Church of Ireland canon preaches at Roman Catholic Novena

Religious compromise with Rome appears to be almost compulsory in the previously Protestant Church of Ireland, certainly if you want to achieve any sort of exalted rank.

There is scarcely a bishop who isn’t on friendly terms with their Romanist counterpart, with the new Archbishop of Armagh, John McDowell, a prime example of someone completely given over to Romish compromise.

We have previously written about other recently retired bishops, including the former Archbishop of Armagh Richard Clarke, former Bishop of Derry and Raphoe Ken Good and former Bishop of Down and Dromore Harold Miller, who were ever keen to betray their own church’s 39 Articles and link arms with the promoters of the pagan falsehoods of Rome.

We have previously written about plenty of canons and archdeacons who have similarly shown their true religious colours by rejecting God’s Word and siding with the enemies of Christ, such as Canon David Skuce, now a rector in County Donegal and formerly in County Fermanagh, Canon Mark Harvey, rector in Lurgan, County Armagh and Archdeacon Stephen McBride, rector in Antrim town who previously spoke at a Romanist novena.

And that same act of apostasy was sadly committed just last month by another Church of Ireland canon, this time Canon Ian Ellis (pictured, top), rector of Rossorry Parish Church, near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh.

His actions live up to the second part of his church’s name as it is very sorry indeed.

This Canon Ian Ellis is not to be confused with the man of the same name and rank who was formerly editor of the Church of Ireland Gazette and is now a rector in Newcastle, County Down, although he too is fond of Romish compromise.

This Canon Ian Ellis was a preacher at the annual so-called “Novena of Hope” held at The Graan Monastery in County Fermanagh, although the “Novena of No Hope” would be a better name for it, given it is utterly contrary to the Word of God.

What is a Novena? It is a Roman Catholic ritual and according to the ‘Pray More Novenas’ website, “a Novena is made up of nine days of prayer and meditation, usually to ask God for special prayer requests or petitions. Novenas are often used to ask specific saints to pray for us”.

So a Novena involves the invocation of saints, despite the Bible’s teaching in 1 Timothy 2:5, which says: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”.

Wikipedia continues and says: “The practice grew by the Middle Ages to include pious prayers for nine days before a feast in honour of a saint identified on a liturgical calendar. By the 11th century, the Novena practice had become a means in Christianity of praying to petition personal or spiritual favour to a saint, such as Virgin Mary. After the Reformation and Counter-Reformation era, the Catholic Church formally approved Novenas, in particular through the papal approvals of a large number of Novenas by Pope Pius IX.”

So the Novena has the stamp of approval from the Pope, “that man of sin, and son of perdition”, the man who blasphemously sets himself up in God’s place.

Wikipedia goes on to say: “The practice of the Novena is based in early Christianity, where masses were held for nine days with devotional prayers to someone who has died.”

So the Novena has its roots in prayer for the dead, which is a reference to the Romanist lie of purgatory, an absolutely anti-Biblical construct of the Roman Catholic Church. When we die we either go straight to heaven or straight to hell. There is no in between.

Look at the rich man in Luke 16. We are told in verses 22-23: “…the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments…”

There was no in between for the rich man. He died and went straight to hell.

And the lies and deceits of Rome will take all who adhere to them there as well.

Canon Ian Ellis’ betrayal of his church’s heritage took place on Thursday, 5 March when he spoke on the topic “Hope is… Reaching out the hand of fellowship to our brothers and sisters who come from other traditions”.

And there we were thinking that hope lay in salvation which comes alone by faith alone in Jesus Christ.

We are to place our hope in the triune God.

Romans 15:13 says: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

We are to place our hope in the word of God.

Psalm 119:114 says: “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.”

Hope is at the root of faith in Christ.

Hebrews 11:1,3: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

That is where hope lies, not in ecumenical jollies and soft soap words designed to make the speaker and the hearers feel nice about themselves and congratulate themselves on being so wonderfully tolerant and open-minded.

Where the undiluted gospel of Christ is not preached then there is no value in it and Canon Ian Ellis could not have preached the undiluted gospel of Christ at that novena as it is an event designed to contradict the gospel of Christ.

Last summertime we highlighted the truly despicable situation whereby four different allegedly Protestant ministers spoke at the novena at Clonard Monastery, a hub of Romanist deceit in Irish republican west Belfast.

