Author: Kal

Raphoe Installation Service

A new chapter was written on Thursday 4th November, 2021, in the centuries-long history of St Eunan’s Cathedral in Raphoe, when the Rev Canon Judi McGaffin was installed as a member of the Cathedral Chapter. In succeeding Rev Canon Dr Bill Long, who retired last March, the Bishop’s Curate-in-Charge of the Fahan Group of Parishes became the first ever female member of the Raphoe Cathedral Chapter.

Bishop Andrew Forster told the restricted congregation at Thursday’s Service of Installation that when he telephoned the new canon, last May, with news of her appointment, Canon McGaffin was struck dumb. “I am one of the few people who can ever say that they made Judi McGaffin speechless. You know how Judi always has something to say? Whenever I asked her to be a canon of the Cathedral, I thought the phone line had gone dead for a few seconds.”

At the time of her appointment, Canon McGaffin became only the second female canon in the history of the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe (in June last year, Rev Canon Katie McAteer had been installed as a canon of St Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry).

Bishop Andrew described the Installation as a “momentous” evening for the Diocese as they gathered to celebrate Rev Judi and her ministry. “We treasure you and we honour you tonight, and we want you to know that you are a blessing to all of us.”

In his sermon, the preacher, Rev Adam Pullen, saluted the new canon’s passionate advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities, her support for the many victims of the mica crisis in Donegal and her work with other denominations in Inishowen and beyond.

Rev Pullen said the first reading, from Isaiah 61: vs 1-4 and 8-11, gave him hope and gave him heart that [ours] was a God of peace, of love and of justice, “who seeks the welfare of the least, the last, the lost, the widow and the orphan, and I know that that very much chimes with your heart, too, Judi.”

Thursday’s service was led by the Archdeacon of Raphoe, Ven. David Huss, who was assisted by Canon Harry Gilmore and Diocesan Registrar Canon David Crooks. Also present was the Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart. Music for the service was provided by the church organist, Mrs Renee Goudie. Members of Canon McGaffin’s family, and parishioners from Fahan and Buncrana, were in church for the historic occasion.

Omagh Church Celebrates 150th Birthday

The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, has paid tribute to the generation of worshippers in Omagh who were so confident in their faith and in God that at a time of great uncertainty for the Church of Ireland, they proceeded to build a new church, St Columba’s, in the heart of the town a century and a half ago.

We have forgotten how turbulent those times were, Bishop Andrew said, in his sermon to the current generation of parishioners in Drumragh, as they gathered On Sunday evening, 24th October 2021, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of St Columba’s Church. “150 years ago, this year,” the Bishop said, “the government decided ‘in their wisdom – and it was absolutely in their wisdom’ – that the Church of Ireland would no longer be the established church of the nation and that it would have to stand on its own two feet.”

It was, Bishop Forster said, a shock of seismic proportions. ‘’They didn’t know whether we would still be here in 10 years or 20 years. They thought we might struggle and disappear. And do you know what happened 150 years ago, whenever we were going through that time? The good people of Drumragh said we are confident: we are confident in our church; we are confident in our community; and, more than all of these, we are confident in almighty God, and we will build a church that will serve generations to come. And tonight, we celebrate the faith of that generation all those years ago.”

Bishop Andrew said the two great churches of County Tyrone, St Columba’s in Omagh and St Anne’s in Dungannon – in which both he and the Rector of Drumragh, Rev Graham Hare, had served – were both built during those days. “Two great churches that stand on hills, and now, this church, lit up for the whole town to see, saying to the world that we are here, that Jesus Christ says, ‘I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

During the service, which was led by Rev Hare, the Bishop dedicated the church’s new internal and external lighting. He reminded the congregation that fifteen hundred years ago, their patronal saint, Columba, was born in Gartan in Donegal. The riches of his birth family meant nothing to Columba when he discovered the riches of faith in Jesus Christ. He built his favourite monastery on the site of St Augustine’s Church on Derry’s walls and from there he planted many other monasteries.

“What was his vision in planting monasteries?”, the Bishop asked. “He saw them, first of all, as places of community in a fractured time. He saw them as places of prayer in a spiritual wilderness. He saw them as places of worship that saw the beauty that God had given around them and the beauty of his love for them. He saw them as places of support for those who were floundering in life. And ultimately, he saw them as places of mission, places of Good News for the Gospel, to share it in the community.

