The Very Reverend Dermot Dunne has indicated his intention to retire from the position of Dean of Christ Church Cathedral as of the end of August 2026. Dermot has served as Dean since 2008. This is a sustained commitment over a long period of time. During these seventeen years, he has overseen and contributed to many developments in the life of the diocesan cathedral. Christ Church remains the definitive venue for Ordinations and Commissionings and increasingly for Confirmations, the last of these interestingly at the request of candidates and their parents. The cathedral welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors and pilgrims annually. It also holds a pivotal position in the life of the city of Dublin because it stands in its historic core. Ireland’s forthcoming European Presidency points us once again in this direction. We wish both Dermot and Celia all that is best in the next phase of their lives following their long–standing sojourn in Christ Church.
Looking for a Dean is a challenging task. Rightly, an obvious place to look is among the four pillars of the cathedral, or in this case the three remaining pillars, those who are the senior members of The Cathedral Chapter. Each of them has acquired, by prayer and listening, by worship and decision–making, a distilled experience of the person of the cathedral as well as the structure of the cathedral. Each has an accumulated wisdom about the complexities and the opportunities afforded by a place and a people, a building and a body of Christ. This is all the more essential as Christ Church Cathedral faces very soon into its millennial year in 2028. A very particular range of skills, both spiritual and practical, is needed to implement and to embed the Christ Church Cathedral Bill passed at General Synod 2025 as the cathedral moves forward with confidence. All of this has weighed heavily in my own thinking and prayer as I have sought to discern a successor to Dermot. The needs of the future flow from the needs of the present. Yet they are quantitatively and qualitatively different.
I have decided to appoint to the position of Dean The Reverend Canon Tom O’Brien, Canon Treasurer, and he has accepted my invitation. Tom worked for many years in a variety of capacities in the HSE across the communities of North County Dublin and in other roles within the HSE at a high level of responsibility. Building community and leading change have both been integral to this phase of Tom’s life. Tom’s desire to be ordained to the diaconate and the priesthood of the Church of Ireland overlapped with the education and formation offered through the MTh degree. This enabled Tom to continue in the HSE in tandem with ordained ministry for a considerable period. Both in his training and in his early ministry he was able to integrate his calling to serve across many different locations and contexts. Tom is one of the two Diocesan Directors of Ordinands. Most recently Tom has served as the Minister in St James’s Church Crinken. Building on the inheritance of his predecessors, he has opened up new pathways of every–member–ministry including the embracing of Pioneer Ministry in the expanding area of Shanganagh. St James’s Church stands on the Camino as, of course, does Christ Church. The idea of camino ties in neatly with the Five Marks of Mission and they are something that the cathedral has embraced too.
I wish Tom and Daniella along with all members of their family, including their dogs, everything that is best as he prepares to fulfil the duties of Dean of Christ Church.
Michael Jackson 20.05.2026
Dublin and Glendalough
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With Dean Abigail Sines at the helm, Dialogue of Friendship drew people from diverse faith backgrounds together to hear and learn from speakers but also to exchange ideas and build relationships. As the Archbishop of Dublin put it: “Our witness today in the suburbs of South Dublin is vital as a catalyst for change of heart, change of mind and change of spirit. Attentive listening is the greatest affront to megaphone diplomacy. Let us use it”.
The keynote speaker was the Revd David Coleman, Environmental Chaplain for Eco Congregation Scotland, seconded from the United Reformed Church. Responding to his address was Dr Raja Harun MBE, a Malaysian plant scientist living in Belfast who serves on the Board of Trustees for the Belfast Islamic Centre.
In the afternoon the conversation turned to sanctuary. Adrian Cristea, Executive Officer of Dublin City Interfaith Forum spoke about the Safe Haven initiative. Dr Manizha Khan, formerly Dean of the University of Herat Dental School in Afghanistan shared her moving sanctuary story of fleeing her home following the fall of Kabul in 2021 and her work with the Sanctuary movement in Ireland.
Setting the Stage
Archbishop Michael Jackson set the stage for the day’s discussions. He observed that all three Abrahamic Faiths need one another in the contemporary world.
