Activities
BIBLE READING
Bible reading notes are available for all age groups. A small annual amount is payable for the notes which are produced by the International Bible Reading Fellowship.
Contact: Mrs. Noreen McIlroy organises this essential aspect of parish and personal Christian discipline and growth. Telephone: 9048 2469.
DAILY PRAYER READERS, LECTORS AND INTERCESSORS
Daily Prayer is said in the Chapel of Unity each day at 1.00 pm Monday - Saturday.
(On Wednesdays and Saints’ Days there is a celebration of the Eucharist and on Fridays a service of healing is held).
The Daily Prayer service is conducted by a lay person and includes Bible readings and a psalm portion. Prayers are said for local and international concerns.
The members of the Daily Prayer team are drawn from a variety of Christian traditions. The commitment, after basic initial training, is about one service in every 6-8 weeks.
Lectors & Intercessors: Over 20 members of the congregation are responsible in turn for reading the Bible lessons and the intercessions - the Prayers of the Church - which form an integral part of the Choral Eucharist each Sunday.
Contact: If you would like to discuss serving on the Daily Prayer team, or as a lector or intercessor, please contact the Dean’s Vicar on 9032 8332 (office) or vicar@belfastcathedral.org
A Prayer Source is maintained on this site which includes prayers for over 100 areas and occasions. Some areas include prayers for children and young people. Specific prayers for each month and the saints' and holy days it contains are published in The Cathedral Digest and on the online version on this site - see News: Spirituality
MOTHERS' UNION
The Mothers’ Union Branch is a most vital aspect of the life of the Cathedral. Contact persons are:Roberta McKelvey Enrolling Member (028) 9066 0980, June Patterson Hon Secretary (028) 9077 8986. The MU is part of the largest Christian womens’ organisation in the world. For details of branch activities and the bigger picture read on!
BRANCH ACTIVITIES
The Branch meets monthly. Following a short devotional there is a speaker or a demonstration. Outings to various places are organised. The Branch plays a full part in local and diocesan MU events. Details are published in the Cathedral Digest and on News Section of this site.
EMPOWERING AND ENABLING
St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians is an excellent example of empowering and enabling ourselves:
“Out of God’s infinite glory may he, through his Spirit, enable you to grow firm in power with regard to your inner self, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then planted in love and built on love, with all God’s holy people you will have the strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19
The Mothers’ Union upholds the belief that every person in this world has intrinsic worth and dignity. It is this sense of self that needs to be nurtured and encouraged, because without it, we lose confidence in who we are and what we can do, both as individuals and as communities.
We lose hope and our sense of purpose if our life lacks meaning and direction. By empowering and enabling each other, we will help to realise our true potential in Christ.
For any of us to do anything in any capacity, we need to be 3 things:
We need to be able; willing; and allowed.
The first is a matter of equipping - to enable us with the right tools;
The second is a matter of giving us a vision - or reasons to want to
do some thing;
The third is a matter of empowering -providing the right opportunities & environment, providing the permission.
These then are our challenges, and they challenge us in our families, churches and communities - locally, nationally and globally.
DAILY PRAYER AND WORSHIP
At the heart of the Mothers’ Union is its belief in Christianity. Christ’s Gospel values underpin everything we do through, and within, the organisation. We therefore need to be regularly nourished and supported at the heart of our faith – in our prayer life.
Prayer and worship frame and structure our daily life. We empower and enable ourselves and others through time given to God in which our relationship with him can grow. To come into God’s presence, to listen to his words, to offer him our concerns and worries always help us to know, to trust and to love God more deeply. We therefore provide opportunities for listening to God’s word, for asking for his help and healing love, for sharing our deep concerns and for thanking and celebrating our gifts and joys.
Prayer and worship, as St Paul says to the Ephesians, will help our ‘hidden selves to grow strong’. The Prayer and Spirituality Unit’s work is partly about developing and nurturing this hidden self, this inner being.
Daily Prayer and worship are our universal language, because through them we speak to one another’s hearts and souls. Our public worship is also a sign to the rest of the world of what we stand for; our regular commitment to spiritual values shows stability in a changing world.
