Diocese of Dublin & Glendalough

First Year Ordinands Commissioned as Student Readers

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:27:00 +0100

Four new ordinands were commissioned as Student Readers at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute yesterday evening (Wednesday September 23).

Natasha Coombes Liddle (Armagh), Andrea Black (Dublin and Glendalough), Laura McIvor (Armagh) and Eric Hughes (Dublin and Glendalough) were commissioned by Archbishop Michael Jackson during the weekly Community Eucharist. They are among seven ordinands who have embarked on their first year of study in CITI this year.

The students were presented for licensing by the Revd Dr Chris MacBruithin. Student Readers are called to lead worship, proclaim the word of God and assist in the distribution of Holy Communion.

Archbishop Jackson addressed the students in his sermon as they embark on a life towards ordained ministry and said they were being commissioned to learn. He urged them to “learn long before you lead”. The commissioning, he said, is not ordination but about moving into a realm of informed, experienced preparation towards ordination.

“Learning is about being open to receive not only new stimuli – but also to being open to being informed and corrected regarding things you do not know, you thought you knew well or have previously known differently. And you will learn both from and alongside seasoned and skilled exponents of the work of ministry. Like your first day in ‘big school’, it is all about to start all over again,” he said.

He encouraged the ordinands to learn to serve, to learn to listen and to learn to be served.

He concluded by saying: “LEARNing is what lies ahead of you. The greatest learning that you can do is to learn to let the cross and the glory of Jesus Christ disclose, shine forth and shine through the ministry on which you now embark as you let God the Holy Trinity help you to navigate it, and also the people among whom you will work, towards the Kingdom of the same God.”

You can read the text of the Archbishop’s sermon here.

Archbishop of Dublin Reflects on Visit to Diocese of Jerusalem

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:14:00 +0100

My arrival in Jerusalem on Saturday 12th September coincided with the end of The Sabbath and with the Eve of The Jewish New Year. I had had the pleasure of sharing in New Year Celebrations in Dublin ahead of New Year on Tuesday of the same week, so this was a double pleasure. I was also afforded the rare privilege of meeting Patriarch Theophilus III, the Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, on Saturday evening.

Archbishop Hosam Naoum, Archbishop Michael Jackson, Patriarch Theophilus III and Bishop Peter Eaton of South Florida.

The Dean of St George’s College, The Reverend Canon Richard Sewell, had informed me that an Irish woman, Emma Cowan Leite, had worshipped in the cathedral on the previous Sunday and was working with The Tent of Nations southwest of Bethlehem. I preached in St George’s at the 10am Service of Holy Communion on Sunday 13th September. (You can read the sermon here.) This afforded me the opportunity to present a Celtic Pectoral Cross (from St Patrick’s Cathedral) to Archbishop Hosam Naoum as a mark of our diocesan partnership in the work of Christ.

St George's Cathedral.

The Tent of Nations

Between them, Richard and Emma enabled me to visit The Tent of Nations on Sunday afternoon. It is rare indeed to find people whose motto is: We refuse to be enemies … but that has been the case with the Nassar family throughout the lifetime of this remarkable group of people who live on an outcrop high above Bethlehem, the last outcrop that has not been appropriated by Israeli Settlers. They explained to me that a Settlement begins with prefabricated dwellings and develops from that starting–point into a full–blown community. There now are such prefabs right beside the Nassars’ farm. One such Settlement, on the opposite side of the valley from the farm, has a Torah School along with accompanying Boarding Facilities. The family live under Israeli Military Law. I was told on the farm that the state mechanism is such as to make life so regularly and so sporadically challenging for Palestinian farmers that they are pressed either into violence or into emigration.

Archbishop Jackson with Emma Cowan Leite, a member of the Nassar family and others working at the Tend of Nations.

The Nassar family alone remain there to farm their land as Palestinians and as Christians in the face of bulldozing of well–established olive trees and ploughing them into the ground days before the olive harvest – in order to give the impression that their land is not a continuously working farm but virgin soil and therefore ripe for state appropriation. Other families have left everything behind and gone abroad on foot of repeated and sustained physical, mechanical and legal harassment based primarily on forcing people who have been there for generations to produce documents which simply do not, nor can they, exist. Failure to provide such documentation results in summary eviction. This is the legal battle the Nassars have waged daily for decades.

