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<title>Diocese of Dublin &amp;amp; Glendalough</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Latest news from the Diocese of Dublin & Glendalough]]></description>
<language>en-gb</language>
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2026 09:48:02 +0100</pubDate>
<item>
<title>Solar Power Continues at Al Ahli Hospital Thanks to D&amp;amp;G Donation</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/16/solar-power-continues-at-al</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:44:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>&#13;
Solar panels which the people of Dublin and Glendalough raised funds to buy for Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City over a decade ago have saved thousands of lives.&#13;
The Programme Director for the Diocese of Jerusalem, Sawsan Batato, says that the solar panels still work sufficiently to be able to generate power for Al Ahli Hospital.</p><figure class="image portrait"><img src="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/September2026/Majma1.jpg" alt="Sawsan Batato, Programme Director with the Diocese of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Michael Jackson." align="left" style=""><figcaption>Sawsan Batato, Programme Director with the Diocese of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Michael Jackson.</figcaption></figure>&#13;
<p>Ms Batato,&#13;
who wrote the solar panel project for Al Ahli, conveyed the news to Archbishop Michael Jackson who is currently attending the Diocese of Jerusalem&rsquo;s Majma&#13;
(Synod) in Amman, Jordan, as part of the ongoing partnership between the two Anglican dioceses. She said the dioceses should be proud of the lives they have saved. </p>&#13;
<p>Al Ahli Arab Hospital is the only Christian hospital in Gaza. It is owned and run by the Diocese of Jerusalem and serves all people, no matter what their background. Led by the Dublin and Glendalough Council for Mission, the &lsquo;Prepare a Place Appeal&rsquo;&#13;
raised over &euro;110,000 for solar panels and on call facilities for staff at Al Ahli in Advent 2014. The solar panels were installed in 2017. </p>&#13;
<p>A formal partnership link between the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem began in 2016. Since then Dublin and Glendalough has run a number of fundraising appeals including the &lsquo;Shine a Light&rsquo; campaign in 2024&#13;
and 2025 which raised over &euro;250,000 for initiatives of the Diocese of Jerusalem dealing with the impact of war. The partnership has also provided the opportunity for prayerful solidarity and support between the people and clergy of both dioceses. </p>&#13;
<p>Archbishop Jackson conveyed greetings to the members of Majma meeting in Amman yesterday (Tuesday September 15).</p>&#13;
<p>&#13;
&ldquo;We who come from abroad to be with you hear and see regularly on our phones and on our televisions the daily horror which is life today in this particular world, which is your world, in this particular place which is your place. We are devastated like the rest of the world for you. We are not really able to express either our sorrow for you or our sense of outrage at what you experience every day and every night. We are ashamed that we have been numbed into an involuntary silence and an inert response. We still want to say that we stand with you, because we do, that we love you, because we do, and that the whole world needs you, because it does,&rdquo; he said. </p><figure class="image portrait"><img src="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/September2026/Majma2.jpg" alt="Archbishop Jackson presents a Celtic cross to the Revd Saba Kerry following his ordination as a Deacon." align="left" style=""><figcaption>Archbishop Jackson presents a Celtic cross to the Revd Saba Kerry following his ordination as a Deacon.</figcaption></figure>&#13;
<p>The Archbishop added that the people and clergy of Dublin and Glendalough draw inspiration from the people and clergy of the Diocese of Jerusalem &ldquo;from how you continue to live, how you continue to survive with dignity and with grace&rdquo;.</p>&#13;
<p>He continued: &ldquo;As The Living Stones, so eloquently and so memorably described in The First Letter of Peter, you and your witness are intrinsic to the present and to the future of Christianity. A popular hymn in our tradition also refers to The Living Stones as <em>by God appointed. </em>This sentiment I know goes without saying but it needs constantly to be said. It has to be called out as the great thing that it is. This has never been truer than it is today when Gaza, The West Bank and Lebanon are places of incalculable suffering and terrified people and Syria has been such a place for many years already. Not only is your life fragile. It is also under such constant strain and stress.&#13;
Instinctively, we think of older and younger people first, but we must never forget the people in the middle who carry the load of three generations all at the same time.&rdquo;</p>&#13;
<p><a href="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/files/Sermons/23.08.2026.majma.2026.1.docx" target="_blank" title="Archbishop of Dublin's greeting to Majma 2026">You can read the Archbishop&rsquo;s greeting in full here</a>.</p>&#13;
