Bishop of Cork Appoints New Trustee of Garryduff Sports Centre (ICICYMA) in the Diocese

Posted on July 15, 2021 by mediaccr

The Bishop of Cork, Dr Paul Colton, who is Patron of the Incorporated Church of Ireland Cork Young Men’s Association (ICICYMA), known as Garryduff Sports Centre, at Garryduff, Rochestown, Cork, has announced that he has appointed Amanda Welch to be a trustee of the Association and Club. She will fill a vacancy among the trustees following the retirement of Sybil Fuller. The other trustees, previously appointed by Bishop Colton, are: John Jermyn (Senior) and Roger Flack.

Amanda Welch was elected President of the Club and served from 1997 to 1998. Her association with the Club goes back much further, however, to the 1960s and her earliest memories are of the Club when hockey was played at the club grounds on Glasheen Road in Cork.

Amanda Welch


Bishop Colton said:

We are fortunate indeed that we have so many people in Cork, Cloyne and Ross who are willing to fulfil voluntary roles in our Diocese and community. I am most grateful to Sybil Fuller for her years of service and am delighted that Amanda Welch has accepted my invitation to become a trustee alongside both John Jermyn and Roger Flack. Garryduff Sports Centre, which is a great asset to both our Diocese and within the wider community, is not only a large sporting complex but is also a truly excellent one.

ICICYMA has been a sporting organisation in the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross since 1870. The main premises were at the Gregg Hall at 52 South Mall. In the early days of the club, chess and badminton were played, in the main, before a men’s hockey section was formed in 1911. Hockey matches were played at the Club’s field at Glasheen Road. There was also a small clubhouse and a bowling green. In 1969 both the Glasheen Road and the Gregg Hall were sold. The club relocated to the countryside at Garryduff, Rochestown, County Cork. City based members who were used to taking the bus to the Gregg Hall or Glasheen Road were encouraged to support the move and taxis were provided for them to travel out to the club in what was then the countryside.

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Announcement of the Retirement of the Dean of Ross , the Very Reverend Christopher Peters.

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Latest News and Photos from the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross

The Dean of Ross, the Very Reverend Christopher Peters, has indicated to the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross his intention to retire on 31st October 2021. This has now been announced also to the parishioners of Ross Union of Parish.

Born and brought up on the Isle of Wight, Dean Peters began to sense a call to ordination while reading History at Oxford. He, together with his wife Judy, arrived in Belfast as newly-weds in 1982 and Chris was ordained in Down Cathedral that September and served as curate in Knockbreda Parish until 1984 when he was appointed as curate in Lisburn Cathedral. 

The Very Reverend Christopher Peters, Dean of Ross who has announced that he will retire on 31st October

Dean Peters says: 

It was in Lisburn that I first came to know our Bishop. In 1988 I was appointed as incumbent of Kilmocomogue Union which began my association with the diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. Between 1993 and 1998 I was incumbent of Killiney (Ballybrack) in the diocese of Dublin. In 1998 I was appointed Dean of Ross and incumbent of Ross Union of Parishes where I have served for the last 23 years.

Leaving a parish is never easy, especially one where you feel such a bond with the people and the communities you have tried to serve. An indication of that strong bond is that we are only moving a few miles down the road. I look forward to continuing ministry in our united dioceses in retirement, but in a different way and am very grateful for the friendship and support I have received over the years from so many.

Expressing gratitude to Dean Peters, Bishop Paul Colton said:

Dean Peters has had a very significant and formative ministry here in Cork, Cloyne and Ross.  He and Judy have taken this very special part of the world and its people, very much to their hearts.  This is the home they love and where they, and their family, are loved.  There will be opportunities for saying ‘thank you’ in due course, but already I do wish to express our deepest gratitude to the Dean for his faithful ministry in the parish, in the diocese and in the wider Church of Ireland. We look forward to our continuing contact with him and with Judy.’

The Cathedral Church of Saint Fachtna, Rosscarbery, County Cork

Saint Fachtna founded a monastery and Scripture School here towards the end of the Sixth Century. At the heart of the West Cork Parish of Ross Union is the Cathedral Church of Saint Facthna in Rosscarbery. The surrounding parishes on the scenic coast are the famous villages of Glandore, Union Hall and Leap, along with Castleventry in the agricultural hinterland.