The Prayer and Spirituality Unit also marks the year as a whole through its Cycle of Prayer – special days in the MU calendar provide regular focal points for members everywhere to come together, to remember, and celebrate that which we hold dear to us in our faith. The Cycle of Prayer can be found in the Monthly Prayers section of the Mothers’ Union website. Frequently prayers from that site are used by the Dean on the Cathedral web site!
MIDDAY PRAYERS AND THE WAVE OF PRAYER
Midday Prayers are our way of recognising that the organisation is coherent and worldwide, that each country in which we work is not operating independently. The midday point links time, space and our thoughts into one focus. Through this medium we can both think of, and pray for, our fellow members in all the dioceses. As it’s always midday somewhere in the world, this simple act maintains an unbroken chain or wave of prayer, every day of every year. We are a full time power house of prayer.
MEMBERS WORLDWIDE
Our international representation means that our spiritual voice is heard in many languages; is more creative because of the diversity of members’ cultural experiences; and is therefore stronger in its message and outreach. We believe in unity not uniformity. We embrace African drums with as much enthusiasm as quiet Celtic chants. By providing opportunities such as the Around the World pages of the Website, our members can express their relationship to God in a variety of ways. From sharing our prayers and experiences of God with each other, this enables us to grow and to learn from one another, to give and to receive of each other’s faith stories. Through this channel we also reveal to the rest of the organisation a broad definition of God and spirituality.
ANGLICAN COMMUNION
As part of the Anglican Communion we have a ready-made structure in which to promote the organisation, and from which to recruit new members. By being part of the Anglican Communion we receive support and encouragement from the Archbishop of Canterbury and Her Majesty the Queen who is our patron. We have a network of UK diocesan and deanery Chaplains who support us in our activities, and who provide us with local opportunities in which to promote our ministry.
The national Church serves the entire community and gives form and substance to some of our deepest collective needs and aspirations.
By being part of the Anglican Communion, we can help to identify and translate what these needs and aspirations are world wide’ and at grass roots levels. We are the biggest lay organisation in the Anglican Church today so we should be promoting this everywhere.
ECUMENICAL LINKS
We often work closely with other Christian denominations in our project work and on campaigns, and share worship and prayer at many occasions. Our Christian values gain conviction when, as a charity we are united with other Christians across the world. In the West, the rise of occultism, pluralism, consumerism, and superstition make for strong contenders to our way of thinking - so our voice needs to be heard.
We are involved with many Christian organisations and agencies such as: Tearfund; Association of Christian Broadcasters; European Christian Women’s Ecumenical Forum; the Union of Catholic Mothers; Churches Together in Britain & Ireland; Women in Mission; Christian Aid and Partners in World Mission. Ecumenism is both something to pray for, and to work towards, in the everyday situations in which we operate. Without unity within our own Churches, our voice will be less credible.
WEBSITES
The Web is a vital tool to express our faith coherently, efficiently and to a wide audience. This is especially important when we want to respond to crises in the news by offering prayer support quickly. We also provide an informed link between members and the rest of the world. Our Spirituality pages have massive potential for educational and pastoral support to members and non-members, from providing information about the Christian faith at every level, to offering hope and help in times of tragedy or joy; for individuals as well as groups.
PUBLICATIONS
These provide spiritual support and educational resources about the Christian faith for families and individuals of all ages; advice on worship, liturgy and faith development; and resource our members in their own dioceses both individually and corporately. For details of these please see our Resources Section on this website.
RESOURCES LIBRARY
Our Resources Library at Mary Sumner House in London equips our members with up-to-date information about recommended worship and faith based materials for: Advent & Christmas; anthologies; bereavement; Biblical resources; Celtic spirituality; children’s spirituality; children & adults hymn resources; children’s resources for parents and church leaders; Christian spirituality; Lent & Easter; liturgy guidelines & ideas; music; poetry; prayer, praise, meditation & reflection; reference & quotation books; religious art; social & Christian ethics; Social Policy issues, other world religions; theology; violence; and women’s spirituality
These resources provide some tools to articulate members’ ideas in order to run quiet days, retreats, spirituality days, conferences, and write prayers and reflections for all eventualities. Members can ring up and ask for ideas about how to prepare or run any of their events, and we can recommend suitable materials and books from our Library. Members can access the book and music lists from our Resources section to be able to obtain copies of these books in their local areas.