<p>In his Presidential Address to the Majma, Archbishop Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of Jerusalem spoke on the theme of the Synod &lsquo;The Cross of Christ: Power and Life&rsquo;&#13;
and said the challenge of the Church for Synod is to seek disciples of Christ who carry the Cross with joy and encourage vocations. He said that the people of the Diocese of Jerusalem experience the meaning of the Cross in a distinctive way as they serve in the land upon which Jesus Christ walked. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;During recent years, the peoples of our region have endured much suffering. Families have lost loved ones, communities have been displaced, institutions have been affected, and many have lived under the weight of fear, economic hardship and uncertainty,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And still, the Church has remained present. She has continued to pray. She has continued to serve. She has continued to keep her doors open. Our schools have continued to educate our sons and daughters. Our hospitals have continued to receive the sick. Our parishes have continued to gather the faithful around the Word of God and the Holy Table. This is the work of the Cross in the life of the Church.&rdquo;</p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
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<title>Archbishop of Dublin Preaches in St George&amp;rsquo;s Cathedral Jerusalem</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/14/archbishop-of-dublin-preaches-in</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:30:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Archbishop Michael Jackson is currently visiting our partners in the Diocese of Jerusalem where he will attend their Majma (or Synod) in Jordan this week. </p>&#13;
<p>Yesterday he was the preacher at a Service of Holy Communion, celebrated by Archbishop Hosam Naoum, in St George&rsquo;s Cathedral in Jerusalem. Bishop Peter Eaton of South East Florida was one of the concelebrants of the service and will also attend Synod in Amman. </p>&#13;
<p>Archbishop Jackson drew on the readings for the day [from Exodus&#13;
1 and St Matthew 13] for his sermon. He noted that that the story of Joseph from Exodus showed how fresh, immediate and contemporary Holy Scripture could be. He said that everyone will have experienced sudden change which results in losing our certainty and sense of direction. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;We struggle daily to connect the various moving parts with ease and to hold on to how the love of God is shown to his people. And yet somewhere deep down we can also marvel at how constant God is for us and to us in the midst of the mess of life,&rdquo; he commented. </p>&#13;
<p>The Archbishop observed that the actions of the Pharaoh against the children of Israel drove God&rsquo;s people to multiply and grow in strength and the slaves from Holy Scripture proved to be an inspiration to people suffering oppression down through the ages. God was present with them and had a plan. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;And what does this story of Joseph tell us of the nature of God?&rdquo; Archbishop Jackson asked. &ldquo;Because of the way the world works, because of the way people function, God has no option but to let the evil flourish in their own terms and in their own times. This does not mean that God does not care. Human history is populated by situations where God&rsquo;s people have both stood up to and gone under with tyrants and regimes. The providence of God presides over the universe that God has created.&rdquo;</p>&#13;
<p>The story of Moses was important to the people in St George&rsquo;s Cathedral for a range of reasons, he said. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;The story of Moses is important for you and for us for a range of reasons. The first is that you know the geography, the ground and the land of which the writer is speaking. The terrain of The Middle East is yours. This makes it very hard because the lived reality today is brutal and it is bitter. The second is that the ideas become more and more complex as communities separate out to the point of what may indeed be irreversible division. This you also know all too well. The third is that you today experience and live through exile <em>in</em>&#13;
your own homeland, not exile <em>from</em> your own homeland. And maybe the fourth, and the hardest theologically, is that this story of universal application &ndash; irrespective of colour, creed or class &ndash; comes from The Hebrew Scriptures. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;We as Christian people need to hold fast to the fact that they are also <em>our</em>&#13;
Scriptures, however difficult that may be for us &ndash; and for good reasons. It is not solely that they contain interesting examples and interesting lessons for us, as it were on pages of Wikipedia. It is that they are ours also because we believe that the fullest of God&rsquo;s revelation is to us his children of the New Covenant. From the fire of witness, from the flames of history, from the future of the past we derive inspiration more than we derive inspiration because this is how God is. And we say this with no disrespect to their first receivers.&#13;
