A review of the press
Kingsmills pastor ‘is threatened’
BBC – One of the organisers of a march commemorating 10 Protestant workmen murdered by the IRA at Kingsmills says he has been threatened.
Read more – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17064548
Watch out Ruairi! Cuts to small schools spell big trouble
Independent.ie – Closures are feared as teacher numbers are slashed in rural Ireland. Kim Bielenberg on measures that could start a revolt
Read more – http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/features/watch-out-ruairi-cuts-to-small-schools-spell-big-trouble-3019788.html
At least 65 gay C of I clergy since WW2 – claim
News Letter – There have been at least 65 gay Church of Ireland clergy since the Second World War, a retired Anglican minister has claimed. The Rev Mervyn Kingston’s comments come in a chapter he contributed to a book published by the pro-gay lobby group Changing …
Read more – http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/at_least_65_gay_coi_clergy_since_ww2_claim_1_3524329
Bishop’s secretary retires
Derry Today – Pat McClements has retired from her post as Secretary to Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Ken Good. Mrs McClements served in the post for more than nine years. The retirement was marked by a presentation from the Bishop,Mrs Mary Good and staff at the Derry and Raphoe Diocesan Office.
After presenting Mrs McClements with a bouquet of flowers and a number of gifts, the party was joined by her husband Bertie for a farewell lunch at a local restaurant. Mrs McClements said she had many happy years as Secretary to Bishop Good.
“I originally took up the post intending to stay for just a few months to help out,” she said. “Little did I realise that I would be here nine years later.” Bishop Good paid tribute to the co-operation and good humour of Mrs McClements. “In all of the nine years Pat has been my Secretary, I don’t think we have ever had a cross word. She has done a wonderful job and I am deeply grateful for her work.”
Read more – http://www.derryjournal.com/community/church_secretary_retires_1_3520252
Owen Paterson holds talks with Pope at Vatican
News Letter – NI Secretary of State Owen Paterson has said it was an honour to meet Pope Benedict at the Vatican. Mr Paterson met the Pope with a delegation of other UK ministers during a two-day visit to the Vatican, returning the Pope’s visit to the UK in September 2010.
Read more – http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/paterson_holds_talks_with_pope_at_vatican_1_3524350
David Quinn: Pope should come here but visit the North first
Independent.ie – If the Pope came to Dublin for the Eucharistic Congress what kind of reception would he receive? Before he went to Britain in September 2010 there was every sign the visit would be a disaster. There seemed to be huge opposition. But in the event the visit was a roaring success. Catholics, who had kept their heads down before he arrived, suddenly took to the streets in huge numbers to greet him. Something similar happened in both Spain and Germany last year. The German parliament gave him a two-minute standing ovation.
But for my part I don’t think the Pope should come for the Eucharistic Conference. I don’t think the time is quite right. I think instead he should wait until next year and finish off Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit to Ireland by going to the North.The atmosphere around such a visit would be totally different from a visit to Dublin this summer. First and foremost, the visit would be seen as part of the peace process.
Read more – http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/david-quinn-pope-should-come-here-but-visit-the-north-first-3015943.html
Huge disparity in rates paid by HSE to chaplains in west
Irish Times – The HSE confirms that three people are employed in the chaplaincy service at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital where pastoral care is given to multiple denominations. “There is no comparison between the size of Galway University Hospitals and St John’s Hospital yet there is little difference in how much the hospitals pay for their chaplaincy services,” said Cllr Meaney. “If the HSE is having trouble making its savings in 2012, it need look no further than what it pays for its chaplaincy services. I believe that the cost-effective Ennis model should be rolled out across the HSE West area.”
Read more – http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0214/1224311742408.html
Festival of history and broadcasting at BBC Northern Ireland
BBC – History and broadcasting will come under the spotlight in a series of illustrated talks, conversations and preview screenings in Northern Ireland next week. The Festival of History and Broadcasting will be hosted by William Crawley and will take place from Tuesday, 21 February to Thursday, 23 February at BBC’s Broadcasting House, Belfast . Already confirmed to take part in the three-day festival are writer, historian and presenter, Dan Cruickshank (BBC’s Britain’s Best Buildings) and Mary Beard, historian, broadcaster and author. As an accompaniment to The Festival of History and Broadcasting, BBC Northern Ireland asked a cross-section of people from different academic disciplines and backgrounds to consider – Why History Matters.
Read more – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17033362
Bishop MacNeice’s role recalled in new biography
Irish Times – Review by Patrick Commerford – In the 1930s and 1940s, Bishop MacNeice was a towering figure in the Church of Ireland, north and south. He had been archdeacon of Connor before becoming bishop of Cashel and Waterford (1931-1934) and then bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, making him the most powerful and influential church figure in Belfast and throughout Northern Ireland until his death. Although a life-long member of the Orange Order, he had refused to sign the Ulster Covenant and was later accused of desecrating Carson’s memory by refusing to allow the Union flag to be placed on his grave in the Cathedral Church of St Anne, Belfast, in 1935.
In the 1940s, Louis MacNeice claimed, “My father was one of the very few Church of Ireland clergymen to be a Home Ruler.” But Fitzpatrick paints a portrait of a man who, throughout his life, was more nuanced and finely tuned in his political and religious thinking, and in many ways he remains an enigma.
‘Solitary and Wild’: Frederick MacNeice and the Salvation of Ireland, By David Fitzpatrick, The Lilliput Press, 427pp. €40
Read more – http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2012/0204/1224311231531.html
Titanic quarter chaplain visits Larne
Larne Times – a former Larne clergyman who is now chaplain in the Titanic quarter of Belfast is to be the guest speaker at the next meeting of the Tuesday Group. Rev Chris Bennett, a former curate of St Cedma’s Parish Church, will speak on “Working together in the Titanic Quarter” – particularly topical in this centenary year of the Titanic disaster. The new Titanic Centre opens in April 2012 and Rev Bennett will talk about the preparations being made to make this centre welcoming for all.
Read more – http://www.larnetimes.co.uk/community/titanic_quarter_chaplain_set_to_address_the_tuesday_group_1_3522972
The past is ever-present in Dublin
EMC Kingston – A view from Grafton Street of St. Anne’s Church (Church of IrelandAnglican). Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, was married here. Historic buildings form a vast walled perimeter around Trinity College in the centre of Dublin. From May through September, …
Read more – http://www.emckingston.ca/20120216/lifestyle/The+past+is+ever-present+in+Dublin