While The Settlements and their occupants have the benefits of tarmacadamed road systems (and an exclusive new highway is in the process of being constructed) along with electricity and running water, the Nassar family is not permitted to build any buildings, they collect water in cisterns, use solar panels and live in caves.

In the Nassar family's cave.

The farm is first and foremost a statement of intent. It is also a community who welcome individuals and groups from around the world who hold with the values espoused by the Nassar family: belonging to one’s inheritance, working one’s land, espousing non–violence, providing opportunities for education in issues of humanity and justice to anyone willing to participate and learn and to contribute, by loving and not hating. All of those to whom I spoke, who had come from abroad, found the experience both gutting and transformative – but they would not have wished to be elsewhere. Experience of undying goodness breeds love and loyalty. The positive contribution that can be made by anyone (see www.tentofnations.org) is to contribute financially, to buy new olive trees to replace those removed or destroyed on a regular basis by forces, to work in various ways on the farm in line with your own talents and skills including in the educational development side of the work.

Planting a tree at the Tent of Nations. The last person to plant a tree there was Archbishop Sarah Mulally, Archbishop of Canterbury.

My lasting impression is that it is an organic and non–judgemental community where humanity and nature come together very beautifully. In this way, it is possible to share the Nassars’ belief in a future that they cannot possibly see but in which they hope, namely that with international support and advocacy their farm thrives, they survive and human dignity with its accompanying rights flourish within a short distance of the little town of Bethlehem. They would cherish the support and the interest of any or all of us in what they are doing and in what they are enduring.

The Majma in Jordan

On Monday 14th September I travelled with Canons Binder and Sewell along with The Right Reverend Dr Peter Easton, bishop of South Florida, to Amman, Jordan overland through The Crossing at The Allenby Bridge. This was a harrowing experience in its own right, not so much for me, but by observing the experiences of people who, I suspect, largely for family reasons were making the crossing and the Sisyphean struggle they had in effecting that journey. We proceeded to The Schneller School in Amman (well–known to diocesan clergy who have accompanied me on retreat with the clergy of the Diocese of Jerusalem) where Mr Saba Walid Kerry was made deacon on Holy Cross Day.

The Revd Saba Walid Kerry and his family.

This was a joyous occasion with all the participating Synod Members present. After the ordination, the archbishop dedicated the refurbished Guest House at Schneller and all enjoyed dinner together. The service led us into the theme of the Majma (Synod): The Cross of Christ: Power and Life. I recall a most memorable phrase from the archbishop’s sermon: ‘The Cross is not simply an event belonging to the past. It is the pattern of the Church’s life in every age. From the Cross, the Church learns the meaning of leadership; from the Cross, ministry receives its spirit; from the Cross, communion is renewed; and from the Cross, mission draws its authority.’ One senses that the understanding of the Church in the Diocese of Jerusalem is instinctively Anglican and instinctively Ecumenical. There is little if any scope for wrangling and squabbling over The Gospel when you live in a pressure cooker in a war zone.

Sawsan Batato, Programme Director with the Diocese of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Michael Jackson. She shared the news that the solar panels on Al Ahli Hospital still function.

Our Saviour’s Church and School in Zarqa

On Wednesday September 16th the whole Majma visited Our Saviour’s Church and School in Zarqa. Zarqa is a city of more than a million inhabitants and it is mainly a military and a mechanical based economy. It was described the whole of Jordan in a small space. Ecumenical and Inter Faith relations are very good. The Principal, Mrs Duua Haddad is married to Archdeacon Faeq Haddad. She has served for thirty–three years in a school that has been going for seventy–one. She and her staff and pupils have shown significant initiative in developing the school infrastructure including interactive teaching boards and a soon–to–be–updated computer room for the students. For me it was a genuinely tender moment as I had been there before to see two trees that the school had planted in memory of April Banks, a young pupil of Springdale National School, Raheny, through the initiatve of both School Principals.

The olive tree and rose bush planted in memory of April Banks and a plaque on the wall.

