Canices have Christmas in the can for RTE
On Saturday the choir of St Canice’s Cathedral had the pleasure of recording the Christmas Day service which will be broadcast on RTE One at 11am on 25th December.
Music by Tallis and a premier of a carol by Seán Doherty which is a setting of words by Bishop Richard de Ledrede who was a 14th-century Bishop of Ossory. The text on the nativity of our Lord was written “for the Vicars Choral of Kilkenny Cathedral, his priests and clerics, to be sung on great festivals and other occasions, that their throats and mouths, sanctified to God, might not be polluted with theatrical, indecent, and secular songs.”
Senior appointments in Armagh Diocese
The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Rev’d John McDowell, yesterday announced the following senior appointments in the Diocese:
Canon Shane Forster to be Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh and Keeper of the Robinson Library. It is anticipated that Canon Forster’s Installation will be on Sunday 14th February 2021.
The Rev’d Elizabeth Cairns to be Archdeacon of Ardboe, with immediate effect. Also to be installed as a member of the Cathedral body on 14th February 2021.
On his appointment as Dean, Canon Forster will relinquish the Armagh Diocesan Prebendal stall in the St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. He will be succeeded by the Rev’d Malcolm Kingston, rector of St Mark’s, Armagh, as prebendary of Yagoe in the National Cathedral.
Advent on the Gate
During the CoronaVirus Pandemic, in general, and in the Advent run-up to Christmas, in particular, parishes and chaplaincies in Cork, Cloyne and Ross, as elsewhere, are trying to find innovative and imaginative ways to celebrate and observe the Church’s seasons
The Church of Ireland Community in Cloyne Union have been marking Advent in a new way this year. They have called it Advent on the Gate. As the churches were closed for public worship as Advent began, they wanted to mark the season and stay connected with the community.
Throughout Advent one poster and prayer has been placed on the gates of each of the churches in the union of parishes – Corkbeg, East Ferry and Midleton as well as on the gate of Cloyne Cathedral.
Along with this daily physical poster and prayer, there is also a post on their Facebook page.
Link to recording of Nine Lessons and Carols from 100 singers and 20 C of I choirs
A special Covid–era Christmas collaboration has seen over 100 singers from almost 20 church choirs gather virtually to record a Service of Nine Lessons and Carols with a bidding prayer by the Archbishop of Dublin and concluding with a blessing from the Archbishop of Armagh. The service is the brainchild of the Director of Music at St Brigid’s, Stillorgan, Tom Maxwell. Among the parishes taking part are: Killiskey Parish; St Patrick’s Church, Powerscourt; Rathfarnham Parish Choir; St Brigid’s Church, Castleknock; Sandford Parish & St Philip’s Milltown; Monkstown Parish Church; Taney Parish; Culwick Choral Society; St David’s Church, Naas; Wicklow Parish Church; St Paul’s Glenageary; Mullagh Parish, Cavan; Patrickswell/Ballybrown Parish, Limerick; St Mark’s Church, Dundela; St Patrick’s Church, Dalkey; St Brigid’s Parish, Stillorgan; All Saints’, Blackrock; and St Swithen’s Magherafelt.
These recordings are now available for use. You may download the Christmas Carols and Anthems from the following link on the Church Music Dublin website.
[ https://www.churchmusicdublin.org/carols ]
The conductor on the sound files was Tom Maxwell and the organist was David Adams.
Davy Crockett and the Irish Huguenots
The largest group of refugees came to Britain’s shores in 1685 after Louis XIV of France revoked the Edict of Nantes. This edict, established in 1610, had given some tolerance to the Protestants or Huguenots of France. An increasing onslaught of oppressive measures had been unleashed on them in the period leading up to 1685.
This included Dragonnades being billeted in their houses and terrorising the family. Contemporary lithographs show children being held out of windows to force their parents to convert. Thousands left France at this time with no chance of returning to their native soil since Louis had their nationality irrevocably revoked.
Among the Huguenot families to come to Ireland were the Crocketagnes who changed the family name to Crockett. Their most famous descendant was Davy Crockett of Alamo fame whose grandfather had settled in the Castlederg area and is believed to have fought in the siege of Derry in 1689. In the USA Crockett broke with President Andrew Jackson over Indian rights which Crockett supported.
Pointers for prayer
Pray for the Secretary of the General Council of the Presbyterian Church, Rev Trevor Gribben and its Convener, Very Rev Dr Noble McNeely as the General Council’s Standing Committee meets this week.
Please pray for the meeting of the Church Leaders scheduled for the incoming week as the leaders try to co-ordinate a response to the continually changing legislation as it affects churches.
An advertisement about recruiting student deaconesses for the PCI has recently been circulated to ministers, and has been posted on the PCI website and PW Facebook page. Pray that the Lord would prompt suitably gifted women to explore serving him in this capacity.
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