The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Building Safe and Resilient Communities’. It comes at a particularly crucial time. Communities locally, nationally and internationally are facing increasing challenges arising from conflict, polarisation, racism, hate, extremism, misinformation, social exclusion and the erosion of trust between communities and institutions. At the same time, there are many inspiring examples of people and organisations working together across differences to build understanding, solidarity, peace and social cohesion.

DCIF’s event will bring together representatives from faith and belief communities, community and voluntary organisations, local and national government, An Garda Síochána, civil society, academia, youth organisations and other partners to explore how we can strengthen our collective capacity to prevent division and build safer, more inclusive and resilient communities.

To register: https://tinyurl.com/3m4ekee8

It is always a little intimidating when someone asks you to sum up how and why you chose something – especially when it feels more like the something chose you! And yet, here I am, newly licensed as Curate–Assistant in Rathmichael Parish, and getting used to not only a new rhythm to ‘work’ patterns, but also navigating a new domain.

I grew up in London as part of a committed church–going family so have known of and loved Jesus all my life. At 18 I moved to Belfast to study with no intention of staying for too long but ended up staying for 35 years. It was in Belfast that I met my husband, raised my children and found vibrant church families in St Donard’s and Willowfield parishes.

Ten years ago, I felt a very strong inward nudge to apply to train as a Diocesan Reader which instigated my first journeys to Braemor Park and the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. Shortly after commencing those studies, my husband very suddenly died, but after reflection and the wise input of many friends, I continued and was licensed as Lay Reader in 2019.

I was sure that was where my theological training would end. However, after about 40 different people over four weeks kept talking about ordination (with firm rebuttals every time), I really felt God ask the question, “What if it’s me who’s asking?” You can keep saying “No” to God but there came a point where I knew that is what I was doing. It took a further three years of discerning and wrestling, and a global pandemic, to find me beginning my MTh studies in 2022. A large part of that discernment was submitting to the process of diocesan and national selection boards, coming to agreement in community.

Being based in Belfast, all my placements were local and I had no expectations of moving particularly far afield come curacy. Over the course of the curacy process, with generous invitations from incumbents, including my now–training rector, it became increasingly clear that God might, yet again, be asking something more of me than I had imagined. So here I am, working through the administrative minefield of moving jurisdictions, excited to get to know Rathmichael and its people, and expectant to see what God has in store.

I am passionate about God’s Word, not only in understanding it but in allowing it to shape our lives, to become our daily bread. I also love working with children and young people as their honesty – perhaps especially about the hard things – confronts some of our easy answers. I’m not convinced that church is supposed to be ‘comfortable’.

I look forward to working with Sean and many others in this parish and community to see people reached with the never–ending love of God in Christ and to come to the realization that they are beloved by their Father and he waits to welcome them home.

The Revd Esther Simpson

Curate Assistant Rathmichael Parish

My calling did not start here in Ireland, and I certainly did not respond to it immediately. It unfolded over many years, across two countries, and through people who often seemed to recognise God’s call on my life long before I was ready to acknowledge it myself.

In this way, the biblical story of Samuel resonates deeply with me. Samuel heard God calling his name, but at first, he didn’t quite understand who was calling. Eli helped him recognise that divine voice.

My own journey has taught me something similar: while vocation is a deeply personal experience, it is not always something we can figure out on our own. God often uses others to help us discern his call.

I grew up in Nigeria in a family with generations of Anglican faith and tradition. Christian faith was therefore an important part of my life from an early age. It was during my college years that the possibility of God calling me to Anglican ministry first emerged. After college, an Anglican priest, who was an archdeacon at the time, discerned that calling again and encouraged me to consider ordained ministry. But I was not ready. I had other plans for my life and chose a different path. Yet the call did not disappear.

After coming to Ireland, ministers in places where I worshipped continued to recognise it. A pivotal moment came when an Irish Catholic priest approached me and spoke very clearly about God’s call on my life. He encouraged me to return to the vocation I had resisted and helped guide me towards answering it.

