HMS Belfast anniversary; St Patrick’s Day in St Macartan’s Cathedral, Clogher; Mount Merrion set to celebrate 50 years; Festival Of Preaching; The Dock Cafe reopens; Clogher competition; Media review
HMS Belfast anniversary
She was once the pride of the city whose name she still bears. And on St Patrick’s Day, the 75th anniversary of the launch of HMS Belfast, the Royal Navy light cruiser which played an important role in the Second World War, will be remembered.
A party of 20 from the HMS Belfast Association in London will be at Harland & Wolff on Sunday, March 17 to commemorate the event, which took place in 1938.
There will be a service at St Anne’s Cathedral that morning, which they will be attending, along with local seafarers and members of the general public to lay wreaths.
“It will be a special occasion, when friends of the sea everywhere will recall a great ship, which is now a floating museum on the Thames in London,” says John Hughes, secretary of the War Memorial Museum in Belfast’s Talbot Street, where the visitors will also call.
HMS Belfast was the first Royal Navy ship to be named after the city and she was commissioned in August 1939, just before the outbreak of the war.
But in November that same year, the light cruiser struck a German mine and spent two years undergoing repairs.
“She was back in action by November 1942,” says former RAF pilot Paddy Crowther, who has studied the history of HMS Belfast.
“And, with improved firepower, she was the most important cruiser in the navy at the time. She saw action escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union and, in 1943, had a vital role to play in the Battle of North Cape, in which the German warship Scharnhorst was sunk.”
In June 1944, HMS Belfast was involved in Operation Overlord, supporting the Normandy landings. The following year, she sailed to the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet.
Paddy Crowther and John Hughes will be able to remind members of the HMS Belfast Association that the cruiser saw combat action too in the Korean War (1950-1951), before she was retired from active service in the early 1960s.
St Patrick’s Day in St Macartan’s Cathedral, Clogher
A day of special events to mark St Patrick’s Day is being held in The Cathedral Church of St Macartan, Clogher on Sunday 17th March 2013.
The Cathedral stands on the hill in Clogher and is a place of great historical and religious significance to all who live in the Clogher Valley. This day of events is an opportunity for visitors to come along and view our ancient Cathedral, learn of its history and its links to our common Christian heritage and also to see and handle items of historical interest from our past.
The celebrations begin with a Service of Holy Communion in the Cathedral at 11.30am which will be followed by a Lenten Lunch in the Cathedral Hall at 1.00pm in aid of the Us missionary organisation(formerly USPG). The Cathedral will remain open to visitors from 2.00pm with various guest musicians providing recitals during the afternoon. Mr Jack Johnston JP, the Cathedral’s archivist and a well-known local historian will give a guided tour and talk on the history of St Macartan’s and its place in the heart of the Clogher Valley at 3.45pm. The day will round off at 5.00pm with a little bit of history when Choral Evensong will be led jointly by the Choir of the Cathedral Group of Parishes and the Choir of St Patrick’s Clogher, to a setting by Thomas Tallis.
Speaking about this special day of celebration The Revd Canon Noel Regan, Rector of Clogher and Precentor of the Cathedral Chapter said “As members of the Church of Ireland we have the great privilege of worshipping in some of the most significant and important sites in the Christian history of this land. In Clogher we have a fine Cathedral which stands on one of the most important Christian sites in the area. We are delighted to open our doors that others might come and together with us learn something of our common heritage and enjoy the surroundings of this holy and special place. I hope many from the Clogher Valley will come and join us on St Patrick’s Day”
St Macartan’s Cathedral, Clogher is the more ancient of the two Anglican Cathedrals in the Diocese of Clogher. According to tradition a monastery and bishopric were founded in Clogher circa 490 by St. Macartan on the orders of St. Patrick. In 1041, the church of Clogher was rebuilt, and dedicated to the memory of St. Macartan, “The Strongman of Patrick”. Located on a prominent and ancient site in Clogher, the Cathedral has a significant historical presence, and is surrounded by an ancient graveyard. The present building, designed by architect James Martin in a neo-classical style, was erected on the site in 1744. It houses the Diocesan Archive Room and is also the focus for community events such as the annual Community Carol Service and in the past has hosted events during the William Carleton Summer School Approximately 80 local Church of Ireland families claim St Macartan’s as their spiritual home.
Programme of events
11.30am A Celebration of Holy Communion for St Patrick’s Day – 1.00pm Lenten Lunch in the Cathedral Hall 2.00pm – 5.00pm Cathedral open to visitors 2.00pm – 3.00pm. Musical Recitals 3.00pm Organ Recital by Mr Glenn Moore, Organist and Director of Music in St Macartin’s Cathedral Enniskillen 3.45pm Guided Tour and Talk by Mr Jack Johnston JP, Cathedral Archivist. 4.30pm – 5.00pm Musical Recitals 5.00pm Choral Evensong led jointly by the Choir of the Cathedral Group of Parishes and the Choir of St Patrick’s Clogher
Mount Merrion set to celebrate 50 years
Between 10 –17 March 2013, Mount Merrion Parish Church will be hosting a week long community event celebrating all that is good about life on the Cregagh estate over its first half–century of its existence.
“It will involve individuals of all ages, local businesses, schools, and community groups and in doing so celebrate Cregagh’s history, recognise local talent and hopefully raise expectancy about what we can do together in the next fifty years,” said Bishop’s Curate, Revd Adrian Green.
The programme begins on Sunday 10 March with a special Mothers Day celebration when all the ladies in church will receive some flowers. The guest speaker will be Revd Jono Pierce, rector of theMount Merrion’s ‘mother church’, St Finnians.