Synod

The Synod itself is spread over four days, from Tuesday 15th September to Friday 18th September. In 2026, the days began with an hour long Bible Study on 1 Corinthians 12 in three successive sections: One Spirit – One Calling; One Body – Many Vocations; Appointed by God, for God’s Mission. This took the form of setting the context and reflecting on it, followed by the reading of the relevant passage of Scripture and then a series of questions for table discussion. Over the course of the three days, the Bible Study developed into a Synod–wide discussion of understanding and developing ministry. What struck me, as it would strike any of us, is that this was not a warm fireside conversation. This was a discussion of a vital ecclesiastical matter by members of a community under oppression and losing members to emigration at an alarming rate weekly. This is planning for the future by people whose present is intolerable.

Rightly, the Synod covered matters from the year past that have to do with property and finance, youth work and institutions, both schools and hospitals. I have long known that the institutions are the lifeblood of the diocese. The Synod also came up with an agreement actively to explore The Permanent Diaconate as a further strand in the provision of publicly authorized ministry in the diocese. This was an exciting development and, in my own address to the Majma, I suggested that this might be a way to bring the caring institutions into the community beyond the various buildings in a new dynamic way.

The highest point of the Majama – and there were many high points – was when Suhaila Dawani, the Director of Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, spoke about the on–going work of the hospital in a community and a land devastated and destroyed, dehumanized and degraded. It is hardly what we associate with synods, but nobody present could hold back tears as we heard the voice of care and of goodness, of realism and of response and always of the absence of any desire to hate or to give up hope.

Suhaila’s testimony on behalf of her staff and patients was followed by Elections to a range of Committees. Everyone knew that they were, and remain, essential to good governance. But at this stage the heart had gone out of an administrative synod. The people were still with Suhaila in Gaza City and in the hospital to which she gives her life.

A wall hanging in the school in Zarqa with 'I am the truth, the way and the light' in Arabic.

Vacancy – Incumbent – Parish of St Paul’s Glenageary – Dublin

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:54:00 +0100

The Parish of St Paul’s Glenageary in the Diocese of Dublin is seeking to appoint a new Rector. The Board of Nomination will not meet before 9 October 2026. Expressions of interest are invited to the Archbishop of Dublin’s Personal Assistant. Email: archbishop@dublin.anglican.org

Grounded in Faithfulness – Hearing God’s Voice in Uncertain Times

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:15:00 +0100

Today’s world can feel chaotic at times and this year’s Ecumenical Bible Week aimed to guide participants to focus on God’s design for humanity through creation and his covenant promises. Exploring the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch), the theme of the week was ‘Grounded in Faithfulness: Hearing God’s voice in Creation and covenant when the world feels unsteady’.

With events throughout the week from September 13 to 18, a range of speakers examined and reflected on how God speaks through creation and the covenant.

This was the 11th Ecumenical Bible Week. It was tinged with sadness as one of the co–founders of the event and a great champion of ecumenism, Fr Kieran O’Mahony OSA, died during the summer. His contributions were missed by all during the week.

Opening Service

The 2026 event opened on Sunday September 13 with Vespers in the College Chapel at the All Hallows Campus of Dublin City University. The chapel is currently serving as the temporary home of St Mary’s Cathedral during the cathedral’s renovation over the next two years. The Very Revd Kieran McDermott, Administrator of the Cathedral, presided, assisted by current and former members of the Ecumenical Bible Week committee.

The opening service included a thanksgiving for the life and ministry of Fr Kieran O’Mahony.

St Matthew’s Irishtown

On Monday September 14, the programme moved to St Matthew’s Church, Irishtown, where Dr Katie Heffelfinger, Deputy Director of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute and Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Hermeneutics, led an exploration of the Book of Exodus. Her presentation encouraged participants to engage with some of the more challenging and unsettling aspects of the biblical text and to consider what they might have to say to us today.

St Saviour’s Church Arklow

EBW in Arklow - The Revd Kevin Conroy, Dr Brad Anderson and the Revd Alistair Doyle.

