Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Appeal for the suffering in South Sudan
The Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal is encouraging people to give generously to alleviate the suffering in South Sudan. For the first time in six years, famine has been declared. Following over three years of conflict in South Sudan, 100,000 people are facing starvation, with another 1 million on the brink of famine. Ongoing fighting in the world’s newest country has resulted in the mass internal displacement of people, the destruction of crops and livelihoods, a rise in food prices and the collapse of the economy.
South Sudan is in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The people in the worst affected areas need food and safe drinking water immediately, and they also need commitment to addressing the root causes of the crisis in the long term.
Bishops’ Appeal is partnering with Christian Aid and Tearfund, who are responding to this emergency but also have ongoing projects within South Sudan that seek to develop long–term solutions to the conflict and the insecurity. Christian Aid’s partners have been distributing farming tools and seeds as well as providing agricultural training in Unity State, to help families get back on their feet. Tearfund has recently been involved in a food distribution project in the north of the country. Parishes are asked to consider holding a church collection or giving what they can towards this cause.
Donations can be forwarded to Bishops’ Appeal, Church of Ireland House, Church Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin 6.?Further details of how to give are on the Bishops’ Appeal website: www.bishopsappeal.ireland.anglican.org/give
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning RTÉ 1 television will broadcast a Service of the Word with a congregation from Holy Trinity church, Rathmines, led by the vicar, the Revd Rob Jones, while in Dungiven the Bishop of Derry will preside at a service to mark the 200th anniversary of the parish church.
On Monday a new series of candle–lit film evenings entitled ‘Sun, Sea and Soil: Our Planet in the 21st Century’ begins in the Music Room of Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, at 6.30pm. The first screening will be of the 1973 classic sci–fi vision of an over–populated world, Soylent Green which will be introduced by The Irish Times film critic, Donald Clarke.
There will be a special meeting of the Dublin & Glendalough Diocesan Synods on Tuesday evening in the Church of St John the Baptist, Clontarf, at 7.30pm. The Synods will elect a member of the clergy to the prebendal stall of Dunlavin in St Patrick’s cathedral which is vacant following the election of Canon Horace McKinley as Treasurer of St Patrick’s. In the Athy Parish Centre at 8pm Dr Philip Knowles will lead a workshop for the West Glendalough branches of the Mothers’ Union on the theme ‘Jesus, the Truth’.
The lunchtime concert series at St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, recommences on Wednesday with an organ recital at 1.15pm when Peter Barley will play music by J.S. Bach and Franck. In the Armagh Robinson Library at 7.30pm Professor Moya Haslett from QUB will give a lecture on ‘The Age of Female Authors: Women Writers in the 18th Century’. The lecture will mark International Women’s Day and also relates to the current exhibition on women writers in the Library.
The annual Quiet Day of Affirming Catholicism Ireland will take place on Saturday 11 March in St Mary’s church, Ballymascanlan, from 10.30am until 3.30pm. The leader will be Revd Garth Bunting, Rector of Drumcondra & North Strand. There is no fee but participants should bring a packed lunch.
Published in the Saturday edition of The Irish Times