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Cork, Cloyne and Ross Diocese commemorates the End of the War of Independence

Posted on July 12, 2021 by mediaccr

The 11th July marked the Centenary of the Truce and the End of the War of Independence in Ireland.  It came into effect at 12 noon on that day and, although many people thought it would be a temporary halt in hostilities, it ended the conflict.

As part of the Cork, Cloyne and Ross Centenaries Commemoration and Reconciliation Project churches and chapels throughout the Diocese commemorated this event last Sunday. 

The Liturgical Advisory Committee created a special Order of Service focussing on remembrance and peace. Parishes used this Order of Service and memorial prayers in their churches, and read out lists of names of people who died in their area, compiled by local historians. 

Left Parishioners praying outside Novohal Church Right Rev. Hazel Minion leading the Commemoration Service in St Luke’s Church, Douglas

Just one of many examples took place in St Mary’s Church, Carrigaline where Canon Elaine Murray remembered Martha Nowlan, the great-aunt of current church organist Hilary Dring, who was killed on the 13th January 1921, before the Truce and at the hight of the atrocities committed against the civilian population. Canon Murray added Martha Nowlan’s name to the Carrigaline Union Remembrance Book during the service. 

Martha Nowlan

Bishop Paul Colton explained: 

This centenary was always ear-marked as a significant one in our Cork, Cloyne and Ross Centenaries Commemoration and Reconciliation Project.

The Government’s Decade of Centenaries Expert Group had identified this as a date of national importance, and, in commemorating this period, we were motivated by that recommendation. Our project in this Diocese covers the centenaries of the period 1914 to 1923 and, so far, in addition to participation in many local events, there have been commemorations of the First World War, the Easter Rising, the Battle of the Somme, Armistice, women’s suffrage, the Spanish Flu, the first Dáil, and now, the end of the War of Independence. Cork was at the heart of this period in our history; one hundred years is not that long ago.  Stories and memories have been passed down through families. Our project is about what the Christian Gospel brings to bear on us, as followers of Jesus Christ, in community with everyone else, as we commemorate.

You can watch a video of some of our clergy praying here.

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Walks for Charities in Crosshaven

Posted on July 10, 2021 by mediaccr

The parishioners of the Templebreedy Group of Parishes met for the third time on Tuesday 6th July to walk together and raise money for charities. In May 2021 they raised €1,300 for Christian Aid and in June another €700 for the Alzheimer’s Society. The group walks from The Royal Yacht Club in Crosshaven to Rabbit Island where they all have tea, coffee, and cake. 

Rev. Isobel Jackson and her group of walkers

Rev. Isobel Jackson, Rector of Templebreedy Group, said: 

Many of our parishioners would walk this way on different days of the week, especially throughout the pandemic, so we thought it would be a nice idea to all meet together once a month. 

John Sweetnam and his mother Hazel, parishioners of the Glanmire and Cobh Union of Parishes, joined this walk in support of the Mother’s Union in Ireland. John is doing 21 walks as part of the “21 in 21” challenge created by June Butler, the All-Ireland President of the MU. John has raised money for ongoing projects such as supplies for local women’s refuges (CriTiCall), support for the Prison Resource Centre and Away From It All hampers and vouchers. 

Hazel and John Sweetnam

This month the Templebreedy Group of Parishes met simply to socialise but donations from this event and others in the future will go towards the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. 

Debbie Boyd, Norman Jackson, Rev. Isobel Jackson, John Sweetnam and Violet Chambers
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Take part in Climate Sunday!

Posted on July 9, 2021 by mediaccr

In order to sustain and renew the life of the earth (one of the Five Marks of Mission of the Anglican Church) the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland are raising awareness for climate change. 

Climate Sunday is an initiative which is calling on local parishes to hold a climate-focused service ahead of the UN Climate Change Summit which takes place on 31st October 2021. 

Drone footage by David Wright

Canon Andrew Orr, recently appointed Honorary Canon at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork with special responsibility to raise awareness across the Diocese for environmental issues is the Chair of Eco-Congregation Ireland and member of the Church and Society Commission. On behalf of this Commission, he has worked together with many other voices to create the short video below encouraging local parishes to support Climate Sunday.

As a parish, you can register your interest and find information at www.climatesunday.org. These pledges will be presented to the UK Government at a Nations Climate Sunday Service in Glasgow on Sunday, 5th September 2021.

You can read the full article by the Church of Ireland here. 

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