The Church Of Ireland
Press Release

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with a real feeling of mixed emotions that I rise to give my fifteenth and last address as President of this Diocesan Synod. On the one hand, there is a sense of satisfaction that the diocese in its different components has become one diocese where the administration is centrally and efficiently organised. This undoubtedly makes for a much stronger diocese and has, I believe, been a stimulus to other dioceses in the Church of Ireland to work towards emulating the action that we have taken together.

On the other hand, I feel a real sadness that I shall no longer be presiding over the affairs of this Synod, a synod which reflects an extremely happy diocese and one of which it has been not only my privilege, but also my great pleasure, to be Bishop. The decision to retire the week after my 67th birthday is one which has not been easy. Yes, everybody, if the truth were known, looks forward to the day when one can unwind and take life at a more leisurely pace. But the timing of such a decision is never an easy one.

My impending retirement from the active ordained ministry has been motivated by the fact that I will have served almost fifteen years as a diocesan bishop. After such a period one's ideas for strategic planning can become somewhat stale, and it is then time for a fresh injection of youthful vigour to ensure that the spiritual momentum of a diocese is maintained at the highest possible level. After all, as I have recently said in jest, when one is granted a free travel pass by the State, it is a subtle suggestion that one oughtn't really to be driving a car, and I think that I can safely say that I have managed to clock up a mile or two in the past fifteen years! In all sincerity, I genuinely feel that the time has come when the proverbial cloak of Elijah should be passed on to an Elisha who is younger, more up-to-date in vision and theological thought, more energetic, and more sympathetic to the needs of the Church with its many new dimensions as we enter the twenty-first century.

On the date of my retirement I shall have served for over 44 years in the ordained ministry of the Church of Ireland, over a third of which have been very happily exercised as your Bishop. I have had the rare privilege of ordaining three women and seven men as deacons and priests - perhaps a small number compared with some dioceses, but very important when we consider that six of them still serve in this diocese and there are two more in training. It was a great joy to me to have ordained to the priesthood in the past twelve months Cliff Jeffers and Elizabeth Hanna and they have both already proved themselves to be pastors of considerable gifts and qualities. With three more confirmations to be held before my departure, I estimate that I will have confirmed something like 1,000 young people altogether - again small in number, but encouraging to think that in a diocese which is said to be ageing and diminishing, there is still hope that many of these young people will be the backbone of this diocese in the not-too-distant future.

Diocesan Reorganisation

I personally was delighted when the plan to reorganise the dioceses did not meet with maximum approval, in spite of the narrow majority in favour of it which was passed by General Synod. I believe its implementation would have had a devastating effect on the morale of the people of our united dioceses who had worked so conscientiously to establish that spirit of family unity which has had such a profound effect on the overall efficient administration of the dioceses as a whole. To have broken up and redeployed a diocese which had made such valiant efforts in consolidating its resources, would, I believe, have put the clock back and presented any newly formed diocese with the difficult task of establishing the unity which in recent years we have been able to enjoy.

This gives me great confidence that a new bishop who, hopefully, will be elected in September, will come into a diocese which is in good heart and which is ready to move forward in a spirit of adventure and excitement.

Vacancy

I have one regret and that is that I am leaving the diocese with one parish who does not have a rector. I came to the diocese with one vacancy, and I am leaving with one vacancy. I should like to have seen that parish enjoying the ministry of a new rector. Sadly we have reached a situation that there are now under 500 stipendiary clergy to service the whole Church of Ireland. There are currently 465 parish units, and of these 47 are without an incumbent. What that is saying to us is that just over 10% of the parishes in the Church of Ireland are presently vacant. This means that when a rector moves from one parish to another, we can expect delays in the future in finding a replacement. It is important, therefore, that every parish should be doing what it can to foster the sense of vocation amongst its own parishioners. If we don't see an increase in the numbers being ordained, then we will have to expect further rationalisation in the parishes, and rationalisation can, unfortunately, have an adverse effect on building up good relationships.

