St Luke’s Church, Douglas Marks 150 Years

Posted on December 3, 2025 by mediaccr

St Luke’s Church in Douglas was buzzing with warmth and community spirit last Sunday, 30th November 2025, as parishioners, diocesan lay readers, civic representatives, and current and former clergy gathered to mark the church’s 150th anniversary.

The service was led by the Rector, the Rev. William Olhausen, and Bishop Paul Colton was preaching. The congregation also included a number of special guests, among them local councillors Dan Boyle and Peter Horgan, Minister Jerry Buttimer, TD, and An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD.

During the service there was also an Act of Remembrance, led by Bishop Colton, where everyone was invited to think of those connected with the parish, past and present, and whose lives helped shaped the community. People were given small cards to write personal prayers or names to remember.

The Douglas and Frankfield Church Choirs sang beautifully throughout the service, accompanied by Veronica Tadman and Mark Spade on the organ. The choir of St Luke’s N.S. Douglas also sang a piece with their music teacher Ms Elaine Guinane. The service marked the last time Bishop Paul would attend a service in the parish in his official capacity as Bishop, and John Kershaw, on behalf of Douglas Union and Frankfield, presented Bishop Paul and Susan with a small present to thank him for his many years of service.

After the service, the celebrations moved to a lively reception where parishioners served tea, coffee, and an impressive spread of small treats.

The anniversary service was a vibrant reminder of what makes St Luke’s special today: its people, their generosity, and their commitment to the life of the parish.

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Cork, Cloyne and Ross represented at Pioneer Ministry Gathering

Posted on November 25, 2025 by mediaccr

Nine people from Cork, Cloyne and Ross attended the Pioneer Ministry Gathering in Mullingar last Saturday.  Pioneer Ministry is a new initiative of the Church of Ireland which has been established to reach people who have little or no contact with church. It was a day of teaching, worship and sharing of stories of Pioneer Ministry projects from around the country. CCR’s two Pioneer Advocates, Canon Robert Ferris and the Very Rev Cliff Jeffers with Pioneer Minister Sarah-Louise Kilroy along with six other people from our diocese attended the event.

Canon Ferris and Dean Cliff welcome any queries about Pioneer Ministry and you can find out more by visiting the Pioneer Ministry website: https://www.pioneerministry.org/

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From Carrigaline to the Clouds: A Parishioner’s Journey to Everest Base Camp

Posted on November 17, 2025 by mediaccr

Carrigaline Parishioner Rowland Newenham recently returned from his trip to Nepal, where he and his daughter Janet hiked to the Base Camp on Mount Everest.

Rowland Newenham and his daughter Janet.

Rowland writes:

I had the pleasure recently of hiking to Everest Base Camp in the company of my younger daughter, Janet Newenham. The hike from Lukla airport (reputed to be the most dangerous airport in the world, but that’s another story!) to Everest Base Camp took us 8 days up, and 3 days back down. We were truly blessed with the weather because there were avalanches before we left and after our trip also, but we had wall-to-wall sunshine. It was so great to be able to do this trip together with Janet and her friends. It was probably the toughest thing that I have ever done, and the altitude (5340m) at 5 times the height of Carrauntohill was a great difficulty but the rewards were great. I was also humbled, both by the mountains and by the scenes I witnessed on our journey. 

Mount Everest, standing at 8,848m, is the highest mountain on Earth and one of the most iconic landmarks of the Himalayas. It straddles the border between Nepal and Tibet and captures the imagination of explorers, climbers, and adventurers from every corner of the world.

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Cork, Cloyne and Ross Mothers’ Union Quiet Day

Posted on November 14, 2025 by mediaccr

On Saturday, 1st November 2025, St Fachtna’s Cathedral in Rosscarbery held the Mothers’ Union Quiet Day which a variety of people attended.

Hilary Erin writes:

Dean Cliff Jeffers facilitated a thought-provoking day around the 5 Marks of Mission: Tell, Teach, Tend, Transform and Treasure. For each mark he had set up a table with different items to give us food for thought and also used Godly Play boxes of stories to give an excellent visual for each scripture story he used. Each person was given a printout with questions/suggestions for reflection on each theme.

Here are a few examples: TELL – Think about who told you about faith in Jesus, TRANSFORM – What can you do in your sphere of life to challenge the everyday injustices you come across? or TREASURE – Pray for those affected by climate change, and the struggles that they face. We sang a hymn for each section which everyone enjoyed. Everyone had a chance to write a prayer on each theme and add it to our Prayer Wall which ended up a lovely multicoloured collection of thanksgivings, requests and more.

Everybody appreciated having lunch together and catching up with friends or meeting new friends. We gathered again after lunch for a Service of Holy Communion where the Dean reminded us of how all five marks are part of the mission of the church and are part of our call to discipleship. It was a privilege to have Diane Curtin with us; her art installation/exhibition around Gender Based Violence was in the Narthex where those attending could engage with and be challenged by her different pieces of art. This fitted in very well with the work Mothers Union does to raise awareness around Domestic Abuse and all forms of Gender Based Violence. Overall people were challenged and enjoyed the time out for reflection.

Thank you to the local MU members who provided lots of lovely goodies, along with tea, coffee and a warm welcome.

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Bishop Paul Colton presents his 2024 Episcopal Visitation to the Diocese and to the RCB Library

Posted on November 13, 2025 by mediaccr

During the course of 2024, Bishop Paul Colton carried out his episcopal visitations across the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, culminating in the production of a bound report book of the findings and reflections of that visitation. On completion, one copy was handed to Dr Susan Hood (librarian of the Representative Church Body library) and a second copy was presented to the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross during the 2025 Diocesan Synod, accepted on its behalf by Honorary Secretary Dorothy Verplancke.

What is an episcopal visitation and what goes into its report?

Canon law and historical practice make clear that a bishop’s visitation is a key part of his governance of a diocese: the bishop visits persons, places and “things” (institutions, buildings, records, finances) to review and support both the spiritual and temporal life of the diocese. Typically such a visitation report will include the following elements:

  • A summary of the visitations undertaken
  • A review of the spiritual life of the diocese
  • A review of the temporal or administrative life
  • A review of pastoral care and canonical obligations
  • Identified strengths and areas for growth or concern
  • Recommendations, directives or encouragements

According to canon law, such a visitation report should be preserved in the diocesan archives as part of the official record of the bishop’s governance. The fact that Bishop Colton has compiled his 2024, 2016, 2011 and 2006 visitations into a formally bound books emphasises the seriousness of the exercise: it becomes a tangible record of diocesan health and mission, a reference for future leadership, and a gift of accountability to the community. By presenting one copy to the RCB library (Dr Susan Hood), the book will be catalogued and accessible as part of the institutional memory of the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. By presenting another to the Diocese (via Dorothy Verplancke), the report becomes part of the communal life of the diocese, not simply a private file but a shared resource.

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