Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Bishops' Appeal Allocations
The first tranche of allocations in 1999 from the Bishops' Appeal, which is the principal Church of Ireland vehicle for supporting the developing world, has been made. Thirty one applications were considered and grants totalling £55,300 were made to projects in eight countries.
Support was given to programmes in Latin America to assist in the recovery from the effects of Hurricane Mitch with allocations going to Tear Fund and the Latin America Solidarity Centre to help the people of Honduras and Nicaragua.
Grants to promote education were made to Feed the Minds for work in Columbia and Nepal; to 'Diakonia', a vocational training centre in South Africa; and to the Aswar Hawariat School in Ethiopia. A grant of £10,000 was sent to the Church Missionary Society Ireland to assist its work among refugees in Uganda.
Under the heading of 'Medical and Health Needs' allocations were made to USPG for St Anne's Hospital in Tanzania and to Christian Aid for the hazardous task of decommissioning mines in Cambodia.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the preacher at the Sung Eucharist in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, will be the former Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Donald Caird.
On Monday the Bishop of Kilmore, the Rt. Revd Michael Mayes, will institute the Revd James Healy to the incumbency of Arvagh in succession to Canon Jack Watson who has retired. Mr Healy has been Dean of Lismore since 1997.
A new series of lunchtime lectures begins in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin on Tuesday on the theme of 'Irish Cathedrals in the Middle Ages'. The series will begin with Mr Fred Rankin, Chairman of the Library and Archives Committee of the Representative Church Body and author of a history of Down Cathedral, who will speak on 'Down Cathedral in the Medieval Period'. In the following three weeks Canon Adrian Empey, Vicar of St Ann's, Dublin, will talk about St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny; Dr Alan Fletcher, UCD, will address aspects of medieval liturgy in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin; and Professor Roger Stalley, TCD, will speak about St Mary's Cathedral, Tuam.
There will be a concert in Calary Church, Co. Wicklow, on Thursday evening, in aid of the Church Organ Fund, with students from the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
On Friday afternoon the Annual Festival Service of the Meath and Kildare Girls' Friendly Society will be held in St Patrick's Cathedral, Trim, where the preacher will be the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Dr Richard Clarke. The service will be followed by tea, prize-giving and entertainment.
In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, as part of the Cathedral Arts programme, there will be the first in a series of lunchtime organ recitals. The opening recital will be given by the Cathedral Organist and Director of Music, Mark Duley.
The Friends of Down Cathedral will have an outing to Hillsborough Castle.
The Dean and Chapter of St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, invite submissions from composers for a new work to celebrate the millennium. Composers may choose to submit a setting of the Holy Communion (ASB/APB text), the Evening Canticles (ASB/APP/BCP texts) or an extended anthem in English or Latin. Given the significance of Armagh in the Irish Church, composers who submit an anthem might consider a theme or words with an Irish connection but this is not essential. The music should be written for SATB choirs, with or without organ accompaniment. Preference will be given to compositions which are accessible to choirs of moderate attainment. There is a prize of £2,000 and the closing date for entries is 30 December 1999. Entries or further enquiries should be addressed to the Dean of Armagh, The Library, Abbey Street, Armagh BT61 7DY. Email:Dean of Armagh