SOCIAL POLICY
Please see our Social Policy and United Nations pages on the MU web site for all the relevant information.
CONFERENCES
Our conferences bring our Co-ordinators and Contacts together for mutual support, sharing of worship and faith, and sharing of ideas, concerns and good practice. We celebrate and recognise our members’ talents by their running of many of the workshops and daily liturgy. We also review the past year and plan for the next. As well as our Annual Conference, we also hold one Social Policy Contacts Day per year and a Chaplains’ Conference in every triennial.
FAITH SHARING AND SUPPORT
Office bearers and staff from MS House visit dioceses and lead retreats, quiet days, prayer events and other types of spirituality events. These are led by the Unit Co-ordinator, the Head of Prayer & Spirituality and the Unit Committee (although external speakers are also used). Each diocese holds different types of days according to their individual needs.
Our faith sharing and spiritual support at these events is fundamental as these are also the times when we see each other face to face. Sharing our experiences is a way of empowering and enabling each other - by sharing we can support and affirm each other and our needs.
FRIENDSHIP AND FUN
Friendship is vital in the Mothers’ Union because members form precious and lasting friendships with people from every part of the world. Friendship brings people together in unique and affirming ways, we can empower each other best when we value and enjoy one another’s company. Friendship and fun give us our energy and enthusiasm and a healthy perspective on life. Religion and humour should never be far apart. If our organisation is fun as well as worthwhile, people will be attracted to it. Positivity is a great marketing tool.
MEMBERS’ COMMITMENT
Finally but most importantly, our members commitment, dedication and loyalty to the Mothers’ Union is outstanding. Their commitment has shaped and expanded this organisation throughout its history. The most precious asset that the Mothers’ Union has is its members because:
Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which he must look out
Christ’s compassion on the world.
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good,
Yours are the hands with which he blesses now. (St Teresa of Avila)
www.themothersunion.org
PAST CHORISTERS’ ASSOCIATION
The Past Choristers’ Association organises an annual dinner and gathers each November to sing Evensong with the Cathedral Choir on the Sunday closest to St. Cecilia’s Day : St. Cecilia being the patron Saint of musicians.
Individual members of the Association attend the annual conference of past Choristers which is held in Great Britain.
The Association also supports the Choral Scholarship and Exhibitioner scheme organised by Belfast Cathedral Choir Association.
Past Choristers of Belfast Cathedral are to be found in every country of the English speaking world and many are still singing.
Contact with the Association can be made through one of the following:
Gareth Clifford 028 9036 9189, 07710 790 413 (Mobile) E-mail:gareth@gclifford.wanadoo.co.uk
Alan Boyd 028 9029 8614 E-mail: whizzkid54@hotmail.com
Vernon Clegg 028 9146 0117 E-mail: vernon.clegg@tesco.net
Noel Smyth 028 9261 8286
STEWARDS - GUILD OF
The team of voluntary stewards drawn from all Christian denominations enable the Cathedral to be open and to be a hospitable place for visitors and those who seek for peace to pray and think.
Contact: If you would like to offer an hour or so on a weekly or fortnightly basis please contact Vernon Clegg 028 9146 0117, E-mail vernon.clegg@tesco.net or Des McIntyre 028 9076 3102, E-mail McIntyRach@aol.com or the Cathedral Office
(028) 9032 8332 assist@belfastcathedral.org
TAPESTRY GUILD
The Tapestry Guild’s work over the past century is evident in every part of the Cathedral. There are over 1,200 prayer kneelers (hassocks).
Every seat or chair used by an office holder also has a cushion with its own distinct design - usually in the form of a coat of arms. These include the stalls of the bishops, the Dean, the Cathedral chapter, the pew used by the Mayor of Belfast and the chairs at the pulpit.
Each kneeler and cushion represents skills of design and cross-stitch, together with dedication and devotion.
Work is currently underway as part of the centenary celebrations to provide a new kneeler for use during marriage ceremonies.
Contact: Maureen Agnew 028 9083 512, E-mail: thosag@hotmail.com
