Ruth Wolfe, who has been part-time secretary to the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, Dr Paul Colton, for almost the last 20 years retired on Friday 30th April, which was her last morning ‘in the office’.
Pictured is Ruth Wolfe, Secretary to The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross The Right Reverend Dr. Paul Colton, retiring after nearly 20 years service, at Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
Ruth has been working from home throughout the pandemic but the Bishop and she, together with colleagues from the Diocesan Office: Billy Skuse, Diocesan Secretary and Susan Perrott, Assistant Secretary, hailed each other from a distance in the forecourt outside St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, where the Bishop had left Ruth a flower arrangement and a gift for collection.
Pictured are, The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross The Right Reverend Dr. Paul Colton, Ruth Wolfe, Bishop’s Secretary, Billy Skuse, Diocesan Secretary and Susan Perrott, Assistant Diocesan Secretary. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
Bishop Colton said
It’s terrible we can’t even have coffee and a cake from The English Market together (as we so often did) to mark Ruth’s significant period of work alongside us all. Such, sadly, are some of the disappointments of the times in which we are living.
I would want Ruth and everyone to know, however, how much her work and solidarity has been appreciated, not only by me, but by everyone in the Diocese and further afield with whom she came into contact. She has been a model also of discretion and confidentiality, which is essential in support of the Bishop’s ministry and the work of the Diocese. Thank you, Ruth, so much for your work throughout the last 20 years.
At the meeting of the Diocesan Council of Cork, Cloyne and Ross on Wednesday 28th April, a motion recording admiration for Ruth and gratitude to her was passed unanimously by acclamation; acclamation which was no less sincere and enthusiastic just because it was emoji clapping hands on the screen of a ZOOM meeting. Strange times, indeed! Ruth will be missed. Thank you, Ruth!
Pictured are, The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross The Right Reverend Dr. Paul Colton and Ruth Wolfe, Bishop’s Secretary. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
George Quinn, a Diocesan Reader for the past nearly 33 years in the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross has indicated to the Bishop, Dr Paul Colton, his decision to retire from Reader ministry.
George Quinn
George was licensed as a Reader on the 18th December 1988 by Bishop Roy Warke in Saint Peter’s Church, Carrigrohane, then in County Cork, now in Cork City.
George recalls that he was the only one studying for the office at the time which in turn, at times, left him feeling isolated. George continues:
There, was always a warm welcome at each church and by the necessity of time constraints some all too brief chats with the churchwardens and members of the congregations which often showed their depth of faith as well as their care for one another and love of place. Over the years came a welcome change in worship when members of the congregation and particularly younger folk began to take the readings and intercessions.
George, who was a serving member of An Garda Síochána when he was licensed was, naturally, working shifts, so at the start of each year he forwarded the Sundays he would be available to take a Service to the Archdeacon of the day. George’s records show that he has taken Services in 65 churches in the Diocese including St Luke’s Home Chapel.
Thanking George, Bishop Paul Colton said:
I warmly thank George Quinn for his quiet and faithful ministry in the Diocese as a Reader for more than three decades. In thanking him I also thank Olive for her support of George in this voluntary work. It is thanks to the partnership of lay people like George that, together with the clergy of the Diocese, we are able to offer (in normal times) 65 Church Services, on average, every Sunday in Cork, Cloyne and Ross. This ministry is invaluable. I also take this opportunity to thank everyone who is involved in lay ministry in the Diocese.
On April 20th it was announced that groups of up to 15 can meet up for underage outdoor non-contact dance, music or arts activities. This presents an opportunity to begin the long process and hard work of rebuilding the Cathedral choir at Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork and no doubt, other cathedrals throughout Ireland.
The choristers of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral have been meeting up on Zoom on a weekly basis for several months, but in recent weeks the lack of personal interaction had been showing.
The announcement gave a fresh hope and on Monday 26th April the girl choristers met up in two separate groups for the first time this year. The labyrinth area of the Cathedral grounds seemed the most suitable spot, with walls on two sides to create some form of outdoor acoustic. One of those walls was of Library House – Cork’s first public library established by Bishop Peter Brown in the 1720s.
The weather that day was the nicest that had been seen for some time and this combination of factors brought a cheerful atmosphere to the occasion.
Some of the boy choristers of Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork meet outside to rehearse near the Cathedral Labyrinth (an appropriate place after all we have been through) to rehearse under the direction of Mr Peter Stobart.
Two days later the boys met up for a similar first session. Although it was less sunny, the same determination was shown and they tried out some music which had been learnt over the internet, but not sung together as a group. After a few minutes of warming up, their voices slowly began to emerge once again, and the strangeness of singing outdoors was put aside and their confidence grew. Several boys are now facing the challenge of changing voices and this brings a new chapter to their singing lives and to how they fit into the choir as a whole.It is early days in a long process of rebuilding the choir and its sound after a long fallow period, and it is difficult to guess when the choristers will return to singing for services once again. However, it is hoped that things will not take a step backwards and that, as restrictions are slowly eased, the singing will be able to continue and move indoors at some point in the near future.
