Congratulations to Revd. John Addy who was ordained as a priest for local ministry by Bishop Ferran Glenfield at St. John’s Cathedral, Sligo on 11^th September 2022. He will serve principally in the Sligo Cathedral Group of Churches although he also regularly visits churches in the Drumcliffe and Manorhamilton Groups.

John was born in England and worked for many years in the National Health Service and latterly in university management. He took up his current role with The Open University in Belfast in 2003 but spends much of his time in Strandhill, Co. Sligo. His grandfather, William Whittaker, was the Sexton in the former St. John’s Church in Sligo for 33 years and his mother Olive grew up in the adjacent church house until the entire family relocated to England in 1955 and returned in 1985. John has been a frequent holiday visitor since the late 1960s, prior to his coming to live in Ireland nineteen years ago.

John has felt increasing drawn to Christian ministry and over the past nine years has served as a Parish Reader and then as a Diocesan Reader, prior to being ordained Deacon last year.  When opportunities arise, John likes nothing better than long hill or coastal walks, city breaks and enjoys a quiz or a game of pétanque.

We pray for Revd. John as he continues his ministry in our Diocese.

A service of thanksgiving and reflection to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II was held last Sunday, 18^th September in St. Fethlimidh’s Cathedral, Kilmore. The congregation who gathered to give thanks for the Queen’s long and devoted life of service to God included clergy and parishioners from across the Diocese of Kilmore, both North and South,  as well as representatives of Cavan County Council.

Preaching from Isaiah chapter 6, Bishop Ferran Glenfield said that in times of transition, change and challenge we need to embrace a vision of God high and lifted up, to acknowledge our need of forgiveness and to live lives for Him. A full transcript of his sermon is available below.

The service ended with two minutes of silence to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth and to reflect on her life and legacy. We give thanks for the Queen’s wonderful example of faith and witness.

Below is the Sermon preached by Bishop Ferran Glenfield at the service:

Its lovely to see you this evening in the Cathedral. It’s been a long day for many of us but in these moments of reflection and quiet with in this sacred space we come before the living God and pray; ‘Speak Lord in the stillness as we wait upon you. Hush our hearts to listen with expectancy. For Christs’ sake, Amen’.

One of the most memorable opening lines in all of the bible comes from the book of Isaiah chapter 6. It is in your order of service, you may like to turn to remind yourselves of these memorable words; ‘In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, the train of his robe filled the temple’. The year in question was 740BC. Uzziah had reigned as the King of God’s people, Judah, a small tribal area in Southern Israel for 52 years. In the estimate of the sacred historian who wrote the 1^st and 2^nd book of Kings and 1^st and 2^nd Chronicles in the Old Testament, he was assessed as a good king. Very few of the leaders of God’s people got that accolation. Such continuity and stability in his reign gave the people of God a great hope of stability and reassurance in a very troubled world – the world of the Middle East which is troubled to this very day. Just like the long reign and constancy of Queen Elizabeth. And now, in the words of Isaiah the prophet, Uzziah has gone and his place will know him no more and what will become of his people, the people of God? At this moment of transition, of flux in ancient Judah, Isaiah was given a vision of God. A vision of the King of Kings. The higher power, the one who sits on throne of the universe. What kind of God did Isaiah apprehend? First, a God of splendour. In verses 1-4 we see a God surrounded by angelic beings singing in worship and those voices and the voice of Him on the throne shook the very foundations of the cosmos. The transcendent God is sovereign over all of His creation.

Secondly, Isaiah comprehended a God who saves. In the presence of this transcendent, holy God Isaiah – one of His servants, a spokesperson for God, a royal chaplain for many years to King Uzziah and his successors – was filled with quilt. He was a soiled sinner. A glowing coal was taken from the altar and Isaiah feels on his lips a purging pain and the angel that administers the coal says ‘Your sin is forgiven. Your sin is blocked off. It has been atoned for’. And this guilty sinner stands saved before a holy God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Hosts. Then Isaiah is asked by a God who sends to go to his wayward people with a candid message to turn around and to turn to God lest they come to self-harm and self-destruction.

In this time of change and challenge following the death of the Queen and in our post-pandemic world, we don’t need a reset as people are asking for. We need, above all, a vision of God. Isaiah’s God. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to respond in faith to this God by acknowledging that He exists and that we owe him everything. Every breath we take, every step we make comes from Him. And we need to acknowledge that He is King and that I do not rule myself and I do not rule others. He reigns over all. We need to admit that, like Isaiah, we are soiled by sin. We are flawed, fickle, failures who need forgiveness that is beyond us and forgiveness that we don’t deserve. Forgiveness that comes only by the grace God through faith in His son, the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to accept God’s candid message that the road we are travelling on leads to self-destruction and to a breakdown of society in the whole of Western culture, this island served God and so did Queen Elizabeth. Her life was exemplary, exceptional. She acknowledged her calling by a higher power and a greater throne, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. She admitted her standing before a Holy God, a sinner in need of forgiveness by His grace. And she accepted God’s candid message by living her life according to God given values of responsibility, of modesty and of graciousness over and against the prevailing tide and values of self-promotion and of self-love which is so rampant in our land and in the lands of the West.

And so this evening, at this momentous point in history, we come to pay our respects to this exceptional monarch and world leader and to share our sadness and our condolences to those who are part of her family and those who knew her as a woman of deep faith and integrity. But this moment will pass and fade into history and nothing will bring great change unless, unless we, like Isaiah, embrace a vision of God sitting on a throne high and lifted up. May we be given the grace and the will so to do for Christ’s sake. Amen

Church Army are hosting a Discovery Day Event on Saturday the 8th October. If you are interested in exploring mission and ministry within Church Army then why not come along to The Church of Ireland Theological Institute to find out more about training with the Church Army.

For more info please see: https://churcharmy.org/product/discovery-day-saturday-8th-october-2022-ireland/

In August 2022, CMSI and SAMS Ireland will host 36 global church leaders from Africa, South America and Nepal for a one-week programme, following the Lambeth Conference. The Kingdom Voices week will provide an opportunity to engage with inspirational church leaders around the world. It is an opportunity for God’s people to worship together across cultures, to pray for one another’s ministries, and to be refreshed in God’s call to service in the places to which we have each been called.  We hope  the Kingdom Voices week will strengthen bonds across the global church empowering us all for mission and ministry in our own local communities.
 

In addition to spending time with link parishes and supporters, our global guests will contribute to three events that CMSI and SAMS Ireland are jointly hosting:

1. On Wednesday 10th August, a day conference for Church Of Ireland leaders.

Kingdom Voices: Learning From The Global Church, the main aims of the event are:

• To provide an opportunity for engaging together as leaders within the worldwide Church.
• To hear from – and learn from – the practical experiences of our Global Partners.
• To explore God’s Word together as we consider our shared calling to mission and to seeing God’s Kingdom Come in our own communities.

The event will take place between 10am and 4pm in St Donard’s, Belfast. Booking essential https://cmsirelandforms.wufoo.com/forms/s1ibev9m1nncolf/

2. Friday 12th August, a Multicultural Evening Celebration Service in St Anne’s Cathedral, 7.30pm.

An open event for all who want to join with our global visitors for a time of worship and sharing. An opportunity to celebrate the richness in our worldwide family of faith.

3. Saturday 13th August,a Family Fun Day in Lady Dixon Park, 2-4.30pm.

An informal afternoon to meet our global guests with activities for all ages. African Warriors acrobatics troupe, bouncy castle, BBQ, Irish dancing and more!