Cork Protestant Charity Pays for Re-Opening of Hospital Operating Theatre; UNIQUE programme offers free accredited training course; Moira’s cooks and books raise funds for Ibba; Bishop Mant’s correspondence highlighted online ; Media review
Cork Protestant Charity Pays for Re-Opening of Hospital Operating Theatre
A gift of €100,000 from the Victoria Trust, a long established charity operated jointly by the main Protestant Churches in Cork – the Church of Ireland, the Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church – is enabling the refurbishment and much needed re–opening of an operating theatre at Cork’s South–Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH).
The Chairman of the Victoria Trust, the Right Reverend Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, announcing the gift, said:
These are difficult economic times for all our institutions not least healthcare institutions and charities. Our charity has been prudent in managing its resources during these hard times and has been on the look out for a project to support at the SIVUH with which we have always been associated. The re–opening of the operating theatre is essential and our charity is delighted to help.
Mr Gerard O’Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer of the SIVUH, welcoming the donation, said:
We have a long established relationship with the Victoria Trust which, in fact, owns part of our historic campus at the Hospital. The gift comes at a time when orthopaedic, plastic surgery and pain medicine services have been transferred to the SIVUH. The demand for operating theatre space has increased considerably and this gift will allow us to upgrade and re–open the Victoria Theatre at the Hospital.
UNIQUE programme offers free accredited training course
UNIQUE is a relationships and sexuality education resource (RSE) developed for 11–13’s looking at relationships from a faith perspective.
Funded by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, it has a FREE OCN accredited course on offer to equip leaders to deliver the UNIQUE RSE training programme to a group of young people.
Who is it for? Do you work with young people in a youth work, caring or educational setting? If so and you either live OR work in the Belfast area then this course is for you!
When and where? The training course will be taking place at the new Skainos Building, Newtownards Road, Belfast from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.
Choose from either set of training dates: 26th Feb & 5th March 2013 12th & 19th March 2013
What next?
If you are interested in attending the training, please go to www.unique-ni.org to download an application form. Or, if you have any questions please:
Email: info@unique-ni.org or telephone Elaine Jones on 028 9032 0844
Moira’s cooks and books raise funds for Ibba
On Saturday 19 January the Main Hall in St John’s Moira was transformed into a library of books for sale as well as home made sweets, Ibba bears and play area for the kids. Meanwhile the Minor Hall was a mini restaurant with home made scones, cakes, traybakes and soup. The purpose of it all? To raise funds for Ibba in South Sudan.
Last summer, a team from the parish made a two week visit to Ibba, an area of South Sudan which has seen a considerable amount of war over the past 20 years. It is only now looking forward to rebuilding their community during a time of relative peace in the country.
Since the trip the parish has committed itself to implementing a joint strategy with Ibba Diocese that will offer a lasting and sustainable support to this part of Africa.
And what a day it was! It was wonderful to see people of all ages working together and to crown the day, they even had an impromptu visit from Bishop Harold and Mrs Liz Miller.
The end result? £2,855 for Ibba!
Bishop Mant’s correspondence highlighted online
Rt. Revd Richard Mant (1776–1846),was Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, 1823–48
Episcopal correspondence and other papers created during the course of the careers of bishops and archbishops are relatively rare survivals for documenting Church of Ireland history. Firstly, many episcopal papers were part of diocesan collections deposited for safe–keeping in the Public Records Office of Ireland, which tragically went up in smoke in 1922. Secondly, many bishops were inclined to consider the papers created during their time in office as part of their personal possessions, which they either destroyed on retirement, or ordered to be destroyed after their deaths, not appreciating the value and long–term benefits of record–keeping and ensuring an accurate record of the past.
The dearth of surviving episcopal material, especially pre–20th century, makes those that do make it through the ravages of time all the more significant. In 2006, the late Canon John Crawford, then vicar of the St Patrick’s Cathedral Group of parishes in Dublin and author of The Church of Ireland in Victorian Dublin (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005), acquired at auction a substantial collection of letters written by the Rt. Revd Richard Mant (1776–1846), Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, 1823–48 and generously gave the collection and related materials to the RCB Library.