“Now, you are named after him, and your parish can follow his example, because, let me tell you, your parish has followed his example – and will continue to – to be a place of community, where people know they are loved; know they are accepted; to be a place of prayer in the wilderness of this world around us; to be a place of worship.”

Bishop Andrew said people often remarked that churches were just bricks and mortar – and they were right – but for him and other members of his family, their home church of St Philip and St James, in Holywood, was much more than that. “St Columba’s, for you, is much more than bricks and mortar, because you can chart your own spiritual history through this church; you can chart your family’s journey through this church; you can think of the prayers which you have offered God in this place; the worship you have given to Him in this place; and for you it is much, much more than bricks and mortar.

“Let’s be the generation who make sure that the people of this town, of this community, discover this place so that it will be much, much more to them than just bricks and mortar. It will be a place of family, of prayer, of worship, of support, and of mission.

“This is a beautiful church, a church that has stood sentinel over this town through some of the most difficult days any of us have lived through; a church that has stood sentinel over this town in some of the most important moments of your lives; and this is a church that will continue to do that because Jesus Christ says, ‘I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.’

“Tonight, we celebrate this beautiful place, this hallowed place, hallowed in the prayers of its children down through the years, hallowed in the example of its patron saint, hallowed in the worship offered to God here, Sunday by Sunday.”

During the service, Bishop Forster cut a large birthday cake which had been baked specially for the occasion. The Rector, Rev Hare, said COVID restrictions meant that numbers at the service, and at other commemorative services and events earlier in the week, had to be restricted. Like those events, this evening’s service complied with COVID guidelines, as did the celebratory supper afterwards in the nearby parish hall.

Black History Month Summit

The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, was one of a number of church leaders who addressed the ‘Black History Month Summit’ in Londonderry on Saturday 23rd October, 2021. The event – at the City Hotel in the city centre – was also attended by the Bishop of Derry, Dr Donal McKeown, and the chairperson of the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council, Shaykh Dr Umar al Qadri.

The conference was organised by the North West Migrants’ Forum to draw attention to the remarkable, and often tragic, history of the African people; highlight some of the key issues facing our Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities; and celebrate the rich and varied culture of people of African descent living in Northern Ireland.

A distinguished cast of speakers addressed delegates, including: the Chairperson of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, Dominque Day; the author and academic, Professor Verene Shepherd, from the University of the West Indies; Patrick Corrigan, from Amnesty International; Dr Livingstone Thompson, Chairperson of the African and Caribbean support organisation; and the North West Migrants Forum’s Director of Programmes, Lilian Seenoi-Barr.

Among the politicians there to lend support were the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Graham Warke, the DUP Junior Minister, Gary Middleton, and councillors from different parties on the Council. Mr Middleton addressed the conference in person while his fellow Junior Minister, Declan Kearney of Sinn Féin, spoke to delegates virtually.

Bishop Andrew told delegates there was a question asked of Jesus in the New Testament – ‘Who is my neighbour?’ – to which Jesus gave the broadest possible answer. “Here we are as neighbours today,” Bishop Andrew said, “and I hope today’s a very significant day not just for us in the North West but across our region, across the island, as we celebrate Black History Month, as we celebrate the contribution that different people from different backgrounds, different races, different cultures [have made] – the richness that they bring to all that we do here in the city and beyond.”

Bishop Andrew told the conference that Senator George Mitchell – the American politician who chaired the peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement – said the Irish were very welcoming towards visitors but very suspicious of each other. “I think that was true 20 or so years ago,” the Bishop said, “but maybe our welcome towards visitors who are now ‘us’ – who are now part of ‘us’, are part of our community, who live with us as equals – maybe we’ve become suspicious rather than welcoming. Today is a day that helps us break down some of those divisions and helps us celebrate who we are as people made in the image of God. So, I’m thrilled to be part of today.”

Pet Blessing Service in Castlerock

Around 20 new faces turned up at Christ Church, Castlerock on Sunday 17th October, 2021 for an occasion that was something of a pet project for the local Rector.

Rev Chris MacBruithin had invited pet owners to come along to the parish’s first Pet Blessing Service. With a few minutes to go, the Rector wasn’t quite sure what kind of response his invitation might elicit but he needn’t have worried. The faithful – those on two feet and on four – justified his confidence in the idea and the Service proved a big hit with owners and pets alike.

