Christian Aid marked their 70th anniversary and expressed their gratitude to their dedicated supporters with a special Thank You event in Dublin on Saturday (June 6). The gathering at St Finian’s Church on Adelaide Road welcomed supporters from around the country as well as Margaret Kisilu, director of Christian Aid’s Kenyan partner BIDII and Chris Waithanji from Chritian Aid in Nairobi Margaret shared great stories of Christian Aid’s work in Kenya.

The event featured lunch and refreshments as well as fun activities for kids. Entertainment was provided by the excellent A Glor Gospel Choir. The event concluded with an epilogue in the church.

Christian Aid is an organisation that insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. They work globally for change that eradicates poverty, striving for equality, dignity and freedom for all, regardless of faith or race. They work with local partner organisations, at home and overseas, to tackle the effects and the root causes of poverty.

Photo caption: Cathy Geagan of Christian Aid Ireland, Margaret Kisilu of BIDII, Deborah Doherty of Christian Aid Ireland and Chris Waithanji of Christian Aid Kenya.

In post Marriage Equality Referendum Ireland, the Church can choose to love, a Church’s Ministry of Healing talk heard on Saturday (June 6). Speaking in Christ Church Cathedral, international speaker, author and activist Lisa Sharon Harper said that in a debate in which both sides offered an argument based on Christian beliefs, people needed to acknowledge that neither side had exclusive ownership of the truth. 

Lisa, who is Chief Engagement Officer for Sojourners, a Christian, nonpartisan organisation in the US committed to social justice, was in Dublin to give a talk entitled Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith based on a book of the same title she co–wrote. The talk was hosted by the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland and supported by the Bookwell and the United Society.

Forgive Us outlines the sins of the Church against the world. Its focus is primarily on the evangelical church in America but there are lessons for the Church throughout the world. In seven chapters Lisa and her co–authors examine the Church’s sin, either by commission or omission, against seven groups of people: indigenous people, the African American community, women, LGBT people, Jews and Muslims and creation. They call for a Nehemiah–style corporate confession of the ways the evangelical church in America has injured the very people it should have been serving. 

Lisa suggested that the basis of the Church’s sin was that it gave preference or dominion to one group of people – white, male and usually Christian – above all others. “Somehow we bought a lie that the only ones who are fully called to exercise dominion are a small group of people who are white, male Christians. Everyone else is a little bit less human,” she said adding that members of each community could also be taken to task over their treatment of other groups and so must also seek forgiveness.

She said that every human being was made in the image of God and urged participants to see the image of God in those who we see as ‘the other’. This, Lisa suggested, would help people understand that no one group was less human than another. 

From confession comes healing and hope and she suggested that the book would help congregations enter into a process of healing. “The church has the capacity, more than anyone else on earth to lead on this… We as the people of Jesus walk in the way of Jesus in the public sphere. We can do this when it comes to how we vote, how we advocate, who we advocate for, who we love our neighbour,” she said.

She added that this was also relevant in post Marriage Equality Referendum Ireland where both sides in the campaign offered a Christian argument. “We need to acknowledge that neither side has full ownership of truth. We need to acknowledge that there are things that we just don’t understand. Neither side can say that our beliefs are inherently Christian… but once the referendum is made you can choose to love. The church can choose to love. Within the church debate is necessary but in the public sphere the public has spoken and the question is how do we love in the midst of it,” she said. 

After the talk the theme of forgiveness continued during the annual Church’s Ministry of Healing service in the cathedral led by its chairman, Bishop Patrick Rooke. The sermon was given by the Revd Bruce Hayes, chaplain to the Church’s Ministry of Healing in Dublin and Glendalough, who said that Jesus talked about the fundamental need to forgive in the Gospel.

“Forgiveness is not some sort of luxury. It needs to be part of our essence. Jesus put forgiveness at the centre of everything. It is in the Lord’s Prayer,” he said. He added, “If we don’t forgive we wind up like a bride in a Quentin Tarantino movie hunting down those who have done us wrong.” 

The preacher continued that forgiveness had to go deeper than just forgiving and forgetting – we had also to forgive others. “We all have to explore the meaning of forgiveness in terms of the reality of the lives we live. It should be the essence of who we are and the opening for our spiritual well being,” he said. He suggested three steps to letting go of our hatred and rage: firstly face up to the hurt, second let go of the pain, and third pray for the ability to forgive and pray for the person who hurt us.

Photo captions:

Top – Dr Iva Beranek (CMHI), Bishop Patrick Rooke, Lisa Sharon Harper, Richard Ryan (Bookwell) and Jessica Stone (CMHI).

Bottom – Bishop Patrick Rooke and the Revd Bruce Hayes before the CMHI annual service.

A weekend of celebrations marked the 150th anniversary of the Guinness restoration of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. The renowned Guinness Choir performed in the cathedral on Saturday evening (June 6) while on Sunday there was a Festival Evensong to mark the milestone anniversary. Members of the Guinness family were present on both occasions.

Benjamin Lee Guinness undertook the major restoration work of St Patrick’s Cathedral, the cathedral having fallen into considerable disrepair. While the scale of his interventions attracted some criticism at the time, the work has withstood the test of time and the cathedral today is largely as it was following the restoration for which Guinness refused to employ an architect. An exhibition on the restoration continues in the Irish Architectural Archive on Merrion Square until the end of the summer.

Saturday evening’s concert was introduced by Dean Victor Stacey. The conductor of the Guinness Choir, David Milne, said the choir was delighted to be associated with the celebrations. The music chosen for the evening had particular significance to the cathedral and events 150 years ago.

During the interval, the Dean’s Vicar, Canon Charles Mullen, gave an illustrated talk on the restoration and the background to it. He suggested that if it had not been for Benjamin Lee Guinness the cathedral would not be standing today. Plans for restoration had been drawn up by architect, Richard Cromwell Carpenter but there was no money to carry out the work until Guinness offered his assistance. While he refused to retain an architect he promised not to deviate from the architectural design. Canon Mullen outlined the extensive works and repairs undertaken, the most controversial of which was the removal of the choir screen, he suggested.

Photo captions:

Top – Dr Michael O’Neill, architectural historian; the Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Very Revd Victor Stacey; David Milne, the conductor of the Guinness Choir; and Dean’s Vicar, Canon Charles Mullen.

Bottom – The Hon Rory Guinness with Dean Victor Stacey. (Photo: Louis Parminter)

The summer issue of Search, out this week, is something of a new departure for the Church of Ireland journal, including a number of striking colour photos of re–ordered church interiors. Sourced for the recent “Re–pitching the Tent” Colloquium on re–ordering liturgical space led by Canon Richard Giles, the photos hail from the USA, Australia, England and the Church of Ireland, north and south – illustrating articles on recent re–ordering projects. “On account of the cost factor, this is not something we can do regularly, nor would it be appropriate,” says editor Canon Ginnie Kennerley, “but for such a visual subject as this, it is essential”. 

