Irish Times Notes09 Dec 17

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Ordained Local Ministry

One of the more remarkable aspects of the Church of Ireland has been its ability to accommodate new models of ministry. Auxiliary ministers (now NSMs) who have a ‘day job’ and who help out when they are free have been readily accepted, women’s ordained ministry has been more widely embraced than once was feared, lay readers are a standard feature of diocesan life and even lay chaplains, who once would have been thought of as a contradiction in terms, are no longer seen as unusual.

Now, the Church of Ireland, along with the Methodist Church in Ireland, has been developing a course of training for those who wish to offer themselves for service as an ordained local minister. Training for ordained local ministry (OLM) is now due to begin in September 2018 and applications for the training next September should be submitted to Diocesan Directors of Ordinands by the end of January 2018 (at the latest). An ordained local minister will not be an incumbent of a parish but will be someone who can exercise some leadership role within a local congregation – the nature of their deployment may vary from diocese to diocese.

The bishops have put together a Selection Process with Criteria for OLM. Central to it is a sense of God’s call. Those applying must be baptised and confirmed members of the Church of Ireland with a sense of their vocation to this particular ministry; a vocation which in the first instance may have been locally identified. Their personal commitment, spirituality, character, leadership potential and flexibility will be assessed during the selection process. Selection itself will be undertaken in each diocese to reflect the local or diocesan nature of this ministry. Those wishing to pursue OLM should speak to their Diocesan Director of Ordinands.

Today (Saturday) at 1pm the Mornington Singers, directed by Orla Flanagan, will present ‘Noel: A Feast of Beautiful Christmas Carols Old and New’ in St Ann’s church, Dublin, and they will sing again on Saturday 16 December in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, at 8pm.
 
Tomorrow (Sunday) at 5pm there will be an Advent Carol Service in St Edan’s cathedral, Ferns, at which Canon Ruth Elmes will be installed and admitted to the Chapter while in St Patrick’s cathedral, Trim, at 7.30pm there will be a Service of Nine Lessons and Carols led by Meath Diocesan Choir.

A Christmas Tree Festival Carol Service will be held in St James church, Castledermot, tomorrow (Sunday) while in Nenagh the Christmas Tree Festival begins in St Mary’s church on Wednesday and concludes with a Choral Service next Sunday.

On Monday evening at 5.30pm in the Music Room of Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, the Bishop of Limerick & Killaloe, Dr Kenneth Kearon, will launch Journeying in Faith: A Walk with Christ, by Canon Cecil Hyland, which has been published by Church of Ireland Publishing, and on Tuesday in Christ Church the annual Peata Therapy Dogs Carol Service will take place at 1.15pm.

On Wednesday at 2.45pm the Archbishop of Dublin will attend the launch of the Black Santa Charity Appeal at St Ann’s church, Dublin, and on Thursday he will preside at the institution of the Rev Jack Kinkead as Rector of Wicklow & Killiskey.

In St Anne’s church, Killanne, Co. Wexford, on Friday evening the Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory will institute the Revd Ian Cruickshank as Rector of the Killanne union of parishes. Mr Cruickshank has been Priest–in–Charge of St Brendan’s, Sydenham, in the Diocese of Down since 2015.