The Church of Ireland
Diocesan Press Release

DECEASED MEMBERS OF SYNOD

As is so often the case I can report considerable change in the dioceses throughout the year. We have lost a number of people who served the Church faithfully in different ways throughout the years; William Young was known not only for his music but also as a former member of these synods; Jack Millar who was involved at parochial and council level for many, many years; Elizabeth Ferrar who served the Church faithfully and forcefully at home and abroad; Florence Mahon who was also a valued member of our synods. We remember also with gratitude clergy widows who died during the year namely, Mrs. Blackwell, Mrs. Large and Mrs. Stronge. Many will also mourn the passing of the Reverend Harry Brooks, Dean Maurice Carey, the Reverend Willie Bridcut and the Reverend J. E. Telford. All of them in a variety of ways served the Church faithfully and well and we pray that they rest in peace, which they so richly deserve.

CLERICAL CHANGES

Into retirement goes the Reverend Canon John Bartlett who served in one of the most critical positions in the Church of Ireland, namely Principal of the Church of Ireland Theological College. He served there with distinction and we wish him and his wife Olivia every happiness and fulfilment in retirement. Canon Adrian Empey leaves St. Ann's and St. Stephen's with a sad heart but we wish him well in his new post as Principal of the Theological College and we pray for him as he takes on a heavy responsibility. We also bade goodbye to the Reverends Mark Hayden, Bill Bowder, Leslie Crampton, Dermot Dunne and Lynda Peilow. We wish them all well in their new areas of responsibility and thank them for their service in Dublin and Glendalough. We also remember the Reverend Mark Gardner who thankfully does not leave us but rather takes up the position of Dean's Vicar in Christ Church Cathedral As clerical newcomers we welcome the Reverend Charles Mullen as Dean's Vicar of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Reverend Ian Gallagher to Stillorgan and Blackrock and the Reverend Alan Rufli to the Parish of Holmpatrick and Kenure with Balbriggan and Balrothery. We pray that they may have many happy and fulfilled years in our dioceses. This year there were eighteen candidates for curacies throughout the Church of Ireland and we were indeed fortunate to get four out of the five we required. One of them the Reverend Olivia Williams is from our own dioceses and has gone to Greystones as assistant curate. From outside the dioceses come the Reverends Sonia Gyles to Taney, Sandra Pragnell to Castleknock and François Murenzi to Bray. While welcoming them I also ask you all to remember them in your prayers as they enter their first year as deacons, which is a critical time for them and may well colour their attitude to ministry in the years to come. Please remember too the Rectors concerned as they not only have the privilege of having assistant curates but also the responsibility of training, supporting and encouraging them. Next year there will be only eight or possibly nine ordinands, which means that our dioceses will be fortunate to get one. Already the Bishop of Connor has said that his diocese will need 9 assistant curates next year. So I am sure that you can see the problem.

THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

When I spoke to you last year the last thought in my mind was that this year we would meet under the cloud of what may prove to be war on a large scale. Just as the terrible atrocities of the 11th September will be for ever printed on our minds so may the days of early October 2001. What a ghastly start to a new Millennium. Since that day in September we have been overwhelmed by literally avalanches of words and images - images that we will recall for the rest of our lives. It is certain that now we will be confronted by images even more horrible in the days to come. We all, I am sure, will hope and pray that the barbarism of the 11th September will not be matched by the nature of the retaliation now being inflicted by the Western Coalition. Justice, law and truth may well be added to the human casualties which are the inevitable consequences of war. We pray that we may never lose sight of, or faith in, the compassion and mercy of our Heavenly Father to whom we lift our hearts during these terrible times.

