Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
St Patrick's Day Celebrations
This weekend in churches and cathedrals throughout the Church of Ireland, and particularly in those which are dedicated to the national saint, St Patrick's Day will be marked in a variety of ways.
Today (Saturday) in Downpatrick, the traditional site of the burial of Patrick, the Bishop of Down and Dromore will welcome the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Revd Harold Good, as preacher in Down Cathedral. The service will be preceded by a pilgrimage from Saul to Downpatrick led by both church leaders. The journey will be short but symbolic for later this year both churches will consider embracing a Methodist-Church of Ireland Covenant.
In Cashel there will be a Civic Service in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist conducted by the Dean of Cashel, Dr Philip Knowles. The address will be given by Mrs Annette Camier from the Irish Section of the Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the Dean of Trondheim, the Very Revd Knut Andresen, will preach in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, at both the morning Eucharist and at Festal Evensong. The Church in Norway is a party to the Porvoo Agreement and it is hoped to build on this special relationship.
RTE will broadcast Sung Eucharist for St Patrick's Day from St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, at 10.45 am when the preacher will be the Dean, Dr Robert MacCarthy, and the celebrant Canon Victor Stacey. At Evensong the series of Lenten addresses in St Patrick's concludes with an address from the Most Revd Brendan Comiskey, Bishop of Ferns.
The St Patrick's theme is continued on Tuesday when, in the lunchtime history lectures organized by Christ Church Cathedral and Dublin City Council, the topic will be the Lord Mayor's coach which is a centre piece of the Dublin parade. The speaker in City Hall at 1.15 pm will be Dr Philip McEvansoneya, Department of the History of Art, Trinity College, Dublin.
Today (Saturday) Affirming Catholicism will host a Lenten Quiet Day of Prayer and Reflection in St John's Church, Malone Road, Belfast. The leader will be the Revd Charles McCollum, Rector of St Peter and St James, Belfast.
On Monday at 2.30 pm in St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast the new Bishop of Connor, the Ven. Alan Harper will be consecrated. Archdeacon Harper, who has been Rector of St John's, Malone, since 1986, was ordained in 1978 for the curacy of Ballywillan and subsequently served incumbencies in the dioceses of Raphoe and Derry. He has been a member of the chapter of St Patrick's Cathedral Dublin and, since 1996, has been Archdeacon of Connor and a member of the chapter of Belfast Cathedral.
The final talk in the Lenten series of addresses on "Who is Jesus Christ for us Today" in Monkstown parish church will be given on Tuesday evening by the Dean of Christ Church, the Very Revd John Paterson.
On Friday evening the Mothers' Union Young Members Conference begins in the Theological College. The theme is "Balancing Matters - Twenty-First Century Living and Changing Family Life" and the speakers will be Mrs Paddy Wallace, All Ireland President of the MU, the Revd Ted Woods, Rector of Rathfarnham, and the Chief Executive of the MU, Mr Reg Bailey.
The closing date for this year's Church of Ireland magazine competition is 29 March. This year the competition has been extended to include not only diocesan and parish magazines but also diocesan, cathedral and parish websites. Further information and entry forms may be had from the Church of Ireland Press Office, 61-67 Donegal Street, Belfast BT1 2QH. Email:The Press Office