Fermanagh Churches Forum

On the afternoon of Sunday 27th May 2012 at 3.00pm, the Day of Pentecost, the annual open-air service which has customarily been led by both Bishops of Clogher will take place this year at the historic site of Inniskeen in County Monaghan, close to the border with Counties Louth and Armagh. This will be the first time that the service takes place at Inniskeen, a site of historical importance for the early Christian Church in this region. This will also be a significant year as it will be first time in which the new Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd John McDowell, takes part in the service. He will join with the Most Revd Liam MacDaid, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clogher, to lead this special open-air service.
Inniskeen dates from the late Neolithic to the early Christian period. A monastery was founded on the site in the 6th century by St Daigh MacCarell, it was later burned in 789, subsequently plundered by the Vikings in 948, and burned a second time in 1166. However, the lower third of the original round tower remains. The arrival of the Normans saw the construction of a Motte-and-bailey in the 13th century, and the motte is still standing to this day. The arrival of the Augustinian order of monks saw the construction of a new monastery, and one section of the monastery wall remains. The Church of Ireland Parish Church of Inniskeen was rebuilt on the ancient site in 1854, and was eventually closed in 1970.
During the service two young people from the local area will each give a reflection of the subject of Pentecost. Bishop MacDaid will deliver a talk based on the readings, from the book of Ezekiel and the Gospel of John.
After the service there will be a talk delivered by Sr Una Agnew on the spirituality of Patrick Kavanagh, one of the foremost Irish poets of the 20th century. Inniskeen was the birthplace and childhood home of Kavanagh, and he is buried along with his wife in Inniskeen graveyard.
A warm invitation is extended to all to join in this occasion, and refreshments will be made available afterwards.

(from the Church of Ireland Clogher diocese website)

The annual Community Relations conference will take place in the Manor House Hotel, Killadeas, Enniskillen on Saturday May 26^th. This conference is organized by Fermanagh Churches Forum in conjunction with the Good Relations Department of Fermanagh District Council and the Irish School of Ecumenics.  The conference title is:

‘The State we were in: 1922 – 1949’

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

10.00am Registration, tea coffee

10.30am Welcome and Introductions

10.35 – 11.15 Address by Dr. Johnston McMaster

‘Northern Ireland: The first Decade 1922 – 1932’

11.15 – 12.00 Group work

12.00 – 12.30 Plenary feedback

12.30 – 2.00 Lunch

2.00 – 2.45 ‘1932 – 1949: Years of Depression War and New Legislation’

2.45 – 3.30 Groupwork

3.30 – 4pm Plenary feedback and close of conference

To reserve places please contact Eileen Gallagher by email or telephone.

email: eccgallagher@yahoo.co.uk

Tel.028 66328210

or Liz Nolan on 028 66325050 or email liz.nolan@fermanagh.gov.uk

To facilitate catering please respond by Wed. May 16th

On February 25th, at the Westville Hotel in Enniskillen, the Fermanagh Churches Forum hosted PeaceJam: music breaking down barriers, featuring guest speaker Stephen Travers of the Miami Showband.  The event attracted an audience of over a hundred, including many young people in their teens and early twenties.  Sean Murphy acted as compere, welcoming all and introducing Fr. Brian D’Arcy, the first speaker.

Fr. Brian spoke of the power of music to change the world from the 1960s, with the influence of peacemakers like Thomas Merton on musicians such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, through the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa to the present day.  He talked about the vibrant cross-community showband tradition and welcomed his old friend Stephen Travers.
Stephen began his talk by asking; what is peace?  There is a generation growing up now without knowing about the Troubles, and often the subject is avoided.  While no one wants to force young people to hear terrible stories, there is a danger that if they know nothing about what has happened in the past they will not see the same potential problems arising in the future.  He spoke about his own life and development as a musician, from an ordinary childhood in County Tipperary to the enormous audiences attracted by the Miami’s performances. As a bass guitarist he avoided the spotlight, preferring to stay in the background and turning down an offer from Louis Walsh, and he spoke of the shallow and short-lived nature of success if it is measured by money or fame.  But true musicians are like those in the Southern United States who simply ignored segregation and played together whatever the colour of their skin, and the nature of shared music inevitably drives integration and understanding.  It was this power that lay behind the popularity of the Miami, and led to the attempt to discredit them and the shared community which they represented.  The attempt failed, for although five people died; three musicians and the two men who planted the bomb, who he sees as being just as much victims of the madness,  Stephen and his colleague Des Lee both survived and were able to tell their story.  It has been a painful process, especially while writing his book and acting as screenplay consultant for the forthcoming film about the Miami, but it has been cathartic, and has helped him and others to make some sense of the Troubles.  He has been criticised for talking to the UVF, but believes that unless we talk to one another, the cycle of violence will recur, and we will continue to live in a broken world with our children in danger.  Unless we continue to integrate, to follow the path taken by the Fermanagh Churches Forum and so many others, the madness of the Miami massacre could happen again.  Finally, he spoke directly to the young musicians in the audience.  Their talent and their enthusiasm for perfection, he said, demanded that they engage with one another, jamming together.  By nature, their music was a powerful and unstoppable force bringing integration and breaking down social, religious and political barriers.  They were the natural successors to the Miami Showband, and he asked God to bless them all.

