The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, will be the guest preacher at the National Service of Commemoration for the 150th Anniversary of the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, on Saturday, 23rd November 2019.
The service will officially launch the Church’s National Programme to mark the 150th anniversary of its Disestablishment, which was enabled by the Irish Church Act 1869. The Church had previously been united with the Church of England since the Act of Union 1800.
Later that evening, at 6.00pm, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will take part in a panel discussion entitled Second City, 300, 150, as part of the Swift Festival, along with Dr Mary McAleese and other contributors. The panel will consider what the future holds for Ireland and Great Britain, and for Church-State relations.
Archbishop Justin Welby was installed as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of All England on 21st March 2013. He was ordained in 1992, after an 11-year career in the oil industry, and spent his first 15 years of ordained ministry serving in the Diocese of Coventry.
In 2002, he was made a Canon of Coventry Cathedral where he jointly led its international reconciliation work. He was Dean of Liverpool from 2007 to 2011, and Bishop of Durham from 2011 to 2012, before being announced as the Archbishop of Canterbury in November 2012. He is married to Caroline and they have had six children.
More information on the National Programme is available at [www.ireland.anglican.org/d150]