Director of Music for Christ Church, 2012 Lectionary Readings Booklet, Friends of Christ Church & St Patrick’s Cathedrals visit Hereford, John Stott Ireland Memorial Service , Book launch and exhibition in Christ Church, Liverpool engagement
Belfast Director of Music for Christ Church Cathedral
Ian Keatley has been appointed as the Director of Music for Christ Church Cathedral, a post he will take up on 1 February 2012. Ian is currently Director of Music at Westminster Abbey Choir School and was previously Deputy Master of Music at the Chapels Royal, H M Tower of London. From 2004 – 2006 he was Organ Scholar at Westminster Abbey where he played for a number of Royal and State Occasions including the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II and State memorial services for former Prime Minister Lord Callaghan and comedian Ronnie Barker. (See longer report in Music this site).
2012 Lectionary Readings Booklet
Church of Ireland Publishing has announced that the annual booklet setting out the Sunday and Weekday Readings for 2012 is now available from the Resource Centre in Dublin and the Good Book Shop in Belfast.
Canon Brian Mayne has been responsible for the meticulous task of compiling the booklet for the past seven years, first as a private venture and latterly for Church of Ireland Publishing. 2012 will be the last edition he compiles as he has now handed on the torch to the Revd Ken Rue who will edit the 2013 booklet. Canon Mayne says: ‘Clergy, those who read lessons and those responsible for choosing the hymns have all found this publication very useful and rather more portable than the Directory!’
The modest price of Sunday and Weekday Readings 2012 remains unchanged, costing £3 in Northern Ireland and €4 in the Republic of Ireland.
Church of Ireland Publishing – http://www.cip.ireland.anglican.org/
Friends of Christ Church & St Patrick’s Cathedrals visit Hereford Cathedral
The annual Friend’s pilgrimage took place from 7 to 10 October, this year to Hereford Cathedral. Following an early start, 19 members of the Friends of Christ Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals set off for Hereford aboard the Stena Adventurer. A short lunch stop was made at Capel Curig near Betws–y–Coed in pouring rain before heading south past Shrewsbury and Leominster to our accommodation in the Green Dragon Hotel in Hereford. After dinner, the traditional service of Compline was lead by Canon Billy Marshall.
Following breakfast on Saturday morning, we were joined by two UK based members of the Friends and the whole party met up in Hereford Cathedral with members of the Friend’s of Hereford Cathedral for a guided tour and lunch, at which a donation to the Cathedral was made to the Dean by David Bockett. Following lunch, some of the party made the short trip to Haye–on–Wye, “The Town of Books”, where an enjoyable afternoon of book searching took place.
On Sunday morning we returned to the Cathedral, which was just across the road from the hotel for Eucharist after which we joined the congregation and Friends for coffee. We then travelled to Hampton Court Castle. The castle on the River Lugg, sits on meadows, backed by a steep wooded escarpment and surrounded by woodland and grounds. It was founded by King Henry in the early 15th century. The castle has passed through many hands and is now unoccupied, but is a venue for weddings and corporate events. The restored gardens provided an afternoon of relaxation, which was followed by dinner in the hotel.
Monday morning saw another early departure for a day of travel, interspersed by a stop at the Old Court Hotel, Symonds Yat for a short cruise on the River Wye and lunch. A drive northwards through the centre of Wales with stops at Builth Wells and Caernarfon saw us back at Holyhead for a late night crossing to Dublin aboard the Stella Nordica.
The usual gratitude was expressed to David Bockett who had organised the tour, and to Hugh McGarvey of McGinley’s Coaches of Donegal for his excellent and careful driving.
Lisburn Cathedral hosts John Stott Ireland Memorial Service
Lisburn Cathedral will host the Ireland Memorial Service for the late Rev John Stott on Tuesday October 18 at 7.30pm.
Ken Clarke, Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin & Ardagh, will lead the service, the Preacher is Chris Wright (International Director, Langham Partnership) and the New Irish Arts will lead the praise.
A retiring collection will be divided between Langham Partnership and London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
This service is expected to draw a large congregation from across Ireland so an overflow facility in the Cathedral Hall will have a live feed of the service to enable all who attend to join in with this landmark service of thanksgiving for the life of a remarkable Christian leader. Those attending are encouraged to arrive in good time and to use the public car parks around Lisburn.
John Stott died on July 27 2011. He was described by evangelist Billy Graham as ‘the most respected clergyman in the world.’ He served in All Souls, Langham Place in London for more than 60 years and wrote more than 50 books.
Book launch and exhibition in Christ Church
On Saturday Where Stones Sing, by Eithne Massey, a gripping new historical novel for children set in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, was launched in the cathedral by Dr Emer O’Sullivan. Yesterday after Evensong in Christ Church, Canon John Bartlett opened‘The Best of Books’ an exhibition to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. The exhibition catalogue, largely the work of the Revd Roy Byrne, has been translated into Irish by Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise, and the Cumann’s Development Office, Caroline Nowlan, is hoping that schools will visit the exhibition as part of their RE and Irish studies.
Liverpool engagement
Yesterday in Liverpool Cathedral Canon Patrick Comerford preached at the Annual Judges’ Service which marks the beginning if the Law Term. Canon Comerford, who is Lecturer in Anglicanism and Liturgy in CITI has been invited to preach by Dean Justin Welby who will be consecrated as Bishop of Durham later this month.