Celtic Spirit and literature course; New Chaplain for Kingston College; Bishop’s school visit; Renowned US cleric launches book in County Clare; First Derry Presbyterian Church and The Blue Coat School Visitor Centre
Celtic Spirit and literature course
This recreational 10 week course is being offered at The Navan Centre, 3 miles from Armagh. It is being taught by Tess Maguiness and Grace Clunie.
The course sets out to celebrate the strength and vitality of the Celtic spirit. In particular, aspects of Celtic Christian identity, relationship with the earth, hospitality of the heart, the ‘Other World’ and the nomadic spirit. The course begins by exploring the origins of a world view that is deeply attached to local place, and continues by looking at the Celtic spirit through the literature of the early Irish cleric poets, the Gaelic bards, the 18th century Anglo-Irish antiquarians, the writers of the ‘Celtic Twilight’ and more contemporary writers such as Flann O’Brien, Patrick Kavanagh and Seamus Heaney.
The course, which commences on 26 September 2013, is being taught at The Navan Centre on Thursday afternoons from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. Cost: £64 (Concession rate £40)
To enrol contact:- School of Education, Open Learning, Queen’s University Belfast, 20, College Green, Belfast BT7 1LN
Tel: (028) 9097 3323/3539
Email: open learning.education@qub.ac.uk
New Chaplain for Kingston College
On behalf of the Trustees of Kingston College, Mitchelstown, County Cork, the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, Dr Paul Colton, has announced the appointment of Canon Tom Sherlock as Chaplain to the College.
Canon Sherlock (72) is a native of north Cork and was a farmer at Castlequarter, Kildorrery. He was ordained in the Diocese of Limerick where he served in the Non-Stipendiary Ministry. He subsequently transferred to the full-time stipendiary ministry and served first as Rector of Templemore (Cashel) and then of Castlecomer (Ossory), from which he retired. He is now lives again in Castlequarter.
The Service of Licensing and Installation will take place in the Chapel of Kingston College on Wednesday, 2nd October at 11.30 a.m.
Bishop’s school visit
Yesterday Bishop Paul Colton, visited Ashton Comprehensive School, Cork (of which he is co-patron with the Cork Education and Training Board) as a new school building opened to the entire school for the new academic year.
Before his visit, Bishop Colton commented, “I am really looking forward to seeing what has been achieved after a long wait for everyone associated with Ashton. A new school promised several decades ago is now a reality. I myself attended the old Cork Grammar School, so I am keen to see what has been done with that building; and when it amalgamated with Rochelle to become Ashton we watched a new school being built in the 1970s and were the first pupils to enter it. Now it has been knocked down and this new school building marks a new and exciting beginning for Ashton.”
The Bishop spoke at assembly and referred to the Book of Ecclesiastes: ‘there is a time to tear down and a time to build.’ As he was speaking, coincidentally but symbolically, the demolition of the final part of the old school building near by took place. Afterwards Dr Colton spoke to the fifth year students as they start senior cycle and also the new first years as they start their journey at the school.
Renowned US cleric launches book in County Clare
The Reverend Ed Bacon – a regular contributor to the Oprah Winfrey Show, The Washington Post,and The Huffington Post – will perform the Irish launch of his critically acclaimed new book, “8 Habits of Love” at 7PM, Saturday, 31 August, 2013. In Quinn’s Craftshop, Ballyvaughan, County Clare
“8 Habits of Love” has received praise from across the world and from celebrities including Golden Globe nominee Amy Brenneman, Pulitzer Prize nominee Regina Brett, and South African social rights activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Earlier drafts of Bacon’s new book were written in North Clare.
A progressive spokesperson on issues of faith and justice for all regardless of race, gender, faith, or sexual orientation, Ed Bacon has been featured as a guest panellist on The Oprah Winfrey Show’s “Living Your Best Life” series. In January 2009 his statement to a call-in viewer that “being gay is a gift from God” received national attention. As a result, Bacon was invited to return to the show and soon became a regular on Oprah’s Soul Series on Oprah & Friends Radio.
The Georgia-born priest defied public pressure in December 2012 by sanctioning the use of Pasadena’s All Saints Episcopal Church, where he has been a Rector since 1995, as the host venue for the 12th annual Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) convention – the first such Muslim gathering to be held in a Christian church. With more than 4,000 congregants, Bacon’s Episcopal Church is now considered one of the USA’s most socially progressive religious institutions.
First Derry Presbyterian Church and The Blue Coat School Visitor Centre
Some time after the lifting of the siege of Derry in 1689, a new Presbyterian meeting house was built within the walls, on the site that continues to be occupied by the present church. To assist with the building, Queen Mary provided a large donation in recognition of the sacrifices of Presbyterians in the defence of Derry.
The current First Derry Presbyterian Church was first opened in 1780, and is believed to be on the site of an earlier Presbyterian Church of 1690. The foundation stone of this earlier building can be found above the centre door, inscribed with the Roman numerals M.D.C.X.C (1690). In 1828 the pediment and cornices of Dungiven sandstone was added.
The church has recently been re-opened following a programme of works that has totally renovated the building. Having been closed for a period of eight years, the church is once again being used as a place of worship.
Adjoining the Church is the refurbished Blue Coat School, now home to the The Blue Coat School Visitor Centre. This new facility tells the history behind the Church, along with the history of Presbyterians in the city (and beyond) and the role they played in the great siege.
Upper Magazine Street, Londonderry, BT48 6HY
Tel: (028) 7126 1550
Email: bluecoatvisitor@btinternet.com
Web: www.firstderrypresbyterianchurch.com