Mags GarganBishop John Mc Dowell, Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher, was the guest speaker at the Annual General Conference of Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Clogher. The conference of clergy and co-workers was held in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.
The theme of Bishop McDowell’s keynote address was ‘Personal Reflections on Ministry’. Recalling his formative years and life experiences, he spoke warmly of his encounters with friends from the Catholic community which had helped shape his views on culture and identity.
Bishop McDowell suggested that people of faith need to be aware of the new gods of ‘state’ and ‘market’, both of which had ambitions to influence and control. He urged that as Christians we need to work together to proclaim the Gospel, citing the principle that “no single Christian tradition should do on its own what can be done together”.
Bishop Liam MacDaid thanked Bishop McDowell and as a token of appreciation presented him with the gift of a limited-edition print depicting St Macartan, first Bishop of Clogher and patron of the diocese. St Macartan is honoured in both Catholic and Anglican traditions, and represents the shared heritage of the two Churches. The work was created by well-known Monaghan artist Nelius Flynn.