March 2014 NEWSLINK The Magazine of the Church of Ireland United Dioceses of Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert INSIDE Rev. Jane Galbraith P19 A Rainbow brings hope after the storm Spring in your garden P17 Benedictine Spirituality 5 P15 Bishop Trevor: Please Get involved P3 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13 Tripartite Conference report P5 Máirt's Musings P6 The Finger Print of God in Birr P18 Adare Church Flood P20 Methodist District P30 What Lent means to me P33 including Methodist District News 1 ISSN. 0790-4517 www.limerick.anglican.org WILSON'S HOSPITAL advertisement 2013-2014 05/11/2013 19:38 Page 2 WILSON’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL C O - E D U C AT I O N A L B OA R D I N G S E C O N D A RY S C H O O L Under the patronage of Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of Ireland • Outstanding academic record and progression to Third Level • Convenient yet rural location set on 200 acres, just off the M4/N4, less than 10 minutes west of Mullingar • 450 pupils (300 boarders; 150 Day pupils) • Pastoral Care, school nurses and doctor, 24 hour supervision including active night time care • Bedrooms contain 3 or 4 beds • School Chaplain, Sunday night Chapel service, Morning Assembly, Award-Winning Choir • Lifelong friendships established • Five day teaching week – extensive weekend recreational programme • Choice of 20 subjects to Leaving Certificate level • Staff supervise all study. Emphasis on career guidance. Academic focus • New classroom block officially opened August 2013 • New sports pitches to be completed in February 2014 • Wide range of indoor and outdoor recreational activities, team and individual sports • Seven day boarding fee: €7,767 (level of maximum SEC grant) • Extensive programme of grants, bursaries and scholarships For further information and prospectus, contact The Headmaster, Mr Adrian G. Oughton B.A., HDip. Ed., D.E.M. WILSON’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL, MULTYFARNHAM, CO. WESTMEATH www.whs.ie Tel: 044 - 9371115 Fax: 044 - 9371563 Email: [email protected] 2 The Bishop Writes A STORY contribution to make to the Select Vestry, Church Warden or The Chief and village leaders prepared a great celebration to mark Glebewarden to serve your parish the arrival of electricity for their community. They had worked hard • Think carefully and prayerfully about who would be good at to achieve this wonderful result and they expected everybody to be choosing a Rector for your parish should be there a vacancy, to be overjoyed. However the village women were less than enthusiastic. elected as a Parochial Nominator at the Easter General Vestry. Think A huge part of their life was fetching water from a distant well. As carefully and prayerfully about who would have a contribution to well as the physical effort involved in carrying large jerry cans long make to Diocesan Synod distances, several times a day, women were at risk of attack as they • Tell the people you have chosen that you would like to nominate walked alone to fetch the water. If a village water supply had been them at the Easter Vestry and ask them if they would be willing to installed, their lives would have been transformed. Water was what take on that task if elected. the women wanted, but they were not asked. Maybe you feel the Easter General Vestry meeting is not for you? DECISION MAKING Well it is! No one should be forced or embarrassed into accepting Often in our parishes, decision making is left to just a few a position which is not appropriate. Your Rector as chair will see to people. This is unfair on those who are willing to step up to the mark, that. You are there to make your contribution, to ensure that the but it also means that only a fraction of the wisdom, gifts and skills right people are in place to resource the Mission and Ministry of available is used in parish leadership. This limits the effectiveness of your Parish. our parishes, our Diocese and our Church. And like the story above, we need more women and young people so that their voices can be May each of us know God’s blessing heard and their wisdom shared. Your Bishop Our Church structures are designed to be democratic, +Trevor representative and participative. This reflects what we in the Church of Ireland believe about the Church; that God has given gifts to each of us, to be used for the good of all. Each of us has a contribution to make. When we refuse to contribute, to be involved, the Church loses out and lacks something special. If The Rt. Revd. Trevor Williams people withheld their financial gifts, the consequences would be Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe immediate and drastic for our