New trustees commissioned at annual MU Diocesan Service in Omagh

Seven new trustees were commissioned to office for the Diocesan Mothers’ Union, this evening, in St Columba’s Church in Omagh. The women were commissioned by Bishop Andrew Forster during the branch’s annual Diocesan Service.

Restrictions introduced in churches to minimise the threat of COVID-19 meant the service went ahead without the usual pageantry that makes the annual service arguably the most colourful occasion in the diocesan calendar. However, former MU Worldwide President, Lady Eames, was in the congregation to lend her support.

The service was led by the Rector of Drumragh with Mountfield, Rev Graham Hare, assisted by the Rural Dean for the Omagh parishes, Rev Canon Robert Clarke, and the MU’s Diocesan Chaplain, Rev Canon Katie McAteer.

The women who were commissioned on Wednesday evening were Kathleen Finlay (Diocesan Secretary); Anne Smith (Action & Outreach Coordinator); Eva Wright (Worldwide Contact); Ivy Hartin and Averil Meehan (PROs); Janette Morrow (Indoor Members Contact); and Gladys Barnett (Prayer Circle Contact).

Addressing the socially-distanced congregation, Bishop Andrew said it was a joyful and important occasion. “These offices carry great responsibility for Mothers’ Union is a worldwide organisation whose members seek to express the Christian faith by the transformation of communities worldwide through the promotion of stable marriage, family life and the protection of children.”

The sermon was preached by the All-Ireland President of Mothers’ Union, June Butler MBE, who pointed out that it was Prisons Week for the Diocesan Mothers’ Union. Mrs Butler mentioned the “great plans” the branch had – as part of its outreach – to support the family centre at HMP Magilligan. She said she had gained some insight into the prison environment over the last 20 years, including during a case study in Edinburgh Prison (when she was “horrified” by the starkness and the “echoey noise”) and on visits to Hydebank, which she found much less austere.

Mrs Butler said Hydebank had since changed its name to Hydebank Wood College and was focusing on rehabilitating prisoners for release. “The focus,” she said, “is on helping prisoners not to re-offend, giving them skills not only to find employment but psychologically to cope with our changing world and the expectations outside prison walls.”

The experience had made Mrs Butler think about loss of liberty. There were many in the world today who were imprisoned – some physically as punishment, but sadly many more for political reasons.

“However, we mustn’t forget that many of us, and of our families and friends, may also be prisoners today. Prisoners do not have to be behind physical bars; confinement happens in many different ways but especially in our minds. It would be impossible to speak to you again, this September 2021, without mentioning COVID and the effect that it’s had on so many lives over the last 18 months. Many did – and many still do – feel imprisoned in their own homes. Mothers’ Union throughout Ireland has been doing so much to help those who were this type of prisoner. They couldn’t or didn’t feel safe being in their own home so Mothers’ Union members rose to the various challenges and did the shopping, collected medicines, made regular phone calls, sent cards, delivered goodies and small gifts – just to let them know they were not forgotten. And, of course, that’s still continuing.”

Mrs Butler also referred to those who felt lonely for reasons other than COVID. She said an MU working group – under Lady Eames – would be issuing guidance, shortly, for the lonely on for those who wanted to help the chronically lonely.

“And then there are those who are imprisoned in other ways – those who find difficulty getting head space to work out solution to what for others may be minor problems; those of us who may be imprisoned by our misconception of others; those who have real mental health issues; those who are in their personal prisons of addiction with drugs or alcohol; those who are confined by their traditions – especially in this country – and cannot see beyond the boundaries of their so-called religious background. And, of course, the areas in which Jacqui – your Diocesan President – has been working to such great effect to raise awareness about gender-based violence.”

There were dozens of references to prison in the Bible, Mrs Butler said – most notably in the case of St Paul – the “imprisoner” of Christians who came to describe himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Prison was often used as a metaphor for various forms of human distress, she said. But there was a repeated emphasis on God as a God who wanted to set the captive free and break the chains of bondage.

“It is the same God who is with all prisoners today, to help them endure their time away from family and friends, and consider their future. It is God who is in the hearts of those who are in the business of rebuilding lives and re-educating for a future beyond prison walls. And it’s that God who’s made a covenant with us that we will work to help others – guided by His Holy Spirit – but also, He is with anyone and everyone of us who may feel confined in our own personal prisons, and we must all learn to lean on and be guided by Him.”