The four were ‘Rev’ Tracey McRoberts, ‘minister’ of St Matthew’s Church of Ireland on the Shankill Road in Belfast, Presbyterian ‘minister’ ‘Rev’ Cheryl Meban, who acts as the church’s chaplain at Queen’s University, Rev Johnston McMaster, Methodist minister and professor in the Irish School of Ecumenics and Rev John Alderdice, another Methodist minister, who is also Director of Ministry at Edgehill Theological College, the training school for aspiring Methodist ministers in Northern Ireland.

On recordings of the services from the novena, all four can be seen happily sitting throughout the entire mass service, watching on as the priest blasphemously lifts the wafer above his head and claims Jesus is truly present in the wafer and in the wine. Rev John Alderdice is pictured below, second from left, sitting contentedly as the blasphemous mass is offered up.

And, unless the novena at The Graan is very different from any other novenas held everywhere else, Canon Ian Ellis was happy to sit and watch our Lord Jesus Christ being offered up once again blasphemously by a God-defying Romanist priest.

We are reminded in Hebrews 10:11-12 that Christ’s sacrifice was once for all.

It says: “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God”.

The mass is an accursed blasphemy which denies the God it falsely claims to honour and Canon Ian Ellis, as a Church of Ireland minister, is outrageously doing a disservice to his most important role by sitting back and letting such blasphemies go on without raising his voice against them.

Worse still, he is encouraging those who attend and partake in the mass to continue on in their sin by giving credence to the Roman Catholic Church.

Canon Ian Ellis certainly has a track record of chumming up with Rome, as it is reported on the website of a newspaper local to his current church that, at his institution as rector there in March 2015, two senior Papists were in attendance.

One was ‘Monsignor’ Peter O’Reilly and the other was well-known Romanist priest and media personality ‘Father’ Brian D’Arcy, who formerly served in The Graan.

We will remind Canon Ian Ellis and any other compromiser within the Church of Ireland what the 28th of their 39 Articles of faith says regarding the Lord’s Supper.

It says: “Transubstantiation (or the change of the substance of Bread and Wine) in the Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by holy Writ; but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a Sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions.”

The 31st Article adds that “the sacrifices of Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits.”

How much better are the standards of their Anglican forefathers than what we see polluting pulpits throught Northern Ireland and so many other places today.

The 39 Articles call the mass a “blasphemous fable and dangerous deceit” and say the Romanist doctrine of transubstantiation is “repugnant” to the Word of God.

What a shameful situation it is to see Canon Ian Ellis engaging with such an event as this.

Once again we appeal to any involved with the Church of Ireland to separate themselves fully from this apostate denomination and urge any who are as yet unsaved to come to Christ for salvation.

Our only hope for an eternity in heaven lies not in the observance of sacraments or sacrifices, but in the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Come to him today, do not delay.

Proverbs 27:1: “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Presbyterian ‘minister’ preaching at Romanist novena celebrating group of priests

Take a moment to look at and re-read the headline at the top of this article.

That is an utterly factual headline, yet it is hard to believe it is true, isn’t it?

Reading that, surely the question comes to mind, ‘what on earth are they doing that for?’

It’s definitely a good question.

Other more specific questions might also spring to mind, such as:

Why would someone who claims to be a minister of Jesus Christ be celebrating a Romanist grouping?

Why would someone who claims to be a minister of Jesus Christ want to take part in a novena, a prayer event which often includes the invocation of Mary?

These, also, are very good questions, and ones which ought to be addressed to ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson.

It is she who will be engaging in this repugnant betrayal of Jesus Christ and, indeed, of her own ordination vows.

Now, of course, she ought not to be in the position of ‘minister’ as this in itself shows ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson’s utter rejection of God’s Word.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 outlines this very clearly for ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson and all those who likewise seek to overthrow God’s Word in this most important matter. It says: “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”

However, even leaving that to one side briefly, this is a very grave offence against God.

‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson will be preaching at the ‘Novena of Hope 2019’ at The Graan, a Romanist chapel near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh which, for a long time, has been the clerical home of noted Romanist, ‘Father’ Brian d’Arcy (pictured, below).

It is being held to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Romanist grouping of the Passionists.

A novena is a nine day prayer event and this one will run from Saturday, 23 March to Monday, 1 April, with ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson to sow her ecumenical, heretical seeds of deceit on Thursday, 27 March.

Wikipedia gives some of the history of the novena, including its links to Mariolatry and its seal of approval from the Papacy. It says: “The practice grew by the Middle Ages to include pious prayers for nine days before a feast in honour of a saint identified on a liturgical calendar. By the 11th century, the Novena practice had become a means in Christianity of praying to petition personal or spiritual favour to a saint, such as Virgin Mary. After the Reformation and Counter-Reformation era, the Catholic Church formally approved Novenas, in particular through the papal approvals of a large number of Novenas by Pope Pius IX.”

When ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson took her ordination vows in 1977, she would have stated her objection to the Pope as “that antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition” by signing the Westminster Confession of Faith. What a mockery she has made of her vows!

‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson is well known for her ecumenical betrayal of Protestantism and, indeed, in a recent interview with the Belfast Telegraph, conducted by another old ecumenist, Alf McCreary, she indicated her indifference to those who would criticise her in her religious practices.

We don’t expect that, should she read this, it will make the slightest difference to her, though we may pray God will lift the scales from her eyes, but we want to urge Presbyterians or those who are friendly with anyone in that church to separate from this church and urge their friends and family to do likewise.

This is a woman who, despite her years of ecumenical compromise, remains in great standing in the Presbyterian Church, and was handed an honorary doctorate by the Presbyterian Church in 2001, years after she had left full time ministry to launch her anti-Christian Restoration Ministries.

Why does the Presbyterian Church still hold her in high regard?

It truly is confusing to anyone who refers to the Word of God for their spiritual guidance, rather than their own fancies, notions or thoughts.

The Presbyterian Church has emphatically refused to follow the Scriptural command to separate from false religion.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 is crystal clear on this: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you”.

The phrase within those verses asking “what agreement hath the temple of God with idols” is most pertinent in this instance.

An article in the Romanist Irish News this past week highlights that a specially created “icon”, or image, has been created to mark this novena.

This is quite clearly an expression of idolatry, yet ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson is evidently more than happy to identify with such Christ rejection.

While Rome conveniently omits the Second Commandment from their own Ten Commandments, this doesn’t mean it is not still relevant.

We’ll remind readers and in particular ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson and any who would seek to defend her or her denomination for harbouring her even yet, what the Second Commandment is.

Exodus 20:4-5 says: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

“Thou shalt not make any graven image”, it says. Perhaps ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson needs to read this closely, although even a cursory examination makes it abundantly clear she is endorsing paganism.

The closing words of 1 John further demonstrate this with utter clarity.

It says in 1 John 5:19-21: “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

John, in his parting comments, speaks of the discernment given to the child of God to know the difference between righteousness and wickedness. He then continues and says in the next God inspired breath, as it were, to “keep yourselves from idols”.

So we can clearly see the discerning Christian is to stay well clear of idols, yet here is ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson preaching at a meeting which has had a specially commissioned idol created for it.

What a blasphemy!

Again, the Word of God is very clear and critical of these idols and those who make and serve them.

Psalm 135:15-18 says: “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.”

This icon, which is dumb, deaf and mute, created for the novena ‘Rev’ Ruth Patterson is preaching at is an example of heathenism and God says, through the Psalmist, that those who make them and those who trust in them are like those idols.

It is quite the condemnation, and yet here we have a Presbyterian ‘minister’, held in high regard by her church, so much so that on two occasions her name was put forward to be Moderator, joining in with senseless heathenism.

Is there a single Presbyterian minister who will raise their voice against such a disgraceful situation? Even one? Sadly, based on what we have seen over the years, it would seem highly unlikely, though we would be very pleased to be proven wrong.

Better still, will any Presbyterian minister come to their senses and realise the Bible forbids women from being ministers and speak out against it before separating from the Presbyterian Church?

Here, too, is a challenge for any minister in a church which remains faithful to the Word of God, to speak out against such wretched rejection of the Word of God.

Let us speak out for Christ.

Dear reader, won’t you please urge anyone you know who is involved in that church to “come out from among them, and be ye separate”.

Our reward for holding a Biblical separatist position is great, for we are told at the end of that 18th verse of 2 Corinthians 6 that if you do that, God “will receive you”.

Let us separate ourselves unto God, rather than stay compromised and polluted by fellowship with that which has ignored, overthrown and rejected God’s Word.

And, if you are as yet unsaved and perhaps attending a church which fails to preach the gospel, won’t you even come to Christ for salvation.

The way of salvation is simple, we are told that we must repent of our sins and believe on Jesus Christ.

Jesus says in Mark 1:15 that we are to “repent ye, and believe the gospel”.

1 John 1:9 tells us: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Acts 16:31 says: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”.

It is Jesus’ blood which makes us fit for heaven, not the sacramental system of Rome, not the namby pamby social gospel of so many apostate Protestant churches, not church attendance, not financial contribution to the church, it is nothing but the blood of Jesus.