My family and I later found our spiritual home in the Church of Ireland. The Dean of the cathedral where we worshipped took me under his wing, offering guidance and support. He recognised my vocation, mentored me and recommended me for ordination, with the approval of the diocesan bishop. This journey of discernment eventually led me to the Church of Ireland Theological Institute (CITI) and Trinity College Dublin (TCD), where I pursued a Master of Theology (MTh) in preparation for ordination.

Michael Ramsey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, once described “call” as one of the great words in the Bible, and looking back, I can see why. God’s call was deeply personal, but I did not navigate it alone. Time and again, God placed remarkable people along my path who helped me recognise the voice I had struggled to hear.

My time in theological formation was profoundly enriching. My MTh dissertation, ‘Hospitality and Welcome for Migrants in the Church of Ireland: A Focus on Ukrainian Refugees’, explored themes that resonate deeply with me: hospitality, belonging, and creating communities where everyone feels welcomed and valued.

My background in education and health and social care, particularly in residential and homeless services, has also shaped my understanding of ministry. Those experiences taught me the importance of listening, being present with others, and recognising the dignity of every individual.

My ordination on 21 June 2026 also marked two significant milestones. At my ordination, it was noted that I had become the first Nigerian to be ordained to the priesthood in the Church of Ireland. During my theological training, a bishop had also noted that I was the first African to complete the MTh route through the Church of Ireland Theological Institute and Trinity College Dublin in preparation for ordination. I receive these milestones with gratitude and humility, fully conscious of the many people who have encouraged, supported and prayed for me throughout this journey.

There is something particularly meaningful about now serving as curate in Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla. I first came to the parish on placement during my first year of theological training and experienced its warmth, openness and strong sense of community. Little did I know back then that I would return after my ordination to serve in a parish that had already played a part in my formation.

As I begin ordained ministry, my hope is quite straightforward: to serve God and God’s people faithfully; to walk alongside people through the joys and difficulties of ordinary life; to proclaim Jesus Christ in ways that are faithful, clear and relevant; and to help nurture a Church where everyone feels seen, heard, welcomed and valued.

Reflecting on my journey, I realise that God’s calling was there long before I was ready to answer. I am grateful for those who, like Eli with Samuel, helped me recognise that calling along the way. Now, as I begin this new chapter of ordained ministry, Samuel’s words have become a prayer for my own ministry: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

The Reverend Cennis Chikezie 

Curate Assistant Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla

CIYD is launching a major Confirmation Survey for EVERYONE who was Confirmed throughout the Church of Ireland since 2017. They want to hear as many experiences as possible: what was the preparation like, how did you feel about the service, what difference did Confirmation make to your faith? The survey is completely anonymous, there will be no way to trace individual answers, so you can be as honest as you like.

CIYD wants to get as big a picture of Confirmation as possible so as to improve it for the next generation. The research will seek to identify the ideal age to get Confirmed; the most impactful preparation; and what other things influence the faith of teenagers in the Church of Ireland. The more they know, the more Confirmation can be even better for those people being Confirmed over the next few years.

“What did your Confirmation mean to you?” Luke Hawkins, CIYD Youth Ministry Development Officer (Southern Region) asks. “For me, coming to Ireland from the Church of England (where Confirmation is not taken as seriously) it felt like I was becoming part of the family, part of the Church of Ireland. I’m sure that you can remember your own experiences.”

He adds: “According to our 2024 Youth Work Audit, there are more than 1,000 people, most of them teenagers, Confirmed into the Church of Ireland every year: what does Confirmation mean to them? The Church of Ireland Youth Department would like to find out.”

CIYD has designed the survey with support from Prof Leslie Francis of Warwick University, Bishop Michael Burrows and Bishop Ferran Glenfield, along with Diocesan Youth Officers from across the Church of Ireland.

The deadline to respond is December 31 after which Prof Francis and his team will analyse the results.

They need at least 500 responses and so that is where you come in. Were you Confirmed in the Church of Ireland since 2017? If so, CIYD urge you to take the survey. Are you a parent, guardian, grandparent or in any way connected with someone who has been Confirmed since 2017? Then please pass on the survey to them. It will only take five minutes to complete.

Just scan the QR code or go to https://forms.gle/wK7NkwhRf9yBXaZU9

“Thank you for your time, completing this survey will really help the next generation to have a better Confirmation experience,” Luke concludes.

