The Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross are holding a series of talks as part of the MindMatters CoI project, which aims to promote and support positive mental health within the Church of Ireland and the wider community.
The seminar will take place on the 22nd April 2023 and focusses on Mental Health and Suicide. The two speakers will be Dr Eve Griffin and Prof. Ella Arensman from the National Suicide Research Foundation.
Those who are interested in the event and would like to attend should please register via our event on Eventbrite.ie.
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After three years of restrictions, the Civic Service and Festival Eucharist at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral as well as the Reception at the Bishop’s Palace to celebrate St Patrick’s Day took place again this year. As in previous years the Bishop of Cork, the Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton and Mrs Susan Colton, invited nearly 300 representatives of civic and community life in Cork City and County to their home to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
The civic attendance was led by Cork’s first citizen, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Deirdre Forde, who is joined by 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. Members of the Chapter of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral in attendance were joined by Father Gerard Dunne, O.P. (Chaplain of University College Cork).
Among the news Bishop Paul Colton brought back to Cork, Cloyne and Ross from the Lambeth Conference 2022 was that of the inauguration at Lambeth Palace, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, of the Anglican Communion Forest. Bishops from around the world were asked to commend this new initiative to their diocese as part of everyone’s implementation of the fifth of the Five Marks of Mission in the Anglican Communion, namely
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Marks of Mission – Anglican Communion
Here in Cork, Cloyne and Ross, as other bishops are doing in many other places around the world, the Communion Forest idea is being planted and practical work is beginning. With the permission of the Communion Forest office in London the artwork has been adapted for use in Cork, Cloyne and Ross.
Communion Forest poster adapted for use in Cork, Cloyne and Ross
The idea of gifting a tree to each person being confirmed took off among bishops at the Lambeth Conference. Spring time and the Easter Season in Ireland, however, when confirmations happen in Cork, Cloyne and Ross, are not the best time for planting trees. So, on behalf of all being confirmed in 2023 in Cork, Cloyne and Ross, Bishop Colton reached out to the Irish voluntary group Reforest Nation. As a result, on behalf of those being confirmed in Cork, Cloyne and Ross in 2023, Bishop Colton has arranged that Reforest Nation will plant an entire forest of 300 trees in their name between now and 2024. Reforest Nation also periodically invites volunteers and supporters to travel to join in the actual planting of the trees.
Each person being confirmed this year will receive an especially created certificate which combines the certificate of Reforest Nation, with the artwork of the Anglican Communion Forest adapted, with permission, for use in Cork, Cloyne and Ross. Confirmands may sign up to the Communion Forest initiative themselves if they wish. Reforest Nation also are delighted with the partnership. They said:
We are thrilled to hear that you are planning to gift trees to those being confirmed this year. It is heartening to see the Church taking an active role in safeguarding the integrity of creation and renewing the life of the earth.
The Archdeacon of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Venerable Andrew Orr, who is also chairperson of Eco-Congregation Ireland introduced the young people to the idea of the Anglican Communion Forest at the Confirmation Morning with the Bishop recently. In Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Archdeacon is keen to emphasise that the Communion Forest is not only about planting trees:
The Communion Forest is such an important initiative, bringing together Anglican environmental action from around the globe. Ireland is the least wooded country in Europe and we are delighted that our confirmation candidates will be doing their part to develop our native woodlands and increase biodiversity across the entire island
Archdeacon Andrew Orr, Chairperson of Eco-Congregation Ireland
Introducing the Bee BombArchdeacon Andrew Orr
So, young people attending the Confirmation Morning with the Bishop were each given a gift, by the Bishop, of a ‘bee bomb.’ Bee Bombs are native Irish wildflower seedballs designed to bring the bees back. At Diocesan Synod in 2019, Bishop Colton had already given these to each parish in the Diocese so that could ensure that there was a wildflower area at each Church property, Now each confirmation candidate in 2023 has one to plant. In addition, the confirmands are each being gifted one of the wooden Communion Forest pin badges given to each bishop at the Lambeth Conference 2022.
The Rev. Meghan Farr, Priest-in-Charge of St Anne’s Church, Shandon, writes:
As a continuation of our year of 300th anniversary celebrations, St. Anne’s, Shandon is delighted to host Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise for an Irish language service of Holy Communion for St. Patrick’s Day. The service will take place on the Eve of St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, 16th March at 7.30 pm. The Monkstown Chamber Choir will lead the music for the service and Dr Pádraig Ó Riain will be the guest preacher. All are welcome to attend regardless of level of Irish—a bilingual service sheet will be provided.