1 John 1:7: “…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Noted Papist ‘Father’ Brian d’Arcy speaks in Ballycastle Presbyterian Church

The well known emissary of papal deceit, ‘Father’ Brian d’Arcy (pictured, above), was guest of honour on Tuesday night (13th November) in Ballycastle Presbyterian Church.

The Passionist priest was in attendance at a meeting of the Causeway Coast Peace Group, which sows its ecumenical seeds of compromise on the north coast of Northern Ireland.

Ballycastle Presbyterian Church is a habitual venue for all manner of disgraceful ecumenical activity, and regularly plays host to the outrageous ‘Ballycastle Prayer Partnership’, a monthly gathering of attendees of the Presbyterian, Church of Ireland and Romanist churches in the town.

Not only that, but in 2014 the minister of Ballycastle Presbyterian Church, Rev John Stanbridge, invited in to his church the Papist ‘Focolare Movement’, a group which functions to spread the worship of Mary.

The Service of Prayer for Christian Unity was held as part of the ‘Focolare Movement’s’ Mariapolis.

Mariapolis means ‘city of Mary’, and wherever such events are held that place becomes a ‘city of Mary’ for that time, meaning Rev John Stanbridge (pictured, below) blasphemously made his church part of the ‘city of Mary’.

Given his constant rampant ecumenism and rebellion against God, it should be no surprise to see Rev John Stanbridge facilitating the appearance of a Papist in the church he has the charge over.

However, that makes it no less a grave offence against God and that makes it no less worthy of condemnation.

We have referred to this verse on numerous occasions but that’s because the instruction contained in Ephesians 5:11 remains totally relevant to all professing believers today.

It says: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

We are to condemn and criticise, or reprove, the unfruitful works of darkness, which Rome is, with its blasphemous false gospel of works-based salvation and its manifold other blasphemies.

However, that warning clearly means nothing to Rev John Stanbridge, who repeatedly invites Papists to participate in and lead meetings there in Ballycastle Presbyterian Church.

Lest he should read this or any other apologists for ecumenical compromise and opt to nitpick, we are aware and have stated above the meeting is being held under the auspices of the Causeway Coast Peace Group, an overtly ecumenical grouping.

However, Rev John Stanbridge would be well within his rights to prevent this outrageous meeting taking place, though of course, for obvious reasons, that wasn’t going to happen.

We consider it necessary to clarify who organised the meeting itself, given the pedantry of the ‘Rev’ Nancy Cubitt, so-called ‘minister’ of Bushmills Presbyterian Church, which is not far from Ballycastle.

‘Rev’ Nancy Cubitt contacted us after we highlighted the church she has the charge over hosted an event where attendees went through a smutty study guide of the book of Ruth, put together by the utterly ungodly Corrymeela Community. Splitting hairs, she pointed out that ‘her’ church only hosted the meeting, rather than holding it. You can see the article and the relevant comments beneath it by clicking here.

Bushmills Presbyterian Church was the venue for that meeting. Who held the meeting? Causeway Coast Peace Group.

The Causeway Coast Peace Group also held a disgraceful ecumenical event in Ballintoy Parish Church, another nearby village, back in June, where Papist Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin was preaching.

So this is the calibre of grouping Rev John Stanbridge of Ballycastle Presbyterian Church and indeed ‘Rev’ Nancy Cubitt of Bushmills Presbyterian Church are bringing in among them.

And ‘Father’ Brian d’Arcy, a well known Papist and ecumenist, is the calibre of character Rev John Stanbridge of Ballycastle Presbyterian Church is happy to have spewing out his false gospel on the premises of the church for which he is responsible.

Rev John Stanbridge is guilty of failing to protect his church and indeed its inhabitants, or congregation, from the enemies of Christ.

He is emphatically failing to follow the example set by Nehemiah when he was leading the building of the walls of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 4:6-9 says: “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.”

No watch is being set to protect the attendees of Ballycastle Presbyterian Church, Bushmills Presbyterian Church or indeed Ballintoy Parish Church from the overt ecumenists in their pulpits and in the Causeway Coast Peace Group.

Ministers are to be watchmen but God has a fearsome warning for those who fail to fulfil that solemn duty.

Ezekiel 3:17-18 says: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”

Dear reader, don’t let your blood be required at the hand of a minister who is failing to warn you of the danger of engaging in conduct which meets with God’s condemnation.

Instead, follow His command to “come out from among them, and be ye separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17) and God promises He will receive you, and how much better it is to be accepted by God than to be accepted by man.