Church Of Ireland Notes

At its meeting in November the Bishops' Appeal, which is the Church of Ireland's principal vehicle for supporting the developing…

At its meeting in November the Bishops' Appeal, which is the Church of Ireland's principal vehicle for supporting the developing world, approved grants for projects in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, India and Afghanistan.

In October the appeal gave £20,000 to Concern for relief in Afghanistan, and the receipts from the special Afghanistan collections on November 18th will be distributed through Christian Aid.

A further grant of £40,000 has been approved to provide water, shelter and medical supplies for internally displaced people and this will be directed through SAFE.

Elsewhere in Asia, support has been offered to a project in Tamil Nadu in India which seeks to provide training and education for small farmers and agricultural workers, and especially women.

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The Bishops' Appeal will provide 25 per cent of the total project cost, through Christian Aid, with the remaining costs being borne by Ireland Aid.

In the Diocese of Namirembe in Uganda, funds have been released to Christian Aid to help with HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention and care, and CMSI has been assisted in its work of providing health training for village workers in the Diocese of Luweero.

The supply of literature on HIV/AIDS to train clergy, social workers and counsellors at St Paul's Theological College, Limuru, in Kenya has been supported, as has the training of an occupational therapy student at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College in Tanzania.

Tomorrow RT╔ will broadcast Parish Communion from the recently restored St Peter's Church, Drogheda, where the rector is the Rev Michael Graham. In St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork, the annual Dr Webster Sermon will be preached by the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Rev Michael Mayes.

The sermon is in memory of Dr George Webster, Rector of St Nicholas's Church, Cove Street, 1858 to 1862, where Bishop Mayes was rector from 1975 to 1986.

The Archbishop of Dublin will dedicate gifts, preach and preside at a Eucharist which will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the consecration of Kilternan parish church where, at 8 p.m., there will be a concert with the Dublin Boy Singers and the St Cecilia Singers.

The Archbishop of Armagh will be in Raphoe, where he will preach at Choral Evensong in St Eunan's Cathedral, where the completion of the first phase of the restoration programme will be celebrated and the launch of phase two will be marked.

At 8 p.m. in the Lady Chapel of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the Gaudate Singers, directed by David Leigh, will present a programme of Marian music.

In Dublin on Monday and Tuesday evening, Christ Church Baroque, directed by Mark Duley, will perform Handel's Messiah, using period instruments.

The performances begin each evening in Christ Church Cathedral at 7.30 p.m. On Wednesday there will be a meeting of the Representative Church Body, which will be followed by a meeting of the bishops.

On Friday in St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork, the final of the Transition Year Debates, organised by St Fin Barre's Beyond 2000, in association with the Irish Independent, takes place.

The debates, which were an initiative of Pamilla Kelleher, programme manager of St Fin Barre's Beyond 2000, have dealt with issues in history, society and religion, and have involved 25 schools throughout the community in the city and county of Cork.

The final begins at 8 p.m., and all are welcome to attend.

The Bishop of Derry has appointed the Rev Harry Gilmore, Rector of Moville, to a canonry in Raphoe Cathedral and Canon Robert Keogh, Rector of Swanlinbar, in the Diocese of Kilmore, to the incumbency of Drumclamph and Langfield.