Cór Fhéile Na Scol Performances by St Multose National School, Kinsale

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Latest News and Photos from the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross

Congratulations to the children of St Multose National School, Kinsale, County Cork, who performed songs from The Lion King on 29th March at Cór Fhéile Na Scol at the City Hall, Cork.. They looked fantastic in their costumes and sang and danced
wonderfully. They sang Roth Mór an tSaoil (Circle of Life), Hakuna Matata,
and I Just Can’t Wait to be King. They enjoyed the other performances too;
musical theatre, Irish dancing, traditional music groups, and the Blarney Street
Boys’ Rock Band.

Children from St Multose National School, Kinsaele, at Cór Fhéile na Scol in Cork City Hall.

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Clinical Pastoral Education Certificates presented in Cork

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Latest News and Photos from the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross

Northridge House Education and Research Centre, at Saint Luke’s Charity, Cork, hosted a celebration for the completion of its recent Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Programme on Wednesday 5th April.

Six students, from Cavan, Wicklow, Dublin, Kerry, Wexford and Cork, completed the 12 week programme. The programme was accredited by AICAB on St. Valentine’s Day – an internationally based process in tandem with a number of Irish professional bodies. The Centre was delighted to welcome Ms Pauline O’Dowd as Supervisor in Training.

The certificates were presented by Dr Paul Colton, Chairman of the Board of Directors of St Luke’s Charity, Cork. The Charity has supported CPE as part of its Outreach Programme for the last 9 years. Also in attendance were David O’Brien (CEO of St Luke’s Charity), staff of St Luke’s Home, course mentors and family members. Northridge House was delighted also to welcome Mr JA McNamara CEO of Cork University Hospital Group; the Centres at Cork University Hospital and Northridge House work closely together in training students for pastoral ministry.

At the CPE graduation were (l-r): David O’Brien (CEO St. Luke’s Charity and St Luke’s Home) , Bruce Pierce (Programme Director), Pauline O’Dowd (Supervisor in Training), Gabriel Kelly, Dr Paul Colton, Alex Morahan, David Bowles, Ruth Elmes, Richard Dowling, John Tanner, JA McNamara (CEO, Cork University Hospital Group)

 

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Research shows Primary School Pupils in Cork, Cloyne and Ross have Very Positive Attitude to Christianity

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Latest News and Photos from the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross

Research conducted recently among senior primary schools pupils in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross demonstrates that the children have an overall very positive attitude towards Christianity, higher than in many other contexts where the same research survey has been used.

The research was conducted by Jacqui Wilkinson who has recently completed a three-year MA in Religions and Education at Warwick University.  She  presented some of the findings from her research dissertation, entitled Pupil Attitudes toward Christianity, to a meeting of the Diocesan Education Committee recently.

Jacqui WIlkinson

Using a well-established international research tool, she studied the attitudes toward Christianity of primary school children in senior classes in 18 of the Church of Ireland schools in the diocese of Cork. Analysis of the results demonstrated that the children surveyed have an overall very positive attitude toward Christianity, higher than in many other contexts where this survey has been used.

It was found that girls showed higher positive attitudes than boys, and children were found to become less positive in higher classes, findings which mirror UK studies. One interesting finding was that children who pray (on their own) tend to have a much more positive attitude toward Christianity. The children’s church attendance was also recognised as a significant influence on their attitudes toward Christianity as was their perception of their parents’ church attendance. In presenting these correlating factors, Jacqui’s research indicates practical implications, challenges and opportunities for church schools; specifically, in the areas of encouraging prayer, parish school links and the methods used in RE to engage children in senior classes.

So often discussion in this area targets stakeholders such as teachers, parents and clergy. This research, for the first time in Church of Ireland primary schools in Ireland, provides a unique insight into the attitudes of these children and their encouraging positivity toward Christianity. It promotes reflection on the value of Church of Ireland primary schools in the Ireland of today.

 

 

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Bishop Paul Colton stands down from national education bodies of the Church of Ireland

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Latest News and Photos from the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross

The Bishop of Cork, the Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton recently stood down as a member of the Church of Ireland Board of Education (Republic of Ireland) on which he had served for fifteen years, and as chairperson of the Secondary Education Committee, a post he held for seventeen years. “It’s important that roles and jobs such as this ‘go round’ and that different people have the opportunity to get involved and to give leadership”, he said. ‘Also, for the first time in twenty-seven years I am not chairperson of a school board primary or second level, somewhere in the State; at one time I was chairing three school boards,’ he added.

The Secondary Education Committee (SEC), which administers the Protestant Block Grant, entertained Bishop Colton to dinner recently, and the members presented him with their gift: glasses and a decanter engraved with the logos of the founding members of the SEC (the Church of Ireland, the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and the Religious Society of Friends).

Dr Ken Fennelly, Church of Ireland Education Officer and Secretary of the SEC, makes a presentation to Bishop Paul Colton on behalf of the members of the SEC.

Bishop Colton said:

I am very touched by my colleagues’ gift.  The SEC is an ecumenical body and that has made it avery enriching experience.  Also, through the grants it awards, it makes a very real difference in the education of young people.

I could easily have drifted along in these voluntary roles within the Church nationally, but drifting like that is not good governance, in my view.  This decision also comes at a natural break for me as, for the first time in twenty-seven years I am not the chairperson of a school board, primary or second level, somewhere in the State; at one time I was chairing three school boards. Of course, this not mean that my engagement in education issues ends.  In this Diocese, I am patron of primary schools, co-patron of a second level school and a governor of two others.  So I will still be keeping a watchful eye on education matters as they develop nationally, from a strong local perspective.

Following his last meeting of the SEC, Bishop Paul Colton is joined by the SEC administration team (l-r) Ms Bridie McLoughlin, Mr Johnny Honner, and Dr Ken Fennelly.

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Bishop of Cork, Dr Paul Colton, announces his Holy Week 2017 Programme

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Latest News and Photos from the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross

The Bishop of Cork, the Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton, has announced the programme and schedule for his Holy Week visit to the Cork parish of Douglas Union with Frankfield starting on Palm Sunday 9th April.

‘I’m using a contemporary approach from the world of social media, Twitter specifically,’ he explained, ‘on which to hang our daily journey, in this most significant of weeks for Christians.’  The overall theme of #HolyWeek is broken down into daily themes that tie in with the Church’s readings and the events in the life of Jesus throughout that last week before he was executed.

Bishop Paul explains:

I’ve chosen hashtags (#) – words or phrases run into one – which in today’s world ‘take off’ and sum up the mood or events of a particular day.  Whatever way it is done, I’ve always thought that Holy Week is not a time for great expositions of themes or systematic sermons; it’s about the simple remembering, in the fullest sense, retracing, with Jesus, the story of that week: its people and events, much as we recall year by year, the life-changing moments in our own lives.

Details of the full programme are here, and everyone is welcome:

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