22.07.2015
Pioneering Young Adults Receive First Ecumenical Leadership Certs
Participants in the Foundational Leadership Programme for Young Adults were presented with certificates to mark the completion of the course at an awards ceremony recently. The programme was a joint initiative of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin and the Church of Ireland Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and was aimed at giving young adults the skills to be more active in their parishes.
Andy Waller, Andy Sloane, Jonathan Byford, Dee Kelly, Sam Tsang, Karl Kerrigan, Miriad Kavanagh, Frances O’Brien, Rasi Korobhoi, Natalie Doherty, Ciara Murphy, Jennifer Leonard and Tim Harden all received certificates. They were presented with their awards in St Paul’s Church on Arran Quay by the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, the Very Revd Dermot Dunne and the Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation and Ecumenism in the Archdiocese of Dublin, Fr Kieran McDermott.
During the ceremony Fr McDermott spoke on the phrase “Heart Speaks to Heart”, taken from John Cardinal Henry Newman. He also talked about raising the bar in being leaders of integrity and faith. Dean Dunne handed out the certificates and spoke kind words to each individual participant.
Ger Gallagher of the Office of Evangelisation and Ecumenism thanked the young adult leaders for their commitment and passion for leadership. Greg Fromholz, Dublin and Glendalough’s Young Adults’ Officer, said it had been an honour to have participated in this growing community of leaders. He stressed that they had pioneered a ecumenical first – a multi–tradition supported, leadership year.
The Foun dational Leadership Programme drew young adults from both Roman Catholic and Protestant backgrounds. The ecumenical training programme was aimed at young adults wishing to learn how to be active faith leaders in their communities and churches and was devised by the Young Adults Ministry of Dublin and Glendalough and the Office for Evangelisation and Ecumenism of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. The team of Greg Fromholz, Dublin and Glendalough Young Adults Officer; Ger Gallagher of the Archdioceses of Dublin; Br Martin Bennett of the Capuchin Friary; Anna Maloney, Post–Primary Diocesan Adviser; Paul Keegan of Holy Trinity Rathmines delivered the course.
Located in Christ Church Cathedral and St Paul’s Church, Arran Quay, Dublin, the programme involved participation in workshops, team exercises and discussions and reflective learning through a learning log and theological reflection. Participants received active mentoring and throughout the course they were addressed by experts in their fields who aimed to equip them to lead effectively in their church, aid spiritual exploration, work with volunteers and serve their local community.
Contributors included the Revd Dr William Olhausen, Paula Connolly from Inner City Helping Homeless, Scott Evans and Greg Fromholz, Sr Éibhlís, Br Martin Bennett, Fr Phillip Baxter, Br Richard and Andrew McNeile.
The programme was not just about creating church leaders but about inspiring the church through them. Their next steps are to go back to the churches that sent them and to use their newfound skills in different areas including working with the homeless, in their universities, as youth leaders or alongside their priest or rector in their parish. They will receive bi–monthly mentoring and will also be involved in preparations for the second course, plans for which are now well underway.
Photo captions:
Top – Participants in the Foundational Leadership Programme who received their certificates.
Bottom – Fr Kieran McDermott and Greg Fromholz.