Following Stephen’s talk, a buffet supper was served and the musical performances began with acoustic sets from Aidan and Caolan Jones, and popular local bands Imperfect Scribble, Benjamin and the Drones and Joy of Six.  The atmosphere was full of hope and enthusiasm and those present enjoyed an evening of great music as well as inspiring and thought-provoking reflections.

Watch a video of the talks here.  (Please allow time for file to load.)

Lenten lunches – Wednesdays in March, 12.45 – 2pm

We are very pleased once more to hold our popular and inspiring Lenten lunches during the month of March. As in previous years, we will enjoy a simple lunch together followed by a short time of reflection and prayer. There is no charge, but a voluntary collection is taken each week for Christian Aid and Trócaire. This year the schedule for the lunches will be as follows:

7th – Presbyterian Church Hall
14th – St Macartin’s Cathedral Hall
21st – Methodist Church Hall
28th – St Michael’s Parish Centre

Please come along if you can, and do invite others along too.

Tickets for our forthcoming music event, PeaceJam: music breaking down barriers  (Saturday 25th February, 8pm to 1am, Westville Hotel Enniskillen) are now available from:

KB Music, Queen Street, Enniskillen tel 02866 228082,

or from us direct by:

clicking on the button below to pay via the Paypal secure payment system (use your existing Paypal account or a credit or debit card)

or by sending your cheque (£5 per ticket made payable to Fermanagh Churches Forum) to Tanya Jones, FCF, 7 Lakeside Avenue, Irvinestown Road, Enniskillen, BT74 6LA.  Tickets will be kept for you to collect at the door unless you ask us to post them to you.

If you have any questions or would like any further information, please don’t hesitate to email us at peacejam2012@gmail.com or telephone Tanya or Rory on 028 66 340227.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Music, with its power to inspire emotion, conjure memories and create bonds, has played a significant role in the history of our community.   Sometimes this has been a part of the problem, when musical traditions have emphasised exclusion and conflict.  Often, however, the experience of sharing music, of singing, playing, listening and dancing, has brought people from different traditions together and inspired them to work for peace and a shared future.  One outstanding example of this reconciliation in action was the Miami Showband whose members, themselves from different traditions, brought together Catholic and Protestant young people throughout the worst times of the Troubles.  As we know, the young musicians paid a terrible and tragic price for their courage and vision.
Here in County Fermanagh, we have a rich and vibrant cross-community musical life, with dedicated musicians sharing their talent in many genres.  In celebration of this success, and of the commitment of our young people to a shared and non-violent future, the Forum is hosting PeaceJam, a unique evening of inspiration and hope.  The event will take place on Saturday February 25th, at 8pm at the Westville Hotel, Enniskillen.
We are delighted to welcome as our guest speaker Stephen Travers of the Miami Showband, who will talk about his own experiences of the ways in which music can break down barriers, dismantle prejudice and bring people together.  Following Stephen’s talk, a buffet supper will be served, after which young Fermanagh musicians and rock bands will play until the early hours.  (The not-quite-so-young needn’t stay quite so long!)
Tickets for the event are £5, including supper, and are available now – email Tanya at info@fermanaghchurchesforum.org - or on the door.  We look forward to seeing you for what promises to be a great night!

p.s. Tickets are now also available from KB Music, Queen Street Enniskillen.  For more information about the event and performers, see our PeaceJam page here.

The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2012 comes to us from the churches in Poland, who have reflected upon their own experience as a nation, and in particular how, as a nation, they have been changed and transformed by the many upheavals of their history, and sustained by their faith.

Here in Enniskillen we will be celebrating again with a service on Thursday 19th January at 8pm at the Presbyterian Church.  The preacher will be the Very Rev Russell Birney.  Everyone, from any church or none, is very welcome to the service and to join us for refreshments afterwards.  We look forward to seeing you…

The Fermanagh Churches Forum would like to wish you all a very happy, joyous and peaceful Christmas.  We look forward to seeing you in the New Year to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  This year the service will be held in Enniskillen Presbyterian Church on Thursday, 19th January at 8 p.m.   All are of course very welcome.

Our AGM is being held on Wednesday December 7th at 8pm at the Clinton Centre, Enniskillen. The guest speaker for the evening will be David Bolton, Director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation, who will explore the subject “How can we live with trauma? A look at the impact of traumatic events on our lives and community.” All are very welcome, entrance is free, including refreshments, and there is no need to book. We look forward to seeing you there!

Welcome back! This autumn we have three major events coming up:-

Wed 21st September, 8pm, Clinton Centre Enniskillen – to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, a talk by Dr. Laurence Kirkpatrick, Professor of Church History at Union Theological College, Belfast.

Thur 10th November, 8pm, Fermanagh House Enniskillen – Ovecoming obstacles to reconciliation – a talk and discussion by Barbara Walshe

Wed 7th December, 8pm Clinton Centre (Curtain Room) – AGM with guest speaker David Bolton

All are very welcome to all these events. Entrance is free, including refreshments, and there is no need to book.