On Tuesday September 15, Ecumenical Bible Week travelled south to St Saviour’s Church, Arklow. Dr Brad Anderson of Dublin City University took a broader approach, offering an overview of the books of the Pentateuch. This was followed by a lively discussion on how the stories and themes of these foundational books of Scripture might speak to people seeking to live faithfully in an increasingly unsteady world.

Abbey Presbyterian Church

On Wednesday September 16, the programme returned to Dublin city centre, with Abbey Presbyterian Church hosting the evening’s event. The speaker was the Revd Alan Boal, who continued the week’s exploration of what faithful Christian living might mean in an unsteady world.

Thinking Allowed

Thursday September 17 saw the highlight of the week with ‘Thinking Allowed’, hosted by the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook. This distinctive event invites representatives of different faith traditions to offer a personal five minute reflection on the theme of the week. This year, the organisers were particularly pleased to welcome for the first time a speaker from the Dublin Jewish Community, Judith Charry. The evening was expertly facilitated by Eileen Dunne, former RTÉ News presenter, who acted as MC.

The first reflection was given by the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Archbishop Dermot Farrell who noted that the Old Testament brings out the relationship between humanity and the earth. He spoke of the devastation that follows in the wake of war and in the wake of the heat experienced this summer. “The Bible makes it very clear that we come from the earth and when it comes to the time to die, we return to the earth. Human beings are not above nature,” he said. The Bible says that humans have dominion over the world and are meant to mind it and enjoy it and the Pentateuch contains instructions on how to look after the land, he added.

The Revd Dr Chris MacBruithin, Lecturer in Systematic Theology at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, examined the structure of faithfulness and suggested that there are two overlapping economies of faithfulness in the Bible, particularly in the Pentateuch. In the beginning, he said, there is cosmic chaos and it is only when the spirit broods over the chaos that creation comes to be. Dr MacBruithin explained that faithfulness is not just one moment but a continuing of creation. But there is also covenant in which God breaks in at points – such as with Noah and Abraham. So he is a personal God with personal agency and a God who speaks with human beings, he said.

Thinking Allowed - The Revd Alan Boal, The Revd Nick Park, Ms Judith Charry, the Revd Dr Chris MacBruithin, the Revd Kevin Conroy, Ms Eileen Dunne, Ms Gillian Kingston, the Revd Florian Von Issendorff and Archbishop Dermot Farrell.

Gillian Kingston of the Methodist Church in Ireland and President of the National Bible Society observed that the themes of covenant and creation came together in the story of Noah and his ark. She said that the agreement between God and Noah was an honour agreement between two sides. “God has kept his side but humankind has not,” she said. “The Bible references God’s voice heard in natural disasters… God speaks through nature. Is it too much to ask that God still speaks through creation particularly in this world? What is God saying to us today in drought and famine and in the appalling situation in Nepal and Tibet, and this summer of fires?… So hearing God’s voice in creation – Do you year what I hear?”

The Revd Nick Park, Pastor at the Solid Rock Church and Chair of the Evangelical Alliance, said that God’s covenant care leads us through to the beginning of the Book of Romans and Psalm 19. Paul tells the Romans that God is a God of order because he is a God of covenant and speaks through the order of creation. Paul speaking to the Gentiles and the Jewish community in Rome said that they both come through different expressions of God’s covenant but those different routes lead to the same place – to meet Christ. “This is part of God’s plan. It is God’s voice in creation, God’s care, God’s covenant. Even in turmoil he is working out his plan and it brings us to him,” he said.

The Revd Alan Boal, Minister in Abbey Presbyterian Church in Dublin, said that after a life long faith and 30 years in ordained ministry he asked himself “why so few people hear the Good News as news that is good”. He suggested that this was because they are hearing a version that is truncated. This version starts too late with the fall and Adam and Eve and ends with people going to heaven when they die. “These can both be seen as fairy tales. It is better to begin with creation in Genesis and end with life after death in Revelation. God has covenanted himself to this new creationist agenda – that is how we know we are humans and our humanity is divine intention. We are to steward creation’s order and gather up creation’s praise,” he stated.

