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News from around the Church of Ireland

News from around the Church of Ireland

Welcome to our weekly round–up of news from around the Church of Ireland’s dioceses and parishes.  Please click on the links in each report to read the full story.

This week’s stories are from:

Belfast Cathedral

Clogher Diocese

Durrus

Jordanstown

East Belfast

Waterford

Lisburn

 

220 charities gather to receive Black Santa funding

Representatives of St Michael's Parish Church and Connor Youth Council who attended the Good Samaritans Service at Belfast Cathedral on February 6. They are pictured with Dean Stephen Forde, and special guests, Conor Burns, Minister of State for Northern Ireland, and Tim McGarry, comedian.
Representatives of St Michael's Parish Church and Connor Youth Council who attended the Good Samaritans Service at Belfast Cathedral on February 6. They are pictured with Dean Stephen Forde, and special guests, Conor Burns, Minister of State for Northern Ireland, and Tim McGarry, comedian.

Representatives of more than 200 charities came together in Belfast Cathedral last Sunday (6th February) for the annual Good Samaritans Service at which £150,000 raised by December’s Black Santa Sit–out was formally distributed.

New Diocesan Curate receives her licence in Clogher Diocese

The Revd Alison Irvine receiving her licence from Bishop Ian Ellis and the Revd John McClenaghan.
The Revd Alison Irvine receiving her licence from Bishop Ian Ellis and the Revd John McClenaghan.

The Revd Alison Irvine began her ministry as a Diocesan Curate on Tuesday, 8th February, serving in some vacant parishes in the Diocese. She is initially allocated to the parishes of Cleenish and Mullaghdun and also providing pastoral cover in Rossorry parish.

St James’ National School, Durrus, on RTÉ

On Monday, 31st January, St James’ National School, Durrus, featured on RTÉ News2Day, the RTÉ children’s news and current affairs programme. The pupils did a feature on the Chinese New Year, which began on 1st February this year. This year is ‘The Year of the Tiger’.

Caroline Willoughby, classroom teacher at St James’s NS, writes: “The pupils dressed up in red and gold to celebrate the ‘year of the tiger’ and created and designed their own lanterns. They wrote their wishes for 2022 for the school wishing tree and also drew dragons. The children got an opportunity to sample some delicious Chinese cuisine. We ended the day with a dragon parade performed by the Junior classroom. It was a wonderful celebration and we were thrilled to be featured on the programme to showcase a flavour of what happens in St James.”

BEM honour for Jordanstown parishioner Mary

Jordanstown parishioner Mary Sinnamon is looking forward to a visit to Hillsborough Castle in the next few months to be presented with a British Empire Medal (BEM). She received the award in Her Majesty the Queen’s New Year Honours List, in recognition of her services to education and the community. A retired school principal and long–time member of Rotary, Mary, 81, and her husband Ronnie have been members of St Patrick’s, Jordanstown, since moving to the area from Monkstown in 1966.

Lagan Area Deanery renews support for Christians Against Poverty

Heather Purdy, Willowfield Parish Community Association.
Heather Purdy, Willowfield Parish Community Association.

Heather Purdy, from the Belfast Central Christians Against Poverty Debt Centre, writes: “The Lagan Area Deanery’s commitment to support the Centre for the next five years is a lifeline and we look forward to building stronger relationships with them as we seek to reach the people of East Belfast.It is wonderful to be able to link people in with a local church. I look forward to seeing the cooperation between the churches grow, as over time, we labour together to see God’s plans work out in East Belfast!

‘Love me but love the Lord’s Planet also’

As consumers, not to mention, old romantics, it’s time to start thinking about flowers in the same way as fruit and vegetables – grown locally or in your own garden, and enjoyed seasonally, when they’re at their best.  The Revd Trevor Sargent writes: “With St Valentine’s Day approaching, it is worth remembering that most imported cut flowers sold in Europe come from equatorial East Africa. However, the single largest producer in the world is Colombia, which exported an estimated 660 million stems in 2020. Other top producers are Ecuador, Sri Lanka, China and Kenya, the latter supplying one–third of all roses sold in the EU.”

TLG transforming young lives in Lisburn

A ‘Transforming Lives for Good’ project is now up and running in Lisburn, with Lisburn Cathedral and Christ Church Parish teaming up to become a centre for the area. Coordinator, Donna Meenagh, and deputy coordinator, the Rev Derek Harrington, curate in Christ Church Parish, said: “It has been a passion of a few to have this valuable resource available to the schools in Lisburn with the help of passionate volunteers.” 

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