Pictures from Richard Giles’ major projects in Philadelphia, Perth diocese and Huddersfield illustrate his keynote article, which urges the necessity of re–ordering in the service of mission. Further photos enhance the story of the re–ordering of St Laserian’s cathedral in Co Carlow, as seen by architect Margaret Quinlan and Dean Tom Gordon, with more general reflections from Bishop Michael Burrows. Additional material, both written and visual, from Donaghadee and Down Cathedral adds an encouraging perspective from the northern province.

In addition to the Colloquium material, the summer issue features articles on Bonhoeffer’s 70th anniversary, Christian hospitality, and Preaching in the Trinity season. The recent biography of Bishop Donald Caird is reviewed by Lord Robin Eames OM. 

For further details and for subscriptions, see www.searchjournal.ireland.anglican.org

“Over a 1am pint, prior to 6am breakfast, I was asked, ‘Will you come to the Lebanon/ Syrian border and help tell the refugees story?’ Seventy–two hours later I was on a flight to Beirut. My life will never be the same.” – Greg Fromholz.

Greg Fromholz, Dublin and Glendalough’s Young Adults’ Officer (who is also a documentary film director), went to the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon with Tearfund to document the plight of Syrian Refugees for Summer Madness and Catalyst. He says it is one of the hardest things he has ever done.

Since 2011 nearly 1.2 million Syrians have crossed the boarder into Lebanon to escape the conflict. It is believed that the same amount of people again may have crossed the border unofficially.

This year at Summer Madness (a camp for teenagers) and Catalyst (a camp for young adults) there will be a campaign entitled ‘A Tent is not Just for a Festival’.Campers at both festivals will have the opportunity to partner in solidarity with a refugee tent on the Syrian border in Lebanon. They will be asked to gather sponsorship to feed a family living in a tent in the refugee camps in the Bekaa Valley for a month or more.

The campaign aims to highlight the desperate need of the Syrian refugees and inspire young people to help. They may not be able to go to the refugee camps but what they do here can help.

Greg traveled to Lebanon with David Cavan of Tearfund NI, Jasper Rutherford of Summer Madness and Catalyst and Nigel Gilbert, Summer Madness Director.

The team met with Lebanese charity Heart for Lebanon. Traditionally there has been animosity between the Lebanese and Syrians because of the previous occupation. However a group of Lebanese Christians started visiting the refugee camps and from that, Heart for Lebanon was born. Staff from the charity go into the Bekaa Valley, which is just seven kilometres from ISIS, every day. They hand out clothes and blankets and feed 15,000 people a month.

The team went to Bekaa to listen to and record the refugee’s stories. They will put together a video which they hope will build solidarity between people here and the refugees.

“Personally, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done – hearing these families’ stories. But despite the hardship these people invited us into their homes. They told us the most horrendous stories because they want others to hear what is happening,” Greg explained. “We met plumbers, do ctors, lawyers living in plastic tents. People were dying. The Christian churches were working alongside them – they were just there to help.” 

Catalyst is aimed at 20 and 30 somethings, takes place at Glenarm Castle in County Antrim from June 26 to 28 2015. See www.catalystireland.com for details and to book.

Summer Madness takes place from July 3 to 7 at Glenarm Castle. Visit  www.summermadness.co.uk for booking information.

Photos by David Cavan and Greg Fromholz.

Top – Greg Fromholz in one of the refugee camps in Dekaa Valley in Lebanon.

Middle and Bottom – Scenes from refugee camps in Lebanon.

Christian Aid Ireland is calling on people to join them in the great outdoors for a hill walk to show solidarity with Loko in Ethiopia on Saturday July 4. Their new Christian Aid Wicklow Way Hike will raise funds to support the work of Christian Aid worldwide, including in Ethiopia where Christian Aid partner HUNDEE is changing lives of women like Loko in one of the remotest regions of the country. 

The Christian Aid Wicklow Way Hike will be a family friendly 10km walk which will bring participants up onto part of the Wicklow Way route in south Dublin where they can experience terrain similar to that on which many people have to walk on in the developing world.

The hike is expected to take about four and a half hours with a lunch break en route. The event begins with registration at 11.00 am at the Sports Hall at St. Columba’s College, Whitchurch, County Dublin. The registration fee is €30.00 per person and €60.00 for a family. Christian Aid also request that people raise sponsorship to further support the work of Christian Aid in Ethiopia and the developing world.

The hike will begin at 12.00 pm with walkers leaving the base at St Columba’s College for the Wicklow Way Route, heading to the ‘Fairy Castle’ on Two Rock Mountain, looping back through woodlands to the college.Walkers are expected to arrive back to school grounds from 4.00 pm onwards where a tasty barbeque will follow from 4.30 pm for walkers. 

In linking with the work of Christian Aid partners work in Ethiopia, the theme for the hike is: walk with Loko and bring positive and fundamental change to the lives of women and communities in southern Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is a country of great heritage, history and culture, with a population close to 95 million people, many living and existing in poor and remote regions far from towns and cities. Christian Aid has worked in Ethiopia for many years and has nine Ethiopian partners that work to change and improve lives of some of the poorest communities in remote regions of the country. One of those Christian Aid partners in Ethiopia is HUNDEE an indigenous grassroots development organisation which operates in Oromiya State in Southern Ethiopia and supports poor rural communities and especially women’s groups. 

Loko is an indigenous woman who walks alone for eight hours a day to gather and sell firewood so she can feed her children. It’s a job she dreads, but she has no choice; she must continue, week after week. If she doesn’t, her children will starve. As it is, Loko can only afford to give them one small meal a day. Loko dreams of owning a cow one day and having the means to save enough money to set up a small business. HUNDEE distributes heifers to women headed households, such as Loko’s. It’s allowing women and families to have better lives and future

Funds raised by the Wicklow Way Hike will provide cows to vulnerable women in Ethiopia. Just €206 is enough to buy a female cow and bring a promising future for someone like Loko.

“Christian Aid greatly appreciates the support of St. Columba’s College for providing their facilities and grounds for this event and the support of Whitchurch Parish and many communities in South Dublin in helping with the organisation of the Christian Aid Wicklow Way Hike. By supporting this fund raising hill event, you will be part of Christian Aid’s work in taking action where there is need, regardless of religion, helping people to live full lives free from poverty,” comments Andrew Coleman, regional fundraising coordinator with Christian Aid.

