A workshop on the Liloma Project was held at St Nicholas House on 5th April 2025. The Rev’d Andrew Coleman spoke on the work of Christian Aid, the Rev’d Tony Murphy explained the background to the Liloma Project in great detail, and the Rev’d Clodagh Yamabasu who spoke about her personal experience as someone who has lived in Sierra Leone as well as Freetown.
The group was joined in the workshop by two representatives from the Christian Aid Office in Freetown, Mr Allieu Bangura and Mr Marbey Sartie. They explained the work they are involved in with livelihood enhancement training, for those who have been forcibly displaced from the land as a result of the multi-national palm oil plantation. Allieu also spoke of the micro-lending schemes that are in place to help women access small loans to establish businesses for their future livelihood. The guest speakers shared personal stories of the tremendous resilience that has been shown by those who have been affected by displacement from their land.
The Diocesan Council for Mission emphasises the continued involvement and support for the Liloma Project and the workshop was attended by students completing the Certificate Course as well as people from the wider Diocese.
Posted inAdult Education, Christian Aid|Comments Off on Cork, Cloyne and Ross Diocesan Workshop for Liloma Project in Sierra Leone
On Wednesday, 2nd April 2025, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Dan Boyle, accompanied by Brian Geaney, Assistant Chief Executive of Cork City Council, made the annual courtesy call to the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton, and Mrs Susan Colton. Cllr Dan Boyle is the twenty-eighth Lord Mayor of Cork to make a courtesy call to the Bishop and Mrs Colton.
From l.-r.: Mrs Susan Colton, the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Right Rev. Dr Paul Colton, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle, and the Assistant Chief Executive of Cork City Council, Brian Geaney.
Posted inBishop, Lord Mayor of Cork|Comments Off on Annual Courtesy Call from the Lord Mayor of Cork to Bishop Paul and Mrs Susan Colton
The Civic Service and Festival Eucharist at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral as well as the traditional Reception at the Bishop’s Palace to celebrate St Patrick’s Day took place again this year. For many decades now the Bishop of Cork welcomes representatives of civic and community life in Cork City and County to the Bishop’s Palace to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. The Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton and Mrs Susan Colton invited nearly 300 people again this year into their home to enjoy refreshments and celebrate the Irish National Holiday.
The civic attendance was led by Cork’s first citizen, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle, who was joined by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Mal Mutton, and the Lady Mayoress Margaret Mutton. Also in attendance were An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Senator Laura Harmon, as well as Councillors, former Lords Mayor of Cork, and representatives of the City Council. Also represented were the Defence Forces, the Naval Service, and An Garda Síochána.
The scouts of 2nd Cork, St Fin Barre’s, Scout Group were present again this year to oversee the parking and to do the washing up.
Photos: Eoin Murphy @eoin_artphotoglobal
Posted inBishop, Civic Service, Saint Patrick's Day|Comments Off on Annual Civic Service and Reception at the Bishop’s Palace to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Cork, Cloyne and Ross
The much anticipated ‘Confirmation Morning with the Bishop’ was held again in 2025 at Ashton School in Cork on Saturday morning 8th March. Every year, Bishop Paul Colton invites all the young people who hope to be confirmed in the year ahead to meet him for a morning of fun, games, activities, singing and refreshments.
Confirmation Group 2025
After the ice breaker game which was supervised by young leaders from the Cork Diocesan Youth Council (CDYC), the confirmands took part in five different groups and activities.
Peter Stobart, Director of Music at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, who heads up the Diocesan Church Music Scheme, taught everyone the hymn the Bishop chose to be sung at each of the Confirmation Services in the Diocese this year, O Jesus I have promised.
A session of fun group games was led by Hilda Connolly, Diocesan Youth Officer. These games are designed to developing deeper bonds of trust and respect with one another. It allows them the opportunity to act a little crazy and burn off some energy!
Intentional Discipleship in Cork, Cloyne and Ross is being integrated in the Diocesan programme Charting a Future with Confidence. At the Confirmation morning, the Very Reverend Cliff Jeffers, Dean of Ross, with the help of two ladders, explored with the young people what it means to be a disciple.
The Archdeacon of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Venerable Andrew Orr, who is chairperson of Eco-Congregation Ireland introduced the young people to another mission of the Anglican Communion of churches: To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth. The young people learned all about carbon footprint, and were also introduced to the ‘Communion Forest‘ which is about energising local initiatives that restore eco-sytems of many kinds in order to safeguard creation. This year each young person planted their own sunflower seed to take home and grow in their garden, and in partnership with Reforest Nation Bishop Paul Colton planted one Irish Hazel tree for each confirmand, for which the participants also received a certificate. Since 2022, more than 500 trees have been planted for our confirmands!
Matt Gould, Church Army Lead Evangelist and Community Leader at the Carraig Centre, used a twisty path laid out with masking tape to help participants think more about what ‘voices’ we listen to in Christian discipleship and the importance of listening out to the lead of the Holy Spirit who helps us understand God’s word in scripture. Lots of fun was had trying to follow a path when blindfolded, relying on the whole groups instructions – quite challenging! Participants then had a chance to walk the same path with a ‘helper’ to guide them, which was much easier. This activity helped participants appreciate from experience what Jesus said in John 14, where he promised ‘another helper to be with you forever… the Spirit of Truth’. Each participant was also given a bookmark with Psalm 119.105 printed on it: ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’.
For many years, Bishop Colton, has spoken to each group of confirmands about prayer. Through his work in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden he discovered, several decades ago, the ‘Wreath of Christ’, a bracelet with prayer beads. Each year he has given a gift of one of these to each young person in the Diocese who has been confirmed to provide one way to help them with their praying. This year, the Bishop addressed all confirmands together and they watched a video message prepared by Bishop Paul, in which he explained everything about the prayer beads.
Posted inConfirmation|Comments Off on Confirmation Morning with the Bishop in Cork, Cloyne and Ross
On Ash Wednesday 5th March 2025, seven primary schools from across the Diocese attended a service of the Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral at noon. The schools all take part in the Diocesan Church Music Scheme and they sang Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass as part of the service. There were almost 400 voices singing the mass and four hymns, including ‘Forty days and forty nights’. The schools had all been preparing for the service for the last two months led by Peter Stobart and Matthew Breen, the music department of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.
RSS - Posts