The Church of Ireland
Diocesan Press Release

This is the fifth time that I have addressed this Diocesan Synod. On each other occasion the two Diocesan Synods in this United Dioceses met within forty-eight hours of one another, and I have delivered to each Synod the same Presidential Address with only minor changes. This year the separation by a couple of weeks gives me the opportunity of sparing you having to listen to what you have read elsewhere, perhaps on the diocesan website, and also allows me to address some other issues. Nevertheless on this occasion, I wish to convey again the main theme of my message to the Diocese of Cashel and Ossory, a theme which you will have noted in the Diocesan Magazine, and about which many of you have written to me, or spoken with me in a very positive manner. There will therefore be some inevitable repetition.

PASSING ON FAITH

Our Theme can be expressed very simply. WE HAVE A FAITH TO PASS ON - ARE WE PASSING IT ON? I will address first the question at the end of the statement. How successful is our generation being in passing on the Faith in Jesus Christ? Teachers tell us that an increasing number of young children at school no longer seem to be taught at home to say their prayers, nor have they learnt much about Jesus Christ. Some homes may be careless about matters of faith, but others are definitely downright antagonistic.

It has to be realised that people have less need of the Church as an institution nowadays, but this lessening need is not being filled in most instances by some type of more informal Christian commitment. What we are seeing is really the outworking of a growing secularism at every level of life. Church attendance in Ireland is still remarkably high compared with most of Western Europe, but it must be asked how much this reflects cultural patterns in what is in many parts of the country still a fairly settled society. But this is changing fast. These same cultural ties are not holding people to faith as they move away from their home setting. Strangely in Ireland, more than in many countries with a much lower level of religious observance, it is a struggle to get Religious Education taken seriously above Primary Level, whatever the problems at Primary level may be, as already mentioned. We need to be aware just how serious religious ignorance in a society actually is. Ignorance fuels fundamentalism and fanaticism of the worst types, and it also leads to blind prejudice. A great deal of the religious division in our own land is built on such ignorance and prejudice.

It is not that we have got our worship all wrong - or that what we are doing week by week is to be rejected. It is not that the patterns of parish visitation have had to change with lifestyle changes and with extended parishes. It is not that Sunday is disappearing, however much you and I may regret that fact. It is not even as some people have suggested to me that the Ten Commandments are seldom heard or the Church Catechism no longer learnt by heart! I have heard all these reasons for the fact that the faith is not being passed on effectively to a younger generation. It goes much deeper than any of this.

The Good News of Jesus Christ is not getting across in many instances as life-changing and converting Gospel. It may be faithfully preached and indeed speak to the hearts of a few, but somehow it is not reaching the many. In fact the preaching at public worship, however necessary and valuable a part of that worship it surely must be - and I believe it to be so - is no longer the chief way that people are hearing Gospel and coming to faith today. Preaching is a valuable teaching tool, but it is limited in its scope, compared with the many different ways in which people learn today.

You will have heard that a small group has been formed within our United Dioceses called VISION 2020. This group is assisting us to discover where God is leading us as a Church in the coming decades - what God may be asking of us, and what the Church and its ministry might be. I do not want to pre-empt that work. But I would say quite clearly that God will not use us as a part of the Vision for the future unless we are very firmly grounded in the life of God today.

Let me bring you back to that statement that I made a few minutes ago: WE HAVE A FAITH TO PASS ON - ARE WE PASSING IT ON? I want to put a question mark now at the end of the fist phrase too - We have a faith to pass on - Do we? The need is for us all to get a firmer grasp on the basics of the Christian Gospel. We need to learn more about Jesus so that we can really know him for ourselves. We need to learn more about prayer, so that we can really maintain that relationship. We need to experience more of God's forgiveness in our own lives so that we may be transformed to forgive. We need to experience more of what it is to really commit ourselves to Jesus Christ so that we may know the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to really ask how we discover God's way in our daily living.

We do all this not simply by listening to sermons - we need to get down to serious study in our parishes. We need to talk together, we need to share together, and we need to pray together. Yes, we may indeed feel the need to learn more, but learning in this context can be that real learning. There are many people in all our parishes that are living very close to God. These people may not be public speakers, but they would have something really worthwhile to give in a small group of friends or of fellow parishioners.

Some parishes are already using Alpha Courses, others Emmaus Courses - it does not matter what they are called or what particular resources we find to be the most helpful. What does matter is that we are taking seriously in our parishes the need to deepen faith and ultimately to share that faith. There may be few people at first who take the opportunities offered, but the life of the parish can be greatly renewed through the few who are prepared to dig deep, to pray hard. This is something that God uses.

