Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Activity in Christ Church
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin is very much at the centre of Church of Ireland life in the coming week with the usual round of prayer and praise augmented by special events and with the news of much more activity to come.
At Evensong today (Saturday) the Vicars Choral will sing one of the gems of Tudor music, The Great Service by William Byrd, together with Byrd's anthem O Magnum mysterium. Tomorrow (Sunday) morning, at the somewhat testing time of 8.00 am, BBC Radio 4 will broadcast live from the cathedral with a sequence of readings, music and reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Rector of Kilternan, Canon David Moynan, will preach at the Eucharist when the Cathedral Choir will sing Mozart's Missa in C (Orgelsolo) and motets by Duruflé. Evensong will be said and at 5.00 pm there will be a celebration of the Eucharist in Irish. On Wednesday the Cathedral Girls' Choir will sing Evensong and on Thursday morning they will sing again at a special Service for the Year of the Older Person. The Cathedral Choir returns for Evensong on Thursday with Harwood in A flat and an anthem by Mendelssohn.
This combination of musical and liturgical excellence, is personified in the Dean, the Very Revd John Paterson, and the Director of Music, Mr Mark Duley, and the many talented people, of all ages and from many backgrounds, whom they have attracted to the service of Christ Church. The development of the Girls' Choir is an exemplification of this trend. In the short space of a little over three years a choir of 32 girls, aged between 8 and 16, has, in addition to singing at Evensong every Wednesday, sung on Kenny Live, at the Dublin International Organ and Choral Festival and in the RDS, and is about to record its first CD. Next month voice trials for positions in the Girls' Choir will be held.
Another innovation is the introduction of a new choral conducting course under the auspices of Christ Church Cathedral Arts. Beginning this morning (Saturday), and consisting of eight classes, the course will be led bt Mark Duley. Details of the conducting course and the voice trials may be had from Anne Molphy at 01-677 8099.
In Christ Church on Friday the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, will preside at an Electoral College which will seek to find a successor to the Rt Revd Roy Warke as Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross.
Tomorrow (Sunday) RTE will televise Morning Service conducted by the Revd Trevor Williams, Leader of the Corrymeela Community. The Bishop of Tuam, Dr Richard Henderson, will preach at the Christian Unity Service in St Muredach's Cathedral, Ballina, while the former Bishop of Connor, Dr Samuel Poyntz, will preach in All Saints Church, Antrim. In the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the preacher will be the Junior Dean, Dr Sean Barrett.
On Monday the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Robin Eames, will preside at a meeting of the House of Bishops in Dublin, and at the meeting of the Standing Committee of the General Synod on Tuesday. At 8.00 pm on Monday in Trinity College, under the auspices of the College Chaplains, there will be a public lecture in the Walton Theatre on "Sectarianism in the Republic? Lessons from Northern Ireland". The speakers will be Dr Cecilia Clegg and Dr Joe Liechty.
Following Choral Evensong in the Chapel of Trinity College on Thursday, the Church of Ireland Chaplain, Dr Alan McCormack, and the Precentor of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dr Adrian Empey, will make a presentation to Valerie Greig, daughter of W.S. Greig, sometime organist of St Patrick's Cathedral and Trinity College Chapel.