“Our relationships are under the most intense of strain and there is no sign of any of this easing. Their traditions not only have prayer, almsgiving and fasting in common; they also have witness and martyrdom, whether that be holy living or holy dying or indeed both. It is into this chilling reality of shared experience, both historical and contemporary, that the key themes of today’s Conference feed and flow: Stewardship, Sanctuary and Safe Haven: stewardship of the earth, its resources and future prospects; sanctuary for those harassed and dispossessed of dignity, rights and humanity itself in the political cauldron of the world; Safe Haven as a way not only of making Dublin a place of secular peacefulness but of enabling Inter Faith Dialogue and Faith Identity be a positive resource in building capacity for a just and diverse society,” he said.
Care of the Earth as an Interfaith Goal
‘Earth as the mediator of friendship for people across faith communities’ was the focus of the Revd David Coleman’s address. He observed that care of the Earth is a feature across faith traditions and environmentally positive public outreach can see faith communities enriched and deepened.
He suggested that the joy of being together as interfaith communities was beyond any “interfaith cuddliness”, but was in something real about our identities being seen and valued, strengthening our commitment to our own faith. In local faith groups he had seen communities enriched and deepened by shared litter picks, beach cleans, food banks, clothes swaps and the environmentally positive public outreach associated with people of faith. “None of these actions have rigid borders. But they still feed faith,” he said.
“In our particularity, we also have much in common. I hope that’s cause for rejoicing. We share, as Pope Francis observed, a “casa comune”: a common home,” he said. He pointed to the commonalities among faith traditions in caring for the Earth and said that the ideal is to make the most of the real spiritual gifts we are given in an “eyes wide open” response to the climate crisis today.
But he urged those present to “look for green faith with teeth” so that we can share something “a bit spikier that is a blessing to the whole of humanity”. He encouraged radical inclusion of all creation – “we are the creation, we are the biodiversity that we protect or destroy”.
Reflecting on friendship Mr Coleman said that is the task of friends to question what is and is not necessary to faith identity. Within interfaith communities, he suggested asking friends if their faith’s message on creation is urgent enough. He urged those present to show love and determination to detach climate denial from faith identities.
“In the accelerating crisis of nature and climate, friendship is urgent. No one can aspire to be a friend of anyone, if they hide, deny or ignore those signs of the times [Matthew 24: 3–31] in the skies and the Earth [Luke 21: 25–26] which are beyond reasonable doubt, and which have already locked in, for several human generations, a multiplication of threat. Today, it’s not friendly to whisper or preach the white lie that everything’s going to be all right,” he stated.
He continued that it was urgent that we practice the discipline of the truth in love because as weather extremes continue to get worse everything that divides us will feel sharper. “These are our choices, our possibilities, our spiritual and practical challenges,” he stated. He encouraged ‘friendship’ with the natural environment rather than ‘stewardship’.
Al Mizan: An Islamic Perspective
In response, Dr Raja Harun explored Al Mizan – a covenant for the Earth which he explained is an Islamic outlook on the environment and actions to combat the current planetary crisis. It was produced at the eighth Islamic Conference in 2019. Al Mizan means balance in Arabic and Dr Harun said it links environmental ideas with Islamic teaching to demonstrate how Islam can be a driving force for sustainability.
“Al Mizan is a binary inclusive document that, while rooted in Islamic teaching, serves as a global call to action for all faiths and none. It frames environmental protection as a call to all humanity to protect our common home,” he explained.
Al Mizan identifies that the main cause of the problems in the world is the prioritisation of economic growth. Dr Harun cited many reminders in the Quran that man loves wealth but that Earth was created in balance to sustain mankind and all living creatures. He added that there has to be justice for all living creatures and mankind is to steward the earth not exploit it.
“God will not change the condition of the people until they change themselves. We have to decide to do something about the state of the world today. We have to right what is wrong. As inhabitants of the world it is expected of our faith that we do the right thing,” he commented.
He said that Al Mizan points the way forward for Muslims and for the world at large which is to recognise that all things on Earth support each other and must keep from wreaking devastation on it. There is an action plan for individuals, communities and governments.
Safe Haven
Adrian Cristea gave the background to the Safe Haven initiative. “Racism may seem a recent thing but it is not new. It has been there all along over the last three and a half decades. As Ireland became more diverse racism raised its ugly head. We realised there was a need to do something more than just listen,” he stated.
Working with religious leaders, civil society, community groups and State bodies, participants in the Safe Haven programme learn what racism is, what it does and the impact on the whole community as well as the individual. “We know how profound the impact of hate crime is. Hate crimes are message or signal crimes between groups. Often members of the group respond as if it was done to them. So it has a harmful effect on communities and creates tension and leaves other minority groups feeling vulnerable,” he explained.