The Octave of Easter – the eight days starting with Easter Day which introduce the 50 days of Easter celebrations – comes to an end on the second Sunday of Easter, known also as Low Sunday. These days give us an opportunity to look back at our Christian pilgrimage in recent months.
Easter Week 2021 in Cork
In spite of the level 5 pandemic restrictions, Lent, Holy Week and Easter were a splash of imagination, reflective spiritual and thoughtful liturgies in Cork, Cloyne and Ross.
Bishop Paul Colton said:
I want to thank everyone in the Diocese for the many and varied ways they faithfully and imaginatively journeyed through Lent, Holy Week and celebrated Easter Day this year. There was a lot of ingenuity and everyone put in a lot of hard work and effort. I’m now in my twenty-third year as Bishop of the Diocese and never before have I received so many messages, – emails, cards, letters – from people asking me to pass on their appreciation and gratitude for everything that was done for Holy Week and Easter, both online and through pastoral contact in the Diocese. It has all been very much appreciated and, to those messages, I add my thanks to everyone.
Lent and Holy Week ‘On the Gate’
With church buildings closed for public worship, some parishes found ways to draw people into the Christian disciplines and celebrations by reflecting the seasons on the street, such as on on their gates in images and prayers. One such parish was Cloyne Union in East Cork. The experiment worked well there in Advent and so it was repeated in Lent, Holy Week and at Easter. The parish kindly gave permission to the Diocese to use them throughout the recent seasons also. Here they are – first Lent, and then Holy Week and Easter.
Setting the scene for Holy Week and Easter
Two groups of young people in Cork, Cloyne and Ross set the scene for Holy Week and Easter: sixth year students from second level schools read the Passion Gospel and the members of the Cork Diocesan Youth Council created 5 ZOOM dramas/dialogues entitled ‘Unmuted: what they said about Jesus’. They were joined by the Bishop who set the scene by retelling the story of Holy Week and Easter using the windows from Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork. Parishes from Gougane Barra to Cork created on an online pilgrimage in the steps of Saint Fin Barre.
The Passion Gospel
Led by their school chaplains – Drew Ruttle (Ashton School), the Reverend Anne Skuse (Bandon Grammar School) and Canon Andrew Orr (Midleton College) – sixth year students of the three second level schools associated with the Diocese recorded the traditional reading of the full Passion Gospel; this year as told by Saint Mark. You may still view it HERE
‘Unmuted: What they said about Jesus’ – a ZOOM drama in 5 episodes with a contemporary twist
The young people of CDYC (Cork Diocesan Youth Council) spent the first three months of the year in ZOOM groups writing and putting together dramatic dialogues to tell the story of Holy Week and Easter. Entitled ‘Unmuted’, the drama is the Easter story from the point of view from the the Pharisees, the Crowd, Jesus’ followers and the Roman Soldiers, all with a modern day element!
The Bishop told the Story of Holy Week and Easter using the Stained Glass Windows of Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral
The Bishop, Dr Paul Colton, returned to Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral in this its 150th anniversary year to tell the story of Holy Week and Easter using the stained glass windows in the Cathedral. The message was viewed by all school children and second level students and school staff in the Diocese before the end of term and by many others since.
You may still visit the Holy Week and Easter windows with Bishop Colton HERE
Holy Week Pilgrimage
A number of parishes in the Diocese collaborated within the Level 5 restrictions to retrace the steps of Saint Fin Barre (in this 150th anniversary year of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral) from the place of his monastery at Gougane Barra (and the source of the River Lee) to the Cathedral in Cork City.
It was entitled ‘The Way of the Cross with Saint Fin Barre: from Gougane Barra to Cork’.
In Kilgariffe Union of Parishes, Coco the donkey was up early at 6 a.m. on Palm Sunday and was brought on a tour of the town while the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was retold and committed to video for use later in the day.
Palm crosses were available for collection at the gates of a number of churches or in church buildings that were open for private prayer.
At Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork the entrance gates were again decorated with palm crosses – an emerging popular tradition because in 2020, at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, passers-by assumed, at first, that this was an impromptu memorial to those who had already died of Covid-19 around the world.
Many of the online liturgies incorporated the annual blessing of the palm crosses on Palm Sunday.
Children in Holy Week
The Children’s Ministry Group in the Diocese provided parishes with resources for children during Lent, Holy Week and Easter, and many parishes created opportunities for children’s activities online and at home. For example, in Carrigaline Union of Parishes there was an online crafts workshop:
Maundy Thursday
The first liturgy of Maundy Thursday in the Diocese is usually the Chrism Eucharist held in Saint Fachtna’s Cathedral, Rosscarbery. That was impossible again this year but the Bishop created an online Service during which there was the opportunity for people to renew their commitment to ministry, and the oils for use in ministry were blessed.
