Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Millennium Festival at Christ Church Cathedral
A major liturgical festival entitled Ceiliuradh has been planned to take place Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, from 18 to 24 June, and will be formally opened by President McAleese. The festival begins on Sunday 18 June with a liturgical reception and the following morning the key-note address, "Why Worship" will be given by Dr Ann Loades, Senior Lecturer in Theology in Durham University. Morning and afternoon lectures will concentrate on the riches of our liturgical heritage and the creative use of liturgical space, language and music. Each morning the Revd Rick Fabian, a noted liturgist from San Francisco, will lead a workshop in preparation for a pre-lunch liturgy while afternoon workshops will be led by John Bell from the Iona Community.
There will be a special series of lunchtime lectures which will run alongside historical tours of the cathedral and its environs, and each evening there will be a concert and festival club. In recognition of the history of Christ Church as a monastic community of Augustinian canons before the Reformation, on one day, the complete cycle of monastic offices will be sung. The festival will draw on the established musical resources of Christ Church, and on other noted choirs, to provide a wide range of liturgical music throughout the week.
Participation in this festival is open to all who are interested. It is envisaged that there will be some 200 full time, residential participants but the festival will be open to those who wish only to attend specific events. It is not confined to academics or to Anglicans and it is hoped that many people from different parts of the country and from differing Christian denominations will take part.
Details may be had from Ceiliuradh Office, Braemor Institute, Church of Ireland Theological College, Braemor Park, Churchtown, Dublin 14 or see the relevant pages on the Christ Church Cathedral Website.
On Monday in the Stricklands Conference Centre, Bangor, Co. Down, there will be a conference on the theme "Evangelism in a New Century". The speaker will be the Revd Professor Gerald Bray from Beeson Divinity School at Stamford University, Birmingham, Alabama. Dr Bray has written widely on church history, doctrine and liturgy and is perhaps best known for his book Creeds, Councils and Christ. Details of the conference may be had from the Revd B.T. Kerr, Knockarevan, Garrison, Co. Fermanagh BT93 4AE Tel: (028) [RoI = 048] 6865 8372
On Tuesday the Bishop of Cork, the Rt Revd Paul Colton, will institute the Revd Brian O'Rourke to the incumbency of St Luke's, Cork. Mr O'Rourke, who was ordained in 1992 has been Rector of Newcastle, Co. Wicklow, since 1998. The Bishop of Tuam, Dr Richard Henderson, will institute the Revd Patrick Towers to the incumbency of Galway on Thursday. Mr Towers, who was Rector of Nenagh, from 1989, succeeds the Very Revd Dr Robert MacCarthy who is now Dean of St Patrick's, Dublin. It is expected that Mr Towers will also follow Dr MacCarthy as Provost of Tuam and this will give him a seat on the cathedral chapter of St Mary, Tuam. On Friday the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, will institute the Revd Andrew Orr to the incumbency of Castleknock where he succeeds the present Bishop of Cork. Mr Orr was ordained in 1992 and has been Rector of Castlecomer since 1995.
Last Friday, in St John's Cathedral, Sligo, the Revd David Griscome was instituted as Rector of Sligo by the Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, the Rt Revd Michael Mayes. At the same service he was installed as Dean of Elphin and Ardagh. Dean Griscombe, who was ordained in 1989, has been Rector of Calry, Co. Sligo from 1997. He succeeds the Very Revd Stuart McGee who has retired from the stipendiary ministry.