Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Reading Days
So, the big day has passed and after all the sociability there may be some time for rest and reflection and a chance to catch up with some neglected reading. And, happily, there is an interesting variety of titles, from a Church of Ireland perspective, to choose from.
One of the Church’s publishing successes has been the Braemor Studies series which publishes the best final year student dissertation from the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. Begun in 2013, there are now seventeen titles in the series. Two appeared this year – one on faith formation in children by the Revd Andrew Neill, curate of Drumachose in the Diocese of Derry, and the other on scripture and the daily office by the Revd Cameron Mack, Dean’s Vicar in Belfast cathedral.
Equally important are the publications generated by the Liturgical Advisory Committee. This year brought A Treasure in Clay Jars. Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Canticles by the Archdeacon of Armagh, the Ven Peter Thompson.
The Rector of Magherafelt, Dr Andrew Campbell, has produced One for the Other. Engaging with Non–Violent Atonement Theology (Cascade Books) and also from an American publisher (Wipf & Stock) has come The Gardened Soul. The Emotional Connection to More by the Rector of Zion, the Revd David White.
The former Dean of Belfast, the Very Revd John Mann, now retired in the Isle of Man, has produced two books this year. Moments of Love. An Eight–Dat Retreat with the Song of Songs (Darton, Longman, Todd) and Be Still Be Silent. Reflections on the poetry of David Scott Canterbury Press).
On the historical front, Dr Patrick Little edited a book of essays, The Church of Ireland Under the Stuarts (Four Courts Press), and Lin Rose Clark wrote an engaging memoir of her forebear, the Revd Robert Hilliard, who was killed in the Spanish Civil War – Swift Blaze of Fire (Lilliput Press).
For those who prefer shorter pieces, the Church of Ireland journal, Search, offers topical articles on theology, spirituality, ethics and more as well as engaging book reviews. Edited by Canon Ginnie Kennerley, Search appears three times a year and from next year will be available in both hard copy and electronic form. Subscription details are available on the journal’s website – www.searchjournal.org
A good New Year’s resolution would be to subscribe to Search, and another would be to join the Representative Church Body Library. On Braemor Park, adjacent to the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, the RCB Library serves particularly the need of those in CITI and the clergy and laity of the Church of Ireland but its resources are available to anyone who might be interested in ethics, biblical studies, theology, homiletics, spirituality, liturgy, church history and kindred subjects. It is also the archive for the Church of Ireland with an unparalleled collection of records from parishes, dioceses, cathedrals and central church committees. The Library’s website is www.churchofireland.org/library
Published in the Friday edition of The Irish Times