THE DIOCESAN FORUM

However, our lives and those of our parishes and dioceses must go on. Next month there will be two important Diocesan events. The first one is on the 24th November when our Diocesan Forum takes place. Considerable preparation has gone and is going into this event. A wide-ranging consultative process to enable the clergy and people to have input into the Forum has taken place. An essential part of this was the holding of highly successful rural deanery meetings attended by the clergy and four lay representatives of each parish. We are indeed fortunate to have obtained the highly skilled services of Mr. David Meredith to be the facilitator, not only for the preparatory meetings, but also for the Forum itself. We are most grateful to Mr. Geoffrey Perrin who has co-ordinated the work of the organising Committee with enthusiasm and competence. It is going to be a very busy day so much care has also been taken with regard to strict timetabling. It will be a unique occasion in the history of our dioceses and possibly in the Church of Ireland although I cannot be certain of that. What I can be certain of is that this day affords a wonderful opportunity for people to give serious consideration as to how the dioceses ought best to fulfil our mission. It is our hope that people with new ideas will not only express their views but also give some ideas about how the dioceses can best put them into practice. Last year at these synods as I made a note of the matters that people felt needed urgent attention, the Diocesan Secretary whispered to me that if all these demands were met we would need to increase our parochial assessments by a minimum of 20%. That is why we need not only the raising of problems but also how we may best deal with them. I look forward to the day with keen anticipation. Information regarding this day is to be found on our Diocesan website, which has been in action since last August but which officially starts this evening. I would like to congratulate all those responsible for setting it up. It should perform a very important role in the wide area of communication and I hope that it will be used imaginatively.

A CELEBRATION OF OUR ONENESS IN CHRIST

I also look forward to what should be a great service in Christ Church Cathedral on the 30th November - a 'Celebration of Our Oneness in Christ'. This is the brainchild of our Diocesan Council for Mission and deserves the support of every parish in the dioceses. Racism is an increasing evil in our society and any effort to combat it is to be applauded. Recently someone from this diocese told me of an experience her husband had. He is a doctor who happens to be an Egyptian and Coptic Christian. He is doing locum work here in the city. He had been working with someone in this capacity for several weeks and told her that he was going to do a locum in another area of the city. "Oh" she said "I'm sorry for you because that area is full of immigrants". You see don't you that because she knew him she never thought of him being a foreigner himself very revealing. You will receive much more information about this service later on in the report of the Council for Mission. I wish simply to support it very strongly indeed and to ask for support for it throughout the parishes.

THE TWO TRIBES' MENTALITY

In the last while I have read two articles that most definitely caused me to pause and reflect. The first was by the well-known Religious Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times, Mr. Patsy McGarry. It was a hard-hitting but very fair commentary entitled 'Two Tribes'. Except in one minor detail, which was right in the reporting but wrong in the conclusion, it was an accurate and disturbing commentary. It was written close to Drumcree this year and therefore mostly about the Churches in Northern Ireland but I felt, with a strong resonance for the Churches here in the Republic as well, for the main line Churches that do not recognise political borders in their ecclesiastical institutions. 'The Two Tribes' of course, are the religious/political divides in our land.

The writer starts off comfortably enough by going to far away Macedonia in order to illustrate the main thrust of his article. One, Father Methody, stands in the candlelit gloom of his Orthodox Church and points to a large crucifix and says "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". 'Them' refers to the then bombing of Kosovo by NATO warplanes. In other words he is identifying the bombed Serbs with the crucified Christ in a belief shared by the majority of his people. He had nothing whatsoever to say about the intense suffering of the Kosovar Muslim Albanians, nor did it strike him that there was anything wrong with this silence. The Kosovar Albanians belonged to another tribe.

Of course, to pass judgement in far away lands is easy but when we apply the same criteria to our own island matters become decidedly uncomfortable. If you doubt the identification of religion with politics just drive for a few miles in Northern Ireland and you will get the message. In one place the houses are bedecked with tricolours and in another with the union flags. One can be sure that these flags represent not only political views but religious ones as well. Flags also illustrate vividly the identification of the 'Two Tribes'.

