! CNI Faith Leaders at the interfaith service in Glasnevin. 1916 Remembrance Wall unveiled in inter-faith service An interfaith service to remember all those who died during the 1916 Rising took place on Sunday (April 3) in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin. Representatives of all the main faith communities participated. The service featured the unveiling of the Remembrance Wall which is inscribed with the names of all those who lost their lives during the churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 1
Rising; Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, British Army, Dublin Metropolitan Police, Royal Irish Constabulary, as well as civilians, including children. The Taoiseach laid a wreath and schoolchildren from the locality unveiled the wall in the cemetery which is the site where James Connolly and Michael Collins, among others, are buried. The Necrology Wall, as it is officially titled, was inspired by the International Memorial of Notre Dame de Lorette in France. The French memorial records in alphabetical order without any distinction of nationality, rank or religion the names of soldiers from all sides who lost their lives in the battlefields of Northern France during World War I. The Dublin memorial was organised by the Glasnevin Trust. Catholic Church in Northern Ireland and SDLP hold first official meeting The first official meeting took place on Monday between representatives of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland, including Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All-Ireland, and the new leader churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 2
of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Colum Eastwood MLA. Archbishop Martin was accompanied by members of a delegation from the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) to the meeting in Belfast. Speaking afterwards, Archbishop Martin said the Church delegation welcomed the opportunity to discuss a range of issues with the party, including the shocking increase in levels of childhood poverty during the mandate of the last Assembly and the SDLP s positive commitment to building a culture of life and care. Archbishop Martin continued, This is the first in a round of meetings our Council on Social Affairs is having with the political parties in the North over coming weeks. We want to support politicians in their noble vocation of building a better society and to explore how we as a Church, with other faith communities and civic groups, can work together with politicians in the next Assembly to address the many challenges confronting our society. We highlighted in particular the growing levels of childhood poverty in Northern Ireland and the churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 3
increasing gap between rich and poor, as well as the continuing challenges of sectarianism, reconciliation and dealing with the past. Malachy McKernan, a member of NICCOSA and of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, said that the Church delegation had asked the SDLP to make addressing child poverty and the widening gap between rich and poor the first priority of the programme of Government in the next Assembly. The Church and church-based organisations such as the St Vincent De Paul are at the frontline of responding to poverty every day. The hidden tragedy is that it is getting worse, not better. It is shocking that after so many years of relative stability and peace, the number of children living in poverty in Northern Ireland is still the worst on these islands and is even increasing and that the gap between rich and poor in Northern Ireland is getting wider, Mr McKernan said. He added that poverty has all sorts of social, health, education and employment consequences. churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 4
It brings additional costs to almost every Government department. It simply doesn t make sense morally or economically for our politicians not to address poverty as a top priority. As we said to the members of the SDLP, it is no accident that Pope Francis was recently voted the most popular leader in the world. He is showing the way. He is making the voice of the poor heard across the world and that is what the Church was doing at the meeting with the SDLP today. Referencing the loss of the mechanisms for ongoing civic engagement promised in the Belfast [Good Friday] Agreement, the delegation from NICCOSA encouraged the SDLP to look at ways of widening participation in the policy making processes of the next Assembly and in building a more positive, inclusive and outward looking civic and political culture. We also expressed our concern at the lack of attention being given to the persecution of Christians across the world, especially in the Middle East. We asked that the next Assembly do more to highlight this issue and to also give focused attention to the importance of respect for freedom of religion and conscience as a churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 5
fundamental pillar of a genuinely free, diverse and democratic society. Ms Deirdre O Rawe, a member of NICCOSA, said, The delegation affirmed the Party s consistent position throughout the Troubles of upholding the right to life as the most fundamental of all human rights. The Church delegation also welcomed the affirmation by the SDLP that it will continue to uphold its position on abortion as expressed in the most recent vote in the Assembly, in which the Party defended the right to life of severely disabled children in the womb who have lifelimiting conditions. She went on to say, we encouraged the SDLP to stay true to its position of respecting the absolute sanctity of human life in all circumstances and for promoting a response to crisis in pregnancy that is marked by compassion, care and equal respect for the life of a mother and her unborn child. We also welcomed the Party s interest in exploring the proposal to develop a wider range of peri-natal hospice services in Northern Ireland to provide world-class support, counselling and care to every family facing the diagnosis of a lifelimiting condition in pregnancy. churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 6