The service in Pembroke College Chapel in Oxford was part of the annual conference of the British Irish Association (BIA) which took place in Oxford over the weekend. The BIA annual conference brings together a wide range of people – senior politicians and government officials, businessmen and women, academics, faith leaders, writers, former paramilitaries and community workers – to discuss matters of mutual concern.

The Archbishop noted that there is a “density of Irish difference” as illustrated by the famous blackboard in hit television show Derry Girls which details numerous ‘differences’ between Protestants and Catholics.

Bringing in the broad theme of the 2026 BIA meeting, identity and otherness, he said that knowing who we are and having a confident sense of our identity is what those with children hope to instil in them.

Otherness, he explained, can range from a straightforward fact to a fascination with understanding those who are different from us and we from them. This can extend further to excessive Othering of human beings, he added.

“Such Othering rapidly de–humanizes the other person and shatters the first–second person relationship which might otherwise flourish,” Archbishop Jackson suggested.

He said that while individual identity is a vital component in self–understanding, it needs to move towards relationship, community and social sacrifice.

“Sooner or later, we are all going to be faced with the question: What will I sacrifice (not accumulate) in order to grasp and to hold the greater prize of social cohesion? It is an understanding of the need for social cohesion that forces us to realize that, when even two people are together, there is not a new 200% of social or spiritual space but a newly configured, freshly negotiated new and other 100%.

“This is where Otherness is a true positive. This is what we all are seeking to do – through the work to which each of us is committed, many of us over a lifetime of service and sacrifice – as we grapple with what I am calling a crumbling world in our local contexts and in its local manifestations,” he stated.

The Gospel reading for the day [St Matthew 18: 15–20 outlining Jesus’s process for resolving conflict escalating from private conversation to small group intervention to church involvement] connects directly with a new paradigm for mutual coexistence and social cohesion, he said.

‘We need to work energetically for values in a time of fundamentalism; and for ethics in a time of irreligion in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said adding that for those who devise and nurture systems, there has to be a value in the small scale and the small step outlined in the Gospel. He suggested that escalating external engagement could be a real help and the value of such a contract across the policing system and civic society in both parts of Ireland would revitalize tired communities.  

You can read the Archbishop’s sermon in full here.

The Friends of Christ Church would like to invite all those with an interest in Dublin, the church, its long and chequered history, architecture, music and liturgy, as well as in the common fellowship of community, to join their organisation to help mark these landmark dates and their importance for Dublin city and diocese, as well as Christ Church cathedral.

Having celebrated the 800th anniversary of St Laurence O’Toole’s canonization in 2025, the Year of the Normans will be marked in 2027, followed by three anniversaries in 2028: the 150th anniversary of the completion of the restoration of Christ Church in 1871–8 by the Victorian architect, George Edmund Street; the 900th anniversary of the birth of St Laurence, and most significantly, the millennium of the establishment of the Dublin diocese along with its cathedral of Christ Church around 1028 – worth noting is that while Glendalough had abbots since St Kevin’s time in the early 7th century, it only became a diocese at the 1111 synod of Rathbreasil.

The Friends of Christ Church will then celebrate their own centenary in 2029 while, in 2030, the 850th anniversary of the death of St Laurence in 1180 will also be remembered.

To help celebrate these events, and draw Dubliners, and indeed non–‘jackeens’, far and wide into the broader community of the cathedral, the Friends of Christ Church invite neighbours, parishioners, locals, pilgrims, visitors and congregation alike to sign up to become Friends at the following link (https://buy.stripe.com/5kA01O3sc4W13lu7su) or QR code.

Annual membership is €25 within Ireland and €35 outside Ireland, and contributions of €250 and over may be tax refundable in Ireland (and include a five–year membership of the Friends).

The Friends of Christ Church were founded in 1929 by Dean Herbert Kennedy to support the cathedral financially, by drawing on a larger pool of people from the united dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and beyond who were not necessarily on the vestry register.

Over the years the Friends have become an important link with the parishes, dioceses and the city, and have raised money for restoration work on the building, its monuments and furnishings, as well as musical and liturgical projects.

The Friends also undertake regular outings, and support a lunchtime lecture series several times during the year, as well as other social gatherings. A bi–annual journal, Friends’ News, is also published, the Summer issue of which will be available shortly, and previous issues can be found here on Archive.org.