Events planned for during the week include an exhibition of community life, a Daffodil Tea Dance, a concert, pub quiz and ‘Messy Church’.
Throughout the week a ‘Treasure Hunt’ is planned around the local shops in an effort to increase footfall in local businesses in recognition of all that they provide for the community.
Although the church has had a building on the estate since 1956, the 16 March marks the 50th anniversary of its consecration and there will be a family fun event at 4.00 pm with face painting, crafts and a hog roast. This will be followed at 5.30 pm with the grand finale at which prizes for various competitions over the week will be awarded and local talent celebrated. Bishop Harold will join in the festivities on this special day.
“Our guest speaker on Sunday 17 March will be the rector of Willowfield, Canon David McClay. After the service one member of the congregation born in each decade of the church’s existence will release one of five white doves – a symbolic reminder of the Holy Spirit without whose power we would be nothing,” said Adrian.
Festival Of Preaching At Lisburn Cathedral
On Saturday 2 March 2013, Lisburn Cathedral hosted its first ever Festival of Preaching and the Dean and Chapter invited preachers from across the province to be inspired and equipped in their ministry.
Over 80 people gathered for morning praise led by the Cathedral’s worship team. The Bishop of Connor welcomed everyone, and led a liturgy which thanked God for His Word and prayed for a renewal of the Church. The keynote speaker, Rev Charlie Cleverly from St.Aldates Oxford, gave encouragement on the place of preaching. There was a choice of four seminars in the morning, repeated after lunch which gave delegates the opportunity to enjoy two seminars in the course of the day: Charlie Cleverly facilitated on the subject of “Preaching with Imagination”; Rev Vanessa Conant from St Pauls and St Georges Church in Edinburgh spoke on the theme of “Teaching Christian Living in a Secular Age”; Rev Simon Genoe, curate of Lisburn Cathedral shared on “Preaching and Teaching those in their 20’s and 30’s”; and Bishop Elect Ferron Glenfield taught on the subject of “Unpacking the Preaching of the Word of God”.
After a second seminar choice, the day concluded with worship led by Dean John Bond, and finished appropriately by singing the hymn “There is a Redeemer”. Canon Sam Wright thanked everyone who had contributed and promised similar events in the not too distant future.
The Dock Cafe reopens, bigger and better!
The latest chapter in the Dock’s journey has just begun with the refit and grand reopening of the café at Titanic Quarter on 26 February.
It was exactly a year ago to the day that The Dock Cafe first opened its doors after signing a ‘meanwhile lease’. This means it operates in an empty unit without paying commercial rent and just has to cover the running costs of the cafe.
And those costs are handsomely met, not through the till but through the Honesty Box. There is no price list so customers enjoy their tea, coffee and whatever food they want and then leave a contribution on their way out. “It’s a system that has provoked countless conversations,” says Revd Chris Bennett, who became chaplain to the Titanic Quarter in November 2009.
The café had to close for a week to allow a large team of volunteers to clean, paint, tile, move, build and install, transforming the space which is home to an eclectic mix of artefacts, some from the famous Drawing Office.
A new feature to appear in the cafe is The Market Stall, just by the door. Artisans will have the stall for a week and they will be able to showcase and sell their wares from it. They’ll even be given £10 of seed funding to help get them started! This is very much in keeping with the Dock ethos of supporting local artists and tradespeople, many of whom have examples of their work around the walls or on the counter.
One very special moment in the celebrations on 26 February was the official opening of The Dock’s new prayer garden (which is, of course, indoors). In line with the Dock vision, the hands pictured holding the scissors to cut the ribbon belong to a Methodist, a Catholic, a Presbyterian and an Anglican – the shared medley of Dock life at work.
“It’s our favourite feature of the new Dock Cafe and one which we hope will make a massive difference in our TQ world,” said Chris “We believe it’s the first time in the history of Queen’s Island that a space has been set specifically aside for prayer, reflection and the work of God,” he continued.
Even though the café has been a massive success, Chris emphasises that the walks every Sunday afternoon are still The Dock’s intentional way of doing church.
“There is a core of about 10 people who regularly come to the Dock Walk. We always have others dipping in to find out what it’s all about and, in recent times, we have welcomed walkers who have never had previous links with church at all.”
The Dock Walk leaves from the café every Sunday at 3.33 pm and, thanks to a growing bunch of volunteers, the Dock Café is open 11–7 Monday–Friday and 11–5 Saturday.
Clogher competition
Clogher Diocesan Board of Religious Education invites children and young people in the diocese to enter two competitions.
Rectors and Sunday School Superintendents have copies of the relevant entry forms – please contact them for more details. Prizes are usually awarded at Diocesan Synod in September.
The Archdeacon Ruddell Prize 2013 challenges young people to write about and illustrate their understanding of 5 of their favourite hymns/songs, choosing one each from five of the following six categories: – a hymn of praise – a hymn of prayer – a hymn of thanksgiving – a hymn of creation – a hymn of hope and trust – a hymn of the church’s seasons
MEDIA REVIEW
NI’s ‘hidden problem’ of self-harming
A young man who turned to self-harming after his parents both took their own lives has told UTV how a local charity helped him to cope with his grief.
http://www.u.tv/news/NIs-hidden-problem-of-self-harming/11e3277c-776b-4e50-a83b-0f912a2de15b
Protestant school joins state sector
A second Protestant fee-paying secondary school in the Republic of Ireland decides to move into the state sector.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21675448