28.10.2020
Advent – The Dawn of Hope – Online Retreat
A retreat for lay people and for clergy organised by the Commission on Ministry
The Commission on Ministry has organised an online retreat for lay people and clergy on Saturday 28 November 2020. The retreat will be held by Zoom from 9.30am to 1pm and is free of charge.
For booking or further information, please contact Catherine Smith at
The speaker will be the Revd Ruth Patterson who is a Presbyterian minister, and for the last 29 years has been Director of Restoration Ministries, a non–denominational, Christian organisation committed to peace and reconciliation.
In 1976, she was the first woman to be ordained in Ireland. She was the recipient of the Alumna of the Year 2000 award (Edinburgh University / Royal Bank of Scotland), in 2001 an honorary doctorate from the Presbyterian Theology Faculty of Ireland, and in 2003 was awarded an OBE for her efforts in reconciliation.
She has written five books and numerous articles stemming from her commitment to unity and peace. She is one of four church representatives to L’Arche International and holds the post of Ecumenical Canon in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast. She is on the Board of Oneings, a bi–annual publication of the Centre for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.