To find out more and to register see christianaid.ie/trekking, email eventsireland@christian-aid.org or phone 01–4967040.

People from a broad spectrum of Irish life gathered in Christ Church Cathedral yesterday afternoon (Sunday June 14) to commemorate the life and ministry of Fr John Sullivan SJ (1861–1933). Described by Archbishop Michael Jackson as a “much loved human being and priest” John Sullivan was baptised in the Church of Ireland Parish Church of St George in Hardwick Street and was later ordained in the Roman Catholic Church. He was elevated to Venerable by Pope Francis last year.

The service was organised by Archbishop Jackson, Dean Dermot Dunne and Fr Conor Harper SJ and attended by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. Among the large congregation were members of the Gardiner Street Parish and Community; members of the Jesuit Order nationwide; members of Clongowes Wood College, where John Sullivan taught, and of Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, where he was educated. Also present were descendants of his brother, Sir William Sullivan, Peter and Hector Lloyd.

Archbishop Martin addressed the congregation at the beginning of the service and spoke about John Sullivan’s progression towards sainthood. He said that John Sullivan understood the “universal call to holiness and holiness knows no denominational boundaries”. He spoke of ecumenism and said that John Sullivan’s faith was the product of two traditions and it was enriched by that fact.

Describing the priest he said: “Most of John Sullivan’s life was spent with young people who were struck by the authenticity of his life… Now days we worry about reaching young people. John Sullivan teaches that perhaps the church does not fascinate young people because we do not fascinate young people.

In his sermon Archbishop Jackson said that John Sullivan touched the lives of countless people across a wide spectrum of society and did so without pretension. “None of you here this afternoon probably needs to be reminded of what makes John Sullivan so special in the life of Ireland, as history has dealt its hand in our complex, indeed contorted, national life. He spent half of his life as an Anglican and a layperson and half as a Roman Catholic and a priest–and–Jesuit. Anglican and Roman Catholic; lay and ordained: these for long have played their part as interlocking and interacting identities in Irish life and frequently have been seen as incompatibles and contradictions. We can throw into this equation the fact that he was educated in Portora Royal School, Enniskillen a school which is now in today’s Northern Ireland,” he said.

The Archbishop suggested that as John Sullivan developed in his expression of discipleship and priestly work his eccentricities made him more loved rather than less. He wondered if there would be such tolerance today “of letting humanity shine through the light of divinity, when church life truly is in need of massive structural overhauling and when the cult of second–hand celebrity has taken hold of so much personal identity? There is something deep within us that knows that managerialism has wreaked havoc on the dynamic of faith and of possibility and potentiality in the church, as also has neo–orthodoxy”.

He added that John Sullivan made a continued contribution to ecumenical life in Ireland. He witnessed to two communities of faith and highlighted the challenge to churches today – that the church can only truly be itself when it is together. “By crossing the fault–lines of fear, John Sullivan asks: Is what unites more life–giving than what divides? and also the secondary encouragement: Please keep searching for what unites!” Archbishop Jackson said.

[The text of Archbishop Jackson’s sermon is reproduced below]

Photo captions:

Top – Fr Conor Harper SJ, Dean Dermot Dunne, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Archbishop Michael Jackson.

Middle – Descendents of Sir William Sullivan, brother of Fr John Sullivan, Hector and Peter Lloyd with Sandy Clarke and Fr Conor Harper SJ.

Below – Clergy process at Christ Church Cathedral for the service commemorating the life and ministry of Fr John Sullivan SJ.

Service to mark The Reverend John Sullivan SJ

Christ Church Cathedral Dublin, Evensong Trinity ii June 14 2015

St Mark 10.27: Jesus looked at them and said: For human beings this is impossible, but not for God; everything is possible for God. 

INTRODUCTION

Recently I had the opportunity to watch the film: The Imitation Game. As you know, it tells the story of a number of people, and in particular the story of Alan Turing, a brilliant young man, who broke The Enigma Code during the Second World War. One phrase stuck with me and I wonder if somehow it might offer at least a partial approach to describing the man whom we honour today and it goes like this: Sometimes it’s the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one imagines. Purists will rightly wince at the grammar, but I think the sentiment is quite helpful. It is a gentle way of describing people who are quite remarkable, indeed unconventional, as history discloses them, allows them to unfold, almost despite themselves; yet the wonderful thing is that they never expected to be thought of as great and may never even have wanted to be such; and it rather embarrasses them into the bargain; these are the very reasons they are delightful and saintly and memorable – there is not an ounce of spiritual contrivance or ambition in them. And that really is saying something!

Such may indeed have been the fate of that extraordinary man John Sullivan SJ – or as I prefer to call him: OPSJ: Old Portoran and Society of Jesus – whom we gather to honour today. He was a much–loved human being and priest. He touched the lives of countless people across a wide spectrum of society and he did so without pretension. We are here in Christ Church Cathedral for a specific reason. John Sullivan was baptized in the Church of Ireland Parish Church of St George in Hardwick Street; it is no longer used as a Church of Ireland church, so it seemed fitting that we bring our praying and our praising to the cathedral in this time of reflective recollection of John Sullivan. We meet today as the church of God in the mother church of this diocese, Christ Church. Like all of us, John Sullivan’s baptism was the point at which, as a child of God, he began formally his belonging to Christ; the rest of his life in all of its extraordinary diversity and rich variety flows from this. For each one of us, baptism is the beginning and the fullness of it all. The rest gives this fullness voice and verse.   

UNIQUENESS OF THE OCCASION

It is a delight for me to welcome to Christ Church Cathedral all of you who have made the time to be here this afternoon. I welcome a wide range of people: members of the Gardiner Street Parish and Community; members of the Jesuit Order nationwide; members of Clongowes Wood School and of Portora Royal School past and present and all others who have, for whatever reason, made a special journey of pilgrimage to worship God here today. The presence of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is a great delight to me; he is a firm friend in the work of God and I greatly enjoy our co–operation. I wish to thank also the dean, the Very Reverend Dermot Dunne and Fr Conor Harper SJ.

None of you here this afternoon probably needs to be reminded of what makes John Sullivan so special in the life of Ireland, as history has dealt its hand in our complex, indeed contorted, national life. He spent half of his life as an Anglican and a layperson and half as a Roman Catholic and a priest–and–Jesuit. Anglican and Roman Catholic; lay and ordained: these for long have played their part as interlocking and interacting identities in Irish life and frequently have been seen as incompatibles and contradictions. We can throw into this equation the fact that he was educated in Portora Royal School, Enniskillen a school which is now in today’s Northern Ireland.