We shared our conviction that the best possible future for humanity lies in building a culture of life and care in which the dignity of our beginning and end as persons is reverenced and respected, rather than in a culture where the value of life is cheapened and destroyed. Ms Eileen Gallagher of NICCOSA, who has wide experience of peace and reconciliation work, concluded by saying, This was a very positive and helpful meeting with the SDLP, a sign that politicians and church organisations can both benefit from regular dialogue with one another. We look forward to similar meetings with the other parties. She said they also spoke to the SDLP about a wide range of other issues, including the importance of caring for the environment and of addressing the needs of the victims of the Troubles once and for all early on in the new Assembly s term. The Church delegation also raised the issue of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry and the need to ensure adequate support for victims and survivors of abuse. The SDLP and the Church delegation agreed to meet again in the future. churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 7
The meeting with the SDLP is the first in a series of meetings scheduled to take place during April 2016 between the Archbishop and lay members of NICCOSA, with the main political parties in Northern Ireland. The delegation from the Catholic Church, led by Archbishop Eamon Martin, included: Bishop Donal McKeown, Bishop of Derry; Ms Deirdre O Rawe (Accord NI); Ms Eileen Gallagher (NICCOSA); Mr Malachy McKernan (SVdP) and Father Timothy Bartlett (NICCOSA). The delegation from the SDLP, led by Party Leader Mr Colum Eastwood MLA, included Mr Fearghal McKinney MLA (Deputy Leader and health spokesperson); Ms Nichola Mallon (Assembly candidate for North Belfast); Mr Alex Attwood MLA; and Mr Alban Maginness MLA (justice spokesperson). Search for Irish place names of parishes The Parish Placenames Project is an ambitious project to create a bilingual listing of all of parishes of the Church of Ireland. It was recently churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 8
launched in St. Mary s Church, Carlow, as part of the Pan Celtic Festival. Through the cooperation of the Representative Church Body (RCB) the bilingual listing with explanations of the Irish terms will be incorporated into the Church of Ireland Directory. The work will be carried out in a staged process, on a diocese by diocese basis. It is intended that the listing will act as a resource for parishes who may like to include the Irish name of the parish on the website, noticeboard, newsletter, etc. The first testing ground for this project is the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory whose list is now available to view at www.gaeleaglais.ie. It is intended as a modest first attempt and feedback is encouraged. The Rt Revd Michael Burrows, Diocese of Cashel Ferns and Cashel said: This event marks the beginning of an ambitious and invaluable project. As we develop a better understanding of our place names with all their fascination and beauty, we will have a richer sense of our origins as resilient and vibrant communities of faith. Such knowledge of place names often connects us to those who originally established the church in a particular area, and thus helps us to walk more closely in the footsteps of the saints. churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 9
Dáithí Ó Maolchoille, Chair of the Cumann Gaelach na heaglaise said: Learning from the Church in Wales, which encouraged such a scheme in 2008, the Cumann envisages that the Parish Placenames Project will grow organically and enhance the honourable history of the Church of Ireland in preserving and promoting the Irish language. It sends out a very visible message of language diversity, and responds to the current openness to the Irish language in the Church. Any parish that wishes to comment on the proposals should get in contact with Caroline Nolan, Irish Language Development Officer at gaeleaglais@gmail.com. Message from Pope Francis to Limerick synod The historic synod getting underway in the diocese of Limerick this week received an important papal boost on Monday when an official blessing from Pope Francis was presented to the Bishop of Limerick by the Papal Nuncio to Ireland. Pope Francis blessing was handed over to Bishop Brendan Leahy, who convoked the churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 10
Synod in late 2014, by Archbishop Charles John Brown on a visit to Limerick four days ahead of the commencement of the Synod. The Papal Blessing was sent by the Vatican s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on behalf of the Pope. It states: The Holy Father was pleased to be informed of the celebration of the Diocesan Synod and has asked me to assure the participants of his spiritual closeness during these days of community prayer, deliberation and discernment. His Holiness invites those present to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ and his Church in the light of God s mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness (Misericordiae Vultus, 2). He trusts that all will be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit through personal and liturgical prayer to better discern God s will in the life of the local Church. With these sentiments and entrusting the people of the Diocese of Limerick to the maternal intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, his Holiness willingly imparts his churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 11
Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord. Bishop Leahy mentioned the Synod to Pope Francis during a brief audience with the Pontiff in Rome two weeks ago. Dr Leahy described the Papal blessing as a wonderfully encouraging acknowledgement of the importance of the work that will take place during the Synod. There could not have been a better start for us to Synod Week than to receive this Papal Blessing. I took the opportunity when I met Pope Francis two weeks ago to tell him of the Synod and, as in the previous occasions when I referenced Limerick to him, his eyes lit up. It s clear that he has an affinity for Limerick. Double celebration at Connor MU Festival Service The Connor MU Festival Service will be held in St Anne s Cathedra, Belfast, on Sunday April 10. It will be a celebration of the 140th anniversary of Mothers Union and the 90th birthday of MU Patron Her Majesty the Queen. churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 12
The speaker at the service will be Phyllis Grothier, MU All Ireland President. Banners will be processed at 3.15pm and guests are requested to be seated before that. The service starts at 3.30pm. Everyone will be very welcome and light refreshments will be served after the service. BACI s Spring Lecture by Professor Andrew Mayes On Saturday 9 April Professor Andrew Mayes, until his recent retirement TCD s leading Old Testament specialist, will deliver BACI s Spring Lecture on: Identities in a World ofhistorical Change an Old Testament Quest. Registration and coffee at 10.30am at St Matthias Church, Ballybrack, will be followed by the lecture at 10.50am, proceedings concluding by 12.30pm. It is advisable to book early through wolhausen@gmail.com to secure a place. A 10 charge (concessions 5) will apply to cover expenses, payable at the door. Andrew Mayes is an internationally recognised as an authoritative Old Testament scholar whose major publications have included The Story of Israel between Settlement and Exile, Judges, and The Old Testament in Sociological Perspective. His churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 13
most recent area of interest has been Egypt as seen in the Hebrew Bible, and the historical relationship between Israel and Egypt. Gaudium Chamber Choir presents Choral Evensong in Donegal Donegal Town Church of Ireland will present the Anglican office of Choral Evensong on Sunday 17th April. The music will be provided by Letterkenny based Gaudium Chamber Choir, who will conclude with a short concert, including arrangements of Irish folksongs plus original works by Fauré, Bach, Byrd, Tallis and others. It is a chance to experience this timeless mix of sixteenth century English adorned with beautiful choral and organ music from across the ages, this office is an adaptation of medieval Catholic liturgies, making this a truly ecumenical occasion which will be appreciated by those with or without faith. Admission is free and a retiring collection will be taken to cover costs and for the fabric of the church. Refreshments will also be available afterwards. The service will begin at 7.30 pm. churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 14
C of I Thanks & Praise" hymnbook featured on Radio Ulster Thanks & Praise the Church of Ireland s new supplement to the Church Hymnal was featured on BBC Radio Ulster s Sing Out programme on Sunday, 3rd April. A wide ranging discussion with the supplement s music editor, The Revd Dr Peter Thompson, covered the production and content of Thanks & Praise and included helpful information about its Braille and recorded music editions. churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 15
The programme is available online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/b075t5pm and the interview commences at 3 minutes 50 seconds. Thanks & Praise contains 227 hymns, songs and liturgical settings reflecting the best of church music to emerge since the compilation of the most recent edition of the Church Hymnal. Archbishop of York criticises minimum wage re-brand An increase of 50 pence per hour in the national minimum wage that employers in the UK must pay their workers has been welcomed by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu. But while welcoming the increase, Dr Sentamu has criticised the British finance minister, George Osborne, for branding the increase as a new Living Wage. The government s new National Living Wage came into effect on Friday (1 April); and requires employers to pay employees over the age of 25 a minimum of 7.20 per hour. Employees aged between 21 and 25 will continue to receive the previous minimum wage of 6.70 per hour. churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 16
