At its meeting earlier this month, the Bishops' Appeal Fund, which is the Church of Ireland's principal vehicle for supporting the developing world, approved grants to projects in Africa, Central America and the Indian sub-continent.
The largest single grant, £124,177, was allocated to the rehabilitation and extension of primary schools in Sierra Leone following the civil war. Funding for this project, which will be channelled through Christian Aid, is from a substantial bequest which the fund received last year.
Elsewhere in Africa, support has been given to SPCK for the production of literature for a literacy programme in Uganda, while in Ethiopia funds have been made available for animal health projects in the Dodota. In Central America , training for disability organisations which assist the re-integration into mainstream society of disabled women has been supported while in Nicaragua, grants have been given for training in horticulture and animal husbandry. In India and Bangladesh, support has been provided for integrated development projects which will assist disadvantaged and marginalised communities.
Today a group from the Centre for Christian Studies in St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork, will visit Cashel where the Dean, Dr Phillip Knowles, will introduce them to St John's Cathedral and the Bolton Library. In St Mark's parish, Ballymacash, the speakers at the Church of Ireland's Men's Society annual conference, on the theme "Sister Churches? Brotherly Love", will be Canon Ian Ellis, editor of the Church of Ireland Gazette, Father Paul Symons, a regular contributor to Radio Ulster, and Bishop Samuel Poyntz. In Enniscrone, the Tuam, Killala and Achonry diocesan synod will take place.
Tomorrow, the Archbishop of Armagh will preach at the 200th anniversary service in Desertmartin, while the Bishop of Cork will be the preacher at the patronal festival of St Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park, London.
In Cork, the Very Rev Nicholas Cummins, former Dean of Killaloe, will preach at the Friends of St Fin Barre's Evensong. The choir of Assumption Grammar School, Ballynahinch, will take part in the Age Concern evening service in Belfast Cathedral while in Downpatrick, the Rev Elizabeth Johnston will be installed as the first woman canon in Down Cathedral. In St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, there will be an inter-faith service for the World Jurist Association's 20th biennial conference.
The annual thanksgiving service for pets will take place in St Phillip and St James Church, Booterstown, with members of the Garda Mounted Unit and Garda Dog Unit.
In St Paul's Church, Glenageary, at 7 p.m. CMS Ireland will host a celebration of song and dance by the Rwanda "Rays of Hope" choir who will also sing in Bray on Wednesday and Kilternan on Thursday. Details may be had from 01-2873229.
On Monday the Archbishop of Armagh, as chairman of the Anglican Communion Finance Committee, will attend a meeting of the Compass Rose Society in London while the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory will return from Denmark where he has been co-chairing a meeting of Anglicans and Lutherans.
In Dublin a new series of "I Believe" lunchtime talks begins in the parish church of St George and St Thomas, Cathal Brugha Street, on Thursday, where the speaker will be Ms Liz McManus TD. In the evening in Christchurch Cathedral, there will be a concert by Christ Church Baroque.
On Friday there will be a bring-and-buy coffee morning in the Mageough Home, Cowper Road, Dublin.