Two training seminars and workshops were conducted in Cork recently by Bishop Paul Colton, in association with the Centre for Law and Religion at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University.  Dr Colton is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Law and Politics.

Two courses were on offer and were held at the Northridge House Education Centre, Castle Road, Mahon, Cork. Both courses were limited to 12 participants to allow for maximum engagement and dialogue.

The first course, entitled ‘Introduction to the Law of the Church of Ireland’, provided a very basic introduction to the law of the Church of Ireland: the place of Church Law within the law of the land; where people can find the law and go to get it; what the role and purpose of law is in the context of the ecclesiology; and, in order to generate practical engagement with the law of the Church of Ireland, the afternoon session was a workshop based on issues ‘thrown up’ by messages left on ‘The Curate’s Voicemail.’

The group – lay and ordained – who attended an ‘Introduction to the Law of the Church of Ireland’ recently

The second course, called ‘So Now You Are In Charge’ was geared for those who have just taken on new responsibilities in ministry, in a  new setting, or as incumbents or priests-in-charge. The topics covered were: where law fits in; where to find it; who to ask; the legal status of a church, its committees and officers; the governance of a parish (including select vestries and parochial officers); law particular to incumbents and priests in charge; an overview of relevant parts of the Constitution of the Church of Ireland; and, the afternoon session was a practical workshop in the area of liturgy and liturgical flexibility.

The group who attended the law seminar – ‘So Now You Are in Charge’ recently

Dr Colton has also developed a series of training modules in other areas which will be offered, again in association with the Centre for Law and Religion at Cardiff University, in the coming months and years. The topics covered so far include:

• The law of persons in the Church of Ireland (day course)
  
• Law and worship (day course)
  
• The development of the Constitution of the Church of Ireland (three hour course)
  
• The Canons Ecclesiastical (day course)
  
• Marriage Law (two hour course)
  
• The law of Confirmation (two hour course)
• The law of the Church of Ireland in an Anglican context (day course)
  
• The disciplinary scheme of the Church of Ireland (three hour course)
• The governance structures of the Church of Ireland (day course)
  
• Religion law in Ireland (Republic of Ireland) (two hour course)
• Schools and education law (Republic of Ireland)
  
• Who is in and who is out? Membership of the Church of Ireland (three hour course)
• Church Finance and the Law (two hour course)
• The place of civil law in the life of the Church (two hour course)
• Cathedrals and the law

These courses can also be offered anywhere in Ireland.