Castletownshend with a recital by Elizabeth Cooney (violin) and Finghin Collins (piano) who will play works by Schubert, Szmanowski and Elgar. At the same time the Mission Peak Chamber Singers from Freemont, California, will perform works by Byrd, Praetorius and Beethoven, among others, in St Columba’s church, Kells, Co. Meath.
The lunchtime recital in Sandford parish church, Ranelagh, on Friday will feature music by J.S. Bach, C.E.P. Bach and Quantz played by Julie Maisel (baroque flute), Andrew Robinson (viola da gamba) and Barbara Dagg (harpiscord).
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’