Bishop Andrew urges General Synod to take Columba’s message of peace to “a fractured, fragile world”

The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, has urged delegates at the Church of Ireland General Synod – and parishioners all across the Church of Ireland – to become missionary pioneers like St Columba, and take a message of peace to a fractured, fragile world.

Bishop Andrew was the preacher at the Service on the opening day of Synod. As was the case last year, the General Synod is meeting online because of COVID-19 restrictions, and Bishop Andrew’s sermon was delivered from St Augustine’s Church in Londonderry, which is built on the site of Saint Columba’s first monastery in the city.

This year, people have been celebrating the 1,500th anniversary of Columba’s birth and the saint’s missionary example was a recurring theme in Bishop Andrew’s address. In it, he said each one of us had a role to play in mission, “with prayer as our fuel, with a message of peace in a challenging world”.

Full text of Bishop Andrew’s sermon”

“Much as all of us would have loved to have been gathered today in St. Patrick’s cathedral in Armagh, I’m delighted to be able to share with you from St. Augustine’s Church, which sits on Derry’s walls right in the heart of our city.

“Known locally as the ‘Wee Church on the Walls’, its modest size belies its huge significance in the Christian heritage of these islands. It was here that St. Columba built his first, and what was reputed to be his favourite, abbey and this church sits on the footprint of the original. From here Columba’s network of monasteries spread out across Ireland and eventually beyond, as centres of mission sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. This year we celebrate the 1,500th anniversary of Columba’s birth in Gartan in Donegal. Our celebrations have been more muted than we would have hoped for, but particularly in the North-West we celebrate both his example and his legacy.

“From the vantage point of this monastery, Columba would have looked out at a very different view than today. At that stage the hill of Derry was more or less an island, and he would have looked out over the oak forests that gave the city its name. The view was different, but Columba looked out at a people who knew the hardship and uncertainty of life. Disease and illness brought to them both physical weakness and fear. The tribal divisions were the sectarianism of the day that drove both conflict and division. It was a fragile and fractured world, and it was into that environment that Columba became a pioneering missionary with a confidence in the good news that he shared.

“I think the parallel is a clear one – we all know the fragility of living through this pandemic. And, unfortunately, the continued fracturing of our society, whether on sectarian, racial or economic lines is all too real. As we seek to play our part in rebuilding church, and indeed society, I believe Columba’s example can inspire and help us. Of course, all of us lament; we lament what we have lost, and we lament who we have lost. Of course, all of us are concerned. What will we be able to build back? What is left to build back? Will our young families appear again? Will the vulnerable feel safe meeting together? All of us have our concerns. And I’m sure the followers of Jesus did, as our gospel recalls, when he sends them out, the seventy-two, two by two. They would have had their concerns and their worries about what the next chapter held for them.

“Now it’s interesting to note that this passage from Luke’s gospel speaks of a larger group sent out on mission. It wasn’t just the twelve. I think it’s clear the task of rebuilding and renewing is not just for some of us, but for all of us. I’m sure you know the example of the Church being likened to a football match i.e. twenty-two people desperately needing a rest, watched by hundreds of people desperately needing some exercise. Jesus says the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. He still sends us out into a fragile, fractured world with good news, shown both by our words and in our deeds.

“Jesus also tells us what the fuel for his mission is, the fuel to keep going and to thrive no matter what the challenges are. ‘Ask’, he says. ‘Ask the Lord of the harvest’, or as other translations put it, ‘pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest’. The fuel for our mission, indeed, the fuel for our lives, the fuel for our rebuilding, recovery, renewal, has to be prayer. Throughout the pandemic I’ve been saying to people, pray like you’ve never prayed before.

“I’m convinced that every prayer matters, every prayer counts, and we need to keep praying. Because the reality of the challenges that face us are great. They were great for the seventy- two as well. Jesus says to them, “Go, I am sending you out like lambs amongst wolves”, which sounds pretty ominous, doesn’t it? Yet, the message we are compelled to share is vital for our fragile, fractured society. ‘When you enter a home’, says Jesus, ‘say peace be to this house’. The message of peace is a message of God’s peace in our lies, a message of God’s pardon for us, and a message of God’s purpose for today and for our future. We are called to be both messengers and vessels of God’s peace. Through our words, through our actions, through our very lives. To carry and share the peace of God that Jesus tells us some will welcome and sadly some will reject.

