360 Miscellany

News and views

Virus forces Lough Derg to move pilgrimage to the lakeshore

When Covid-19 meant the traditional pilgrimages could not take place on Lough Derg in Co Donegal this season, the Prior of the ancient pilgrimage island was determined to keep the centuries-old tradition of prayer alive.

Fr La Flynn moved to the island for the summer and invited people to join him online to do their own pilgrimages from wherever they were.

Now Fr Flynn and his team have looked to the rich history of Lough Derg to create a new pilgrimage which people can do on the shoreline.

Pilgrimages to Lough Derg date back to the fifth century with pilgrims coming from as far afield as Spain, Italy and Hungary.

Next pilgrimage is on this Saturday. Visit booking.[ loughderg.org. ]
See also –
[ https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2020/0923/1166995-lough-derg/ ]

Songs Of Praise this Sunday

This week on Songs Of Praise Claire McCollum explores Saltaire in Yorkshire, the beautiful village built by a Christian mill owner to transform the lives of his workers. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sunday @BBC One 1.15pm and here [ bbc.in/2RPYiCT ]

Online event invite

Zoom in on Emotional Intelligence – Can’t wait to hear Marc Brackett, Director at Yale Emotion, discuss how our feelings provide important info that can change our lives for the better, when we give ourselves permission to feel them. Friday October 23. Free register:

[ buff.ly/2YClklm #EmotionalIntelligence ]

If Coronavirus doesn’t kill us, poverty will

“I thought that even if Coronavirus doesn’t kill us, poverty will.” For displaced people living in camps like Ghulam (Afghanistan), physical distancing is impossible and without access to running water, frequent hand washing is not an option. You can help. Irish Emergency Alliance

[ https://tinyurl.com/y4mf3uu8 ]

Bishops’ Appeal Harvest Newsletter now available

The C of I Bishops’ Appeal Harvest Newsletter is now available with stories of how your giving is making a difference in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

In particular, the newsletter highlights support for:

– maize farming cooperatives in Burundi, from the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross;
– ante–natal care and education in Burkina Faso;
– vulnerable people in Lebanon left at greater risk following the Beirut explosion;
– training and equipment for farmers in Nepal who were formerly bonded labourers;
– people struggling with the Covid–19 pandemic and lockdown in Uganda.

Two resources for Harvest are also promoted:

– a reflection from Bishops’ Appeal, (which mentions the Great Green Wall initiative, endorsed by the Archbishops of Armagh in their Christmas broadcast last year); and

– Tearfund Ireland’s all-age Harvest service pack based their work in Ethiopia, which is partly funded by Bishops’ Appeal.

Families encouraged to apply for SEC grants

The SEC is the Secondary Education Committee. It is an independent charity that administers the Protestant Block Grant scheme, and is funded by Irish Government’s Department of Education and Skills.

The SEC provides financial assistance to help Protestant families attend the 21 fee–charging Protestant secondary schools across the Republic of Ireland. Their grants are means tested and are designed to reduce the amount of fees you pay in proportion to your ability to pay.

The SEC supports Protestant families to exercise their right to attend Protestant–managed schools. They believe that a family wishing to send their child to a school that accords with their own faith tradition should not be prevented from doing so due to their financial position.

Geographically, it can be difficult to access a Protestant secondary school in the Republic of Ireland as there are only 26 Protestant–managed secondary schools in only 12 counties. For many Protestants wishing to send their child to a Protestant school, boarding school is the only option and this comes at a high financial cost.

The grant is paid directly to the school to reduce the amount of fees a family pays. The application process begins with the completion of a registration form (available directly from the school), then the completion of an application form. The deadline for registration is 30 November 2020. Details of how to apply can be found on the website [ www.secgrant.ie ]

Irish link with Durham ordinations

A funeral director, a former dental nurse, a grandmother who lived in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles and a woman raised alongside 12 siblings in Malawi are among the new intake of priests of deacons in the Diocese of Durham.

Claire Elwood will be ordained a priest in the Parish of St Nicholas Durham.

Born in Merseyside, she spent her early years in Northern Ireland in the height of The Troubles.

She has lived in the East Midlands for 31 years and is married to Tim, a photographer, whom she met in Nottingham when she was training as a nurse. They have three children and two grandchildren.

New bishop of Stafford

The new Area Bishop of Stafford will be The Venerable Matthew Parker, who is currently serving as Archdeacon of Stoke-upon-Trent.

No 10 Downing Street announced today that the Queen has approved Matthew’s nomination in succession to the Right Revd Geoff Annas, who retired as Bishop of Stafford last year.

Matthew has a strong affinity to Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent having served in the area for 20 years. He will join the Area Bishops of Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury in an episcopal team led by the Bishop of Lichfield. Matthew will have responsibility for the pastoral oversight of churches, ministers and communities in the towns and villages of Stoke-on-Trent and North and East Staffordshire including Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford and Burton-upon-Trent.

Well said

Wearing a mask is loving your neighbour. Keeping your distance is loving your neighbour. Washing your hands is loving your neighbour. Let’s keep loving our neighbours. Archbishop Justin Welby

Pointers to prayer

Pray for the breadth of the work across Church Army and for its impact on the lives of individuals and communities. Please pray for the Church Army Mission Community as a network of people connected by a shared vision to see everyone, everywhere encounter God’s love.

Today we pray for Sudan. Living costs are rising as the country tries to recover from major flooding a few weeks ago as well as the Covid-19 pandemic. We pray comfort for those facing hardship and wisdom for those tackling the crisis in Sudan.

We’re aware that even without the pressures of the pandemic there are many places in the world struggling with conflict situations. We pray especially today for success for our members who are involved in peace and reconciliation initiatives. – Mothers Union

God in creation

Off Rathlin – again…