The Revd Florian von Issendorff of the Lutheran Church in Ireland recalled a Latin phrase meaning ‘The Cross stands firm while the world turns’. He asked how he could hear God’s voice in this fallen world. “It happens in the preaching of the Gospels and in the faith of others. If I want to hear God’s love I must look to Christ. From him, through him and to him are all things,” he said. He added that creation and covenant are two sides of the same thing – God’s promise to the world and to us. “When the world is thrown into turmoil it is not our ability to recognise God’s world but his covenant. We hear God’s voice in the world which leads us to Christ and assures us of his faithfulness,” he stated.

Judith Charry of the Dublin Jewish Community explored the Jewish idea of covenant and faithfulness looking at the end of the Pentateuch. She turned to Deuteronomy and said that Moses reminded the people of all the things that had happened to them and reminded them of their commitment to God and their reward, which would be God’s blessing. She said that the covenant was a blueprint for living life as outlined in Deuteronomy. This blueprint was made accessible to all humanity, not just the elite. It is a dynamic system which is responsive to change, she said, but can help give a feeling of stability because we know that we have the covenant of God.

St George and St Thomas’s

The week concluded on Friday 18 September with Evening Prayer at St George and St Thomas’ Church in the city centre, led by the Revd Laurance Graham.

Once again, Ecumenical Bible Week demonstrated the value of bringing Christians from different traditions, together with our Jewish friends, to read Scripture, listen to one another and reflect on the challenges of faithful living in the world today.

The committee wishes to express its sincere thanks to all the speakers, clergy, congregations and volunteers who hosted the various events throughout the week and provided such generous hospitality. Their welcome and support are an important part of what makes Ecumenical Bible Week possible and contribute greatly to its continuing success.

With thanks to the Revd Kevin Conroy (on behalf of the committee) for additional reporting.

EBW Closing Service in St George and St Thomas's.

Video: Al Ahli Hospital a Beacon of Hope – Director Appeals for Prayer

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 18:36:00 +0100

The Majma (Synod) of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which took place in Jordan last week (September 14–18 2026) was addressed by Suhaila Tarazi, Director of Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. The hospital is owned and run by the Diocese of Jerusalem and this was the first time she has taken to the podium at Majma since the start of the Gaza war.

Suhaila took time out to talk to Archbishop Michael Jackson, who was attending the Majma as part of Dublin and Glendalough’s link with the Diocese of Jerusalem, about the current situation at Al Ahli. Dublin and Glendalough has conducted a number of fundraising and awareness raising campaigns for the hospital since 2014.

Currently the small hospital is receiving about 300 patients in the casualty department each day and overall, Suhaila reports, it is taking care of 1,000 patients a day. She outlines the challenges the hospital faces and praises the commitment of the hospital’s staff.

Suhaila urges the people of Dublin and Glendalough to continue to pray for Al Ahli that it can continue its mission of love and be a beacon of hope to all.

Thank you to Canon Donald Binder, Chaplain to the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem and Pastor to the English speaking community of St George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem, for filming the interview.

Watch the video here:

‘Our peoples and communities face an existential crisis’ – Diocese of Jerusalem’s Urgent Message to the World

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:10:00 +0100

COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE DIOCESAN MAJMA OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF JERUSALEM

Amman, Jordan — September 2026

The Diocesan Majma of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, meeting in Amman, Jordan, gathers at a crucial moment in the life of our region. After years marked by devastating war, destruction, displacement, and profound human suffering – including some of the gravest destruction experienced by any part of our Diocese in living memory – our peoples and communities face an existential crisis that demands the urgent attention of the Church and the international community.

The theme of our Majma, “The Cross of Christ: Power and Life”, reminds us that injustice must give way and that a fuller life must be made manifest in the lives of peoples. Suffering is followed by glory, and darkness by the light of truth and life. Among the principal matters considered and discussed was the subject of vocations, ministries, and spiritual gifts within the Church. The Majma discussed the permanent diaconate, the policy for the admission of theological students (postulants), and other matters concerning Christian ministry in the Anglican Church in our beloved Middle East.

We reaffirm a fundamental truth: this is the region where Christianity was born, and we belong to some of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world. For centuries, Christians have been an integral part of the peoples, cultures, societies, and nations of the Middle East. We cherish this heritage and remain firmly committed to our Christian witness and presence in the lands where our faith first took root.