They too are our brothers and sisters as children of God. We see things differently. We agree to disagree agreeably,&rdquo; he stated. </p>&#13;
<p><a href="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/files/Sermons/23.08.2026.jerusalemcathedral.1.docx" target="_blank" title="The Sermon of the Archbishop of Dublin in St George's Cathedral Jerusalem 13 9 26">You can read the Archbishop&rsquo;s sermon in full here</a>. &nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>&#13;
&nbsp;</p><figure class="image portrait"><img src="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/September2026/Jerusalem2.jpg" alt="Archbishop Michael Jackson presents a Celtic Cross to Archbishop Hosam Naoum." align="left" style=""><figcaption>Archbishop Michael Jackson presents a Celtic Cross to Archbishop Hosam Naoum.</figcaption></figure>]]></description>
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<title>Canon Trevor Sargent Appointed Rector of St Ann&amp;rsquo;s with St Mark and St Stephen</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/13/canon-trevor-sargent-appointed-rector</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2026 14:06:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>&#13;
Canon Trevor Sargent has been appointed the new Rector of the Parish of St Ann with St Mark and St Stephen. Trevor is currently Rector of the Bunclody Union in the Diocese of Ferns. The announcement was made in the parishes this morning&#13;
(Sunday September 13). </p><figure class="image portrait"><img src="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/September2026/Revd-Trevor-Sargent-3rd-May-2026.jpg" alt="Canon Trevor Sargent." align="left" style=""><figcaption>Canon Trevor Sargent.</figcaption></figure>&#13;
<p>Making the announcement Archbishop Michael Jackson said: &ldquo;Trevor has a long career of distinguished public service as a teacher and as a politician.&#13;
His commitment to a greener life on the part of us all will be important to our dioceses as our understanding of mission deepens and broadens. I welcome Trevor back to the diocese and hope that he and his wife will be extremely happy among us&rdquo;.</p>&#13;
<p>Trevor is from Templeogue in Dublin, where he attended the nearby Rathfarnham NS and the High School, before training as a primary school teacher in the Church of Ireland College of Education. His interests growing up, from Scripture Union in secondary school, to Sunday School teaching, to scouting,&#13;
the Irish language, culture, guitar playing and natural history, have been formative into adulthood.</p>&#13;
<p>Trevor combined his early teaching career with living bilingually, by residing with a Gaeltacht family when teaching in the Model School, Dunmanway,&#13;
Co Cork. On being appointed Principal of St George&rsquo;s NS in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, Trevor immersed himself in parish and community life and was elected to Dublin County Council in 1991 and D&aacute;il &Eacute;ireann in 1992, representing Dublin North as a Green Party TD. He became the first leader of the Green Party/Comhaontas Glas, and later Minister of State for Food and Horticulture in the 2007&ndash;2011 coalition government.</p>&#13;
<p>After losing the general election in 2011, Trevor was asked to write and illustrate a book about his experiences of politics, agriculture, life and growing food in limited spaces, known as &lsquo;Trevor&rsquo;s Kitchen Garden&rsquo;. Trevor and his partner, &Aacute;ine Neville, then moved to Co Wexford, where they were married in St Enoch&rsquo;s Church, Killinick, in 2014. </p>&#13;
<p>Following a time of prayerful discernment, and with the support of Bishop Michael Burrows, Trevor was selected for training to full&ndash;time ministry in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. He was ordained deacon in Shillelagh in 2017, working with the Archdeacon, the Ven Andrew Orr in the Tullow Group, and priested in Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford, in 2018,&#13;
working with the Very Revd Maria Jansson, the Dean of Waterford.</p>&#13;
<p>On February 5 2021, Trevor was instituted as Rector of Bunclody Union during the Covid&ndash;19 pandemic, where he resorted to recording weekly services on YouTube and organised, (thanks to a marquee in the rectory grounds, and with&#13;
&Aacute;ine&rsquo;s help) outdoor parish events, from coffee mornings to allow them meet parishioners,&#13;
to outdoor confirmation classes. </p>&#13;
<p>Since the pandemic, Trevor has collaborated with Dr Jeffrey Cox in developing a thriving St Mary&rsquo;s Choir and young chorister programme, and with many others to organise table tennis, badminton, bowling, GFS and Boys Brigade,&#13;
as well as Youth and Family Services in St Fiaac&rsquo;s Church, Clonegal. </p>&#13;
<p>2026 has marked the 250th anniversary of St Mary&rsquo;s Church, Trevor has helped with the calendar of special occasions marking this milestone, not least the publication of Oliver Deacon&rsquo;s beautifully illustrated and well researched landmark history of the parish. </p>&#13;