These comments on vacant parishes, of course, have been prompted by the appointment as Rector of Galway and Provost of Tuam of Canon Patrick Towers. Patrick has been one of the more colourful figures of this diocese. On occasions I have referred to him as our 'Diocesan Court Jester', for he invariably injected a sense of fun into all he undertook; but beneath his comedian-like exterior was a tremendous depth of compassion and spirituality, and we have all been enriched and made the better for his ministry in this diocese. We wish him and his wife, Anne, every blessing as he commences a new chapter of ministry on the west coast and baffles the citizens of Galway as to what will be his next trick.

Jubilee Commemoration

It was Patrick Towers who gave me all the encouragement I needed when I first mooted the idea of a Millennium Jubilee Appeal. He subsequently acted as Chairman of the committee appointed to arrange our special Diocesan Jubilee Eucharist in the University Concert Hall, Limerick last Sunday week. Needless to say, he had to resign from that position when his appointment to Galway was announced. Fortunately, the Reverend Stephen Neill was ready to take over the chairmanship of that committee and I cannot speak too highly of the tremendous amount of work he did with such enthusiasm to ensure that the event would be a memorable one. A memorable event it certainly was with almost 1100 people present. Many adjectives have been widely used to describe the occasion: inspiring, uplifting, magnificent, never-to-be-forgotten, a once-in-a lifetime experience - these were just some of the words and phrases that were used to describe this special day which brought together into one place representatives from all over our whole diocese.

The arrangements, also, whereby 700 people sat down together for lunch after the service, were superbly planned and executed by the Reverend Arthur Minion. Both he and Stephen did an outstanding job and the diocese is certainly indebted to them both.

The Companions in Jubilee Eucharist, of course, was just one such event that is being held in each of the three companion dioceses. Bishop Bruce Stavert from the Diocese of Quebec sent a video greeting of good will which those who were present saw and heard. We were delighted also that Bishop Douglas Theuner from New Hampshire was the preacher at the service and he strongly challenged us all as to how we might play a part in helping to overcome the problem of world debt. He brought with him a troupe of liturgical dancers from the parish of All Saints', Littleton, and we were introduced to another meaningful dimension to worship which many probably had not experienced before. We also had the privilege of being led musically by the Icthus Christian Music Group, and they together with the Belfast City Organist, Dr. Donald Davison, showed how the differing styles of music used in worship can be made to blend and be completely compatible. The response of the whole congregation by vibrant singing added to the all-inclusiveness of the whole act of worship.

The appeal, which prompted this impressive diocesan gathering, was set up by the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel so that we could provide vital relief and aid to two hospitals and two schools in Malawi, a country which is crippled by an overburdening debt. Originally I challenged the diocese by suggesting that an ideal response would be a donation of £100 from each person who had a recognisable income. Obviously not all the diocese rose to that challenge, but I am happy to say that there was still a worthwhile response, and to date, with money still coming in, we are just short of £70,000. I should particularly like to thank all of you who subscribed in a generous way in helping us to reach a figure that will certainly make a vast difference to the plight of the people of Malawi. I should particularly like to thank the national schools and one Sunday School in the diocese who raised almost £4000 of that total figure to date. It was a wonderful experience for me to visit our schools and to sense the enthusiasm with which the children learnt about Malawi and rehearsed the hymns and songs for our Jubilee service.

Revised Church Hymnal

For the past six years I have been closely involved in the revision of our Church Hymnal, a task which, while both daunting and exhausting, I thoroughly enjoyed. The work on the hymnal has been completed and we look forward to its publication in less than three months time. The fifth edition of the Church Hymnal will be officially launched at a special service in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin on Saturday afternoon 9th September. We look forward to welcoming as a special guest at that service Pam Rhodes, who is probably best known to most of us by her many presentations of the weekly BBC Songs of Praise programme.

The publishers of the hymnal, Oxford University Press, have already withdrawn the existing hymnal and Irish Church Praise from circulation, and the new fifth edition of the Church Hymnal will become the official hymnbook of the Church of Ireland from the time of its September launch. A feature of the new book will be that the words edition will be accompanied by the melody line of the tune set to each hymn, and the print will be much clearer than the rather small words edition of the present hymnal.

