NEWS BRIEFS

Photo above – Receiving the eco-congregation certificates, Fr Pat Greed of SS Michael and John; Rev Terry Mitchell of St Kieran’s and Rev Steven Foster of the Methodist Church in Cloughjordan

Tipperary eco-congregation receives certification

Three Cloughjordan churches working together

A newly formed ecumenical group, Eco-Congregation Cloughjordan, comprising the Catholic Church, Church of Ireland and Methodist congregation, received certificates before Christmas marking their commitment to work together and link environmental issues and Christian faith, reports the Tipperary Star.

Eco-Congregation Ireland are members of Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI), a project of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting.

ECI encourages parishes and faith communities to take steps in four areas to become more environmentally aware and eco-friendly.

These focus on issues that are practical, spiritual, community focused and global.

The Cloughjordan initiative is only the second ecumenical eco-congregation initiative in Ireland and is the first to have three churches working together.

Pope honours Prior of Lough Derg

Monsignor Laurence (La) Flynn, Prior of Lough Derg.

His Holiness Pope Francis has conferred the honour of Chaplain to His Holiness on Very Reverend Laurence (La) Flynn, priest of the Diocese of Clogher and Prior of Lough Derg, an honour which carries with it the title of Monsignor. The title Monsignor means that the priest has been made an honorary member of the Pope’s own ‘household’.

Announcing the appointment, the Bishop of Clogher, Bishop Larry Duffy, said he was very pleased to receive notification from the Holy See before Christmas. ‘It is a well-merited honour for Fr Flynn and recognises his own significant contribution to the life and ministry of our diocese, of which Lough Derg is an important part. This appointment also signifies a close connection between the Holy Father and the mission of Lough Derg in today’s world. That mission, continuing in the tradition that goes back to St Patrick, is to be a sacred space and a place on the margins where people can find the God of love and compassion’, he said.

Commenting on the news, Fr La said: ‘For me, this gesture on the part of the Holy Father is an unexpected one and a humbling one. I take it as a sign of the esteem in which Lough Derg is held by the Holy See. Pope Francis has spoken repeatedly of the significance that pilgrimages continue to hold for Christian people in our times, as well as for other religious traditions and for so many of our contemporaries who do not identify themselves as ‘religious’. At Lough Derg we hold dear the memory of St Patrick who, in out-of-the-way places, found his God again when he seemed to have lost everything. I hope that all whom we welcome here will find what they seek along their pilgrimage of life.’

Christian Aid Ireland success in Sudan

A year ago Asunta Aduong from South Sudan was eating only one meal a day & was forced to eat leaves to survive. Following training from our local partner HARD, she’s now growing corn, sorghum, peanuts, sesame, bananas & tomatoes. Enough to feed her 7 children & sell the rest

Presbyterian tides

Do you want to freshen up your personal devotions for 2020? Tides is a simple yet powerful resource to help develop regular rhythms of Bible reading. As part of the vision to resource whole life disciples across our church, the aim of Tides is to help God’s people discover afresh what regular engagement with God and His word can mean for their lives.

Tides aims to fuel the devotional lives of ordinary disciples through a rhythm of daily devotions that is accessible to all. Each weekday morning, Tides provides you with a section of God’s word to read, a short reflection sharing what this could mean for your life, and a simple way for you to respond.

Register on the PCI website:[ https://www.presbyterianireland.org/tides ]

Introduction to Healthcare Pastoral Visitation

A course entitled ‘An Introduction to Healthcare Pastoral Visitation’ will run from January 23 until March 19 at Edgehill House 9 Lennoxvale, Belfast, BT9 5BY.

The course is aimed at lay people who might be interested in healthcare visitation either within the local church context or within a chaplaincy context; lay people who visit healthcare facilities as part of their church responsibilities; and people who may sometimes feel unsure what to do, what to say or how to react to the different pastoral situations they meet or could meet in a healthcare setting.

Due to the nature of the course the maximum number of participants is 15. Applicants are asked to supply the following:

Name, address, contact phone number
Reason for applying
Recommendation by Minister/ Priest/ Pastor for current/ hoped for pastoral ministry

This information should be sent to:

Rev Derek Johnston, Lead Chaplain,,East Wing Corridor,
Royal Victoria Hospital, Grosvenor Road, Belfast, BT12 6BA

Places will be allocated to successful applicants on a first come, first served basis

The cost of the course, including refreshments and course materials, is £75. Please do not send payment at this stage.

W is for Wells

Friends of Cathedral Music continue on tour – “Well, yes, we could have chosen Winchester, Westminster Abbey or Cathedral, Windsor etc. etc. but we have opted for Wells.” So, on 23 December, we travelled to Somerset. Although it is situated in England’s smallest city, Wells Cathedral is a very busy place during the festive season.

The most spectacular Christmas events at Wells Cathedral in December must surely be the annual Candlelight Concerts which took place on 19, 20, and 21 December. The Cathedral’s team of Vergers spends many hours in November setting out over 7,000 special slow-burning candles atop the pillars and higher levels of the Cathedral, to be lit especially for these concerts. Candles are added to the lower levels of the Cathedral on the afternoon of each concert, and all are lit by the Vergers and a team of volunteers. No electronic light is used for these concerts – the only light is from the 3,500 candles lit each evening. The concerts include Christmas music sung by the Cathedral Choir, as well as festive readings, and the Cathedral is very excited to welcome comedian and actress Sally Phillips as the Reader for two of these concerts.

Friends of Cathedral Music has been delighted to help Wells’s Music Foundation. In March this year we made a Small Revenue Grant to go towards chorister vocal tuition over three years. This allowed the Cathedral to recruit a new Chorister Vocal Tutor, who provides singing lessons for all choristers throughout the week. According to Jeremy Cole, the newly appointed Director of Music, ‘This contribution has been a key part in our ability to set our choristers up to succeed with a focus on good vocal technique and vocal health throughout their time in Wells Cathedral Choir.’

“We are very pleased indeed to be able to help choristers at Wells and across the country. Generous donations from our members and supporters make grants such as this possible.”

Find out more at: [https://fcm.org.uk/news/w-is-for-wells/](https://fcm.org.uk/news/w-is-for-wells/)

God in creation

Seals on Strangford Lough