St. Macartin's Cathedral
Enniskillen, Northern Ireland
Welcome!
The Church of Ireland - part of the Anglican Communion
Services & Meetings
(last updated 30th April 2012)
St. Macartin's Church of Ireland Cathedral has a prominent position in the main street of Enniskillen, the largest town in County Fermanagh. The church has a long and distinguished history, much of which you will find on this website. If you know details that we haven't recorded, tell us and we will publish them!
Click HERE to listen to our bells (recorded in March 2003)
Hello, you are very welcome to our website. Whether you are already a church member or a visitor, we invite you to look around - you will find much to interest you!
If you have any comments you can use the form on the "Contact us" page.
If you have any comments you can use the form on the "Contact us" page.
Four Evangelists, One Gospel
I visited the opticians recently and as most of you will know, one of the tests you get there involves identifying which of two sets of circles is clearest. The optician adds a series of lenses and wants to know if you find the object sharper with them or without them. During the Sunday mornings in Lent we have been thinking about the distinctive features of each of the four Gospels. We are blessed to have four different yet similar views of the life and work of
Jesus providing us with different lenses with which to see more clearly why He came, what He did and what it means for us.
In all four accounts of His life we see that the ministry of Jesus has a purpose, He does not simply wander through Galilee teaching and healing, He has a destination in view, Jerusalem; He does not just randomly perform miracles or expel demons, He has a destiny to fulfil, giving his life as a ransom for many. Meeting with Him changes people’s lives – a widow’s sorrow is transformed, a greedy man becomes generous, a prostitute is given dignity, the lost are searched out, the hungry are given food, those who follow him find hope and a place in God’s kingdom.
Holy Week approaches when we would in heart and mind journey again to Jerusalem, make that journey so that as you see the providence and purpose of God in the life of Jesus you might see that providence and purpose worked out in the world of today and in your life today. Don’t waste this season, take the journey so that you might meet afresh with the Lord and know his grace amid your trials and sorrows, and know His forgiveness for your sins and His redeeming hope for your life.
Canon Reggie Twaddell is our guest preacher for Holy Week; the series of united services begin on Palm Sunday evening at seven o’clock in the Presbyterian Church, continuing at 8.00 pm in the Cathedral from Monday to Good
Friday and concluding with Easter evening praise at seven o’clock in the Methodist Church. Canon Twaddell worked as a teacher prior to being ordained and served in several parishes before retiring after a long and faithful
incumbency in the large parish of Portadown.
In a changing world where we no longer speak about things being as safe as the Bank of England it is good to have the built in reminder that Holy Week and Easter bring of the eternal and unchanging message of the Cross and Resurrection. Together let us take the opportunity this special season brings to look again to the One the Gospels focus on, Jesus Christ our Lord.
I visited the opticians recently and as most of you will know, one of the tests you get there involves identifying which of two sets of circles is clearest. The optician adds a series of lenses and wants to know if you find the object sharper with them or without them. During the Sunday mornings in Lent we have been thinking about the distinctive features of each of the four Gospels. We are blessed to have four different yet similar views of the life and work of
Jesus providing us with different lenses with which to see more clearly why He came, what He did and what it means for us.
In all four accounts of His life we see that the ministry of Jesus has a purpose, He does not simply wander through Galilee teaching and healing, He has a destination in view, Jerusalem; He does not just randomly perform miracles or expel demons, He has a destiny to fulfil, giving his life as a ransom for many. Meeting with Him changes people’s lives – a widow’s sorrow is transformed, a greedy man becomes generous, a prostitute is given dignity, the lost are searched out, the hungry are given food, those who follow him find hope and a place in God’s kingdom.
Holy Week approaches when we would in heart and mind journey again to Jerusalem, make that journey so that as you see the providence and purpose of God in the life of Jesus you might see that providence and purpose worked out in the world of today and in your life today. Don’t waste this season, take the journey so that you might meet afresh with the Lord and know his grace amid your trials and sorrows, and know His forgiveness for your sins and His redeeming hope for your life.
Canon Reggie Twaddell is our guest preacher for Holy Week; the series of united services begin on Palm Sunday evening at seven o’clock in the Presbyterian Church, continuing at 8.00 pm in the Cathedral from Monday to Good
Friday and concluding with Easter evening praise at seven o’clock in the Methodist Church. Canon Twaddell worked as a teacher prior to being ordained and served in several parishes before retiring after a long and faithful
incumbency in the large parish of Portadown.
In a changing world where we no longer speak about things being as safe as the Bank of England it is good to have the built in reminder that Holy Week and Easter bring of the eternal and unchanging message of the Cross and Resurrection. Together let us take the opportunity this special season brings to look again to the One the Gospels focus on, Jesus Christ our Lord.