Antipathy and antagonism should not be the case, nor should they be the way of life itself. All of us find that increasingly, as things change and develop, imperceptibly yet at an ever–increasing pace, people are exploring traditions that are not their tradition of religious and spiritual origin under their own steam. By the same token, there are people who are asking questions of inherited religious traditions that were never before asked directly, head to head, of those traditions. It is an exciting time to be a child of God. It is not without its difficulties or its whirlwinds, but the energy is there and the challenge for all of us who profess Christ Risen is to give a coherent and courteous account of the tradition that we cherish in a contemporary context and world. This helps us to give honourable and honest answers to the questions of those who embrace traditions that differ from ours and yet have an umbilical link through baptism and belonging. We need to continue this quest for courtesy and comprehension in being able to give an account to those who simply have no idea of the things about which we are talking.

JOHN SULLIVAN – SOME ENDURING CHARACTERISTICS

Many people here today will have their own pictures and impressions of John Sullivan. This will be true whatever association you have had with his life and ministry of service of others. He was a person who moved from sophistication to simplicity when the majority of people seem to crave moving in the opposite direction. As he developed in the expression of his discipleship and in his priestly work, his patent eccentricity in so many respects made him more rather than less loved. I cannot but ask the question: Are we capable of such toleration and affection today, of letting humanity shine through the light of divinity, when church life truly is in need of massive structural overhauling and when the cult of second–hand celebrity has taken hold of so much personal identity? There is something deep within us that knows that managerialism has wreaked havoc on the dynamic of faith and of possibility and potentiality in the church, as also has neo–orthodoxy. We are alarmed by it, yet we seem to lie down before it. John Sullivan was much more of a free spirit; he lived the life of a saintly person at the heart of a pulsating, independent academic and intellectual community in Clongowes (and before that in Portora) and still he bridged the gap with countless faithful people for whom the Community Church was in fact their Parish Church in County Kildare. He saw no contradiction between independence and faithfulness and, clearly, neither did God.  

Many years later history has given the opportunity to reflect on his contribution in the widest sense. Something he could probably never have envisaged is the effective and imaginative twinning of Clongowes and Portora through the annual Joyce–Beckett Literary Award and by means of other exchanges between the two schools. At the height of a politically divided Ireland, this was a shining light of witness to tolerance, to inclusion, to creativity and to respect for difference. And, most poignantly, it involved the repeated and consistent presence of boys and teachers from Clongowes in Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday laying a wreath at the Cenotaph. This vignette of courage, year after year, became an icon of hope in a town where nobody has yet really admitted responsibility for the human tragedy and the travesty of The Enniskillen Bomb.

FROM LEGACY TO PROSPECT

John Sullivan makes a sustained and probing contribution to the aspirations and agonies of contemporary Christianity in Ireland lived ecumenically. He holds up a mirror of transition in what appears to many as an era of stagnation. He holds out the hand of engagement in two directions in what appears to many to be a time of emptying churches and is in fact a time of many more religious directions than the two inherited and rather tired directions of Old Ireland. He holds out the confidence to travel spiritually within himself at a time when many are fearful to commit beyond themselves. And he does this for the following reasons. The first is that he witnesses to the two communities of faith and division in Ireland to both of which he belonged – and many would argue to which he brought a broader comprehensiveness and more generous spirit through his adherence to each. And he did this before it became, in any sense, fashionable. It would surely have been tremendously difficult and, like so much else in Ireland, watched eagerly through the twitching net curtains of know–it–all self–righteousness. And, secondly, he throws into the air in our own day the challenge to all the churches to live, in hope if not in fact, by the maxim that the church is truly only and only truly itself when it is together and does together everything that it can be together. By crossing the fault–lines of fear, John Sullivan asks: Is what unites more life–giving than what divides? and also the secondary encouragement: Please keep searching for what unites!

JESUIT INSPIRATIONS

Today is very much a day for the Society of Jesus in Ireland and we are delighted to worship and to rejoice with you. We know the Jesuit living legacy in scholarship, in education and in pastoral care. For my own part, as I exercize a simple ministry of service from day to day, I point to three Jesuits who, in particular ways, have inspired and focused the ministry that is not mine but the ministry of Jesus Christ in the church and in the world, yet one which I greatly enjoy. One is Michael Hurley who taught me the principle of tithing ecumenically my spiritual time; another is David Tuohy who taught me that followership is every bit as important, if not more important, than leadership; the third is Pope Francis who taught me that kneeling in solidarity with the poor is the definitive place where the Gospel is revealed.

John Sullivan teaches us all that an Ireland divided along denominational lines need not close down movement and holiness. Understood and used properly, good things can and do happen and will continue to happen. This is an inspiration we all need today for tomorrow and tomorrow for the next day.

1 John 3.1,2: Dear friends, we are now God’s children; what we shall be has not yet been disclosed, but we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

The Most Reverend Dr Michael Jackson, archbishop of Dublin

The second annual Dublin Garden Festival takes place at Christ Church Cathedral this weekend – Friday June 19 to Sunday June 21 from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm each day. Among the highlights this year will be sports pundit Eamon Dunphy in conversation with Ivan Yates and a champagne breakfast with Diarmuid Gavin in the cathedral’s Deanery. 

The theme of this year’s festival is fairy tales and the cathedral will be adorned with floral installations and props transforming it into an enchanting magical wonderland. Hundreds of flowers will be used to create stunning displays of contemporary and traditional floral designs, under the lead of artistic director and award–winning floral artist, Christopher White.

To complement the event, a summer market with food, craft and garden stalls will be held within the Cathedral’s historic grounds. 

Visitors will receive gardening advice from renowned and much loved personalities from the world of gardening and horticulture, along with ‘Gardening With The Experts’ series taking place in the Cathedral’s historic Music Room, featuring a host of expert gardeners discussing everything from money–saving composting to creating your own urban garden.

Outside in the grounds there will be horticultural displays, Irish food produce, urban gardens, birds of prey, a petting zoo, craft demonstrations, live entertainment and an outdoor artisan food tent full of gourmet food including afternoon tea. 

Guest speakers will include Irish media personality and broadcaster Eamon Dunphy; former Green Party politician and author of ‘Trevor’s Kitchen Garden’, Trevor Sargent; Irish businessman, broadcaster and former politician, Ivan Yates; gardening experts Dermot O’Neill and Helen Dillon. Jane McCorkell, Landscaping Architect and 5–Time Gold medal winner at Bloom; Award winning garden designer, author and broadcaster, Fiann O’Nuaillain; Gold medal winner at Bloom; and award–winning florist and Chelsea Flower Show medallist Christopher White.