“I always think our parish structure gives us a great advantage; it’s almost Columban if we see our parishes as mission stations throughout our island to our fragile, fractured world. Each one of us has a role to play with prayer as our fuel, with a message of peace in a challenging world.

“In the Old Testament reading today from Nehemiah, after Ezra reads the book of the law to the people, there’s almost a feeling for them of being totally overwhelmed. They’re overwhelmed both by the task and the sense of responsibility. Nehemiah shares these words that speak to us in times that often seem overwhelming in this fragile, fractured world. He says, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is our strength’.

“May the joy of the Lord be your strength, may the joy of the Lord be our strength. Amen.”

Archbishop pays tribute to the late Pat Hume at opening of General Synod 21

The Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of All Ireland, Most Revd John McDowell, used his presidential address at the opening of General Synod 2021 to pay tribute to Mrs Pat Hume, who died at the beginning of this month. Archbishop McDowell said Mrs Hume’s “quiet, utterly unseen, steely, consistent and lifelong work for peace and good relationships on this island and between these islands” had been of incalculable value. The Primate passed on Synod’s deepest sympathy and the assurance of its prayers to the Hume family.

Archbishop McDowell’s address ranged across global issues, such as the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, and matters closer to home, including relations in and between these islands. The Church of Ireland could not solve the climate crisis, the Primate said, but we could not honestly challenge governments without also challenging ourselves. Our credibility with another generation depended on our willingness to contribute to a solution, he said.

“I said last year that I was concerned about certain currents and developments in diplomacy and politics in and between these islands,” Archbishop McDowell said, “which had the potential to eat away at many of the gains, particularly in Northern Ireland, secured, for instance, by the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, and agreements on Legacy. Those pressures remain and have, if anything intensified. And they will continue to do so, as long as Northern Ireland is governed by policies which primarily respond to the needs of places other than Northern Ireland, wherever they may be. Indeed, the whole of Ireland is beginning to be redolent of how it was in the seventeenth century, with the warring super-powers of Europe slugging it out for supremacy, but leaving behind social and political divisions which will be found difficult to heal.

“Nowadays,” the Primate said, “the weapons are not made of iron and steel but of bitter words and the manipulation of facts and emotions. Sometimes opposing sides can pull so hard at either end of the diplomatic rope that the knot becomes so tight that it is very difficult to untie. This matters to those whose primary allegiance is to the God of Peace whose Apostle urges us to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in this island we inhabit.”

The Covid-19 pandemic had broadened people’s horizons, the Archbishop said. It was a world-wide crisis – a global pandemic. “We are now called as citizens, and as Christians, to respond to the challenges of creating a new world based on a new set of relationships. Relationships matter. The path which Jesus Christ opened up for us to enter into a new relationship with his Father, and the implications that has for all other relationships.

“Perhaps our relationships with one another in church are a good place to begin to reclaim that life.  A life of simplicity and truth and forbearance which is a life of service in the places where we live.  We are a family, and as I never tire of saying, families get their vigour and interest from where brothers and sisters differ from one another, rather than where they are similar.”

You can read the Primate’s Presidential Address in full by clicking on the link below.

https://www.ireland.anglican.org/news/10947/general-synod-2021-presidential-address

Formal installation of Rev Canon Colin Welsh – six months after his appointment

The newest member of the Cathedral Chapter of St Columb, Rev Canon Colin Welsh, was installed formally on Thursday evening at a Service led by the Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, and attended by two bishops – the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, and the retired Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, Rt Rev Ken Clarke.

The Service of Installation took place a full six months after Canon Welsh’s appointment because of the disruption caused by the pandemic. COVID restrictions were in place throughout the Service. The new canon and his wife, Anne, were welcomed to the cathedral by Dean Stewart. The Service was attended by family and friends of the Welshes; parishioners from Castledawson, where Canon Welsh is Rector; and well-wishers from elsewhere in the Maghera and Kilrea Rural Deanery, of which he is Rural Dean.

Bishop Clarke, who preached the sermon, congratulated the new canon and said he was glad to see that since the appointment Canon Welsh had remained trim and thin. “It can never be said of you what I’ve heard someone say: ‘The bigger the canon the bigger the bore.’ Those who knew the new canon knew that he had never been boring in his life, Bishop Clarke said.

“Do take this appointment as an encouragement and as recognition of how much you’re respected,” the preacher said, “not just in Castledawson but in the diocese and in the wider Church.”