Do please join, either via Stripe above; by sending a subscription, or by making out a direct debit or standing order with a commencement date, payable to the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Allied Irish Banks plc, 7–12 Dame Street, Dublin 2, account number: 15214039, IBAN: IE63 AIBK 9312 2515 2140 39 and BIC: AIBKIE2DXXX.

For further queries, contact the membership secretary, Erica Britnell at cccdubfriends@gmail.com or 087 790 6062.

The gathering recognised all the centre’s achievements over the last 10 years and honoured everyone who had supported its work. It also marked the final day of the Church of Ireland Centre’s first Director, Canon Professor Anne Lodge, whose term of office came to an end yesterday after 10 years. The appointment of the new Director, Dr Jacqui Wilkinson, was announced today.

The Church of Ireland Centre (CIC) was established as part of the DCU Institute of Education in 2016 as a result of the incorporation of the Church of Ireland College of Education into DCU in line with changed State requirements. It provides an agreed pathway within the DCU Bachelor of Education programme for the CIC intake.

To mark the milestone anniversary, a report on the first decade of the CIC, complied by Canon Prof Anne Lodge, was launched. (You can read that report here.)

Launching the report the Bishop of Clogher, the Right Revd Ian Ellis, noted that it tells the story of the centre since the incorporation of CICE into DCU in 2016. “That transition was not simply administrative or institutional; it was a pivotal moment for a community with a long and distinctive educational heritage stretching back to the early days of national education in Ireland. It posed some fundamental questions about identity, service and trust,” he commented.

Bishop Ellis recalled that at the time this transformation of CICE was subject to much debate and noted that the report points out that this airing of views assisted in clarifying priorities for the incorporation.

“At times it seemed like a very difficult birth. Thankfully the baby has flourished!” he said. “That incorporation courageously brought together the tradition of the Church of Ireland College of Education with the life of a modern, pluralist university. It required great care, imagination and commitment on all sides. Above all, it required relationships — and as a bishop, I know how deeply relationships matter in the life of the Church, in the life of education, and in the common life of society.”

Bishop Ellis added that the ethos of Church of Ireland national schools and its expression in the centre had been maintained and was achieved through the lens of the Anglican Five Marks of Mission. He noted that Professor Lodge had developed an ethos assessment tool which correlates the Five Marks and the characteristic spirit of the centre.

“Faith based schools in Ireland are of course under some attack in the media following the published results of the recent Primary School Survey. We may question the motivation and methodology of that survey, but it should cause us to review that characteristic spirit in our schools and celebrate the educational difference they bring. We must ensure that schools under our patronage are indeed places of high–quality education but also where inclusivity is real and where parents of all faiths and none feel supported and are happy with their children’s development in a faith–based setting,” he stated.

The Bishop also commended the research by Dr Jacqui Wilkinson on the ethos of Church of Ireland schools which he said had been very useful to the General Synod Board of Education. He highlighted her ongoing contribution to the Follow Me programme for the delivery of RE in schools.

On behalf of the Church he expressed appreciation of the staff of the centre and particularly Professor Anne Lodge as its first Director for her work in the early years. He also thanked colleagues across DCU and the Institute of Education and the Church of Ireland, Methodist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends and wider Protestant communities, patrons, diocesan boards of education, post primary schools and the network of primary schools that welcome student teachers.

Speaking on behalf of DCU and the Institute of Education, Professor Martin Brown, associate Dean for Research and Professor of Education, noted that report describes the centre as ‘a place of education and for education, a place of diversity and for diversity, a place of community and for community’. 

“This captures very well what the Centre has brought to DCU,” he said. “Its contribution to the Institute of Education has been immense. The Centre has ensured that the Church of Ireland tradition has a clear, active and respected place within our teacher education provision. Its pathway provides specialist preparation in religious education, ethics, professional placement, small–school leadership and multigrade teaching.”