We are somewhat surprised that there are church members who regularly use the Internet but are unaware that this website exists! So if you find it interesting and/or useful, please spread the word around - the more visitors we have the more encouragement there is to keep it alive.
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The Dean, The Very Reverend Kenneth R.J. Hall M.Phil. writes:
Dear Parishioners and Friends around the world,
“Follow Me!” says Jesus. That call made to the first disciples is addressed to us today. It is a call to live in love and unity, to care for each other, and obey his teaching. Jesus began his ministry by calling people to be his disciples. He still calls men and women to follow him today.
Organisations go to extraordinary lengths to recruit the right people. Yet here Jesus finds the leaders of the early Church simply by walking beside the local lake and suggesting to four men — who were already busy at some other trade - that they should follow Him! It seems a remarkable and inefficient way of filling a major appointment. Can you picture a modern company recruiting staff in this way? These men were being called to an amazing new life. They were to see miracles, to hear teaching, to be put in danger and fear. They were to see Jesus transfigured on the mountain, and crucified on the hill. They were to face death themselves, because on that morning by the lake they “immediately left their nets and followed him”.
Their acceptance of Jesus’ call meant a complete change in their lives. They were to be taught new concepts, to witness enthusiastic crowds and growing hostility. They were to realise that this man who had called them was the Messiah. They were to be among the first to realise that although He had been crucified and killed, yet He conquered death and was alive again.
The Gospel tells us of this transformation in their lives. They went through many times of doubt and misunderstanding in their belief. They argued about who was greatest, they struggled when Jesus spoke of turning the other cheek, of regarding possessions as of no importance, or when He deliberately touched people with leprosy, or spent time with a Gentile woman, and, finally, when Jesus went to Jerusalem and to death. These were things that they were to share in this new life spent with Him who was ‘the Christ, the Son of God’.
Of course not all those who were called to follow Jesus, did so. Some found the teaching too hard to take. St. John tells us how many of his disciples withdrew and no longer went about with him (John 6:66) after Jesus had spoken of himself as the bread of life. Of the chosen twelve, one betrayed Jesus, one denied Him and others deserted Him.
It must be obvious, from the Gospel, that to follow Jesus faithfully has never been an easy option. Many folk today say quite easily that they are Christians, and we would be wrong to deny that claim. We claim to be Christians ourselves, yet how would we have responded to Jesus if he had challenged us to sell all we have and give the money to the poor, to mix with those who are different to us, to be committed to him and follow Him every day, and not just on Sunday or on the Sundays we go to church. Would we have had the courage to go with him to Jerusalem to face hostility, rejection and death?
If we accept that Jesus still calls people to be his disciples — that he calls each one of us — to follow Him then we need to understand what the cost will be. It means total commitment to him – giving Him first priority in all we do. If that were the case then the church pews would look very different on a Sunday morning. Perhaps Peter, Andrew, James and John left their father and their nets without fully understanding what their acceptance of Jesus’ call would mean. But they stayed, and they learned, and they put their faith in Jesus, so that in a few years these unlikely first followers of Jesus were responsible for the growth and the life of the Christian Church. That Church, like the Church today, was not easy to lead. There were arguments about change, about who could become a Christian, about the same things that people get excited about now — mission, sex, gender, unity. In all these circumstances they must have looked back to that first call — as we should too — the call from Jesus himself to follow Him.
So the call to us today is to follow, and to lead others to discover the truth of Jesus, who says to us all today: “Follow me.” The Church is the people and if we are true Christians and love our Lord, then we will find we are not in service for ourselves. So we must come to love each other and reach out to those around us in love and service and encourage them in their faith so that they too can see that need and hear that call from the Lord himself to "Follow Me".
That is my vision for the days ahead. I hope you are ready and willing to help me fulfill it.
May God bless you all.
Yours very sincerely,
Kenneth R. J. Hall
Dear Parishioners and Friends around the world,
“Follow Me!” says Jesus. That call made to the first disciples is addressed to us today. It is a call to live in love and unity, to care for each other, and obey his teaching. Jesus began his ministry by calling people to be his disciples. He still calls men and women to follow him today.
Organisations go to extraordinary lengths to recruit the right people. Yet here Jesus finds the leaders of the early Church simply by walking beside the local lake and suggesting to four men — who were already busy at some other trade - that they should follow Him! It seems a remarkable and inefficient way of filling a major appointment. Can you picture a modern company recruiting staff in this way? These men were being called to an amazing new life. They were to see miracles, to hear teaching, to be put in danger and fear. They were to see Jesus transfigured on the mountain, and crucified on the hill. They were to face death themselves, because on that morning by the lake they “immediately left their nets and followed him”.