MY SECONDARY EDUCATION WAS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

In Portora Royal School in Enniskillen. We never studied any Irish history or very little of it - it seemed to be all about the British Empire. One of the books I remember was heavier than our new hymn book but much more boring. However, we had an excellent history teacher who was a southerner by birth and he managed to slip in some Irish history when examination pressures were off. I cannot remember much being made of Irish literature except, once again that which was slipped in by an enlightened teacher. In other words we belonged to our own tribe and by all means kept it that way. In that school we had mock elections in order to give us an idea of how politics worked. One year I was elected as leader of the nationalist party and I was allowed to go and interview a veteran nationalist politician and a delightful man. It was from him that I learned about gerrymandering - I had never heard of it before. Did any Church of Ireland bishops raise that issue in public? I doubt it very much but then I suppose I did not listen to what they were saying no more than many young people do today!

THE HORRENDOUS EVENTS AT ARDOYNE

But of course, disenfranchised by gerrymandering had its effect on the other tribe. The tragic thing, of course, is that nothing has changed very much, in fact the two tribes seem to be more entrenched than ever, despite the brave efforts of community workers and Church people at local level. As witness to that fact we have only to reflect on the horrendous events at Ardoyne. The disgusting scenes were witnessed worldwide and once again brought disgrace on us all. But much more important than that is the dreadful effect those happenings are having on little children. Could anyone who claimed to be a Christian of whatever hue participate in such events? Would Christ hurl abuse and spit upon children? Would Christ hurl bottles and stones at them? Would Christ place a pipe bomb that could have killed and maimed those little ones? Need I go on, need I answer those questions? If they know anything at all about the Bible they would know that Jesus is saying some chilling words to His followers regarding harm done to His little ones "but whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin (or to stumble) it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea". Mind you, despite many letters and comments in the media I believe that it was also highly irresponsible for the parents concerned to subject their children to such foul abuse.

THE LOYALIST PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED TOO

The loyalist people in the Ardoyne obviously have many problems and fears and have suffered much at the hands of the IRA and their corrupt followers. They, too, cannot walk in safety through streets in the area without being subjected to verbal and physical abuse. They are fearful for their future and that is not helped by the political vacuum of the present time. None of us would like to be in their precarious position. Nevertheless, there must be other ways of highlighting their problems rather than by abusing children. Sometimes people in the North say to us that we do not really understand and there is some truth in that. However, we do have the ability to judge between right and wrong and those events to which I have been referring were utterly and definitely wrong.

What about the Republic? Few young people will have heard of the boycott at Fethard-on-Sea and the terrible tension, which that caused at that time in 1957, indeed a film, has been made of it entitled 'A Love Divided'. Few will have endured the gauntlet of stone throwing and abuse of Church of Ireland children by Roman Catholic children coming home in small numbers from their school. I well remember the terror of cycling home from school to face such a confrontation. My father, a Church of Ireland Rector, asked the Roman Catholic parish priest to put a stop to it but he refused and other arrangements had to be made for our protection. We were different. We belonged to the other tribe. More will remember the iniquitous Ne Temere decree and its devastating effects on the Protestant population. So one could go on and on while at the same time acknowledging that many such incidents grew out of historical divisions and one must admit that our tribe, as it were, can not claim to have had lily-white hands at all times.

We must acknowledge, however, that there has been a huge change in attitudes in the Republic in more recent times. Another Fethard-on-Sea would be unthinkable, as would the Taoiseach and his cabinet standing outside St. Patrick's Cathedral for the funeral of a Church of Ireland President, as was the case at Douglas Hyde's funeral. The Ne Temere decree has gone but its effects are still with us and the matter of inter-Church marriage, although improved, still leaves a lot to be desired. There is widespread co-operation at the local level between clergy and parishes, which continues to endure despite the hard-hitting documents, One Bread, One Body and Dominus Iesus. As so often happens ordinary people have a knack of being ahead of their ecclesiastical authorities!

I have strayed from Mr. McGarry's fine article but I think that I have been faithful to its main thrust. However, I must conclude by quoting part of his article. He asks and I quote, "Where has been the courage and imagination that might have retold the story of the Good Samaritan, for instance, in terms of our two tribes? That might cast, as an example, Portadown District Master, Harold Gracey; as the victim, with Breandán MacCionnaith of the Garvahy Road, as its Samaritan or vice versa to illustrate what a real Christian would be about in the North. In Ireland, as elsewhere, it would greatly help if Christianity were to divest itself of national identities and concentrate instead on promoting its core universal message. That after all is what it is supposed to do," end of quote. Indeed it is, Mr. McGarry and it has inspired an idea in my own mind which I hope to explore further when my thoughts are more crystallised. You see I am not in this instance paying homage to that in word 'transparency'!