<p>Bunclody is also blessed with excellent primary and secondary schools,&#13;
especially Carrigduff NS where Trevor has chaired the Board of Management,&#13;
learned much from the Principal, Ms Carolyn Good, and the other members of staff. They have also shared important family times, some very sad and others immensely joyful, with pupils, and families, as well as collaborating with teachers in organising school assemblies.&nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>Commenting on his departure from St Mary&rsquo;s Rectory in Bunclody, Trevor said: &ldquo;It will be difficult and sad to leave all the many friends &Aacute;ine and I have made in this active rural parish, but I am confident, by God&rsquo;s grace, that Bunclody Union is in a good position to thrive and attract a new Rector who will bring fresh collaborative ideas to the work of witnessing to Christ&rsquo;s love in this union of four parishes and in this farming community&rdquo;.</p>&#13;
<p>Anticipating the new chapter of ministry ahead as incumbent of the Parishes of St Ann, St Stephen and St Mark, in Dublin, Trevor said:&nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;St Ann&rsquo;s has been a special place of sanctuary, prayer and worship for me, for almost 30 years, from my time as a TD when I frequently attended the lunchtime Holy Communion services there, just a short walk from Leinster House.&#13;
I have, like many others, enjoyed attending concerts in St Ann&rsquo;s and am looking forward to working with the renowned choirs in both St Stephen&rsquo;s and St Ann&rsquo;s churches.&#13;
</p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;Through my involvement in Eco&ndash;Congregation Ireland and Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise, I have also attended many meetings in St Ann&rsquo;s side rooms, thanks to the generosity of this city centre parish in meeting the needs of many visitors, organisations and charities. I am especially looking forward to carrying on the long&ndash;standing &lsquo;Black Santa&rsquo; tradition, which assists many charities during Advent in making ends meet. I also look forward to getting to know parishioners in all the churches and being a part of Christ&rsquo;s mission for us to welcome everyone, and build His kingdom of love, hospitality, faith and justice for all who we meet&rdquo;.</p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
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<title>&amp;lsquo;The first thing to do is do something&amp;rsquo; &amp;ndash; Supporting Biodiversity in Church Grounds</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/11/the-first-thing-to-do</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:16:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>The Rector of Zion Parish in Dublin, the Revd David White, was among the speakers at a recent webinar aimed at encouraging parishes and faith communities to take action to support biodiversity in their church grounds. </p>&#13;
<p>The &lsquo;Havens for Nature&rsquo; webinar was organised by the Heritage Council as a follow up to their &lsquo;Havens for Nature: Supporting Biodiversity in Faith Grounds&rsquo; booklet which was published earlier this year. </p>&#13;
<p>The webinar, which brought together a range of expert speakers to give practical tips on why action is so important, how to get started, and the biodiversity measures that can make a real difference, is available to watch on YouTube here: <a href="https://youtu.be/CVb-3AsgHzU?si=iATDdw2j6qTTNXAF">https://youtu.be/CVb-3AsgHzU?si=iATDdw2j6qTTNXAF</a>&#13;
</p>&#13;
<p>The Revd David White highlighted the Green Zion Project which is a collaboration between Zion School and the parish. He said they had received useful support from the National Pollinator Plan as well as from Eco&ndash;Congregation Ireland. </p>&#13;
<p>The Zion project has seen them implement a pollinator plan and grow food in raised beds which raises consciousness around where food comes from and the impact of our food choices. A new project will also involve a community garden learning hub at Zion which will include a repair hub to raise consciousness around fast fashion. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;If we want to bring about real lasting change, and lots of us talk about conversion of heart and mind leading to conversion of behaviour and choices, then we need to begin local and personal,&rdquo; he said explaining that he published a book which encourages people to look at their garden spaces differently to increase their connection to nature. &ldquo;What I always say to parishes and groups, the first thing to do is to do something. Start small because when we start small a certain amount of energy grows around our efforts and it&rsquo;s easier to continue then.&rdquo;</p>&#13;
<p>The Heritage Council is encouraging parishes and faith communities to explore practical actions to support biodiversity in church yards. Their &lsquo;Havens for Nature: Supporting Biodiversity in Faith Grounds&rsquo; guide outlines simple actions for biodiversity on their grounds. You can read the guide at: <a href="http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/publications">www.heritagecouncil.ie/publications</a>.&#13;
</p>&#13;