We are deeply concerned by the realities being imposed upon the Palestinian people, including forcible displacement, occupation, settlement expansion and settler violence, as well as by the destruction and continuing insecurity suffered by communities in Syria and Lebanon as a result of Israeli attacks, particularly upon villages in the south.

We renew our steadfast solidarity with the Palestinian people everywhere, especially in the Gaza Strip, and reaffirm our continuing ministry through the Ahli Arab Hospital of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. We also stand alongside our parishes and communities throughout the West Bank, whose lives have been profoundly affected by the events and policies of recent years.

In this context, we welcome the decision adopted by the General Synod of the Church of England affirming solidarity with Palestinian Christians and a commitment to hear their experiences. We also welcome the growing attention within the churches to the ethical dimensions of their economic and institutional relationships wherever there may be complicity in violations of human rights or international law.

We commend churches throughout the Anglican Communion and the wider ecumenical family that seek to align their witness and institutional practices with the principles of human rights, justice, dignity, and international law. We encourage all churches to accompany their prayers with tangible actions that contribute to the achievement of a just and lasting peace and uphold the dignity and security of all peoples.

We welcome the recognition by the United Kingdom, alongside other members of the international community, of the State of Palestine and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self–determination. We also welcome international measures addressing illegal settlement expansion and settler violence, and we reaffirm the importance of international law as the framework through which the rights and dignity of all peoples must be protected.

At a time when the Christian presence in the land of Christ faces grave challenges, our determination to remain, serve and bear witness grows ever stronger. Through our parishes, hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centres and other institutions across all the countries of our Diocese, we will continue to serve all members of our communities without discrimination. Through our pastoral ministry, we will continue to accompany our people in their suffering and sustain them in hope. We will keep hope alive, for hope is at the heart of our Christian calling and is made manifest through the Empty Tomb at the heart of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the city of Jerusalem, our Spiritual Capital. We call for Jerusalem to remain a city accessible to all its peoples and to pilgrims of all faiths. We call for the preservation of the historic Status Quo governing Holy Places and for an end to actions that threaten it. We also call for an end to hate speech, discrimination, incitement, harassment, and attacks directed against Christians and other religious communities.

From Jerusalem, the Holy City sacred to all faiths, we call upon all people to turn away from the paths of hatred, division, dehumanisation, and violence.

We call for a just and lasting peace founded upon justice, equality, freedom, dignity and security for all. We continue to support a two–state solution on the 1967 borders enabling Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in peace and security, with the Palestinian people exercising their right to self–determination and statehood and with the rights and security of all protected.

We look towards a future in which all the peoples of our region are free from fear and are able to build their lives in freedom, security, and dignity.

This is a calling that people of faith can embrace together. It requires courage, truth, justice, repentance, reconciliation, and a renewed commitment to the sanctity of every human life.

The Majma expresses its profound appreciation for the role of His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in safeguarding the Christian presence in the Kingdom and supporting the Christian presence throughout the Holy Land. We particularly value His Majesty’s Hashemite Custodianship of the Muslim and Christian Holy Sites in Jerusalem and his continued defence of their historic character and Status Quo.

We look forward to working together with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and with churches throughout the world in preparation for the two thousandth anniversary of the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ in 2030. This historic occasion offers Christians everywhere an opportunity to return, spiritually and physically, to the site of Christ’s Baptism (Al–Maghtas), to renew their baptismal calling, and to pray and work together for reconciliation, unity, justice and peace.

As the Diocesan Majma of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, gathered in Amman, the place of lavish hospitality, in 2026, we renew our commitment to this path: to remain steadfast in our land, to serve our people, to defend human dignity, to pursue justice, to work for reconciliation, and to bear faithful witness to the hope and peace of Christ.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Commitment, Call, Community and Celebration – Mothers’ Union Festival Service

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:26:00 +0100

Mothers’ Union members in Dublin and Glendalough have been urged to look to the future with hope and continue to celebrate their organisation’s gifts. Members from branches across the dioceses gathered in Christ Church, Taney, yesterday (Sunday September 20) for their annual Festival Service marking the beginning of a new season.