A special Evensong will be held on Sunday June 21 at 5pm as part of the Garden Festival. The cathedral invites visitors to explore the cathedral in all its floral splendour whilst listening to beautiful choral music performed by the voices of the Cathedral Choir. 

Opening times: 9am – 7pm from Friday to Saturday and 12.30pm – 7pm on Sunday. Last admission 45 minutes before closing. Tickets available from www.dublingardenfestival.ie

It was with a deep sense of sorrow that I, like everyone else, heard of the tragic death and serious injury of young people in Berkeley California.

Our hearts go out to the families and friends of these who have died and also to those who battle with serious injury and significant trauma as a result of their terrifying and painful experiences.

We are all aware that students from Ireland, in particular, travel to America at this time of year after examinations in the hope and expectation of fresh experiences and that they instantly make new friends.

Our sympathy is with all of those who suffer in these long and sad days. Our thoughts are with relatives who travel to be reunited with those whom they love, in circumstances they never envisaged possible. We also remember those who tend the injured and the hurt in Berkeley.

St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, will open a Book of Condolences for those who wish to show their respect for all who suffer in this particularly Irish tragedy. The book will be available to sign from lunchtime today (Wednesday June 17) during cathedral opening hours – 9.30 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday and 9.00 am to 6.00 pm on Saturday and Sunday (except during Sunday services).

The Four Nations Faith and Order Consultation met in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in Dublin from May 26 to 28 2015. Hosted by the Church of Ireland, the consultation welcomed representatives from the Church of England, the Church in Wales and the Scottish Episcopal Church. 

The consultation addressed a wide range of issues affecting the churches in each of the four nations. There were many points of commonality but there were also opportunities to learn from others.

The relationships between churches and civic society were examined under a number of different headings. The consultation took place in Dublin in the week following the Referendum on Marriage Equality and there was discussion on how each of the Churches was approaching the issue of same sex marriage. Underlying some debates was that the feeling that the church has been pushed onto the wrong side of moral arguments where the church is often seen as immoral rather than moral. 

Developing ecumenical relations were considered. The group addressed the issue of transitivity between Anglican Lutheran Agreements specifically in North America together with the coherence of other agreements, especially with Methodists and Moravian Churches.

The consultation also looked at changes in patterns of ministry and the different understandings of the theology of ministry. They spoke about pioneer ministry and fresh expressions as well as liturgical developments. 

Church leadership was debated and the discussions on episcopacy in the Church of Ireland were examined. They also focused on the management of disagreement and how best to equip bishops and resource parishes.

Anglican responses to the Lutheran 500 Commemoration of the Reformation were shared and suggestions of mounting a conference and/or advancing research possibilities were aired.

The next Four Nations Faith and Order Consultation is due to take place in Scotland in May 2017.  Its shape and content were discussed and possible upcoming issues suggested – other faiths, theology and nationhood, ACC 2016, migration. It was agreed that our ecumenical officers should be present, perhaps meeting a day or two before to prepare for the consultation.Representing their Churches in Dublin were: 

Church of Ireland: The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin and the Revd Niall Sloane, Hon Records Secretary for Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue.

Church of England:  The Rt Revd Donald Allister, Bishop of Peterborough; the Revd Canon Jeremy Worthen, Secretary for Ecumenical Relations and Theology; and Dr Cathy Ross, Member of the Faith & Order Commission. 

Church in Wales: The Revd Canon Gwynn ap Gwilym, Adviser to the Bench of Bishops of the Church in Wales; the Revd Matthew Hill, Secretary of the Doctrinal Commission; the Revd Dr Rhiannon Johnson, Member of the Doctrinal Commission.

Scottish Episcopal Church: The Most Revd David Chillingworth, The Primus; the  Revd Canon John Lindsay, the Convener of the Inter Church Relations Committee; and the Revd Dr Harriet Harris, the Convener of the Doctrine Committee and Dr John Davies, the Convener of the Liturgy Committee.

Photo caption – Representatives from the four Anglican churches in Ireland and Great Britain outside CITI.

Prayers for the young students who died and those who were injured in the tragic accident in Berkeley, California, will be said during the daily Eucharist in St Ann’s Church on Dawson Street, Dublin, on Thursday and Friday (June 18 and 19). The service begins at 12.45 pm each day and all who wish to join in prayer for the young people and their families are welcome to attend.

St Ann’s is open from 10.00 am until 3.00 pm each day if anyone wishes to pray or find a peaceful moment after signing the Book of Condolence in the Mansion House nearby.

St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, has opened a Book of Condolences for those who wish to pay their respects. The book is available to sign during cathedral opening hours – 9.30 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday and 9.00 am to 6.00 pm on Saturday and Sunday (except during Sunday services).

A Book of Condolences will also be opened in Christ Church Cathedral on Friday morning. It will be available throughout the weekend.

Pupils of St Andrew’s National School in Bray joined the celebration yesterday (Thursday June 19) as a new cross for their school was dedicated and their new library was opened.

The pupils welcomed special guests, Archbishop Michael Jackson, author Alan Nolan and members of the Reid family. The Reid Library is named in memory of the Revd Alec Reid.

Before the celebrations, the pupils and their teachers and parents paused to remember the students who died in Berkeley, California and the worshipers who lost their lives in South Carolina.

Welcoming the visitors, school principal, Peter McCrodden, thanked all who had been involved in preparations for the day and those who had worked so hard on the new library. He paid special tribute to school secretary, Wendy Costello, for her help and organisation skills.

The cross was dedicated by Archbishop Jackson who spoke of the significance of the cross for our lives. He also spoke of the connections that exist between people around the world and how they are drawn together so easily in the Global Village. He stressed the importance of the library and noted that sharing a love of reading, knowledge and understanding was what tied pupils, teachers, members of the board of management and the parent teacher association together.

David Reid, the son of the Revd Alec Reid, gave pupils an insight into his father’s life. He was ordained after World War II, during which he served in Burma. He came to St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Bray in 1954 where he became heavily involved in many aspects of the local community. The family was presented with a watercolour painting of the school.

Children’s author and Bray resident, Alan Nolan, cut the specially made ribbon to mark the opening of the library. The pupils were treated to an exclusive first taste of his latest book Conor’s Caveman which won’t be published until September. He also cut the fantastic cake which was baked and decorated by Mrs Mangan.

Down in the library, Tom, one of the pupils, read from Dr Seuss’s I Can Read With My Eyes Shut which included the line: “Young cat! If you keep. Your eyes open enough, Oh, the stuff you will learn! The most wonderful stuff!”

Mrs Costello spoke of the library’s history and paid tribute to everyone who had the vision to support it. Alan Nolan then gave an insight into how he got into writing and drawing. 