<p>Other speakers at the online event include: Meadhbh Bolger, Biodiversity Officer, The Heritage Council; Kate Chandler, NBDC; Jennie Drysdale, Chairperson of Doonbeg Tidy Towns / Doonbeg Church Return to Nature;&#13;
Jane Mellett, Tr&oacute;caire and Laudato Si&rsquo; Working Group; Satwinder Singh, EcoSikh Ireland Chairperson; and Paul McNamee, Sunyata Buddhist Centre.</p>&#13;
<p><figure class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CVb-3AsgHzU?si=9nyp_2vAR864IoC9" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure></p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
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<title>DCIF Annual Peace Conference</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/09/dcif-annual-peace-conference</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>&#13;
Dublin City Interfaith Forum&rsquo;s Annual Peace Conference will take place on Tuesday September 15 2026 from 10am to 4pm in the Oak Room of the Mansion House on Dawson Street. </p><figure class="image portrait"><img src="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/September2026/dcif-peace.png" alt="" align="left" style=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>The theme of this year&rsquo;s conference is &lsquo;Building Safe and Resilient Communities&rsquo;. It comes at a particularly crucial time. Communities locally,&#13;
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.</p>&#13;
<p>DCIF&rsquo;s event will bring together representatives from faith and belief communities, community and voluntary organisations, local and national government, An Garda S&iacute;och&aacute;na, 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.</p>&#13;
<p>To register: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/3m4ekee8?fbclid=IwcGRvZgFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFkSVE4dDRJczVMQ3Rub3pCc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHql-iM_0RZj8c_CYdnx-KgdJ9Veerudq_9sigvChkSC8-YpR2LoGIvPpA7d0_aem_GwSnU5etmqW7i1F5ekS5Qw" target="_blank" role="link">https://tinyurl.com/3m4ekee8</a></p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
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<title>  A Very Strong Inward Nudge &amp;ndash; The Revd Esther Simpson Reflects on Call to Ordination</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/08/a-very-strong-inward-nudge</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:33:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Hello! I&rsquo;m Esther Simpson. Mum of four, mum&ndash;in&ndash;law of two, Nana of one, and also ordained.</p>&#13;
<p>It is always a little intimidating when someone asks you to sum up how and why you chose something &ndash; especially when it feels more like the something chose you!&#13;
And yet, here I am, newly licensed as Curate&ndash;Assistant in Rathmichael Parish,&#13;
and getting used to not only a new rhythm to &lsquo;work&rsquo; patterns, but also navigating a new domain.</p>&#13;
<p>I grew up in London as part of a committed church&ndash;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&rsquo;s and Willowfield parishes. </p>&#13;
<p>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. </p>&#13;
<p>I was sure that was where my theological training would end. However, after about 40&#13;
different people over four weeks kept talking about ordination (with firm rebuttals every time), I really felt God ask the question, &ldquo;What if it&rsquo;s me who&rsquo;s asking?&rdquo; You can keep saying &ldquo;No&rdquo; 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.&#13;
A large part of that discernment was submitting to the process of diocesan and national selection boards, coming to agreement in community.</p>&#13;
<p>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,&#13;
with generous invitations from incumbents, including my now&ndash;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.</p>&#13;
<p>I am passionate about God&rsquo;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 &ndash; perhaps especially about the hard things &ndash;&#13;
confronts some of our easy answers. I&rsquo;m not convinced that church is supposed to be &lsquo;comfortable&rsquo;.</p>&#13;
<p>I look forward to working with Sean and many others in this parish and community to see people reached with the never&ndash;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.</p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>The Revd Esther Simpson</p>&#13;
<p>Curate Assistant Rathmichael Parish</p>]]></description>
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<title>A Call Heard Through Others &amp;ndash; The Revd Cennis Chikezie Reflects on Call to Ordination</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/08/a-call-heard-through-others</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:26:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>When I look back on my journey to ordained ministry, I can&rsquo;t help but be amazed by God&rsquo;s patience. </p>&#13;
<p>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,&#13;
and through people who often seemed to recognise God&rsquo;s call on my life long before I was ready to acknowledge it myself.</p>&#13;
