Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Church of Ireland Historical Society Meeting
Today week, Saturday 20 April, the Church of Ireland Historical Society will hold its spring meeting in the Robinson Library in Armagh, beginning at 10.30 am.
There will be two lectures in the morning session. First, Mr Christopher Fauske will speak on "Bishop McNeice - A Home Ruler in Ulster". J.F. McNeice, father of the poet Louis McNeice, is perhaps best remembered for his vigorous promotion of church extension in the Belfast area when he was Archdeacon of Connor in the 1920s. However, although he served the greater part of his ministry in the Diocese of Connor, he was ordained for the curacy of Cappoquin in 1895 and returned to the south-east as Bishop of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore in the early 1930s.
The second morning lecture will be given by Dr Kenneth Ferguson who will speak on the early history of the prayer book in Ireland. As the Church of Ireland approaches the publication of a new prayer book in 2004 it should be instructive to learn something of the origins and development of the Book of Common Prayer which has been the foundation for most of our liturgical life since the sixteenth century.
After lunch there will be a lecture on "Evangelicalism" by Dr Myrtle Hill from Queen's University, Belfast. Dr Hill has written widely on this theme and is perhaps best known for Evangelical Protestantism in Ulster Society, 1740-1890 which she wrote with Dr David Hempton and which was published in 1992.
Details of the Church of Ireland Historical Society may be had from the Revd Dr W.G. Neely, The Rectory, 13 Crossmore Road, Keady, Co. Armagh BT60 3JY.
Today (Saturday) the Girls' Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, will continue their English tour. Yesterday they sung Evensong in Chester Cathedral, today (Saturday) they will be in Liverpool Cathedral and tomorrow (Sunday) they will sing the services in St Asaph's Cathedral in North Wales.
The Mothers' Union All Ireland Council will meet in Castleknock Parish Centre today (Saturday). In Lambeg Parish Hall the Church Society (Ireland) will hold its "Conference 2002". The subject for discussion will be "Evangelicals and the Future" and the speaker will be the Revd David Holloway, Vicar of Jesmond in the Diocese of Newcastle.
Another visitor from the Church of England will occupy the pulpit in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, tomorrow (Sunday) morning. The Revd Professor Paul Bradshaw from the Notre Dame London Centre is an accomplished liturgist. Many will be familiar, in particular, with his writings for the Alcuin Club and the Grove Liturgical Study series which have concentrated largely on liturgy in the early church.
Tomorrow (Sunday) RTE will broadcast a Service of the Word, conducted by the Revd Tom Gordon, at which the preacher will be Canon David Wiliams, Rector of Kinsale. From 2.00 to 6.00 pm there will be an Open Day at the Julianstown Parish Rooms, a new conference centre in Co. Meath which has recently been completed at a cost of 500,000 euros. The Rector of Julianstown, the Ven. Patrick Lawrence would welcome enquiries from those within the church who might be interested in using this new facility
On Thursday the Sudan Support Group Ireland will open a photo-exhibition in Kill o' the Grange Library, Co. Dublin. The guest speaker will be the Revd Andrew Wheeler who has worked with CMS for the Episcopal Church of the Sudan for the last twenty years.
The Bishop of Cork will lead a Review Day with the clergy of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the Palace on Friday when they will consider the state of continuing ministerial education