News - Diocese of Derry and Raphoe

Dec 31 2024

Church leaders’ 2025 New Year Message

‘𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮, 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦.’ 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢𝘩 29:11 The dawn of a new year gives us cause to reflect on the past twelve months and to look forward, with a little trepidation and…

Dec 24 2024

Bishop Andrew’s Christmas message

Advent is a joyful season, a time when we look forward to Christmas and prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth – the moment when, as John writes, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us”. In many of our homes and churches we put up cribs to remind ourselves of this extraordinary moment. These captivating…

Dec 17 2024

New rector appointed for Conwal

The parishioners of Conwal with Gartan have today been finding out the name of their new Rector. He’s the Rev Adrian Dorrian, currently Vicar of the Lecale Area Mission Partnership (LAMP parishes) in the Diocese of Down & Dromore and a former president of Church Mission Society Ireland. A date has yet to be arranged…

Dec 11 2024

Mahajanga Postscript

𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘷 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴’ 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩, 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘒 𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯…

Dec 02 2024

‘Darkness into Light’

There was a large congregation in St Columb’s Cathedral, on Sunday 1st December, for one of the highlights of the festive season, the traditional candlelight Advent Procession. Based on the Great Advent Antiphons, the service is held in deep affection by a devoted congregation, many of whom return year after year to listen to readings,…

Nov 18 2024

Diocese publishes new prayer resource

The Diocese of Derry & Raphoe has published a new, free prayer resource, ‘Building Hope, Charting the Future’, to help people pray for our Church and the community. The pocket-sized booklet reflects the issues and realities that many of God’s people are grappling with currently, such as the cost-of-living crisis, ill health, loneliness and anxiety….

Nov 14 2024

Parish projects celebrated in King’s Awards for Voluntary Service

Two parishes in Londonderry have been recognised in this year’s King’s Awards for Voluntary Service, which celebrate the “outstanding work” of volunteer groups – “unsung heroes” – throughout the UK. They’re among 22 groups in Northern Ireland named in this year’s list, which also includes Ulster Project Derry/Londonderry. Created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth…

Nov 10 2024

Church leaders attend Act of Remembrance at Londonderry War Memorial

Hundreds of people gathered at the War Memorial in the centre of Londonderry, this morning, for a service and Act of Remembrance to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives for freedom in the two World Wars and in other, more recent, conflicts. This morning’s Service – under a benign autumn sky – was led by…

Nov 05 2024

‘We are one in Christ’ – Kondoa partnership launched at service in Raphoe Cathedral

The Bishop of Kondoa in Tanzania has thanked people here for the warmth of their welcome during his week-long visit to the Northwest to initiate a five-year mission link between his diocese and the Diocese of Derry & Raphoe. Most Rev Dr Given Gaula was speaking in St Eunan’s Cathedral in Raphoe where he preached…

Nov 05 2024

New mission link with Kondoa agreed at Diocesan Synod

The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe has signed a partnership agreement with the Anglican Diocese of Kondoa in Tanzania that could see individuals or groups from both dioceses visiting one another over the next five years to witness and share in work for the Kingdom and supporting one another through prayer, resources and skilled personnel….