Professor Brown acknowledged the centre’s work with small schools and its extensive body of research. He added that the centre had made an important contribution to the university. “Its presence demonstrates that a secular and pluralist university can provide a recognised place for a distinctive faith tradition while remaining open, inclusive and respectful of all. It enriches the intellectual, cultural and community life of DCU. Indeed, the rich heritage of the former Church of Ireland College of Education has also become part of DCU’s life and memory,” he commented.

The CIC has also established a strong presence in the public square bringing policy makers, researchers, teachers, clergy, school leaders, children and community organisations into conversation, he noted.

Drawing the gathering to a close, Professor Lodge acknowledged the contribution of all the staff of the Church of Ireland Centre and those who teach on the pathway. She described the All Hallows’ campus as a place with a great sense of community and welcomed a number of principals and school patrons. She expressed gratitude to the General Synod Board of Education, the Church Education Society, past students of CICE, the Church of Ireland Historical Society and CITI and all the bodies that had partnered up with the centre as well as those who provided funding.

As the final principal of the Church of Ireland College of Education, she commended her predecessors in the Church of Ireland College of Education, including Dr Ken Milne who was in attendance. She also warmly welcomed Dr Jacqui Wilkinson to her new role as Director of the Church of Ireland Centre.

Dr Wilkinson’s term of office begins today (Tuesday September 1) and her appointment has been welcomed by the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd John McDowell, and the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson. They also thanked Professor Lodge for her contribution to the Church of Ireland Centre, the 10th anniversary of which was celebrated yesterday.

In a statement the Archbishops said: “As Professor Anne Lodge steps down as Director of the Church of Ireland Centre at Dublin City University we wish to thank her for her unique contribution in that role. In her pioneering role Professor Lodge has embedded the Centre in the life of DCU and has consolidated its position within the school sector which it serves. We are very grateful to Professor Lodge for her diligence, scholarship and professionalism.

“We wish also to welcome Dr Jacqui Wilkinson into the role of Director of the Centre. Jacqui will be known to many within the Primary Education sector in the Republic of Ireland not least through her work on the Follow Me Patron’s Programme for Religious Education and through her lecturing at the Centre over the past number of years.

“The Centre is at the core of teacher formation within the Reformed Traditions in Ireland and plays a vital role in maintaining and passing on our ethos. In addition the Centre’s specialism in Small School teaching across every tradition is another valued aspect of our contribution to the common good in many rural communities across Ireland. 

“This is an exciting time for Jacqui, for the Centre and for the education community and we pray for her and wish her well as she begins her new role today”. 

On behalf of the General Synod Board of Education, Dr Ken Fennelly commended both Dr Wilkinson and Professor Lodge for their commitment to the Church of Ireland Centre and to education. “On behalf of the Board of Education I would like to thank Anne for her dedication in charting the pathway for the Church of Ireland Centre in DCU’s Institute of Education and for her leadership in its first decade. I wish Jacqui well as she takes on this role and look forward to working with her in the coming years,” he said.  

Dr Jacqui Wilkinson

Before becoming a lecturer in the DCU Institute of Education in the subject area of Religious Education, Dr Jacqui Wilkinson taught in a variety of school settings. She lectured in the Church of Ireland College of Education from 2010 until the date of its incorporation into DCU 10 years ago.

As part of her position she co–ordinates and delivers the Church of Ireland Religious Education Certificate to students studying for the BEd  degree and to teachers employed in Church of Ireland schools. She is the editor and author of Follow Me, the primary school Religious Education programme taught in schools under the patronage of the Church of Ireland, Methodist Church and , Presbyterian Church.

Commenting on her appointment she said: “I am delighted to be the new Director of the Church of Ireland Centre and to lead the Centre into its next decade. As a CICE graduate, this is for me a very personal and special moment in my career.

“I thank Canon Professor Anne Lodge for her collegiality and leadership over the past ten years and I look forward to working with Laura O’Sullivan, coordinator of school placement and other colleagues as we connect with students through their BEd degree studies and support and serve the network of primary schools linked with the Church of Ireland Centre.

“The Church of Ireland Centre is well established in the DCU Institute of Education and there are many opportunities for creative engagement with colleagues in the Institute of Education and the wider university in the years ahead”. 

Professor Anne Lodge

Revd Canon Professor Anne Lodge was the first Director of the Church of Ireland Centre in the DCU Institute of Education, having been the Principal of the Church of Ireland College of Education for seven years before that. The CIC was established under the legal agreement between DCU and CICE enabling the incorporation of the latter into the University on October 1 2016.