Recognising that it is not easy for a victim to report hate crime, DCIF understands that people often find it easier to talk to people they trust, like their religious leaders. Mr Cristea said reporting hate crime is important so that the depth of the problem can be measured. They use the reporting mechanism developed by the Irish Network Against Racism (ireport.ie) and any person who has experienced racism or any form of hate incident, or any person who has witnessed it, can report through Safe Haven.
A Sanctuary Story
Dr Manizha Khan is a Sanctuary Ambassador. She told her remarkable story of her escape from Afghanistan after the return to power of the Taliban. She had been Dean of a dental school but she said that education and women are seen as threats. She had never been political but she had no choice other than to leave, describing her difficult wait as she was not one of the groups prioritised for evacuation.
Dr Khan has been a refugee twice – the first time as a child when Russia took over Afghanistan and her family fled to Pakistan. “The first time saved me to be a refugee a second time,” she said before sharing the remarkable story of how she became a pen pal of a girl in New Zealand through the Red Cross when she was a refugee as a child.
In 2021 her pen pal messaged to say she was worried about her. She had a network of people praying for Manizha and also contacted people in New Zealand and Australia. Eventually, a connection was made in Ireland which she stated “was the only country that didn’t hold my education against me. They could use my skills. It is all due to [my pen pal] in New Zealand – otherwise I would still be in Afghanistan”.
When she got to Ireland, Manizha realised the reality of what she had become – a refugee who was expected to forget who she was. She and her husband and their daughter had to start from zero. “I didn’t realise that zero would be so low,” she said starkly. “I made a mission that no matter what else, I have to find myself, my daughter, my husband a place in society where I can offer tea,” she said explaining that Afghans are very hospitable. “When people say you are ‘just a refugee’ they miss everything. Refugees bring experience, degrees, life experience. They are people just like you.”
As programme refugees, the family had support. Her sponsorship group gathered around and helped them get their papers – both she and her husband are dentists and it took them one and a half years to pass their dental exams.
Sadly, she said that before she came to Ireland she did not know about racism. She loved exploring Ireland but when the protests started she became scared. She does not walk in Dublin any more and in her mind she is calculating what to say if confronted. “I find myself thinking about this all the time. If you think these protests are not having a negative effect – they are having a negative effect. Now people are saying Ireland is full. That has changed the language. People are afraid and people are using different language,” she concluded.
Ade from Nigeria and Liz from South Africa both shared their experiences of arriving in Ireland. They are both Sanctuary Ambassadors and spoke of the joy and connections that belonging to the organisation and working in schools has brought them.
Refugee Week
Refugee Week runs from June 15 to 21 2026. The theme this year is ‘Courage’ and there are many suggestions and free digital resources, including graphics for print and social media and a film festival for streaming during the week. See https://refugeeweek.org.uk/ and https://refugeeweek.ie for details. Sanctuary Sunday is on June 21 and prayers and resources for churches are available at https://churchofsanctuary.org/sanctuary-church-sunday/
The annual Pride Service will take place in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, on Thursday, 25 June 2026, at 6pm. The Very Rev Dermot Dunne, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, will preside and preach at this year’s service. A reception and celebration will immediately follow, honouring charitable partners BelongTo Youth Services and Outhouse. Further details can be found at https://bit.ly/ChristChurchPride.
This year’s service carries special significance. Dean Dermot Dunne, who has been Dean of the cathedral for nearly 20 years, will retire in September 2026. The Pride Service will be among his final official acts as Dean and it is, by his own account, one of the most meaningful.
“Christ Church has always been a place of radical welcome,” he said. “To stand in this ancient Cathedral and proclaim that every person — without exception — is a beloved child of God is not a departure from our tradition. It is the very heart of it. I am deeply honoured to share this celebration with our LGBTQ+ community as we draw ever closer together to the love and acceptance of our Divine Creator.”
Joining this year’s pride service as readers are Oisín O’Reilly, CEO of Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre, a safe, inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community in Dublin, and Kieran O’Donovan, CEO of BelongTo Youth Services. Prayers will be led by Scott Golden, Chairperson of Changing Attitude Ireland. The Cathedral Choir will provide music, under the direction of Tom Little.
