At its final meeting in 1999, the Bishops' Appeal Committee, the Church of Ireland's principal agency for supporting the developing world, recommended grants totalling more than £100,000.
Grants have been awarded for an educational centre in Bolivia and rural libraries in Peru, while Feed the Minds has been given assistance for its literacy projects in the Great Lakes region and in Uganda. Christian Aid has been supplied with funds for a health and literacy scheme in India.
Agricultural programmes in Sudan and Gambia, under the auspices of Christian Aid and Aidlink respectively, have been supported, while CMSI has received funds to help with the building of a hall in Uganda. In addition, support was provided from parochial contributions for earthquake relief in Turkey and for cyclone relief in Orissa, India.
The funds of the Bishops' Appeal have been exhausted, and contributions are earnestly requested to help to meet the needs of the suffering in so many parts of the world.
Today the Bishop of Cork, the Right Rev Paul Colton, will be in London, where he will be the guest of honour and speaker at the annual dinner of the LondonCork Association. In St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the Guinness Choir will sing Monteverdi's Vespers. The chapel choir of Trinity College Dublin will begin a short visit to Wexford. They will sing the Vigil Mass in the Roman Catholic church this evening, and tomorrow will sing at the Parish Eucharist in St Iberius's Church, where the college chaplain, the Rev Dr Alan McCormack, will preach.
Tomorrow RTE will broadcast Morning Service from Malahide, where the rector is the Rev Dr Norman Gamble, and in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, the lay reflection on "A Faith for the Third Millennium" will be given by Mrs Anne Thurston. In St Patrick's Cathedral, in the context of Evensong, the Archdeacon of Meath and Kildare, the Ven Patrick Lawrence, will be installed as Prebendary of Monmohenock in succession to the present dean, the Very Rev Dr Robert MacCarthy, who will preach. At 7 p.m. in St Bartholomew's Church, Dublin, there will be a Concert of Carols and Readings with the parish choir and the actor and director, Mr Alan Stanford.
Tomorrow the former Bishop of Tuam, the Right Rev J. C. Duggan, begins a period of Christmas duty in Spain. In response to an appeal from the Anglican Chaplaincy of Mojacar, in the Diocese of Europe, Bishop Duggan will act as temporary chaplain until a permanent appointment is made. He may be contacted at Apt 617, Mojacar Playa, Almerice, Spain (tel 950478431).
On Tuesday the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Rev Edward Darling, will visit Valentia Island for the annual ecumenical carol service, and on Wednesday, at 8 p.m. in the Chapel of Trinity College Dublin, the Mornington Singers will present a festival of music to celebrate Christmas. On Thursday the Girls' Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, will give a lunchtime charity carol service.
The Church of Ireland Directory for 2000 is now available from the Religious Education Resource Centre, Holy Trinity Church, Church Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin 6, price £8.50 plus £1.80 postage. The publishers, Styletype, have issued the new directory in hardback with an attractive dust jacket as a contribution to the millennium.
Another millennium initiative is a luxuriously illustrated calendar which has been produced by the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Its pages lead the viewers through the evolution of the cathedral from its foundation and illustrate many of the splendours of Christ Church - medieval archives, gothic architecture, and the stunningly wrought silver gilt altar plate. The calendar is available from the cathedral at £15 plus £5 postage.