Anne played a key role along with other institutional leaders in the incorporation of three Colleges of Education in the Dublin region into DCU. She now reverts to being a member of the School of Policy and Practice in the DCU Institute of Education and will continue to work  as a Professor at the university while also serving as incoming Canon Treasurer and Priest Scholar in Christ Church Cathedral Dublin.

Speaking on her final day as Director yesterday Professor Lodge said: “It has been a privilege to serve both as Director and prior to that as Principal and to be part of the provision of teacher education for primary schools under Church of Ireland, Methodist, Presbyterian and Society of Friends schools. I have given 17 years to this work and, without question, it has been a life–changing experience. Parts of it were challenging but much of it was joyful. I am so very grateful to all those who worked and learned alongside me – all my colleagues, our students and graduates, our school networks at primary and post–primary levels, and all the individuals and institutions who are woven together in the partnerships into which we are embedded. I warmly wish Dr Jacqui Wilkinson every blessing on her journey as she takes the Centre forward.”

You can learn more about the Church of Ireland centre here: www.dcu.ie/church-of-ireland-centre

The Nest will provide a vibrant new space for worship, community and connection in Enniskerry. It will be located, nestled amongst the pines, next to the church.

Construction on the new hall starts this week and on Sunday amid a joyful parish celebration, the steering group of Chris Chambers, Ric Pasquali and Robert Neill turned the first sod.

They were assisted by the Rector, the Revd Cathy Hallissey, with the magnificent silver trowel which was used in the laying of the foundation stone for St Patrick’s Church in October 1857. Historian Judy Cameron said the trowel had not been used since the foundation stone was laid by Lord Powerscourt, Mervyn Wingfield, during his 21st birthday celebrations.

During the service of celebration, which included a celebration of baptism, the Rector explained that the hall will serve the broader community of Enniskerry. “This is going to bring our wider community and our church together,” she said.

The vision for The Nest was made possible by the courage and faithfulness of the Select Vestry and the energy and commitment of the Project Miracle Team, she said. She added that the project was able to proceed thanks to the donation of €1,000,000 by a benefactor.

The Nest was designed by architect Peter Carroll who, when he visited the site in the summer of 2023 was struck by the swallows’ nest in the porch of the church. It inspired him to think of nurturing, protection and new life which resulted in the design of the new hall. The builder will be Dunwoody & Dobson and the project manager will be Niall Meagher.

“We’ve waited three years but now we have people who held fast to a belief to bring about a miracle,” Rev Cathy said. “There will be unity and that unity has already begun.”

Adding to the morning’s excitement, the large crowd also welcomed home local farmer Michael Keegan who had just completed his epic journey from Mizen Head to Malin Head raising awareness and funds for two suicide charities, 3TS and Pieta House.

Michael undertook the 690km ‘Miles of Hope’ journey on his grandfather’s historic Deutz D40L tractor. Charlie Keegan won the world ploughing championships with the tractor in 1964 bringing home the first ever world ploughing title to Ireland. So far his tractor run has raised over €75,000 on idonate.  

Although Tom has been at Crinken for only a relatively short time, few would dispute the depth of his impact. His energetic ministry, engaging preaching, humour and genuine interest in people have left an indelible mark on the parish – and made his departure all the harder.

The farewell evening brought together representatives from across parish life, including the Trustees, staff, youth groups and parents. A lively video vox pop captured messages and memories from those who wanted to wish the family well, while a specially written and recited poem provided both laughter and, unexpectedly, a few tears – including from its author and reader.

The evening reached its most poignant moment when the congregation ‘sent out’ Tom, Danielle, Tara–Rose and Dylan with prayers and blessings for the next chapter of their lives. Tom is shortly to be installed as Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, a role that is both a great opportunity for him and a considerable loss for Crinken.

And then, in true Crinken fashion, the sadness gave way to celebration, with a vast and somewhat heroic supply of traybakes and a spectacular cake marking the occasion.

Tom may have spent only a few years at Crinken, but he leaves behind friendships, memories and a parish that has been changed for the better.