Their acceptance of Jesus’ call meant a complete change in their lives. They were to be taught new concepts, to witness enthusiastic crowds and growing hostility. They were to realise that this man who had called them was the Messiah. They were to be among the first to realise that although He had been crucified and killed, yet He conquered death and was alive again.
The Gospel tells us of this transformation in their lives. They went through many times of doubt and misunderstanding in their belief. They argued about who was greatest, they struggled when Jesus spoke of turning the other cheek, of regarding possessions as of no importance, or when He deliberately touched people with leprosy, or spent time with a Gentile woman, and, finally, when Jesus went to Jerusalem and to death. These were things that they were to share in this new life spent with Him who was ‘the Christ, the Son of God’.
Of course not all those who were called to follow Jesus, did so. Some found the teaching too hard to take. St. John tells us how many of his disciples withdrew and no longer went about with him (John 6:66) after Jesus had spoken of himself as the bread of life. Of the chosen twelve, one betrayed Jesus, one denied Him and others deserted Him.
It must be obvious, from the Gospel, that to follow Jesus faithfully has never been an easy option. Many folk today say quite easily that they are Christians, and we would be wrong to deny that claim. We claim to be Christians ourselves, yet how would we have responded to Jesus if he had challenged us to sell all we have and give the money to the poor, to mix with those who are different to us, to be committed to him and follow Him every day, and not just on Sunday or on the Sundays we go to church. Would we have had the courage to go with him to Jerusalem to face hostility, rejection and death?
If we accept that Jesus still calls people to be his disciples — that he calls each one of us — to follow Him then we need to understand what the cost will be. It means total commitment to him – giving Him first priority in all we do. If that were the case then the church pews would look very different on a Sunday morning. Perhaps Peter, Andrew, James and John left their father and their nets without fully understanding what their acceptance of Jesus’ call would mean. But they stayed, and they learned, and they put their faith in Jesus, so that in a few years these unlikely first followers of Jesus were responsible for the growth and the life of the Christian Church. That Church, like the Church today, was not easy to lead. There were arguments about change, about who could become a Christian, about the same things that people get excited about now — mission, sex, gender, unity. In all these circumstances they must have looked back to that first call — as we should too — the call from Jesus himself to follow Him.
So the call to us today is to follow, and to lead others to discover the truth of Jesus, who says to us all today: “Follow me.” The Church is the people and if we are true Christians and love our Lord, then we will find we are not in service for ourselves. So we must come to love each other and reach out to those around us in love and service and encourage them in their faith so that they too can see that need and hear that call from the Lord himself to "Follow Me".
That is my vision for the days ahead. I hope you are ready and willing to help me fulfill it.
May God bless you all.
Yours very sincerely,
Kenneth R. J. Hall
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On Sunday 25th March evening we welcomed Bishop John for our Confirmation Service.
The following were confirmed: Daniel Clyde, Jordan Coalter, Matthew Crean, Dylon Funston, Alison Glass, Holly Gregson, Dayna Hopkins, Ethan Huey, Becky Johnston, Christopher Johnston, Emma Johnston, Sarah Little, Zara Martin, Zoe Morrison, Matthew McCabe, Chantelle Reilly, Nathan Stanford, Lee Stevenson, Lewis Vance, Tom Wilkins, Hannah Woods and Jill Woods.
We wish them every blessing and pray that they will continue to be faithful in their vows and regular attenders at church. They are pictured here with the Bishop, Rt. Rev. John McDowell, Rector The Very Rev. Kenneth Hall, Curate Rev. Alistair Warke and the Church Wardens,
Mr Raymond Campbell and Mrs Maud Shaw.
The following were confirmed: Daniel Clyde, Jordan Coalter, Matthew Crean, Dylon Funston, Alison Glass, Holly Gregson, Dayna Hopkins, Ethan Huey, Becky Johnston, Christopher Johnston, Emma Johnston, Sarah Little, Zara Martin, Zoe Morrison, Matthew McCabe, Chantelle Reilly, Nathan Stanford, Lee Stevenson, Lewis Vance, Tom Wilkins, Hannah Woods and Jill Woods.
We wish them every blessing and pray that they will continue to be faithful in their vows and regular attenders at church. They are pictured here with the Bishop, Rt. Rev. John McDowell, Rector The Very Rev. Kenneth Hall, Curate Rev. Alistair Warke and the Church Wardens,
Mr Raymond Campbell and Mrs Maud Shaw.
CONFIRMATION 2012
Note that "Curate" has been pluralised! Go to that page to read more and view his photograph.