These have now been catalogued, and the detailed catalogue – together with a selection of digitized letters – is featured as February’s Archive of the Month at the Representative Church Body Library.
There are over 100 letters written by Bishop Mant between 1823 – the year he was translated, somewhat controversially from the see of Killaloe and Kilfenora to that of Down and Connor (Down, Connor and Dromore from 1842) where he remained as bishop until his death in 1848. All of them are addressed to the Revd William St. John Smyth, to whom they belonged and who kept them safe in the context of other personal letters and papers. Smyth served as chancellor of Down, 1828–43, and later as precentor of Connor and rector of Ballymoney, 1843–47, and was also a rural dean in Mant’s united diocese. He also married Mary, a daughter of the bishop’s brother, Henry Mant of Bath, in 1827. Bishop Mant was born in England on the 12 February 1776, and having served in the Church of England until 1820, came to government attention for his defence of Anglican evangelicalism, and was nominated to Killaloe in that year. Three years later he was translated to Down where he would spend the next 25 years as bishop of the united see – the bulk of the period covered by these letters. He authored the History of the Church of Ireland from the Reformation to the Revolution, published in 1840, regarded as a definitive work of the time.
www.ireland.anglican.org/library/archive
For further information please contact:Dr Susan Hood RCB Library Braemor Park Churchtown Dublin 14 Tel: 01–4923979 Fax: 01–4924770 E–mail: susan.hood@rcbdub.org
MEDIA REVIEW
Census figures show deep religious split
This News Letter report reflects on the deep divisions which still exist in Northern Ireland affecting housing especially.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/census-figures-show-deep-religious-split-1-4738487
Belfast Metropolitan College suffers £17m losses
News Letter – Belfast’s third level vocational institution has serious financial problems. Belfast Metropolitan College (BMC) has made losses worth more than £17 million since it opened, it has been revealed. Redundancy costs, difficulties in retaining full-time students in key areas and accounting changes linked to the new private finance Titanic Quarter campus compounded financial problems dating back to 2007, an audit office report said.http://www.newsletter.co.uk/belfast-metropolitan-college-suffers-17m-losses-1-4737473
Fr Terrence Rafferty avoids prison after sex assault
BBC news – The former administrator of Newry Cathedral has been sentenced to 100 hours community service for indecently assaulting a teenage girl. Father Terrence Rafferty, of Chestnut Grove, Newry, pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault.The priest was also given a three-year probation order. The details of the case were only released after a court ban protecting the priest’s identity was lifted.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21277248
Draft legislation on abortion reform by Easter and legislation by summer
Examiner – New abortion laws could be in place by the summer, Health Minister James Reilly has signalled. The move came after Oireachtas health committee chairman, Jerry Buttimer, presented the minister with a 1,000-page report containing submissions presented to TDs and senators during three days of hearing last month, but does not contain any specific recommendations. Dr Reilly said the matter was a priority for the Cabinet.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/abortion-laws-could-be-in-place-by-summer-signals-reilly-221352.html
Mental health guidelines for Irish schools need backup
Examiner – School groups and mental health agencies say new guidelines to help schools promote positive mental health and prevent suicide will only be effective if they are backed up with proper training and resources.
The guidelines offer second-level schools clear structures on how to cater for mental health promotion among all students. But with one in 10 children and teenagers experiencing mental health difficulties, they are also being advised on how to support those with signs of difficulties and students who need more immediate help from outside services.
While most schools will already have such systems in place, they will now be required to make them part of clear policies.
However, the emphasis on the role to be taken by all staff has drawn criticism from school managers and guidance counsellors because of cuts to supports in second-level schools.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/mental-health-guidelines-for-schools-need-backup-221341.html
Ireland has one of highest rates of cocaine use in Europe – report
The report also suggests Ireland is an entry point for Moroccan cannabis resin into Europe.http://www.thejournal.ie/cocaine-use-europe-778404-Feb2013/