People from around the Diocese tuned in on Maundy Thursday to the Chrism Eucharist online. By Low Sunday 462 households had viewed it on the Diocesan YouTube Channel.
Throughout the Diocese on Maundy Thursday, the Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper was held online and broadcast, following which the stripping of the altars took place and vigil was kept.
Tenebrae
The ancient Service of Tenebrae – a Service of Shadows – was available online for those who wanted to keep vigil into the night on Maundy Thursday, waiting for Good Friday.
The Liturgy of Good Friday with the proclamation of the cross is typically stark.
Good Friday in Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork
In addition to the Passion Gospel and pilgrimage already mentioned, the Stations of the Cross were available online again this year especially for use on Good Friday.
In one parish, Carrigaline Union, the parish drama group re-enacted the story of Good Friday online, and in their outdoor representation of the story, the unfolding Easter Garden focussed on the crosses on Golgotha.
Easter Eve
Easter Eve – the Saturday known also as Holy Saturday – is a day of quiet waiting. For the first disciples it was a day of nothingness, grief and terror. When darkness fell churches began to keep vigil and the first hints of Easter light and proclamation began to glimmer.
Light through the darkness of the night
As they did last year, a number of churches, while closed for public worship, left their lights on after the Easter Eve proclamation of ‘The Light of Christ’ as a signal of Easter hope and joy to the surrounding communities.
Easter Day
Easter Dawn
Easter Dawn 2021 in Cork
Easter dawn at Templebreedy in 2021: the entrance to Cork Harbour
Dawn Services
Some parishes broadcast Easter Dawn Services online for people to join.
Sun-Up on the Beach – but not this year
Each Easter the Cork Diocesan Youth Council and their friends usually meet at dawn on the Warren Beach near Rosscarbery where the Dean of Ross celebrates Holy Communion for them and then they have a barbecue breakfast afterwards. This year, once again, it was all online, but many got up early to celebrate.
Easter Dawn in West Cork
700 Year Old Easter Sepulchre in Youghal
You can read about the traditions associated with the 700 year old Easter sepulchre in the Collegiate Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Youghal, County Cork HERE
Christ is risen!
Easter Day at Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork
Easter Gardens
Easter gardens of all varieties continued to be a bright and wonderful tradition throughout the Diocese in 2021.
Easter Crosses
The stark crosses of Good Friday made way for beautifully decorated crosses on Easter Day, many also with the traditional white cloth to represent the resurrection. ‘He is not here. He is risen!’
A Beautiful Easter Day 2021 in Cork
It was a beautiful Easter Day this year. A number of churches remained open throughout the day for personal prayer.
Cathedral Choristers Online
Easter Day was tuneful too. Having been only able to rehearse at home for the last year, the young choristers of Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork recorded ‘This joyful Eastertide’ at home – a difficult thing to do – and then their individual recordings were amalgamated to create one performance. This was the final offering of Easter Day in the Diocese first broadcast at 1 p.m. and sending us into the Easter season with a spring in our step.
The celebration of Easter at the 801 year old St. Mary’s Collegiate Church in Youghal began this year at the ‘Easter Sepulchre’: a medieval structure built into the wall of the Church, and one of very few left in Ireland.
Priest in charge Canon Andrew Orr said,
It was only when I attended an online lecture on St. Mary’s by Fr. Colmán O Clabaigh last January that I discovered the true purpose of this beautiful monument.
It is an Easter Sepulchre or tomb. It dates back to the extension of the church in the 14th century and was a central feature of the Easter celebrations in St. Mary’s (and every church) in medieval times. A wooden structure would have been built out about two metres into the sanctuary and covered with cloth hangings to look like a cave. On Good Friday, after the services were finished, a consecrated Communion host, the wooden cross and perhaps other symbols of the passion, would have been brought into the Cave and symbolically buried by placing them either inside the stone tomb or on the shelf in a wooden box.
Parishioners would then have stood guard all through Easter Eve until early Easter morning when the host would have been symbolically raised from the tomb and elevated for all the people to see.
This ceremony was followed by a sung drama in which the women (the three Marys) come to this tomb and find it empty. A script written for this play in Dublin in the 14th century still survives, and reminds us of the drama and spectacle that the ceremonies of Holy Week and Easter would have been in those times.
There are very few of these Easter Sepulchres still left in Ireland and the one in Youghal is by far the best preserved.
Canon Orr continued
So it seems appropriate, and a link to our long history, that, at this spot, we should have lit our Easter Paschal candle this year and welcomed the resurrection.
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