Photo captions:

Top – Alan Nolan cuts the cake baked by Helen Mangan to mark the opening of the new library at St Andrew’s NS, Bray.

Bottom – The special guests who joined St Andrew’s NS, Bray, for the dedication of a cross for the school and the opening of the Reid Library.

The fallen of all nations at the Battle of Waterloo were remembered yesterday evening (Thursday June 18) at a Service of Choral Evensong in St Patrick’s Cathedral to mark the 200th anniversary of the Napoleonic battle.

The service was attended by members of the diplomatic community and representatives of the Irish Defence Forces, the Irish Military History Society and the Waterloo Bicentenary Group. The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke, preached at the service. The Archbishops of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson and the Most Revd Diarmuid Martin, participated along with the Right Revd Dr Ian McNie, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

Following the sounding of the Last Post and Reveille, the large congregation was welcomed by the Dean, the Very Revd Victor Stacey. The service was sung by the Cathedral Choir.  

Archbishop Clarke began his sermon by giving the background to the Battle of Waterloo and reflecting on its iconic status. He noted that this period of wars in the early 19th century was the last major European conflict which involved for the most part only the direct combatants and relatively few others. “A century later (and a century ago from today) with the First World War, a more definite concept of ‘total war’ began to develop in the modern European context, which drew no moral distinction between the soldier and the civilian as targets in war. And today, 2015, we know that a conflict thousands of miles from Europe may (with modern technology, mobility and communication) provoke violent and utterly indiscriminate reprisal and revenge on our own doorsteps,” he stated.

Drawing on the image of ‘closing the gates on war’(the words inscribed on one of the memorials for Waterloo being inaugurated at this time) Archbishop Clarke said: ‘“Closing the gates on war’ is a fine and noble aspiration as a fitting memorial of the Battle of Waterloo, but it will not be painless if it is being taken seriously. It will mean closing the gates firmly on all narrow nationalistic pride, on all that makes for the indignity and degradation of others, whether racially, economically or socially. It means standing firmly against a pseudo–liberalism that quickly turns into a cruel totalitarianism when dealing with minorities whose understanding of life does not conform to the fashionable consensus. It means closing other gates against an avaricious pillaging of the environment that will ultimately (if not today or tomorrow) drive others into violence as the only means of their survival. “Closing gates on war” will only ever be a sanctimonious cliché if it is not seen as carrying a real cost and a serious price–tag”. 

Turning to Psalm 24 and ‘the opening gates so that a new order of things may enter and come into being’, the Archbishop said: “It means opening gates to people and to ideas not of our own choosing. It means opening gates to a new courtesy and a sacrificial generosity in our dealings with others”.

“Two hundred years later, with two horrific world wars in the intervening period and many other smaller–scale wars fought out on European soil right through to the present day, can we deny that we have not learnt the lessons nearly quickly enough that should have accompanied the vision of opening up a more benevolent future for this continent of Europe, that began two hundred years ago? We have much still to learn, and perhaps not as much time as we would like to imagine in learning it. Closing gates on future war and opening gates on authentic harmony is not the softest option, but it should surely be the only proper option,” he stated.

Full transcript of the Archbishop’s address:

What is it about the Battle of Waterloo? 

What is it that makes Waterloo such a major symbol in the consciousness of modern Europe and other parts of the globe influenced by this continent – streets, bridges, monuments, stations, villages, and towns all named after one battle?

Yes, Waterloo was the last in this particular format of immense set–piece battle to be fought on European soil for a hundred years (and it was also the last ‘pre–industrialised’ battle on this scale anywhere in Europe), but none of this could have been known in the years that followed Waterloo, when it began very quickly to assume the iconic status it has held ever since. And Waterloo was not even the largest of the battles during the Napoleonic wars. The Battle of Leipzig in late 1813 was considerably bigger and, in many respects, it was actually this battle – The Battle of the Nations as it is sometimes known, with perhaps three times as many combatants as Waterloo – which ensured that Napoleon could never again dominate continental Europe in the way he once had.

Waterloo was, however, a culmination of the continuing wars that had beset Europe from the early 1790s (if one includes the revolutionary wars) and, even before that, Europe had seen more than a century of regular major wars on its soil. We have to move one hundred years on from Waterloo to the First World War before we again see warfare on such a massive scale on this continent. (America, with its devastating Civil War in the middle of the nineteenth century, was of course a different matter.)

But as you and I look back to Waterloo in commemoration, we should perhaps also observe, in the European context, that this period of war in the early nineteenth century was the last major European conflict which for the most part, although not entirely, involved direct combatants, but relatively few others. A century later (and a century ago from today) with the First World War, a more definite concept of ‘total war’ began to develop in the modern European context, which drew no moral distinction between the soldier and the civilian as targets in war. And today, 2015, we know that a conflict thousands of miles from Europe may (with modern technology, mobility and communication) provoke violent and utterly indiscriminate reprisal and revenge on our own doorsteps.

But every battle on whatever scale, and every war of whatever size, and in any age, brings grief, misery and hopelessness to many. We believe that over thirty thousand men may have died at the Battle of Waterloo (literally within a few hours and within a very small area of ground), with many more mutilated and incapacitated.  We know that Wellington believed that next to a battle lost the greatest misery was a battle gained; we are told he wept in the aftermath of Waterloo. Accompanying probably almost every death at Waterloo, there was misery and, in many cases, destitution for families and dependents. And, gathered together in Christian worship, this must all assuredly be part of our commemoration – in Wilfred Owen’s famous phrase of one hundred years later, ‘the pity of war’. 

Wellington told his friends not to congratulate him after the victory at Waterloo, because what he felt most acutely was the loss of so many. The pity of war should never be far from our prayers and our thoughts at such a time as this.

One of the memorials for Waterloo being inaugurated at this time bears the words, ‘Closing the gates on war’, an oblique reference to the gates of the farm at Hougoumont, which were closed by the British garrison under James Macdonnell after a group of skirmishers from the opposing army had initially smashed their way through. This defence of the farm at Hougoumont was a pivotal aspect of the battle. Closing the gates on war is a fine and noble aspiration as a fitting memorial of the Battle of Waterloo, but it will not be painless if it is being taken seriously. It will mean closing the gates firmly on all narrow nationalistic pride, on all that makes for the indignity and degradation of others, whether racially, economically or socially. It means standing firmly against a pseudo–liberalism that quickly turns into a cruel totalitarianism when dealing with minorities whose understanding of life does not conform to the fashionable consensus. It means closing other gates against an avaricious pillaging of the environment that will ultimately (if not today or tomorrow) drive others into violence as the only means of their survival. ‘Closing gates on war’ will only ever be a sanctimonious cliché if it is not seen as carrying a real cost and a serious price–tag.

