Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Jim Packer to Visit Dublin
The distinguished Anglican theologian, Dr James Packer, will visit Dublin on Friday when he will give two lectures at the Kill o' the Grange parish centre on the theme "Evangelical-Roman Catholic Relationships". At 3.00 pm he will address the annual conference of the Irish Lausanne Committee for Evangelization and will speak again at an evening meeting at 8.00 pm. All clergy, lay readers and church workers will be welcome.
Dr Packer is a prolific writer and one of the best known figures in modern Christianity, having been named as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century, second only to C.S. Lewis. Many will be familiar with his work through books such as Keep in Step with the Spirit, Knowing God, and God has Spoken and his publications have sold more than two million copies throughout the world. His reputation has drawn many students to Regent College, Vancouver where he teaches and where his immense contribution has been recognised by the establishment of the J.I. Packer Chair of Theology.
Another, and equally prolific member of the faculty at Regent College, the Belfast born Alister McGrath, who is Professor of Systematic Theology in Vancouver as well as being Principal of Wycliffe Hall in Oxford, has produced a major biography of Packer. To Know and Serve God. A Biography of James I. Packer, published by Hodder Stoughton in 1997, is an important chronicle and analysis of the career and influence of perhaps the most important figure from the evangelical wing of the anglican churches.
Tomorrow (Sunday) RTE will televise Morning Service with the congregation of Christ Church, Gorey where the rector is the Revd Charles Mullen while in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin the services will be sung by the choir of Colyton Grammar School, Devon. At Clonmacnoise the Annual Open Air Service will be held at 4.00 pm when the preacher will be the Rt Revd George Conmor, Bishop of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand.
On Monday the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin begins its annual summer tour which this year will be to Lincoln and as in previous years this tour has been financially assisted by the Cultural Relations Committee at the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Choir will be in residence for a week singing evensong each day in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and ending with three major services on Sunday 2 August. This will be a particularly testing assignment since the Lincoln Cathedral organ is undergoing restoration and so all the services must be sung unaccompanied. Lincoln has one of the finest examples of a "Father" Willis organ built one hundred years ago and substantially renovated in 1960. Since then, however, its use has increased considerably with more services, recitals, broadcasts and recordings and so in its centenary year a major overhaul has become inevitable. An exciting programme of events, later in the year has been planned to mark the centenary of the organ for as the organizers appropriately point out "Silent Cathedrals are the most awesome monuments; fill them with music and you have one of the most potent keys of Man's devising for unlocking his earth-bound spirit".
The lunchtime recital in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin on Wednesday will be given by Daniel Moult, Organist of Coventry Cathedral and on Thursday, in St Audeon's Church, Cornmarket, Raymond O'Donnell will continue the series of Mendelssohn organ recitals at 1.10 pm.
On Wednesday and Thursday Evensong in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin will be sung by the Southburgh Choir from Norfolk.