The service of Songs of Praise in honour of Mary Sumner and 150 years of Mothers’ Union was celebrated by the Diocesan Chaplain, the Revd Colin McConaghie, Rector of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla. Archbishop Michael Jackson presided and the preacher was All Ireland Mothers’ Union Chaplain, the Revd Alistair Doyle, Rector of Arklow, Inch and Kilbride. The Rector of Taney, the Revd Nigel Pierpoint, was also in attendance.

During the service the Archbishop commissioned the new Mothers’ Union diocesan officers.

Drawing inspiration from Philippians 4:5 ‘Rejoice, let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is here’, the Revd Alistair Doyle described the service as a ‘Holy Electric Picnic’ adding that it was a time to be joyful and to celebrate in God’s presence.

The Revd Alistair Doyle.

“We celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mary Sumner’s vision and mission. We rejoice in her legacy. We celebrate the ongoing work of our Mothers’ Union branches and we rejoice that we are together. We celebrate our common purpose and we give thanks for all that this movement has achieved in fostering faith, supporting families, transforming lives by empowering women and confronting injustice and violence. We rejoice in our work that is carried out with care, commitment and compassion,” he stated.

The preacher said that members in Ireland looked forward to celebrating the 140th year of Mothers’ Union on this island. This would bring a particular focus on Dublin and Glendalough and Raheny Parish where the first MU branch was established here by Annabella Hayes.

Mothers’ Union can look to the future with confidence and hope, he said, offering four words of encouragement: Commitment, Call, Community and Celebration.

Alistair urged members to rejoice in their commitment to their work and the causes they champion. He reminded them of their two calls – their call to serve, which they have responded to; and their call to others to ‘Join Us, Join In’ in the words of this year’s theme for Mothers’ Union Worldwide. He asked branches to continue to foster a culture of invitation.

He observed that Mothers’ Union forms a longstanding community. “In a time when loneliness and social isolation are the greatest diseases in the developed world, people seek belonging, something that gives human contact,” he said adding that churches and faith organisations offer this.

Finally, he asked members to keep the celebrations going. “When the Mothers’ Union celebrate you fill churches, you fill cathedrals – St Paul’s in London and Christ Church in Dublin were filled beyond capacity. And when you do, we get a glimpse of the house of the Lord as it should be – filled with love and joy and praise and we come away filled with God’s grace and hope,” he concluded.

Speaking after the service, Diocesan President, Ada Lawson continued the theme of celebration noting that the diocesan festival service was always a celebration of being together. She looked forward to next year’s celebration of the 140th anniversary of Mothers’ Union in Ireland. Ada announced details of an all–island art competition to mark the anniversary and said that information would be going to branches shortly.

The Revd Colin McConaghie, Diocesan Chaplain, Archbishop Michael Jackson, the Revd Nigel Pierpoint and the Revd Alistair Doyle, All Ireland Chaplain with branch banners and their bearers in the background.

Solar Power Continues at Al Ahli Hospital Thanks to D&G Donation

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:44:00 +0100

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. 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.

Sawsan Batato, Programme Director with the Diocese of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Michael Jackson.

Ms Batato, who wrote the solar panel project for Al Ahli, conveyed the news to Archbishop Michael Jackson who is currently attending the Diocese of Jerusalem’s Majma (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.

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 ‘Prepare a Place Appeal’ raised over €110,000 for solar panels and on call facilities for staff at Al Ahli in Advent 2014. The solar panels were installed in 2017.

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 ‘Shine a Light’ campaign in 2024 and 2025 which raised over €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.

Archbishop Jackson conveyed greetings to the members of Majma meeting in Amman yesterday (Tuesday September 15).

“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,” he said.

Archbishop Jackson presents a Celtic cross to the Revd Saba Kerry following his ordination as a Deacon.

The Archbishop added that the people and clergy of Dublin and Glendalough draw inspiration from the people and clergy of the Diocese of Jerusalem “from how you continue to live, how you continue to survive with dignity and with grace”.

He continued: “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 by God appointed. 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. 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.”