And, as the Hebrew and Christian scriptures would also remind us, opening gates is a far more usual religious metaphor for wholesomeness and peace. Not opening gates in surrender, but opening gates so that a new order of things may enter and come into being. The psalmist declares (in Psalm 24), ‘Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in…’ A new order of glory, far distant from our human notions of self–aggrandisement and self–glorification. Again, we would be deluding ourselves not to imagine that opening gates does not mean risk and vulnerability. It means opening gates to people and to ideas not of our own choosing. It means opening gates to a new courtesy and a sacrificial generosity in our dealings with others. 

It has been said that the conclusion of the European wars at Waterloo and the contemporary Congress of Vienna marked the opening a new era and a new understanding of Europe. Two hundred years later, with two horrific world wars in the intervening period and many other smaller–scale wars fought out on European soil right through to the present day, can we deny that we have not learnt the lessons nearly quickly enough that should have accompanied the vision of opening up a more benevolent future for this continent of Europe, that began two hundred years ago? We have much still to learn, and perhaps not as much time as we would like to imagine in learning it. Closing gates on future war and opening gates on authentic harmony is not the softest option, but it should surely be the only proper option.

With millions of fellow Europeans, we commemorate today the bi–centenary of the Battle of Waterloo. For some it is far from a pleasant remembrance – the humiliation of their country in another age being re–played. For others it may indeed appear as a vindication for what they hold to have been their culture and tradition. But for none should it be a day for xenophobia or nationalist chauvinism. 

Waterloo was indeed a turning point in the political history of Europe.

It was the conclusion of a long and continuing war that had brutalised people and nations. 

It was the beginning of a new opportunity to make something good out of Europe, an opportunity that has been squandered again and again, but which remains today precisely what it once was in 1815, a real opportunity.

For us, in this place and in this context of Christian worship, it is the opportunity to pray for the healing of nations, but also that we may be given the sacrificial and demanding courage to close the gates on war and open the gates to a generosity of living, that the King of Glory may come in.

Photo captions:

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop Michael Jackson, Dean Victor Stacey and Archbishop Richard Clarke at the service in St Patrick’s Cathedral to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

Col Richard Kinsella Bevan reading the first lesson. (Photo: Patrick Hugh Lynch)

Archbishop Richard Clarke preaching. (Photo: Patrick Hugh Lynch)

The congregation in St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Parishioners of St Bartholomew’s on Clyde Road in Ballsbridge have launched an ambitious appeal for the restoration of their church. The parish aims to raise €1 million over the next two years to carry out extensive work on the historic building.

The St Bartholomew’s Renovation Project 2015 – 2017 was launched yesterday evening (Sunday June 22) at a service of Choral Evensong. The service was attended by Archbishop Michael Jackson, who preached, along with members of the local community, public representatives and representatives of local residents’ associations.

Introducing the service, the Revd Andrew McCroskery, said the project was a considerable undertaking. The fundraising had been kick started by a generous anonymous donation but the parish still had a considerable way to go if they were to complete the work which would enable St Bartholomew’s to continue to be an architectural jewel and place of worship for many years to come. The Vicar thanked all the volunteers for their sterling work on the project to date.

In his sermon Archbishop Jackson said that St Bartholomew’s had always “pointed us in the direction of worship as something of value and vitality, whether there be three or three hundred gathered in church”.

He said three essential features of the life of any church were community, beauty and service. Community was central, he said, as a church gathered people and sent them out again equipped and refreshed.

The Archbishop said that society was dominated by visual images, not all over them beautiful. But beauty and worship went together and fed from one another, he said. “For generations, people across Ireland and across the world have enjoyed the splendour of this church and its almost Byzantine character set, somewhat surprisingly, within the Church of Ireland. They have found themselves entering a space where, once their eyes adjust to the darker light within, they see opening before them beauty and colour that it is hard to find in another church in this concentration and in this style,” he stated.

The positive challenge to every church, Archbishop Jackson said, was an invitation to chare with the community around it the beauty of Jesus Christ. He added that the character of the church was to be one of service and hospitality to be welcoming and inclusive to all.

“The needs of this church are clear. For a long time now it has needed significant work to be done to its fabric and to its decoration. Both of these are part of its continuing survival and of its true beauty. It is very important that it should continue to be attractive and attracting both on the outside and on the inside and in this way be a coherent whole,” he said commending the appeal and the work ahead.

St Bartholomew’s has been used continuously as a place of worship since 1867. The historic building is architecturally significant. Stone carving, figurative painted murals, stencilled decoration, mosaic pavements, decorative ironwork and wood work combine with an excellent collection of stained glass to make the church unique.

The first phase of the project, to secure the structural shell of the building to make the church weatherproof, is underway. Other works which have been identified include renovation of the pinnacles, replacing and repairing mouldings, conservation and repair of the stonework and refurbishment of the stained glass windows.

Information on the restoration project and details of how to donate are available on the St Bartholomew’s website – http://stbartholomews.ie/?page_id=1181

Photo caption: Programme architect, Silvia Mambriani of Howley Hayes Architects, Padraig O’Rourke, Barbara Bergin, the Revd Andrew McCroskery, John Slattery, Archbishop Michael Jackson, Mary Hefferenan, Alistair Rowan and Margaret Considine at the launch of the St Bartholomew’s Restoration Appeal.

Christ Church Cathedral welcomed throngs of visitors over the weekend for their second annual Dublin Garden Festival. The interior of the cathedral was transformed into a magical wonderland with enchanting floral installations and exciting props.

Throughout the festival there were talks and demonstrations given by gardening and flower arranging experts, many of them household names. Outside in the cathedral grounds there were numerous stalls and entertainment for all.

The theme of this year’s festival was fairy tales and under the leadership of artistic director and award winning floral artist, Christopher White, the cathedral was filled with stunning floral displays.

Many from the United Dioceses contributed to the exhibition. Dublin and Glendalough Mothers’ Union decorated a side chapel on the theme of ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’. The Dublin Federation of the ICA took part also with a beautiful display. Among the ICA arrangers were members from the Tallaght Guild from St Maelruain’s Parish.

As part of the festival there was a flower arranging competition. The Best in Show award was presented to nine year old Rachel Lang from Leixlip Union of Parishes who also scooped the Child 8 – 10 category. Leixlip was well represented in the other categories of the competition. Kathleen Harper came first in the diocesan category and first in the open category while Julie McMullan came second in the diocesan category. Patricia Slack of Tallaght ICA was also a winner in the open category.

The prizes were presented by Canon William Deverell.

Photo caption: Rachel Lang, Kathleen Harper, Canon William Deverell, Julie McMullan, Bernie Murphy and Patricia Slack with their award winning creations.