<p>In this way, the biblical story of Samuel resonates deeply with me. Samuel heard God calling his name, but at first, he didn&rsquo;t quite understand who was calling. Eli helped him recognise that divine voice.</p>&#13;
<p>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.</p>&#13;
<p>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.</p>&#13;
<p>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&rsquo;s call on my life. He encouraged me to return to the vocation I had resisted and helped guide me towards answering it.</p>&#13;
<p>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,&#13;
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.</p>&#13;
<p>Michael Ramsey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, once described &ldquo;call&rdquo; as one of the great words in the Bible, and looking back, I can see why. God&rsquo;s call was deeply personal, but I did not navigate it alone.&#13;
Time and again, God placed remarkable people along my path who helped me recognise the voice I had struggled to hear.</p>&#13;
<p>My time in theological formation was profoundly enriching. My MTh dissertation, <em>&lsquo;</em>Hospitality and Welcome for Migrants in the Church of Ireland: A Focus on Ukrainian Refugees&rsquo;, explored themes that resonate deeply with me:&#13;
hospitality, belonging, and creating communities where everyone feels welcomed and valued.</p>&#13;
<p>My background in education and health and social care,&#13;
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.</p>&#13;
<p>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.</p>&#13;
<p>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.</p>&#13;
<p>As I begin ordained ministry, my hope is quite straightforward: to serve God and God&rsquo;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.</p>&#13;
<p>Reflecting on my journey, I realise that God&rsquo;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&rsquo;s words have become a prayer for my own ministry: <strong>&ldquo;Speak,&#13;
Lord, for your servant is listening.&rdquo;</strong></p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>The Reverend Cennis&nbsp;Chikezie&nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>Curate Assistant Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla</p>&#13;
&nbsp;]]></description>
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<title>CIYD Launches Major Confirmation Survey</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/07/ciyd-launches-major-confirmation-survey</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:59:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>&#13;
Are you one of the hundreds of people who have been Confirmed in Dublin and Glendalough since 2017? If you are, CIYD (the Church of Ireland Youth Department) wants to hear from you.</p><figure class="image portrait"><img src="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/September2026/Conf-Survey-Flier-2.png" alt="" align="left" style=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p>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.</p>&#13;
<p>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. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;What did your Confirmation mean to you?&rdquo; Luke Hawkins, CIYD Youth Ministry Development Officer (Southern Region) asks. &ldquo;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&rsquo;m sure that you can remember your own experiences.&rdquo; </p>&#13;
<p>He adds: &ldquo;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.&rdquo;</p>&#13;
<p>CIYD has designed the survey with support from Prof Leslie Francis of Warwick University, Bishop Michael Burrows and Bishop Ferran Glenfield,&#13;
along with Diocesan Youth Officers from across the Church of Ireland. </p>&#13;
<p>The deadline to respond is <strong>December 31</strong> after which Prof Francis and his team will analyse the results. </p>&#13;
<p>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.</p>&#13;
<p>Just scan the QR code or go to <a href="https://forms.gle/wK7NkwhRf9yBXaZU9">https://forms.gle/wK7NkwhRf9yBXaZU9</a>&#13;
</p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;Thank you for your time, completing this survey will really help the next generation to have a better Confirmation experience,&rdquo; Luke concludes.</p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
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<title>Exploring Identity and Otherness in Search for Social Cohesion</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/07/exploring-identity-and-otherness-in</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:28:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Concepts of identity and otherness and their impact on social cohesion were the focus of Archbishop Michael Jackson&rsquo;s sermon to members of the British Irish Association yesterday morning (Sunday September 7). </p>&#13;
<p>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 &ndash; senior politicians and government officials, businessmen and women, academics, faith leaders, writers, former paramilitaries and community workers &ndash; to discuss matters of mutual concern.</p>&#13;
<p>The Archbishop noted that there is a &ldquo;density of Irish difference&rdquo; as illustrated by the famous blackboard in hit television show Derry Girls which details numerous &lsquo;differences&rsquo;&#13;