The thought of Christianity putting aside other matters 'to concentrate instead on promoting its core universal message', leads me to that second article or address which I mentioned a few moments ago. It was given by Cormac Cardinal Murphy O'Connor to the National Council of Priests in England and Wales last month. The thrust of his address was based on words from Psalm 137 quote "How can I sing a song of the Lord on alien soil. If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right-hand wither. May my tongue remain stuck to my palate, if I do not keep you in mind, if I do not count Jerusalem the greater of all my joys." The Psalmist was telling of the captivity of his people in far-off Babylon and the difficulty of singing their song in an alien land. The Cardinal then went on to speak of such things as the consumer society and the poverty of spirit, which is a consequence of it. "There is indifference to Christian values" he said "and to the Church among many young people and indeed not so young. If you couple that with the sketch of the culture in which we live, you see quite a demoralised society, one where the only good is what I want, the only rights are my own and the only life with any meaning or value is the life I want for myself," end of quote. He is speaking of the English scene that is not quite the same as ours as yet as yet. However, I believe that we are well on the way and we see ample evidence of that in our own society.

A DEEP SPIRITUAL HUNGER IN IRELAND

But there is also evidence of a spiritual hunger a deep spiritual hunger, which gnaws away at the hearts of many, many people. I think of the millions who came to devotions surrounding the relics of St. Thérèse. Many will see that as an act of superstition but I believe that there was more to it than that. Certainly such acts do not belong to our tradition but obviously they struck a chord with many, many people. More akin to our spiritual tradition was the publication of the Glenstal Prayer Book and the quite extraordinary response to it in terms of sales. We share much in common with the Benedictine tradition and we can only rejoice at the chord, which it has struck, in the hearts of so many people of different Christian traditions. Yet despite these encouraging signs we know that there is a falling away from all the mainline churches that is evident, but to be disheartened is to be unfaithful to the Gospel that breathes hope, joy, renewal, forgiveness, faith and love, love for all of God's people, encouraging them, caring for them, for God loves us in all our frailty and vulnerability. I detest the use of that term 'our Church' for it suggests that it is our strength, our work alone that will bring about restoration and renewal. It is not 'our Church' it is Christ's Church and we in the Church of Ireland are but a tiny part of the universal Church. But small as we are I am convinced that we have a vital part to play in our society today. We do not claim to be the one true Church but simply base our appeal upon the scriptures, tradition and reason. We do not have the answer to all of the complex questions that face us today but Christianity has a long and deep reservoir of belief and tradition, which can throw light on these complexities.

CHURCHES MUST GIVE MORAL LEADERSHIP

But more basic even than confronting complex issues is the giving of moral leadership in society. It would be true to say that there is a vacuum here which the Churches are failing to fill. There is a lack of nerve on the part of the Churches in this area. The Church of Ireland has for so long kept its head beneath the parapet that it is only in the last few years of the last century it has begun to speak out with a degree of confidence, and that spasmodically. Maybe too, it is because there is a fear that proclaiming Christian moral values will not be seen as 'cool' or 'with it' or whatever colloquialism is in vogue at the moment. (Now that we have no teenagers left in the family I am somewhat lacking in terms of understanding current language!)

