Adapted from Anglican Communion News Service
The Church of Ireland has received the first Braille copies of its Thanks & Praise hymnal supplement from the Braille Unit at HMP Maghaberry.
Thanks & Praise is a supplement to the Church Hymnal, containing a collection of 227 hymns, songs, and liturgical settings.
Sue McAllister, director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, presented the book to the Rt. Rev. Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore and chairman of the Liturgical Advisory Committee.
“The Braille Unit at Maghaberry gives prisoners the opportunity to give something back to the community while at the same time providing them with a range of skills which will help them when they are released from custody,” McAllister said.
“We are pleased that this project has contributed to the rehabilitation of prisoners at the Maghaberry Braille Unit and grateful for this invaluable resource for worship,” Bishop Miller said. “The supplement will help blind and partially sighted people to engage more fully in parish life, and we thank the prisoners and staff involved for their time and skill in making this gift to the Church.”
Each Braille version of the book comprises 263 pages in three volumes. The Church of Ireland has a longstanding link with the Braille Unit, which has previously produced editions of the Church Hymnal and the Book of Common Prayer.
