Church of Ireland general synod moves South for first time

Naas has been a town since its charter was first awarded in 1409 in the period leading up to the Protestant Reformation. Christian worship was located on the site of the Church of Ireland parish church St David’s, since at least

1212 and the church will host the synod's opening communion service on Friday , with preacher the Rev Dr Paul Colton, bishop of Cork.

The General Synod consists of the House of Bishops with 11 members including the archbishop of Armagh Rev John McDowell and archbishop of Dublin the Rev Dr Michael Jackson. The synod's house of representatives has 597 members – 398 lay people and 199 clergy – who are elected by diocesan synods. General Synod’s total current membership is 608 members. Synod delegates will be welcomed by bishop of Meath and KIldare the Rev Pat Storey (Mrs).

The president of the general synod is the archbishop of Armagh and his presidential address will be delivered next Friday morning.

Memorial quilts produced for the South-East Fermanagh Foundation displayed at a stand in the Synod venue will bring a reminder of the effects of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland particularly in Co Fermanagh and border regions, where Protestants are a minority community . At the general synod in 2023 the church and society commission was requested to explore, and if necessary, recommend and draft resources that would enable parishes to engage pastorally with, and care for, individuals and communities that were and still are still deeply affected by trauma from ‘the Troubles’.

The following year, the commission reported back on progress, outlining the form it expected its final response to take. During the last two years the commission collected a wide range of first-person accounts from around the island of Ireland of trauma suffered as part of the 'Troubles', of the ways in which the church was able to help and, equally, ways in which it failed to provided help to those in need. The commission hopes that the completed work here will provide guidance and encouragement to others to take further action to make the Church a place of comfort for those who are suffering.

In the 12 months since the last report, the commission has worked in consultation with others to bring about a three-pronged response outlined at the 2024 general synod. The commission co-ordinated with the liturgical advisory committee who created a liturgical response to the issues raised and which recognised the ongoing pain and suffering of those today dealing with trauma from the horrific events of the past.

Alongside liturgical resources, an informational booklet titled 'Healing and Hope' was created, highlighting support groups and other initiatives that may be of use to those living with this trauma, while also informing clergy on some core-elements of a trauma-informed response to victims.