PLANNING FOR DIOCESAN FORUM REACHES FINAL STAGES

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS NAMED

Planning for the Diocesan Forum at All Hallows College on Saturday 24 November 2001 continued apace during the summer months and is now entering the final stages. A crucial role in the day's deliberations will be played by the two keynote speakers, Bishop Paul Colton of Cork, Cloyne & Ross and Professor Patricia Barker of Dublin City University. Coming from widely contrasting backgrounds they can be relied upon to provide challenging material to inspire the discussion groups and to give Forum members something to reflect upon.

Bishop Colton is well-known in the United Dioceses where he served as Rector of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla from 1990 until 1999 when he was elected a bishop. He has served on many diocesan committees including the Diocesan Councils and the Parochial Organisation and Development Committee. In addition he has been a member of the Diocesan Courts, a diocesan registrar of marriages, rural dean of St Mary's, general synod representative, and member of the Episcopal Electoral College. He was also Co-ordinator of Religious Programmes involving the Protestant Churches at RTÉ from 1993 to 1999 and a Canon of Christ Church Cathedral from 1997 to 1999

A Clerical Perspective
Bishop Colton brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from a clerical perspective to his task as well as a whole church perspective gained from his two-year membership of the House of Bishops. The need for the Church of Ireland to keep abreast of changes in Irish society has led him to be a strong advocate of change in church structures, particularly the General Synod, where he has been to the forefront in efforts to reform this unwieldy body.

A keen ecumenist, he has attended many inter-church conferences at home and abroad. From 1989-1999 he was the Church's representative at the Porvoo Conversations and Porvoo Communion Contact Groups. He was also a member of the Central Committee of the Conference of European Churches from 1992-7.

His greatest claim to international fame so far, however, has been that he presided at the marriage ceremony of Posh Spice and David Beckem in Dublin shortly after becoming a bishop! Paul and his wife, Susan, a primary teacher, have two young sons, twins Adam and Andrew.

Dr Patricia Barker
Unlike Bishop Colton, Dr Patricia Barker has had little involvement in church politics but she is no stranger to committee work or indeed controversy. Recently she has been making headlines due to her resignation as chairperson of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.

A parishioner of Malahide she trained as a Chartered Accountant with Stokes Kennedy Crowley (now KPMG) in Dublin and worked with a number of well-known companies in London and Manchester. She moved to Dublin in 1980 for the opening of Dublin City University and since then has risen from lecturer to senior lecturer, and subsequently to Dean of the Business School. Currently she is Registrar at DCU.

Amongst the high-powered committees on which she serves are the Board of the Central Applications Office, The Accounting Standards Board in London, the Higher Education Authority, and the Department of Finance Group of Experts. From 1990 to 1996 she chaired the Institute of Chartered Accountants Technical Accounting Committee.

An advocate of Women's Rights
Keenly interested in the inclusion of women in the professional workforce she is leader of a group of women within DCU working to implement change by the adoption of the Equality Legislation. An expert on the area of the glass ceiling for professional women about which she has written extensively she recently published a book on Flexible Working Practices for Professional Women. Her commitment to the advancement of women is not, however, combined to the ivory towers of academia she has also served on the Board of Women's Aid and Sonas Housing Association.

Dr Barker's experience of life abroad includes periods as visiting professor in France, Malawi, Tanzania and the United States. She represented Ireland as a member of international teams of election supervisors in South Africa and Bosnia i Herzgovinia.

Patricia and her husband, Robert, a tax partner in KPMG, have two grown-up children, Russell and Victoria. Both are pursuing post-graduate studies abroad.

- ENDS –

With the compliments of the Diocesan Communications Officer 20/9/01

THE CHURCH OF IRELAND
DIOCESES OF DUBLIN & GLENDALOUGH
DIOCESAN COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER VALERIE JONES
TEL: 01-4935 405/087-2356 472 (H) 01-4946 202 FAX: 01-4944 720
E-mail:dco@dublin.anglican.org