However, I believe that teenagers respect and need guidance for and in their lives. Some years ago with a Roman Catholic priest we were talking with a group of teenagers who were dropouts in the churchgoing sense. At one point they were complaining about the times their parents expected them to be home at night. Of course, they wanted to know what we the clergy thought of that. We looked at one another rather uncertainly but before we could say a word a teenager, nominally one of my parishioners said "I wish that my parents cared enough to worry about what time I got home". We were all silenced but I have never forgotten that or its effect on the others in the group.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE CONTINUES TO BE THE NORM FOR CHRISTIANS

This brings me naturally to marriage. We recognise the stresses and strains that are evident in marriage today and there are those who in increasing numbers and for a variety of reasons fail to keep their marriage vows. There are many others who feel that they cannot commit themselves to a monogamous lifelong relationship and they too need pastoral care. However, we cannot say often enough that marriage and family life continues to be the norm for Christians. It is not simply a question of careful marriage preparation, important as that obviously is but it is also the encouraging of those who are already married. It is to help them to know that the quality of their marriage and family life is the most important contribution they can make to society today. With society in flux and 'mé féinism' on the upsurge, with personal rights being emphasised above personal responsibilities more and more pressure is being exerted on married home life. I would like you to listen to a quotation the source of which I will not reveal until it concludes.

"We have divorced sex from love, love from commitment, marriage from having children and having children from responsibility for their care. That extraordinary institution marriage which brought together sexuality, emotional kinship and the creation of new life and wove them into a moral partnership, suffused by love, has been exploded as effectively as if someone had planted a bomb in the centre of our moral life," end of quote. That penetrating quotation does not come from a Christian leader but from Dr. Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi in England, and all I can say to the sentiments expressed is AMEN. Marriage at its best is a powerful witness to a distracted society and deserves all the support and encouragement we can give it. The Mothers' Union is a strong witness in this matter and as such deserves encouragement in every parish in our land.

While marriage and home life are basic to the stability of society our responsibility as a Church does not end there. For the past few weeks I have been trying to express where the authentic voice of the Church resides. As commentators on society we are not pseudo-sociologists or pseudo-politicians. Our responsibility in these areas and indeed the responsibility of others as well, is to bring as best we can the light of the Biblical tradition to bear on society. Sometimes this authentic voice must speak in terms of condemnation; at other times it needs to speak of compassion, hope and love. Indeed even the words of condemnation need to spring from love and not hate. Take the Ten Commandments are they really 'old hat'? Do they have any relevance to life in the 21st century? I for one believe that they are very relevant and we ought to have the courage to speak of them more frequently than we do. "You shall have no other gods but me; you shall not make for yourself any idol". Have we not plenty of other gods today at whose temples many worship, such as consumerism, sexual permissiveness, power for its own sake and even sport, to name but a few of today's idols. "Remember the Lord's day and keep it holy". For many in our society it is not kept let alone kept holy. Huge shopping centres do a blazing trade while sheltering under a facile excuse that they are merely serving the public. It is strange that such centres in Germany, for example, manage to serve the public very well without Sunday opening. It is wrong, wrong, wrong from a Christian point of view. Indeed it is wrong from a purely human point of view. The wisdom of old in making provision for a day of rest is as valid today as it was then.

OMAGH BOMBERS HAVE NOT BEEN BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

"You shall not murder". Few weeks pass by without reports of murders, maiming, and beatings within an inch of death. The paramilitaries in the North have wreaked death in thousands and yet some of these murderers have become folk heroes. The Omagh bombers have not been brought to trial, though there must be a number of people who know who they are and yet remain silent and are therefore implicated in the act.

Then, of course, there is the Gospel itself full of joy, hope, faith, compassion and above all love. We sing 'we have a Gospel to proclaim'. Well let's proclaim it. Let us have the courage to proclaim to all parts of society the Christ and Him crucified, the Christ and Him resurrected. The Cross rises above the distractedness of modern society it rises above greed, hatred, 'mé féinism' and terrorism it challenges us with its message of unconditional love. It speaks of hope to the most vulnerable in our society, it speaks to the suffering and the dying; it speaks to the sinner with its powerful message of redemption. The empty cross speaks of the glorious Resurrection reminding us that even death has been defeated. What an extraordinary powerful message we have to proclaim. What a song we have to sing in an environment which is often alien. We sing an old song albeit that in each generation we are challenged to find a new tune to which we sing it. We have faithful and committed clergy, we have committed and talented lay people. We have the Word and the Sacraments. God has given us all we need so in the power of the Holy Spirit let us sing His song in an 'alien land'.