Next year as I go around the parishes, I am going to make a point of asking each parish what they are doing other than Sunday worship to provide and encourage opportunities for growing in the faith, and learning about prayer. I do not want to put anybody, lay person or cleric on a guilt trip! However I want to give you a lead in this area. We cannot wait around expecting that it will all be alright in the end, and that somehow things can go on for another generation just as they are doing at the moment.

There are in all our parishes nominal members of the church, excellent people, good parents, good community people, members of our very own families, but they have plenty to occupy them and they do not feel the need of the church or of public worship. These same people may not at this moment be attracted to the worshipping community but they are thinking in many cases about deep issues - never more so than in the last couple of months - these people may well seize an open opportunity to share issues of faith. Experience in other places would suggest that there are many who would welcome the possibility of honest exploration. It is up to the Church to provide imaginative opportunities.

Please try to avoid dismissing every change by placing a label on it - whether it is evangelical or catholic, charismatic or traditional, radical or conservative, simplistic or liberal, faith calls us to change, and to seize opportunities. Our priority must be the telling of the Good News of Jesus in such a way as it can be heard today.

THIS DIOCESAN SYNOD

Moving on from the fundamental challenge facing the Church in the United Dioceses and indeed facing the whole Christian Church, I want to look at our Synod today for a moment or two.

From time to time at this Synod in previous years, and in many other dioceses too, a certain frustration arises as to what we are about. I must tell you that the business of a Diocesan Synod is basically administrative. I must also recognise that for many people, it is the only Church forum that they have beyond the parish level. More is therefore asked of a Synod than it can deliver due to its structure and essential constitutional business. Diocesan Synods cannot be compared to General Synod which has many Boards and Commissions reporting to it, giving it a very wide mandate. The smaller a diocese the greater the limit placed on the work that the Diocesan Synod has to survey.

In the light of this I will say three things briefly.

IDEAS FROM GENERAL SYNOD REVIEW

The first is that the proposed and rejected review of General Synod had some positive ideas to draw Diocesan Synods further into the consultative process as the Church as a whole made its decisions and reviewed its work. This General Synod review however did not succeed, and so its good ideas could be buried as much as those suggestions which were rejected out of hand. I hope that we will not lose sight of the ideas for greater Diocesan Synod involvement in the central life of the Church of Ireland - where the Church interfaces with society and culture in a more focussed way.

A DIOCESAN FORUM

Second there is a positive suggestion within our own United Dioceses that we should have a Diocesan Forum quite distinct from the Diocesan Synods. I hope that this idea will be further explored, and especially by the Vision 2020 Group. I think that that the sort of plan that could be implemented in such a forum would provide for both smaller group work and plenary sessions, perhaps with some outside speakers. This is quite different from the business of a Diocesan Synod. Further the membership of a Forum could be more representative and larger than the elected membership of a Diocesan Synod.

ONE DIOCESAN SYNOD?

Third, it has been suggested to me, and indeed by some born and bred in Ferns, that the time has come to think of having one Diocesan Synod for our whole United Dioceses. It would be a much bigger Synod, but a much more varied one for all that. It would save a great deal of duplication of work that is being done separately in each diocese, freeing many from burdensome administration. It would also allow us to develop ways of coping with an increasing administrative load that society requires of us as we manage property, buildings, schools, employment issues, legal matters, insurance matters, safety matters and child protection - to say nothing of communication. Of course there are things that could continue to be done more locally as already occurs within our sister diocese of Cashel & Ossory, but one United Diocese would provide scope for more work to be undertaken together in both mission and social issues.

OUR INTERFACE WITH SOCIETY

I have dealt with the fundamental direction of the Church as we seek to pass on faith, and I have dealt with internal diocesan matters, but it would be remiss of me if I were not to mention matters that may be on our minds at the moment, and those that may shortly concern us.

WAR

On the international scene we have been spectators to terrorism, to violence and to war, and in a manner in which we never expected. At times the dividing lines seem clear between evil and good. At times these lines are confused. The suffering of non-combatants and little children shocks us to the core. It would be marvellous to see it so clearly and to be able to say that all that is happening is totally wrong, or on the other hand to say that all that has been done since September is totally justified. Most of us cannot answer it so simply. We must listen to one another.

There are two things that we can do. The first is to do what an elderly parishioner in one of our parishes told me. She asked me how to pray because she was so confused by it all. It was getting to her hour after hour on the Television. She said that all she could do was simply pray the Lord's Prayer. I could give her no better advice. I share her insight with you.