between Protestants and Catholics. </p>&#13;
<p>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. </p>&#13;
<p>Otherness,&#13;
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. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;Such Othering rapidly de&ndash;humanizes the other person and shatters the first&ndash;second person relationship which might otherwise flourish,&rdquo; Archbishop Jackson suggested.&#13;
</p>&#13;
<p>He said that while individual identity is a vital component in self&ndash;understanding, it needs to move towards relationship, community and social sacrifice. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;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%. </p>&#13;
<p>&ldquo;This is where Otherness is a true positive. This is what we all are seeking to do &ndash; through the work to which each of us is committed, many of us over a lifetime of service and sacrifice &ndash; as we grapple with what I am calling a crumbling world in our local contexts and in its local manifestations,&rdquo; he stated.</p>&#13;
<p>The Gospel reading for the day [St Matthew 18: 15&ndash;20 outlining Jesus&rsquo;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.</p>&#13;
<p>&lsquo;We need to work energetically for values in a time of fundamentalism; and for ethics in a time of irreligion in the Northern Hemisphere,&rdquo; he said adding that for those who devise and nurture systems,&#13;
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. &nbsp;</p>&#13;
<p><a href="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/files/Sermons/06.09.2026.bia.2.docx" target="_blank" title="Sermon of the Archbishop of Dublin at the British Irish Association 2026">You can read the Archbishop&rsquo;s sermon in full here</a>. </p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
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<title>Friends of Christ Church Welcome New Members</title>
<link>https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/09/04/friends-of-christ-church-welcome</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:53:00 +0100</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[<p>In two years&rsquo; time, the diocese of Dublin and its cathedral of Christ Church will mark one thousand years of continuous Christian worship within the catchment area of the Liffey bounded by the Dublin mountains to the south and the plains of Fingal to the north, yet it will only be one of several anniversaries being celebrated over the next four years. </p>&#13;
<p>The Friends of Christ Church would like to invite all those with an interest in Dublin, the church, its long and chequered history,&#13;
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.</p>&#13;
<p>Having celebrated the 800th anniversary of St Laurence O&rsquo;Toole&rsquo;s canonization in 2025, the Year of the Normans will be marked in 2027,&#13;
followed by three anniversaries in 2028: the 150th anniversary of the completion of the restoration of Christ Church in 1871&ndash;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 &ndash; worth noting is that while Glendalough had abbots since St Kevin&rsquo;s time in the early 7th century, it only became a diocese at the 1111 synod of Rathbreasil. </p>&#13;
<p>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&#13;
1180 will also be remembered.</p>&#13;
<p>&#13;
To help celebrate these events, and draw Dubliners, and indeed non&ndash;&lsquo;jackeens&rsquo;, far and wide into the broader community of the cathedral, the Friends of Christ Church invite neighbours, parishioners, locals,&#13;
pilgrims, visitors and congregation alike to sign up to become Friends at the following link (<a href="https://buy.stripe.com/5kA01O3sc4W13lu7su">https://buy.stripe.com/5kA01O3sc4W13lu7su</a>)&#13;
or QR code. </p><figure class="image portrait"><img src="https://staging.dublin.anglican.org/cmsfiles/September2026/Friends-CC-QR.png" alt="" align="left" style=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>&#13;
<p>Annual membership is &euro;25 within Ireland and &euro;35 outside Ireland, and contributions of &euro;250 and over may be tax refundable in Ireland (and include a five&ndash;year membership of the Friends).</p>&#13;
<p>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. </p>&#13;
<p>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. </p>&#13;
<p>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&ndash;annual journal, <em>Friends&rsquo; News</em>, is also published, the Summer issue of which will be available shortly, and previous issues can be found here on <a href="https://archive.org/details/@stuart_kinsella?sort=-date">Archive.org</a>.</p>&#13;
<p>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&ndash;12 Dame Street, Dublin 2, account number: 15214039, IBAN: IE63&#13;
AIBK 9312 2515 2140 39 and BIC: AIBKIE2DXXX. </p>&#13;
<p>For further queries, contact the membership secretary, Erica Britnell at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:cccdubfriends@gmail.com">cccdubfriends@gmail.com</a>&#13;
or 087 790 6062.</p>&#13;
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
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