Risteárd Mac Annraoi, parishioner at St Anne’s Church, writes:
For over a hundred years Cumann Gaelach na hÉaglaise has been promoting the use of Irish in the life of the church and community – in particular in the Church of Ireland. In recent years in Cork its members have organised a monthly church service in Irish at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.
As part of its work Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise has held a service in Irish near to or on Lá ‘le Phádraig – St Patrick’s Day. This has usually attracted support from the wider church in Cork. Services in previous years have been held in different parishes, for example in Dunmanway, Midleton, and Carrigaline. The aim is to hold the service in a different Cork parish each year. This year the annual Irish-language service is to be held at N. Áine Seandún – St Anne’s Church, Shandon, and this is the first time that the Patrick’s Day service will be held there.
Debbie Godsell is an artist and educator based in Macroom Co Cork, who has been documenting the harvest tradition in the Church of Ireland. This project is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland Visual Arts bursary and the Cork Arts visual Bursary award. Mentorship by Deirdre Nutall and support by the National Folklore Archive at UCD.
Richard Wood and Mick O’Shea making sheaves.
The Very Rev. Cliff Jeffers has been in touch with Debbie and asked her to tell us more about her project. Debbie writes:
In 2022 I received funding from the Arts Council of Ireland and the Cork County Arts Office to undertake a project which would include documenting Harvest Thanksgivings across a number of County Cork Parishes. I hoped to provide a visual archive of this custom that is unique to the Church of Ireland and that has been celebrated throughout Ireland since 1899.
As a child I attended St Mary’s in Marmullane, Passage West where the Harvest Thanksgiving was a highlight. The church was lavishly decorated with vegetables, fruits, flowers and sheaves of wheat. It was always a well attended occasion. As a budding artist the visual beauty of the decorated church clearly had its mark on me.
Over the last number of years my professional art practice has incorporated aspects of folk tradition and custom. I was naturally very interested in the broader roots of the Harvest Thanksgiving custom and its connection with much older Celtic traditions. The Harvest Thanksgiving as a church rite first began in 1843 in Morwenstow in Cornwall by the somewhat eccentric Rev’d Robert Hawker. It was more than likely adapted from the traditional Celtic festival ‘Lammas’ which means loaf bread. Lots of rituals around the cutting of the last sheaf and preserving the spirit of the harvest were celebrated throughout Ireland and Britain. These were huge social event with music, dancing and singing. The Irish equivalent festival was called Lughnasadh.
I was hugely inspired by writer Deirdre Nuttall who published Different and the same, A Folk History of the Protestants of Independent Ireland in 2020. I first heard Deirdre speaking on the National Folklore Collection podcast on the subject of traditions and customs unique to the Church of Ireland. Previous to Deirdre’s research, the collecting of Church of IreIand folk history had tended to be overlooked in the early days of the nascent NFC. I visited the expanding archive in Dublin where I read hundreds of interviews and questionnaires completed by members of the Church of Ireland community. A common thread throughout the transcripts were fond memories of the Harvest Thanksgiving, not only the church service itself, which was a highlight but also the social events and farming activities surrounding it. Older interviewees spoke a lot about threshing, the sharing of farming equipment with neighbours and of course the celebrations that marked the successful gathering in of the harvest. It was a time when southern protestants could show how they cherished the land in a space that was separate from politics and history. I was delighted when Deirdre agreed to be a mentor for my project.
As with all art projects this soon developed into a much broader and richer project than anticipated. I documented Richard Wood on his Farm in Dripsey as he moved through the seasons from ploughing, to sowing, growing and harvesting oats and barley. Last August I documented Richard making sheaves in preparation for the Harvest Thanksgiving in St Senans, Inniscarra. Richard has been making sheaves for the Church for the last 25 years. Over a six week timeframe I photographed fourteen decorated churches throughout West Cork. All these works will be deposited in the archive of the National Folklore Collection. When you type ‘Harvest Thanksgiving’ into the search engine in years to come there will at last be a visual record of this unique tradition.
Richard Wood preparing for harvest.
The third aspect of my work was to develop a personal project taking a more cerebral approach. I created some sculptural, filmic and photographic works where I explore the aspects of identity within the Church Of Ireland as both a social and cultural group. This work has been very rewarding and has initiated some very interesting conversations. I am very grateful to all the churches who opened their doors to me. In particular I would like to thank Cliff Jeffers, Richard Wood and Sam Jennings who were so helpful and supportive throughout the project.
The harvest archives are part of project exhibition entitled ‘Flail’ will be developed into two solo exhibitions for 2024. Flail is showing in Cork Printmakers studio Gallery until April. I will be participating in an ‘In conversation’ with arts writer Sarah Kelleher and author and ethnologist Deirdre Nuttall on March 25th at Cork Printmakers Studio Gallery, and all are invited.
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