The Houses of the Oireachtas are holding an Interdenominational Service of Prayer in St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin 2, tomorrow, Wednesday, 24 June 2015 at 1.30 p.m. in memory of the victims of the recent tragic events in Berkeley, California.

The Service will be conducted by Canon David Gillespie who will be joined by Archbishop Michael Jackson (Church of Ireland), Bishop Éamonn Walsh (Roman Catholic), Reverend Chris Kennedy (Presbyterian Church) and Reverend Andrew Dougherty (Methodist Church).

Members of the public who wish to attend this service should take their seats by 1.15 p.m.

Kill O’ The Grange Parish, Church of Ireland, is seeking to appoint a FAMILY WORKER.

We are a lively and growing Christian community in South Dublin with an enthusiastic  group of children, young people and volunteers. This is an exciting opportunity to join our ministry team and church family.

Can you?

• Encourage young people and their families to grow in a living faith in Jesus?

• Establish ways of connecting families within the Church and Parish school communities?

• Support a church leadership team in evaluating and assessing a ministry with children and their families?

Do you have:

• A passion to bring young children and families to love and serve the Lord?

• Great communication and organisational skills?

• The ability to be a leader and a team player?

• Relevant qualifications and experience?

This is a part time position with a fixed term contract from date of employment to mid July 2016 for 12 hours per week. We offer ongoing training and support and frequent opportunities for new challenges and responsibilities.

Want to know more?

Contact Rev Arthur Young on +353 –1–289–6442 or mailto:office@kotg.ie for an application form.

Further details are on our website www.kotg.ie

An Taoiseach, An Tainaiste, members of the Cabinet and past and present members of the Houses of the Oireachtas attended an ecumenical Service of Remembrance in St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, today (June 24) for those who lost their lives in Berkeley, California last Tuesday.

The service was led by Canon David Gillespie who was joined by Archbishop Michael Jackson, Bishop Éamonn Walsh (Roman Catholic Church), Reverend Chris Kennedy (Presbyterian Church) and Reverend Andrew Dougherty (Methodist Church) who all participated in the service. Also present were representatives of the Muslim, Jewish and the Quaker communities.

Music at the service was led by the St Ann’s Church Choir, directed by Charles Marshall. The Anthem [In Paradisum, Fauré] was accompanied by harpist, Dianne Marshall.  

In his introduction to the service, Archbishop Jackson said: “We gather today in this city centre church to give thanks for life itself. We gather also to express sorrow and sympathy to the family members and friends of those who have died. We remember with thanksgiving those who in the time of youth and the prime of life have died at home or abroad, in tragic accidents on our roads, in work–related incidents and when engaged in leisure activities. Most particularly at this time we remember those who have died in Berkeley California both those from Ireland and those from elsewhere. We remember also those who continue to fight bravely and painfully for their lives as we speak. Together and in silence let us ask God for strength in our sadness, for love in our lostness and for hope in our helplessness”. 

Within the grounds of the church of St John the Baptist, Drumcondra, is an ancient holy well which for generations has been a part of the historic and ecclesiastical heritage of the area. A number of years ago the well was considered dangerous and was covered over. It has now been fully restored and decorative railings erected around it to define the well site and to ensure safety for those who visit. Traditionally the well has been resorted to by those seeking cures for eye complaints. The well was restored by a number of parishioners and friends.

The well was rededicated at a service of Choral Evensong sung by the choir of Christ Church Cathedral as part of their Diocesan Music Outreach Project. This is a project which seeks to build strong and positive relationships with the parish churches of the dioceses.

The sermon was preached by the Residential Priest Vicar of Christ Church Cathedral, the Revd Garth Bunting, who expressed delight in being invited to preach at such an unusual occasion in the life of the Church of Ireland. He reminded the congregation of the endless possibilities for transformative engagement made possible by the holy well and hoped it would become a place where the whole community could engage and live out the Gospel together.

Reflecting on the occasion after the service Canon Roy Byrne said he was delighted with the well restoration project. He thanked those who had carried out the work and those who had supported the project financially. He noted that the well was an ecumenical place of prayer and devotion, something which could and should be at the spiritual heart of the area. It is his hope that people would simply come and sit beside it in prayer and contemplation, take the waters in whatever way people found spiritually beneficial and use it as an opportunity for engagement with God the creator.

During the service Canon Aisling Shine read a prayer written by the rector Canon Roy Byrne for the occasion:

Almighty God,

to whose glory we celebrate the great spiritual and historic heritage of this holy place.

We give you thanks for all those who in generations past have visited here as pilgrims and strangers

and have encountered the love of your Son.

Help us in our generation to cherish such encounters

and to make this church and holy well a place where strangers become friends

and where your name is ever worshipped and adored;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, will host a summer lunchtime lecture series on ‘Women & the Church’. The series starts tomorrow, Tuesday June 30 and continues each Tuesday lunchtime until July 21.

In a time when so much focus is on the church’s relationship with homosexuality, it is easy to forget that women have until very recently been the Cinderellas of the institution. In a series of four lectures, given by four women: a historian, an archaeologist, an art historian and a priest, the series will explore the role of women and the church ranging from the medieval period to the modern day.

Held in the cathedral’s spacious and refurbished music room, the first of the lectures on Tuesday June 30 will be given by Dr Maeve Callan of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, who has recently published her book The templars, the witch, and the wild Irish: vengeance and heresy in medieval Ireland (Cornell University Press & Four Courts Press, 2015). Her talk will be entitled ‘Witchcraft, heresy, magic & gender in the fourteenth–century Anglo–Irish colony’.

The second lecture will be given on Tuesday July 7 by Tracy Collins, a professional archaeologist who is a co–director of Aegis Archaeology and who is submitting her Ph.D. on ‘An archaeology of female monasticism in medieval Ireland’ in the Department of Archaeology in University College Cork at the end of the year. Her lecture title will be ‘Nuns in medieval Ireland: the other monasticism’.

Emerging from the medieval period, the third lecture will be given on Tuesday July 14 by Dr Clodagh Tait, who has lectured in University College Dublin, the University of Essex and Mary Immaculate College at the University of Limerick. Her topic will be ‘Motherhood from the pages of seventeenth–century parish registers’.

Lastly, the concluding lecture will be given on Tuesday July 21 by a former member of the cathedral chapter and one of the first women ordained in the Church of Ireland, the Revd Canon Dr Virginia Kennerley, entitled ‘25 years at the altar: Have women priests changed the church?’.

All lectures begin at 1.15 pm in the music room and admission is free. The series has been generously supported by the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, and all are most warmly invited to attend.