How stands the Church of Ireland community in the Republic? Over the years, attending the annual synod in Cork, I have heard successive bishops tell their flocks of declining numbers and local parishes, or unions, facing financial and other difficulties.
A decade ago, Bishop Roy Warke took over the dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. Since then, his thoughtful addresses to the synod each year have reflected the development and sometimes the travails of the community under his care. Growing up in the Cork of the 1950s, it was common to hear people labelled according to their beliefs, and sometimes insultingly so. Thankfully, that no longer happens.
In his latest address to the synod, Bishop Warke noted that in the past members of the Church of Ireland had not always confidently asserted themselves. But the church could, he added, look forward to the new millennium with greater confidence, sure of itself and sure of its role.
And there are encouraging signs. Since he arrived in Cork, Bishop Warke says, every parish has had its own rector. That was not always the case, and it showed that the Church of Ireland, in the late 1990s, was in a healthy state. In his dioceses, Bishop Warke is the spiritual leader of almost 10,000 souls. Infrastructure is good and the parishes are vibrant. Only one, Carrigrohane Union, is awaiting a rector and this position will be filled on November 7th next, when the Rev Francis Rutledge moves from Belfast to take up his new post.
Like other churches, the Church of Ireland has experienced a falling-off in vocations, and with between 15 and 18 ordinations a year, there has not been a sufficient number of church personnel to compensate for retirements. This is because the church has an excellent pension scheme and clergy tend to retire earlier.
They are also far more mobile, as demonstrated by the fact that after Bishop Warke's 10 years of service to the dioceses, only one rector is still in the same parish. In the church as a whole, according to Bishop Warke, there are about 40 vacancies to be filled, which gives some cause for concern, although the situation is far from drastic.
Addressing the recent synod, the bishop alluded to the fact that occasional difficulties still arise concerning inter-church marriages. This happens when members of the majority faith press those of the minority to accept less than what he would consider to be a fair deal as regards the religious upbringing of the children. It has to be said, though, that this issue, once an extremely contentious one, is no longer so, and in the era of growing ecumenism, accommodations are being reached quietly and amicably.
The Church of Ireland, the bishop believes, has an important part to play in Irish society. He also believes that where challenges are to be made, the church should make them, particularly in the area of moral uprightness. Specifically, in his address to the synod, he spoke of the shock people felt at the recent spate of revelations concerning low dealings in high places.
The church, he adds, has every reason to be self-assured as the millennium draws closer. And for the moment, his considered view is that various strands of Christianity should concentrate on working together where they can, allowing the slow movement towards church unity to progress at its own pace.