The A.P.C.K. Bookcentres are hoping to offer a 20% discount on bulk orders and will be issuing order forms to all parishes in the Church of Ireland in the near future. I am urging parishes to treat the prompt application for a supply of books for their churches as an urgent priority so that you can be reasonably sure that you will have the copies ready in hand when the hymn book comes into use in September.

Archbishop Robin Eames

We meet today on the eve of St. Columba's Day, 9th June - one of the great heroes of the early Irish Church. It was on St. Columba's Day 1975 that our Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, was consecrated and episcopally ordained as Bishop of Derry and Raphoe. A few years later he was translated as Bishop of Down and Dromore, and at the beginning of 1986 the House of Bishops, in its wisdom, elected him as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. Since becoming Primate, he has served the Church of Ireland with distinction and we all have reason to be so proud of him for the ministry which he has exercised and for the vital role he has played in the whole process of reconciliation. He has been a tremendously stabilising influence in a very divided country and we owe him a great debt of gratitude for what he so readily contributed and for what he has achieved..

It would be remiss of this Synod if we were to let tomorrow pass without thanking him and wishing him every blessing for a continued fruitful ministry as he celebrates the silver anniversary of his consecration as bishop. I do hope that you will want to extend to our Primate a token of the esteem in which he is held and the appreciation which he so richly deserves. May God bless him and go with him.

Diocesan Chancellor

It is with a great feeling of sadness that I accepted the resignation of our Diocesan Chancellor, Mr. Peter Prentice of the firm of Matheson, Ormsby and Prentice in Dublin. For many years Peter has been a very faithful and loyal colleague and has always been more than ready to give us sound advice and guidance on any legal matters affecting the life of the diocese. He was one of nature's true gentlemen and it was a great privilege to have been able to call him friend. He feels that advancing years are getting the better of him, and, sadly, he has not been enjoying the best of health in recent times - hence his resignation. While he was our Diocesan Chancellor I feel that I had an extra kind of personal association with him, for he grew up as a boy in St. Luke's parish in Cork city where my grandfather was his rector. I should like, on your behalf, to extend a very warm expression of thanks to Peter Prentice - a courteous and admirable Diocesan Chancellor - and wish him every blessing in retirement in the coming years.

It gives me pleasure to appoint in his stead his own son, William Prentice who also serves on the staff of Matheson, Ormsby and Prentice. This appointment is not an act of nepotism on the part his father, for Peter did not recommend him to us. He was rather commended by a colleague who felt confident that William would ideally fill the shoes of his gracious father. We bid you welcome, William, and hope that you will enjoy your new position as Diocesan Chancellor for the United Dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe.

Farewell

As I prepare to take my leave of you, I ask for your understanding and forgiveness for my failures and inadequacies. I know there have been occasions when I have not lived up to the expectations of a bishop. I am as conscious as anybody that I have made mistakes and need to be corrected. On the other hand I thank you warmly for the help, support and co-operation which you have shown to me personally over and over again. I want to say a very special 'thank you' to my wife, Patricia, who knows my faults and failings better than anybody else in this diocese. Without her support, interest and guidance in the task to which I was appointed, I could not have been your bishop. The clergy of the diocese, it has often been said, are a wonderful team who enjoy a very unique sense of fellowship. Thank you for your friendship, your hospitality and kindness to us over almost fifteen years, and may I say a very special 'thank you' to the three Archdeacons, the Diocesan Secretaries and my own domestic chaplains who have always been there when needed.

There are countless others to whom I am grateful. I couldn't even hope to name them all. Suffice it to say, it is you who make the diocese what it is and for that I shall always be thankful.

Archbishop's Commissary

I shall relinquish my position as your bishop on 31st July. I would like you to know that the Archbishop of Dublin has already anticipated and catered for the vacancy by appointing as his Commissary Archdeacon Donald Keegan to administer the affairs of this diocese until a new bishop takes over. As Commissary he will take the decisions that normally fall to the bishop and he will minister to the needs of those who require his help and guidance. He is a person of immense integrity and the diocese will be in good hands while he is in charge. Please give him the understanding and support that you have always given to me.

Thank you, one and all, for everything. May God bless you and guide you always.