Bishop Clarke said he could speak about Canon Welsh and his wife for a long time: about their lives, their character, their faith, their achievements. He could sing the new canon’s praises. “But you know and many of us know that whilst it is great to be made a canon, there are much greater priorities for the Church of God across the world in the year 2021 and in every generation,” Bishop Clarke said, “and that’s really the primary theme of our Old Testament reading this evening.”

The extract from the Book of Haggai [1: 1-8 and 2: 6-9] had “a powerful message to the Church today about priorities,” the preacher said. “Right at the heart of the message of Haggai is simply this: put first things first. And let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t always do that.

“It was written to people like us,” the bishop said, “who probably without exception said but we want to put God first, God must be first. The people in Haggai’s day – the people of God – did believe that. And I think many of us would verbally say the same; we say that in our forms of worship. But the reality was [that] what they said and how they lived didn’t match up: there wasn’t a consistency between what they said they believed, and how they behaved. They had drifted into a way of life where God’s priorities were no longer their priorities. They gave lip service to God but in fact they lived with other priorities.

“And God sent the prophet Haggai to help the people rediscover God’s priorities for them: to live lives in line with what God’s primary desires are. And I just wonder in parts of the Church today do we need to hear that same message?”

Bishop Clarke said he did not want to upset anyone but that he had no hesitation in saying that the Church of God, in every generation, was not primarily about titles, and trifles and position, and power, and status, and style. “The Church of God under God – and this is one of the things I find so exciting about the Church of God – we are called by God to be a new community, a different kind of people who make a difference in whichever part of the world we live – people who live Christ-shaped lives, Kingdom-shaped lives, and our lives have the aroma of Christ about us, so that people sense there’s something different about those people in Derry Cathedral; there’s something different about those people in Castledawson. ‘What is it?’ And they start asking questions. And they see a group of people in the Church of Jesus Christ who are like no other; they’re marked by acts of kindness; they have different values; and all of those things come from having the right priorities, which is what this message from Haggai is all about.

“If we – those of us who are ordained – if we are in ordained ministry, stuffed with selfish ambition, obsessed with being in the limelight, or pursuing a path of self-promotion, we need to hear what God says in His word. We need to hear the message of Haggai. We need to hear what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 5: ‘Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you?’”

Four times, the preacher said, in this very short Book of Haggai, the prophet said to the people, “Consider how you fared”. In other versions it said, “Give careful thought to your ways.” When was the last time we honestly before God gave careful thought to our ways, Bishop Clarke wondered, for our own personal lives and for the Church that we were part of? “How serious are we about capturing or re-capturing what God’s exciting priorities are for His Church in the year 2021?”

Through His prophet, God was calling His people back to put first things first. “Is this part of God’s message to the Church today? God wants us to recapture His vision, make His priorities our priorities.” In Canon Welsh and his wife Anne, we saw two people who were seeking to live out God’s call on their lives and be people who made a difference, Bishop Clarke said.

The preacher recalled the example of a former Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, William Alexander, who was ordained priest for the curacy of Templemore in 1847 – 174 years ago this week – and who sought to love God and love his neighbour. It was shortly after the Great Famine, and a terrible epidemic – a form of typhus – was affecting the slums of Derry particularly badly. The young curate’s duty took him day and night into houses “reeking with disease and infection”, ministering to parishioners’ bodily and spiritual needs. “In those days, doctors were few; there were no district nurses; little help from hospitals; no proper attention to sickness in the miserable and overcrowded workhouses. But this man visited these people.”

What was he doing, Bishop Clarke asked? “He was living out God’s priorities: loving his neighbour, caring for the sick, showing in his living the compassion of Christ; and I humbly suggest, that is one of the great needs in Ireland today, that you and I do the same. The Church has taken a knocking in recent years. Things will begin to change as we prioritise living out loving God and loving our neighbour, as we obey not only the great commandment but the great commission; and we go, and we share the Gospel, and we make disciples, and we baptise, and we teach. This is what changes lives, families, friendships, communities.”

One of the good things about having canons in the Church, the bishop suggested, was that it was a reminder of the Church’s wider role. “We’re not just parochial. A canon is a member of a Chapter with other clergy from other parishes, all part of the deanery family, the Cathedral family. And it’s an important reminder that the Church of Christ isn’t just local, it’s regional and it’s global.

“Colin, as you begin this new chapter in your life, serving the Chapter of this great Cathedral, know that God is with you, and He will never let you go. And His presence with you will give you and the Dean and the rest of the Chapter such strength and encouragement and inspiration.