The annual Pride Service was first celebrated at Christ Church Cathedral in 2021. Previous preachers include Dr Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland. The Cathedral organises the service as an expression of its commitment to inclusion, welcome, and witness.
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It’s exciting to see the growth and what God is doing through Pioneer Ministers, volunteers, Pioneer Projects, Advocates and Hubs across our 11 dioceses.
You can watch the video here:
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The candidates, supported by their families and friends and their rectors, came from the parishes of: Drumcondra; Santry, Glasnevin and Finglas; Christ Church Cathedral; St Paul’s Glenageary; CORE St Catherine’s; Celbridge and Straffan with Newcastle–Lyons; Kill O’ the Grange; Powerscourt with Kilbride; Tallaght; Stillorgan and Blackrock; Leixlip and Lucan; Rathmichael; and Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla.
The service was sung by the Cathedral Choir and the readings were from Numbers 11: 24–30 and John 20: 19–23.
In his sermon the Archbishop said that it was essential that those being confirmed were comfortable with themselves, with Jesus Christ and in the church, and that they would know they would feel welcome in any church. He urged them to rejoice on the day of the birth of the church that they have been given the choice by Jesus Christ to go and be as he is and do as he does.
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A series of intensely competitive matches saw players from Wicklow Parish emerge both victorious and vanquished. The parish entered two teams, one of which included the only member of the clergy in action in the tournament, the Revd Jack Kinkead. Indeed, had things gone awry, the parish could have been without two key players on Sunday morning as Wicklow’s organist Klaas de Vries was also playing.
The parish brought home the much sought after Diocesan Hockey Challenge Cup which was presented to Dublin and Glendalough in 1995 by the then Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Donald Caird. They also returned to the Diocese of Glendalough with the less salubrious, less coveted Archbishop’s Chamber Pot, the wooden spoon prize.
Whitechurch Parish showed much promise bringing strong hockey credentials to the tournament including the umpires, and Jane Connolly and Gail Garry who joined the Diocesan Secretary Ian Walshe on the organising committee.
Holy Trinity Rathmines brought a large team with plenty of rolling subs and strong players and had there been award for best turned out team, they would have won it with their sharp branded polo shirts. Definitely ones to watch in future tournaments.
Archbishop Michael Jackson was on hand to present both the cup and the chamber pot. He thanked Ian Walshe for taking up the competition and giving it new life and new legs. He said the revival showed a promising start and the foundations were laid for future years.
Ian thanked all the umpires, Lucy and Josh Kelly and Mark Garry, for their hard work. The Archbishop’s Cup had been sitting on a shelf in the diocesan office for a number of years having last been lifted by Christ Church Bray 14 years ago. However, the search for the chamber pot involved some detective work, Ian recounted. Stillorgan were the last chamber pot ‘winners’ but a call to the Rector, the Revd Kevin Conroy, initially drew a blank. Persistence paid off and the chamber pot was recovered and dusted down in time for the big day.
Players were rewarded for their efforts in the heat with pizza and cake afterwards as thoughts turn to training for next year’s event.
There are more photos on our Facebook page:
We, the members of the Dublin City Interfaith Forum express our shock and deep sorrow at the tragic death of Yves Sakila and extend heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the Congolese community in Ireland.
We join the growing calls for a full, transparent, and independent investigation into all the circumstances surrounding his death. Justice is a moral obligation in every society, especially when a human life has been lost in such distressing circumstances. Every person is created with inherent dignity and worth, and that dignity must always be protected.
At this painful time, we also call for compassion in our public discourse and in our treatment of one another. Fear, anger, or suspicion can never justify the loss of our shared humanity. The images and reports emerging from this incident have caused profound concern and anguish across many communities, particularly among people who already feel vulnerable to racism, exclusion, or unequal treatment.
The Forum’s Chair, Archbishop Michael Jackson said, “Compassion requires us not only to mourn with those who mourn, but also to listen carefully to the fears and experiences being voiced by minority communities in Ireland today. As Scripture reminds us: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).”
Our faith traditions teach us that love of neighbour is not optional but fundamental. Jesus said: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31). In honouring that commandment, we must stand together against hatred, racism, and the devaluing of any human life.
May Yves rest in peace, and may truth, justice, and healing prevail for all affected.
Dublin City Interfaith Forum
19th May 2026
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The Archbishop of Dublin’s Personal Assistant,
Archbishop’s Office, Church House, Church Avenue,
Rathmines, Dublin 6.