As well as praying there is a second thing asked of us. There is a huge humanitarian aspect to all this. Quite apart from the Refugees, the fall in the world economy will affect the poorest nations more than the rest of us. The Bishops' Appeal for World Development asks your support, and I know you will respond as generously as you always have done. There will be a collection throughout the Church of Ireland on Sunday November 18th for the Afghanistan Refugee Appeal. This is coming between our Harvest giving to the Bishops' Appeal and our Christmas giving. It is hoped that the generous response that we can expect in November will not reduce those other vital times of giving that maintain our ongoing commitment as a Church to world development and humanitarian issues.

ABORTION

We are about to be drawn into another Abortion Referendum. There are all sorts of political reasons for this, but it is the ethical issues that concern us. Issues of life, of health, of compassion all enter into this for us as Christians.

The Church of Ireland has always taken the view that this is a very complex matter that cannot be answered precisely by Constitutional amendment and that it requires careful legislation. Our concern has traditionally been expressed in a concern for the life of the mother and of the unborn, but not for the unborn to such an extent as to cause grave risk to the life of the mother.

Anglicans are generally pro-life and I have yet to see a Church statement approving abortion as a means of birth control, or as a convenience to a mother. But I have often heard Anglicans saying that provision must be made for abortion after a rape, when a life instead of being created naturally, even by mistake, is created violently and without consent. Equally compassion would find it very hard to criminalize a frightened and desperate young girl who seeks an abortion. There are no easy black and white answers in these sad cases, and it is ridiculous to imagine that it can be solved by rigid legislation or in any other precisely defined manner.

It would seem that the proposals on the table follow both the legislative and the constitutional route. It is sad that they are only considered practical because we can export our problem cases to Britain. But it will be up to the people now to make up their own minds. What is vital is that we avoid a bitter and divisive campaign. The issues can be laid before us and we can decide for ourselves.

Those who say "No" to abortion in any and all circumstances are entitled to be called "Pro-Life", so far as the unborn are concerned. Those who say "No" to abortion in most circumstances and who make very few exceptions but place the actual life of the mother above that of the unborn are equally entitled to be called "Pro-Life". The debate must not be about two opposing camps, or about placing the Christian Churches in different camps. The debate should be about whether the proposals to be put to us achieve what we believe to be a reasonable framework to take account of the complexity of the problem. I will study the wording very carefully before I finally make up my own mind how to vote.

THANKS

I want to pay tribute to the Archdeacon today - his wisdom and loyalty are known to us all, and especially to me. However to that I must add the phenomenal workload he has carried in the care of vacant parishes. He is a true pastor who shares in my oversight of the diocese in a very unique way.

Joan Deacon has as usual brought us through another year with good humour, efficiency and hard work. Thank you. I also thank all those who serve on Council, on sub-committees and who carry so much of a burden for us all. I thank Denise Hughes my own secretary, and last but by no means least my own wife for the work she does behind the scenes helping me with my own work and enabling me to do it.

One of the longest serving clergy in the diocese died this past year. Tom Hewitt began his ministry of about sixty years in the Diocese of Ferns, in the parishes of Ardamine and of Glascaririg, continued it in London, then for many years in Abbeyleix, followed by a long post-retirement ministry in Stradbally, Co.Waterford. He served in all three segments of our United Dioceses. We thank God on every remembrance of him. May he rest in God's peace.

Within the diocese I welcome:

The Revd Mark Hayden and his wife Lorraine to the Gorey Group,
The Revd Dermot Dunne and his wife Celia to the Kilcommon Group
The Revd Roger Harmsworth and his wife Mavis to the Killanne Group, though he comes no further than from Portlaoise within our United Dioceses.
The Revd Paul Neiland to the Enniscorthy Group as an Auxiliary Deacon.
I also welcome to this Synod the Revd Philip Heak, our Youth Officer.

Elsewhere in the United Dioceses we have welcomed:

The Revd Cliff Jeffers to the Clonenagh Group
The Revd Peter Cole-Baker to the Templemore Group
The Revd Tony Whiting to a post-retirement ministry in Stradbally Co Waterford.

Finally I pay tribute to all who serve with me in the ministry, to the Rectors and to all those Auxiliary Clergy, Retired Clergy and Readers who assist the Rectors in their work. I thank all who serve on vestries and who maintain the life of our parishes. May God bless each one of us in our work for him, and may God guide our Synod today.