Dr Sentamu used to chair the Living Wage Commission, which, with its campaigning arm the Living Wage Foundation, has been calling on employers to go beyond the legal minimum wage and to instead pay their workers a living wage of 8.25 per hour in most of the UK, and 9.40 in London, because of the higher cost of living in the Capital. To coincide with the introduction of the new national minimum wage for over 25s, Dr Sentamu has written an article in The Times newspaper, in which he criticises the language used by the government in branding the new minimum as a National Living Wage. Of course it is to be welcomed that Mr Osborne is increasing wages at the bottom level for over 25s, Dr Sentamu wrote. But let s call it what it is: a new legal minimum wage for over 25s. It is not a living wage in any real sense; it is not paying workers what they deserve and it is not paying workers what they need in order to achieve a decent standard of living in the UK. The real Living Wage is set according to what experts and the public believe is needed to achieve an above-poverty standard of living. Not earning this can mean having to rely on a food bank even if you are in work. Let s think about churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 17
that for a second. Working people should not have to rely on food banks to feed their families. The new minimum wage also risks setting young against old. There are two million under 25 s who will not benefit from the increased minimum wage. The real Living Wage (as set by the Living Wage Foundation) makes no distinction for how old someone has to be to expect to be paid fairly for a day s work. Dr Sentamu said that the Christian faith makes a strong moral argument for paying the Living Wage and that there was also a financial argument because those companies who pay the Living Wage report higher levels of morale and lower levels of absenteeism. He concluded: Paying the Living Wage is a fast route to the kind of society the UK could become, a country where people are paid a fair day s wage for a hard day s work. News links to reports on faith, politics and education Tributes to football mad cleric (96) who followed his NI heroes religiously Belfast Telegraph churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 18
Canon Edgar Turner was one of the Church of Ireland's most respected... He added that if Northern Ireland did beat the Faroe Islands, their rivals in... http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/tributes-tofootball-mad-cleric-96-who-followed-his-ni-heroesreligiously-34595835.html Commemorations must not glorify violence, urges bishop Irish Independent The Mass was attended by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Chris O'Leary; the Defence Minister Simon Coveney; the retired Church of Ireland Bishop of... http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/1916/ commemorations-must-not-glorify-violence-urgesbishop-34595963.html NI School league tables - Colleges to be shut down score top GCSEs Irish News Two schools in Co Fermanagh have topped the Northern Ireland non-grammar school exams performance list after achieving their best ever GCSE results. St Eugene's College in Roslea and St Comhghall's College in Lisnaskea occupy the top two spots. However, their joy is to be short-lived as the education minister has said the pair will close and be replaced by a new college. For the third year in a row St Dominic's Grammar School in west Belfast has produced the best A-level results. http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/ 2016/04/04/news/school-league-tables-colleges-to-bechurchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 19
shut-down-score-top-gcses-473326/? mc_cid=fe12ff1c97&mc_eid=23f2f80c40 Efforts to improve school standards need to be encouraged - Leading article Irish News http://www.irishnews.com/opinion/leadingarticle/ 2016/04/05/news/efforts-to-improve-school-standardsneed-to-be-encouraged-474665/ School league tables: Rural schools dominate top spots Irish News http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/ 2016/04/05/news/school-league-tables-rural-schoolsdominate-top-spots-474345/ De La Salle College parents to continue protests at crisis-hit Belfast school Belfast Telegraph http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ de-la-salle-college-parents-to-continue-protests-atcrisishit-belfast-school-34598858.html Teaching union passes no confidence vote on NI schools inspector BBC News One of the largest teaching unions has overwhelmingly passed a motion of no confidence in Northern Ireland's chief inspector of schools, Noelle Buick. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35965646 churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 20
BBC/Exp Reports that communities across the UK are being encouraged to hold vigils to mark the centenary of World War One's Battle of the Somme. The Government and the Royal British Legion are inviting villages, towns and cities to organise their own remembrance events alongside national and international commemorations. It is hoped evening vigils will be held on 30 June or on 1 July. There were more than 600,000 British and French casualties in the battle. Bishop Nigel McCulloch, Head of Remembrance at the Royal British Legion is quoted. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35963387 http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/658112/battle-of- Somme-centenary-appeal-to-British-communities Nottingham Post Reports the announcement of the new Dean of Southwell, the Ven Nicola Sullivan, currently Archdeacon of Wells. The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, Paul Williams is quoted. http://www.nottinghampost.com/new-female-dean- Southwell-announced/story-29047560-detail/story.html Times Diary item regarding the sale of a house belonging to the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/columnists/ citypeople/article4727408.ece Comment Apollo Arts Magazine: Drastic reform is the only way to save England's churches. http://www.apollo-magazine.com/drastic-reform-is-theonly-way-to-save-englands-churches/ churchnewsireland@gmail.com Page 21
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