parish and our Diocese. Thankfully, Rien Roe, Adare, Co Limerick our problem is not with our financial giving - each parish has met Tel: +353 (0)61 396244 its Diocesan assessment. This is a huge achievement and as Bishop I Mobile: +353 (0)87 9772125 want to express my thanks for the financial commitment of so many Email: [email protected] who give generously and often sacrificially to their Church. PLEASE GET INVOLVED But the needs of our Church are not just financial. We need Diocesan Calendar (for updates see Diocesan web site - www.limerick.anglican.org) people to be involved in so many ways. Some tasks needed to run a parish include musicians or cd disk jockeys, financial book keepers, Friday 7th – Sunday 9th March teachers, Diocesan and Parish Lay Readers, visitors, youth leaders, UDYC Spring Madness, Carhue Centre, Bandon, Co. Cork (13+) organisers, those who welcome others to Church, those involved as Saturday 8th March, 8pm members of the Parish in local community organisations….. the list is Limerick City Parish Whist & Raffle, St Michael’s Church endless! And thank you to all those who give their time and talents Saturday 15th March, 7.30-9.30 pm in these ways. But let’s endeavour to use each person’s talents. The UDYC Youth Fellowship Group, Kilmurray Church Arts & Community Centre, Castletroy opportunities for service are only limited by the people who are Tuesday 18th March, 7.30-9.30 pm willing to use their gifts in the life of the parish. The effectiveness SafeguardingTrust Panel Training, Cloughjordan of our parish is only limited by those who are willing to be involved. Friday 21st – Sun 23rd March So what can you do? Pray about what part God wants you to UDYC West Alive Weekend, Esker Youth Village, Esker, Athenry, play in the life of your parish, and talk to your Rector about it. Your Co. Galway (10-13) Rector may recognise one of your gifts that you may not even be Tuesday 25th March, 8pm Kilcolman Book Club, St Michael’s Hall, Killorglin aware of. Saturday 29th March, 8pm But there is one more thing. THE ANNUAL EASTER VESTRY, Limerick City Parish Whist Drive, Villiers Square which will be held just before or immediately after Easter. Be there! Why? At the Annual Easter Vestry there are a number of Saturday 5th April, 2.30-4.30 pm important elections, People’s Church warden, People’s Glebewarden, GFS Diocesan Service & Prize giving, Roscrea and members of the Select Vestry. But every three years other Saturday 5th April, 7.30pm, Sunday 6th, 7pm elections also take place for Diocesan Synod members and Parochial Shinrone Drama Group presents ‘Drinking Habits’ by Tom Smith, produced by Phill Quigley, Shinrone Community Centre, proceeds to Nominators. We need those with the right skills and gifts for these redecoration of Church positions. Saturday 19th April, 7.30-9.30 pm WHAT AM I ASKING YOU TO DO? UDYC Youth Fellowship Group, Kilmurray Church Arts & Community • Make sure you are on the Register of General Vestry Members Centre, Castletroy and if not sign the form available from your Rector. Tuesday 22nd April, 8pm • Are there women or young people who you feel have a Kilcolman Book Club, St Michael’s Hall, Killorglin contribution to make to your parish. They are under represented in Friday 25th – Sunday 27th April GFS All Ireland Camp, Wilson’s Hospital School, Multyfarnham, the decision making groups of our Church. Your vote is needed to Co Westmeath achieve a better balance Saturday 26th April, 3-5.30 pm • Think carefully and prayerfully about who you feel has a UDYC AGM, Kilmurray Church Arts & Community Centre, Castletroy 2 3 Newslink Editorial - Newslink is the diocesan magazine for the United Diocese of After the Storms Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert, which also includes the historic dioceses of Aghadoe, Clonfert, Emly, Kilfenora and Kilmacduagh. For further Over the last month Atlantic weather systems have brought information about the United Dioceses see the diocesan web site: extreme winds and torrential rain. Buildings have been damaged, www.limerick.anglican.org. trees uprooted, farm land, houses and businesses flooded. Deaths Newslink also covers Methodist Midlands and Southern District and injuries are few, thank God, but many are suffering in our Circuits within the boundaries of the Church of Ireland Diocese. communities. Our churches have not been immune, as you can read in this month’s parish notes - See the pictures from Adare on page Newslink received a ‘Highly Commended’ award in the Church 20. Let us hope and pray that the worst is over – at least for now. of Ireland Communications Competition for diocesan magazines at Many will want to help our neighbours in need. St Mary’s Park General Synod 2013.