Preparing for Big Services We look forward to welcoming the Reverend Ryan Hawk as our new curate in about a week’s time. Next Sunday, 15th June, Ryan will be ordained priest alongside some of his colleagues who will serve in different churches in this Diocese. If you are not familiar with church, these are very special […]
Searching for the Soul of the Church A friend of mine passed me on a wonderful book recently about the soul of Irish rugby. It explores the way the sport has transcended religious and political divisions in Ireland and brought people together in a unique way. The professional era has seen Ireland, a small country […]
The Speak Jesus Initiative If I were to ask most Christians I know about what they find most challenging about the life of faith, I suspect many would speak about the challenge of sharing your faith with other people. How is it that we find it so hard to speak about something that is so […]
Dear Friends, As this month’s magazine goes to print, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Reverend Dr. Ryan Hawk as Curate Assistant here in St. Finnian’s. Ryan will take up his appointment in mid-June following his ordination to the Priesthood on Sunday 15th June at 3.30pm in Down Cathedral. We hope as many […]
The Ministry of Presence One of the beautiful things to behold, if you know people who have been married for many years, is how comfortable and relaxed they are in each other’s presence. I visited a couple recently who have been married for over 60 years and what was inspiring was to see just how […]
Longevity and Faithfulness On a recent short visit to my Mum’s house she showed me two lovely invitations she had received. One was to an 80th birthday celebration in a local hotel. It’s hard to believe that this particular friend of hers is 80! I bumped into her in the local shop on that visit […]
From Multan, Pakistan, a call to pray Following overnight hostilities between India and Pakistan, Bishop David has been in contact with Bishop Leo and our link diocese of Multan, Pakistan, where missiles have struck. Both bishops urge us to pray. Bishop Leo writes: “Regrettably, the situation here has become deeply alarming. At approximately 1.00am India launched […]
The Beauty of Taize Worship It’s almost 30 years since I first visited the beautiful little village of Taize in Burgundy in France. I had experienced the beauty of its distinctive style of worship in a number of settings, including the Church of Ireland Theological College, where I had trained for ordination. I travelled there […]