Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Festival Week at Armagh Cathedral
On Friday a Festival Week begins at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, where there will be special services, music recitals, an exhibition and floral display depicting the history of the Cathedral from medieval to modern times, and a young peoples' art competition.
The Festival will open with Choral Evensong on Friday when the preacher will be the Dean of Christ Church, Dublin, the Very Revd John Paterson. Following Evensong the Archbishop of Armagh will launch Armagh Clergy 1800-2000 which has been edited by Canon Ted Fleming, the Provincial and Diocesan Registrar. This is an update and partial revision of the work of the late Canon J.B. Leslie whose biographical succession list of the Armagh clergy was the first of many such publications. Armagh Clergy will be available for sale at £30.
There will be a Service for Uniformed Organizations on the following Sunday and on Tuesday the Archbishop will preach at a Diocesan Service of Holy Communion. The Armagh Church Choir Union will introduce the new Church Hymnal on Wednesday at a service entitled "Sing and Rejoice" and on Friday the Diocesan Youth Council will host a celebration of "All Age Worship". There will be school music recitals on Saturday, a recital by the Cathedral Organist on Sunday and a concert by the Armagh City Choir on Thursday.
Details of the Festival, including enquiries about school visits, may be had from the Dean of Armagh, The Library, Abbey Street, Armagh BT61 7DY.
Today (Saturday) the Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Music Committee will hold a choral day for junior choristers in Christ Church Cathedral.
Tomorrow (Sunday) RTE will broadcast Morning Prayer from St Carthage's Cathedral, Lismore, where the Dean is the Very Revd William Beare. The Bishop of Cashel and Ossory, will dedicate gifts in St Laserian's Cathedral, Old Leighlin, while the Bishop of Tuam, will be in Belfast for the centenary celebrations of St Nicholas' parish church on the Lisburn Road. In the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the preacher at the Sung Eucharist will be Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness who will address the theme of "Justice". In the afternoon, in St Ann's Church, Dublin, the Bach Festival 2001 continues with performances of Cantatas 41, 58, 153 and 190 by the Fishamble Voices, the Orchestra of St Cecelia and soloists.
Tomorrow (Sunday) National Marriage Week begins and guidelines for prayer are available from the Church of Ireland Marriage Council website (http://marriagecouncil.ireland.anglican.org).
On Wednesday the Chapel Choir of Trinity College, Dublin, will perform Rossini's Petite Messe Solonnelle in the College Chapel at 8.00 pm, and on Thursday evening in the College's Ussher Theatre the sixth in the current lecture series on "East Meets West: Civilizations in Dialogue" will be delivered. Dr Loveday Alexander from the University of Sheffield will speak on "Foolishness to the Greeks: Jews and Christians in the Roman Empire".
In St Macartan's Cathedral Hall, Enniskillen, on Friday the Diocese of Clogher will launch the final phase of its "Kenya 2000/2001 Project" in association with the Church Missionary Society Ireland. This will be a response to Bishop Taama's appeal for help in meeting the challenges of drought in the Diocese of Kajiado.
The Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin have authorised an emergency grant of £20,000 from the Church of Ireland Bishops' Appeal Fund to assist the relief work in the Indian state of Gujarat following the massive destruction caused by an earthquake. The grant will assist the work of the Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), the development wing of the protestant churches in India, which has been at work for fifty years and is a long standing partner of Christian Aid.