Dean Stewart was assisted in Thursday’s Service by the Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller, and by the Diocesan Registrar, Rev Canon David Crooks. Music was provided by organist, Dr Derek Collins, and the Cathedral Choir.

Canon Welsh Installation

The newest member of the Cathedral Chapter of St Columb, Rev Canon Colin Welsh, was installed formally on Thursday evening, 23rd September 2021, at a Service led by the Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, and attended by two bishops – the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, and the retired Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, Rt Rev Ken Clarke.

The Service of Installation took place a full six months after Canon Welsh’s appointment because of the disruption caused by the pandemic. COVID restrictions were in place throughout the Service. The new canon and his wife, Anne, were welcomed to the cathedral by Dean Stewart. The Service was attended by family and friends of the Welshes; parishioners from Castledawson, where Canon Welsh is Rector; and well-wishers from elsewhere in the Maghera and Kilrea Rural Deanery, of which he is Rural Dean.

Bishop Clarke, who preached the sermon, congratulated the new canon and said he was glad to see that since the appointment Canon Welsh had remained trim and thin. “It can never be said of you what I’ve heard someone say: ‘The bigger the canon the bigger the bore.’ Those who knew the new canon knew that he had never been boring in his life, Bishop Clarke said.

“Do take this appointment as an encouragement and as recognition of how much you’re respected,” the preacher said, “not just in Castledawson but in the diocese and in the wider Church.”

Bishop Clarke said he could speak about Canon Welsh and his wife for a long time: about their lives, their character, their faith, their achievements. He could sing the new canon’s praises. “But you know and many of us know that whilst it is great to be made a canon, there are much greater priorities for the Church of God across the world in the year 2021 and in every generation, and that’s really the primary theme of our Old Testament reading this evening.”

The extract from the Book of Haggai [1: 1-8 and 2: 6-9] had “a powerful message to the Church today about priorities,” the preacher said. “Right at the heart of the message of Haggai is simply this: put first things first. And let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t always do that.

“It was written to people like us,” the bishop said, “who probably without exception said but we want to put God first, God must be first. The people in Haggai’s day – the people of God – did believe that. And I think many of us would verbally say the same; we say that in our forms of worship. But the reality was [that] what they said and how they lived didn’t match up: there wasn’t a consistency between what they said they believed, and how they behaved. They had drifted into a way of life where God’s priorities were no longer their priorities. They gave lip service to God but in fact they lived with other priorities.

“And God sent the prophet Haggai to help the people rediscover God’s priorities for them: to live lives in line with what God’s primary desires are. And I just wonder in parts of the Church today do we need to hear that same message?”

Bishop Clarke said he did not want to upset anyone but that he had no hesitation in saying that the Church of God, in every generation, was not primarily about titles, and trifles and position, and power, and status, and style. “The Church of God under God – and this is one of the things I find so exciting about the Church of God – we are called by God to be a new community, a different kind of people who make a difference in whichever part of the world we live – people who live Christ-shaped lives, Kingdom-shaped lives, and our lives have the aroma of Christ about us, so that people sense there’s something different about those people in Derry Cathedral; there’s something different about those people in Castledawson. ‘What is it?’ And they start asking questions. And they see a group of people in the Church of Jesus Christ who are like no other; they’re marked by acts of kindness; they have different values; and all of those things come from having the right priorities, which is what this message from Haggai is all about.

“If we – those of us who are ordained – if we are in ordained ministry, stuffed with selfish ambition, obsessed with being in the limelight, or pursuing a path of self-promotion, we need to hear what God says in His word. We need to hear the message of Haggai. We need to hear what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 5: ‘Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you?’”

Four times, the preacher said, in this very short Book of Haggai, the prophet said to the people, “Consider how you fared”. In other versions it said, “Give careful thought to your ways.” When was the last time we honestly before God gave careful thought to our ways, Bishop Clarke wondered, for our own personal lives and for the Church that we were part of? “How serious are we about capturing or re-capturing what God’s exciting priorities are for His Church in the year 2021?”

Through His prophet, God was calling His people back to put first things first. “Is this part of God’s message to the Church today? God wants us to recapture His vision, make His priorities our priorities.” In Canon Welsh and his wife Anne, we saw two people who were seeking to live out God’s call on their lives and be people who made a difference, Bishop Clarke said.