Email:abpsecretary@dublinchurchofireland.org
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‘Benjamin Culme, DD, Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin 1625–1657: An Overlooked Dean’ by the Revd Robert Kingston was launched in the Deanery of St Patrick’s on Tuesday evening (May 19). The book, which appears to be the first to be written about Dean Culme who served as Dean for 32 years in the turbulent time leading up to the Cromwellian take over, is published by Hinds and is available on their website www.hinds.ie.
Standing in the dining room of the Deanery, Dean Morton observed that if Dean Culme didn’t live in the exact building, he lived on the same site and it was fitting to gather there for the launch. He said history was alive and well and told the packed room that only that morning the cathedral had received a letter addressed to another former dean, Dean Jonathan Swift.
“A good book informs us, challenges us, inspires fresh interest, stimulates further scholarship, corrects misconceptions and helps us understand why history and the lives of the individuals within it took the course they did,” he stated. “Ably researched and written, this book is a delight. Robert is known and admired and over many years of faithful ministry has combined pastoral wisdom with the instincts of a meticulous historian. During his time in Virginia, Co Cavan, where Benjamin Culme was said to have served, Robert began to research the life of a churchman who had all but disappeared from memory.”
Dean Morton said that Culme was not a household name and left behind no satirical legacy, as Jonathan Swift did – still receiving mail – nor did he achieve lasting fame. But he guided the cathedral through years of extraordinary upheaval and his memorial described him as ‘patient in adversity’. He suggested that the book was a significant contribution to the history of St Patrick’s Cathedral and a moving tribute to the enduring power of steady and faithful service, showing that no life devoted to faithful service is ever lost.
The Revd Robert Kingston, who is currently Chaplain of The Mageough in Dublin, said that the book was the culmination of a lot of research. He urged readers not to think of it as serious scholarship. “I regard it as being an account of a fascinating treasure hunt all of which began with Jim Hartin who taught history in the [Divinity] Hostel,” he explained.
In 1985 Robert served in Virginia. As the registrar of Kilmore Diocese he had all the subscription lists none of which mentioned Benjamin Culme. However, George Hill historian of the Plantation time in the early 1700s had Culme down as the first Rector of Virginia.
“That led me on to doing a parish history which sat until retirement. Then it occurred to me that all through my life I had been crossing Culme’s path, or he’d been crossing mine. In [the various] parishes there was always some hint of connection with him,” he commented.
The author thanked Ross Hinds for taking a chance on his book and his wife for encouraging him to seek publication, Dean Morton, St Patrick’s historian Albert Fenton and the Friends of St Patrick’s for their support along with the book’s designer and all who supported the launch.
“When I started to look at this about 12 years ago, I went to Ray Refausse in the [RCB] Library and asked him for information on Culme. He came back to me and said there was nothing about Culme. I said great, that’s the sort of history I like to write about – nobody to contradict me if I am wrong. I’m hoping that within another year or two there will be books on Culme profoundly disagreeing with every word I’ve written. I feel that I will have made it if that happens – history is not something fixed it is something that develops in our understanding. The important thing is to start where people were at and the situations they were in to see the decisions they had to make,” he concluded.
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During their visit, the choir sang at the Eucharist in the Church of England’s Bucharest Chaplaincy, the Church of The Resurrection. At this service Canon Arbuthnot preached and renewed his friendship with the Chaplain of Bucharest, the Revd Dr Nevsky Everett.
The choir also sang at a gathering in the Irish Ambassador’s Residence, as well as performing a concert at the Romanian Atheneum.
This concert was organised by the Irish Embassy and all involved in the choir tour were very grateful for the warm welcome and organisation provided by HE Brendan Ward, Irish Ambassador to Romania and graduate of the University of Dublin.
Canon Arbuthnot commented: “Once again, the chapel choir proved themselves to be exemplary representatives of Trinity College, Dublin, the Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough, and the wider Church of Ireland. Their presence helped engender cultural links between Ireland and Romania and we are very grateful to the Ambassador for all his assistance in organising the tour and for his friendship throughout the visit. This was a bittersweet occasion for us in the life of the chapel, because this tour marked the last engagements of many of our choir members, our choir conductor, and organ scholar. We are grateful for all their contributions to the life of the chapel during their time with us and we wish them God’s blessing as they now leave the walls of our ancient college for the wide and fertile pastures of the outside world.”
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