Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Voices of Hope continue at St Canice’s Church for month

Most Rev Richard Clarke, Bishop of Meath and KIldare and Archbishop-elect of Armagh (centre) pictured with Rev Martin Hilliard, Gertie Boran Fr Kieran O'Shea, Fr Jim Murphy and Margaret Logue pictured at Troys Court after the Voices of Home-Reflections for November which was held at St Canice's Church on Wednesday night last. Photo: Pat Moore.INSPIRATION comes in many forms and for the flock at St Canice’s Catholic Church in the city on Thursday night it came form a slightly unusual source, the Rev. Richard Clarke, Church of Ireland Archbishop elect of Armagh.

Addressing a full house, in the first of a series of talks entitled, Voices of Hope, he impressed upon them that as Christians they must be more confident about their faith and not to be afraid to speak with an esteem that seems to have been knocked out of them by what has happened in the recent past and by kind of trivialising or ignoring of faith in modern life.

He noted that some well known atheists wanted to change their names to naturalists and said that the Christian community should have the same confidence, albeit in a gentle way. 

The need to listen and to hear what people are saying and whet they expect from their church is also important in the quest to bring hope and that by listening, church men and women could understand what people were searching. He said that we must as Christians listen to the world and that the world is good place.

He had some tough words that all the churches including his own Church of Ireland needed to change and to realise that the clergy and the church were there to serve and not to be dominant or domineering. He also alluded to the need for change in his own church and of those operating in their own little fiefdoms.

He enraptured his audience and quoted Poe John XXIII, a favourite of his, and the need to be hopeful and to open up spiritually to the world around us.

The need for all Christian churches to show solidarity and to do things together where ever possible was another way of providing hope and Fr Jim Murphy thanked him for an inspirational talk while Fr Kieran O’Shea presented the Rev Clarke with a memento of his visit, table cloth and serviettes from Mosse’s of Bennettsbridge to reflect fellowship of the table and how as Christians we come together to break bread and show respect for each other.

Fr Murphy thanked all who attended including a number of Church of Ireland people from the city and the Kells group of parishes and said he was heartened to see them in the church. 

Rev Clarke then gave blessing before most of the attendance went to Dean’s Gate centre where tea, coffee, sandwiches, biscuits and cake was served.