The preacher recalled the example of a former Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, William Alexander, who was ordained priest for the curacy of Templemore in 1847 – 174 years ago this week – and who sought to love God and love his neighbour. It was shortly after the Great Famine, and a terrible epidemic – a form of typhus – was affecting the slums of Derry particularly badly. The young curate’s duty took him day and night into houses “reeking with disease and infection”, ministering to parishioners’ bodily and spiritual needs. “In those days, doctors were few; there were no district nurses; little help from hospitals; no proper attention to sickness in the miserable and overcrowded workhouses. But this man visited these people.”

What was he doing, Bishop Clarke asked? “He was living out God’s priorities: loving his neighbour, caring for the sick, showing in his living the compassion of Christ; and I humbly suggest, that is one of the great needs in Ireland today, that you and I do the same. The Church has taken a knocking in recent years. Things will begin to change as we prioritise living out loving God and loving our neighbour, as we obey not only the great commandment but the great commission; and we go, and we share the Gospel, and we make disciples, and we baptise, and we teach. This is what changes lives, families, friendships, communities.”

One of the good things about having canons in the Church, the bishop suggested, was that it was a reminder of the Church’s wider role. “We’re not just parochial. A canon is a member of a Chapter with other clergy from other parishes, all part of the deanery family, the Cathedral family. And it’s an important reminder that the Church of Christ isn’t just local, it’s regional and it’s global.

“Colin, as you begin this new chapter in your life, serving the Chapter of this great Cathedral, know that God is with you, and He will never let you go. And His presence with you will give you and the Dean and the rest of the Chapter such strength and encouragement and inspiration.

Dean Stewart was assisted in Thursday’s Service by the Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller, and by the Diocesan Registrar, Rev Canon David Crooks. Music was provided by Dr Derek Collins and the Cathedral Choir.

Bishops demand full redress for mica families

Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland bishops, and a leading Presbyterian clergyman, have called on the Irish Government to offer full and immediate redress to the thousands of people whose homes have been affected by the mica/pyrite crisis. Numerous family homes have been seriously damaged because defective building blocks were used in their construction. The church leaders said:

“Housing and homelessness are recognised as key political and social justice issues of our time. In this context, immediate action is needed to alleviate the mica/pyrite crisis which is affecting the health, well-being and safety of homeowners and their families. As church leaders, we are gravely concerned at the families’ plight. While many of our impacted citizens live on the periphery of our island, it is disturbing that their basic need for good housing also seems peripheral to the agenda of our political leaders. A number of us have had the opportunity to visit some of the affected homes and heard from campaigners. Our foremost concern now is getting support for these families.

“There appears to be a disparity in the way people in our region are being treated compared to those elsewhere. Homeowners in Leinster were awarded 100% redress for the pyrite problems there. The citizens of Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Tipperary, Clare and Limerick deserve no less. This is a matter of fairness, justice and compassion.

“There may come a time for assigning responsibility for what has happened. One thing is certain, though: the homeowners are not to blame.

“The cost of repairing the damage is beyond the means of most families. The mica/pyrite scandal is now a test of our compassion as a society and of the State’s resolve to help its most vulnerable. We must move quickly to end the anguish and uncertainty for all those affected by mica or pyrite in homes that they have bought or built.

“The affected homeowners need three guarantees of support:

– 100% redress from the government for homeowners;

– a 40-year, state-backed scheme, guaranteeing full redress in the event of future problems; and,

– the remedy of 100% redress made available to all those affected.

“We realise there will be significant costs involved, but the State has found resources in the past to rescue the banking sector and, more recently, to deal with the pandemic. The mica and pyrite families need our sympathy, our prayers and our help. They have our full support, as church leaders, in their pursuit of their three demands.”

From:

CHURCH OF IRELAND BISHOPS

  • Rt Rev Patrick Rooke, Church of Ireland Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry
  • Rt Rev Dr Ferran Glenfield, Church of Ireland Bishop of Elphin
  • Rt Rev Andrew Forster, Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe
  • ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
  • Bishop John Fleming, Bishop of Killala
  • Bishop Donal McKeown, Bishop of Derry
  • Bishop Kevin Doran, Bishop of Elphin
  • Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop of Raphoe
  • Bishop Paul Dempsey, Bishop of Achonry
  • PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
  • Rev Keith Hibbert, Moderator of Derry & Donegal Presbytery

(Acknowledgement: the indoor photo below was taken by Joe Dunne).