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

In his Presidential Address to the Majma, Archbishop Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of Jerusalem spoke on the theme of the Synod ‘The Cross of Christ: Power and Life’ 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.

“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,” he said. “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.”

Archbishop of Dublin Preaches in St George’s Cathedral Jerusalem

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:30:00 +0100

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.

Yesterday he was the preacher at a Service of Holy Communion, celebrated by Archbishop Hosam Naoum, in St George’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.

Archbishop Jackson drew on the readings for the day [from Exodus 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.

“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,” he commented.

The Archbishop observed that the actions of the Pharaoh against the children of Israel drove God’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.

“And what does this story of Joseph tell us of the nature of God?” Archbishop Jackson asked. “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’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.”

The story of Moses was important to the people in St George’s Cathedral for a range of reasons, he said.

“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 in your own homeland, not exile from your own homeland. And maybe the fourth, and the hardest theologically, is that this story of universal application – irrespective of colour, creed or class – comes from The Hebrew Scriptures.

“We as Christian people need to hold fast to the fact that they are also our Scriptures, however difficult that may be for us – 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’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. They too are our brothers and sisters as children of God. We see things differently. We agree to disagree agreeably,” he stated.

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

Archbishop Michael Jackson presents a Celtic Cross to Archbishop Hosam Naoum.

Canon Trevor Sargent Appointed Rector of St Ann’s with St Mark and St Stephen

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 14:06:00 +0100

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 (Sunday September 13).

Canon Trevor Sargent.

Making the announcement Archbishop Michael Jackson said: “Trevor has a long career of distinguished public service as a teacher and as a politician. 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”.

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, the Irish language, culture, guitar playing and natural history, have been formative into adulthood.

Trevor combined his early teaching career with living bilingually, by residing with a Gaeltacht family when teaching in the Model School, Dunmanway, Co Cork. On being appointed Principal of St George’s NS in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, Trevor immersed himself in parish and community life and was elected to Dublin County Council in 1991 and Dáil Éireann 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 2007–2011 coalition government.

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 ‘Trevor’s Kitchen Garden’. Trevor and his partner, Áine Neville, then moved to Co Wexford, where they were married in St Enoch’s Church, Killinick, in 2014.

Following a time of prayerful discernment, and with the support of Bishop Michael Burrows, Trevor was selected for training to full–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, working with the Very Revd Maria Jansson, the Dean of Waterford.

On February 5 2021, Trevor was instituted as Rector of Bunclody Union during the Covid–19 pandemic, where he resorted to recording weekly services on YouTube and organised, (thanks to a marquee in the rectory grounds, and with Áine’s help) outdoor parish events, from coffee mornings to allow them meet parishioners, to outdoor confirmation classes.

Since the pandemic, Trevor has collaborated with Dr Jeffrey Cox in developing a thriving St Mary’s Choir and young chorister programme, and with many others to organise table tennis, badminton, bowling, GFS and Boys Brigade, as well as Youth and Family Services in St Fiaac’s Church, Clonegal.

2026 has marked the 250th anniversary of St Mary’s Church, Trevor has helped with the calendar of special occasions marking this milestone, not least the publication of Oliver Deacon’s beautifully illustrated and well researched landmark history of the parish.

Bunclody is also blessed with excellent primary and secondary schools, especially Carrigduff NS where Trevor has chaired the Board of Management, 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.

Commenting on his departure from St Mary’s Rectory in Bunclody, Trevor said: “It will be difficult and sad to leave all the many friends Áine and I have made in this active rural parish, but I am confident, by God’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’s love in this union of four parishes and in this farming community”.

Anticipating the new chapter of ministry ahead as incumbent of the Parishes of St Ann, St Stephen and St Mark, in Dublin, Trevor said:

“St Ann’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. I have, like many others, enjoyed attending concerts in St Ann’s and am looking forward to working with the renowned choirs in both St Stephen’s and St Ann’s churches.

“Through my involvement in Eco–Congregation Ireland and Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise, I have also attended many meetings in St Ann’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–standing ‘Black Santa’ 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’s mission for us to welcome everyone, and build His kingdom of love, hospitality, faith and justice for all who we meet”.