Installation of Dean of St Patrick’s; Dublin Good Friday Procession; Connor’s Lent seminars conclude; Larne Churches team up for new Christianity Explored course; Journey with Jesus to Jerusalem in Lisburn parish; New Dawn – Easter Saturday worship for Connor’s youth; Priory Singers to perform in St Thomas’ Belfast; Education Grants available; Irish news media – response to C of I Bishops on education in Republic, and to Vatican report on abuse.
Installation of Dean of St Patrick’s
The Revd Canon Victor Stacey will be installed as Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, at a service of Evensong in the Cathedral on Saturday 31 March 2012 at 3.00pm. The service will be attended by a number of representatives from state and civic life as well as ambassadors from several countries, the Papal Nuncio and guests from other Churches, including: the Roman Catholic Church and The Metropolitan Chapter; the Presbyterian Church in Ireland; the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Salvation Army. Church of Ireland members present will include the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, The Most Revd Alan Harper; the Archbishop of Dublin, The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson; bishops and retired bishops; members and former members of the Chapter of St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
The Revd Canon Victor G. Stacey was elected to the position of Dean on the 28 February 2012 and succeeds The Very Revd Dr Robert MacCarthy, who retired at the end of January. St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland and the dean is elected from among the members of the Cathedral Chapter by the members of the Chapter. Canon Stacey was Rector of Dun Laoghaire (Dublin) from 1995 to 2012 and Prebendary of Maynooth (St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin).
Dublin Good Friday Procession
Archbishops Michael Jackson and Diarmuid Martin will lead a Good Friday Procession between Christ Church Cathedral and St Mary’s Pro Cathedral. The procession gets underway at 7.30 pm following a prayer service in Christ Church Cathedral at 7.15 pm on Friday April 6. The procession will arrive at St Mary’s Pro Cathedral at 8.00 pm where there will be a Taize service with prayers at the foot of the cross. All are welcome to join in.
Bishop of Connor’s Lent seminars conclude
Over the course of the three seminars at different venues in the diocese, more than 500 people heard theRt Rev Alan Abernethy explore how today’s culture is impacting on the Church.The seminars were an introduction to the Diocesan Vision Strategy, and the process of devising this strategy continues with a series of meetings for parishes in each Rural Deanery. The first takes place on April 17 in St Peter’s, Antrim Road, Belfast. The final seminar took place in All Saints’ Church. Mid way through the Bishop’s talk, everyone broke for refresments served in the nearby parish hall, and this was an opportunity for people from many different parishes to get together and to have a browse at the Good Book Shop stall.
Larne Churches team up for new Christianity Explored course
Larne Times – Three local churches – All Saints’ Church of Ireland, Craigyhill Methodist and Craigyhill Presbyterian – are teaming up to launch a new course entitled, Christianity Explored. Used widely all over the UK and internationally, this informal seven-week …
http://www.larnetimes.co.uk/community/churches-team-up-for-new-christianity-explored-course-1-3650033
Journey with Jesus to Jerusalem at Christ Church Parish Lisburn
‘Journey with Jesus to Jerusalem’ is the theme that Bible teacher Desi Maxwell will take as he leads Holy Week (April 1–8) in Christ Church Lisburn. Desi, who formed the organisation Xplorations with his wife Heather, will speak on Palm Sunday morning, Easter Sunday morning and on the evenings of Monday, Tuesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Morning services are at 11.30am and the evening services are at 7.30pm in the Church. Desi will also share with people on the Tuesday morning coffee time at 12 noon on the theme: Who would Jesus invite for Coffee? On Tuesday evening, Desi will outline plans for a Parish group to visit the Holy Land for a Study Tour in April 2013. For further details of the themes of Desi’s talks, contact the Rev Paul Dundas, rector of Christ Church, at paul_dundas@yahoo.com or ring 0774 0589465.
New Dawn – Easter Saturday worship for Connor’s youth
New Dawn, an evening of worship (Connor press release states), praise and teaching for young people will take place in St Nicholas Parish Church, Carrickfergus, on Easter Saturday. Speaker is the Rev Andrew Forster, rector of St Anne’s, Dungannon, and praise will be led by the Mark Ferguson Band. The event, organised by Connor’s Energize Committee, gets underway at 7pm on Saturday April 7 and all are welcome.
Priory Singers perform in St Thomas’ Belfast – see also today’s Music News in Music section of CNI
The Priory Singers perform at St Thomas’ Parish Church, Eglantine Avenue, Belfast, on Friday March 30. The choir, which has featured on the BBC and RTE as well as undertaking summer residences at a number of English cathedrals, is a must–see for lovers of religious and choral music. The concert programme includes the Songs of Farewell by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry and Messe Solenelle by Louis Vierne. The Songs of Farewell have rarely been performed as a complete sequence in Northern Ireland. They are based on wonderful texts, some biblical, others by poets such as John Donne and have a marvellous emotional and musical intensity very appropriate to the approach of Holy Week. The Messe Solenelle is a musical extravaganza for organ and choir, a typically thrilling tour de force of French music of the late romantic period. Admission is £10 for adults (£8 for students and pensioners). Concert starts at 8pm.
Education Grants available
Education grants are available to anyone within the dioceses of Connor and Down and Dromore wanting to take up an opportunity which may benefit the wider work and ministry of the church. The Down and Connor and Dromore Diocesan Board of Education has issued guidelines and an application form. Applications must be submitted by May 1, and applicants should be able to demonstrate active membership of a Church of Ireland parish in either the diocese of Connor or the united dioceses of Down and Dromore
http://connordiocese.org.uk/news/Education-Grants-available.cfm
Bishops Speak Out On Proposed Education Cuts In Republic Of Ireland
Bishops warn on education cuts
Irish Times – Ireland’s commitment to pluralism, tolerance and its religious minorities will be tested by the manner in which proposed education cuts are implemented, Church of Ireland bishops have said. They claimed the cuts could have a dramatically negative …
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0326/breaking40.html
Protestant bishops criticise school cutbacks
RTE.ie – Church of Ireland bishops have criticised cuts to small schools, which they say will have a major impact on Protestant communities. Nine Church of Ireland bishops have strongly criticised cuts to small schools, which they say will have a major and …
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0326/education.html
Bishops criticise school cuts
Insideireland.ie – David Richardson writes – Church of Ireland bishops have criticised the closing of small schools, saying the closures will have a major and destructive impact on Protestant communities across the country. In a statement nine bishops said the cuts will have a …
http://insideireland.ie/2012/03/27/bishops-criticise-school-cuts-62831/
Vatican report on abuse
Alison O’Connor: Church tells the betrayed laity to get back in line
Irish Independent – Alison O’Connor writes – A quick Google search says it is to do with the teaching authority of the church and that, in a nutshell, the Pope is the boss. You, as an individual Irish Catholic, may be riding high in some parish somewhere on a wave of lay involvement with a
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/alison-oconnor-church-tells-the-betrayed-laity-to-get-back-in-line-3060829.html