Irish Times Notes14 Aug 18

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

New Dean of Ossory

On Thursday evening in St Canice’s cathedral, Kilkenny, the Bishop of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory, the Rt Revd Michael Burrows, will institute the Revd David McDonnell to the incumbency of the Kilkenny union of parishes which is comprised of St Canice’s and St John’s, Kilkenny, and Aghour and Freshford. He will then be installed as Dean of Ossory.

The new Dean is 37 years old and originally from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan. He trained initially as a primary school teacher and taught for five years in Gaelscoil Cnoc Liamhna in Dublin. He was ordained in 2009 for the curacy of the Christ Church cathedral group of parishes, Dublin, where he served from 2009 to 2014, and where he was particularly active in developing the ministry of the historic St Werburgh’s church. While in Dublin he was also Treasurer’s Vicar of St Patrick’s cathedral from 2011 to 2014 and Assistant Chaplain to St James’ Hospital. Since 2014 he has been Rector of the Dunfanaghy group of parishes in Co. Donegal. He has a keen interest in the music and liturgy of the Church and enjoys the arts, history and the great outdoors.

National Heritage Week concludes today (Saturday). In Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, there will be a recital by the Organ Scholar, Caroline Richards, at 1.45pm and from 2 to 4pm the story of Strongbow and Aoife will be related by storyteller and art historian Jean Ryan, inspired by artworks in the cathedral and the National Gallery. In Castledermot, Co. Kildare, birthplace of St Laurence O’Toole, St James’ parish church will be open from 11am to 3pm with local historical information available.

Tomorrow (Sunday) the services in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, will be sung by the Past Choristers. In All Saints church, Mullingar, there will be a Service of Blessing of the Animals.

The Down and Dromore Bible Week begins on Tuesday and continues until Friday beginning each evening at 7.45pm in Willowfield parish church, Belfast. This year the guest speaker is the Rt Revd Grant LeMarquand who will speak on the Book of Revelation. Formerly Area Bishop for the Horn of Africa, Bishop LeMarquand is a Canadian missionary and a gifted Bible teacher. He and his wife Wendy most recently served in Gambella, Ethiopia.

Next Friday evening in Killeevan parish church the Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd John McDowell, will institute the Revd Roy Taylor as Rector of the grouped parishes of Clones, Killeevan, Currin and Newbliss. Mr Taylor was ordained in the Diocese of Blackburn and has served in the Church of England, as well as the Diocese in Europe and in the Dioceses of Meath and Kildare. He is a graduate of Oxford, York University and the University of Wales and served as a Vicar near Lancaster and then had spells as Chaplain in Switzerland and Tenerife, and a translator and student in Krakow in Poland. Most recently he has served as Rector of the Julianstown union of parishes in the Dioceses of Meath and Kildare.

The Church of Ireland Children’s Ministry Harvest Newsletter is now available and may be downloaded from the Church of Ireland website. This new resource is out in time to help parishes plan ahead for a Harvest thanksgiving. ‘ Seeds of Faith’, ‘Seeds of the Kingdom’, and ‘Seeds of Blessing’ are among the ideas for use in all–age services, Sunday Clubs and other Children’s Ministry settings. It takes the theme of seeds and includes lessons from a mustard seed, activities, art and music and crafts.