Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 2 February 2008
St Brigid’s Day Celebrations
Yesterday (Friday) was the Feast of St Brigid but, as is increasingly the case, the feast will be celebrated on the nearest Sunday which is tomorrow. Although regarded with great veneration in Ireland as the second Irish saint after Patrick, the traditions about her are conflicting and some scholars have even doubted her existence. However, her cult spread widely throughout Ireland and in churches of Irish origin in Europe. Her lives, which were written from the seventh century, were copied into many manuscripts and were translated into Old French, Middle English and German.
In Ireland her cult is associated especially with Kildare near where she is believed to have born and where she founded a monastery . She died around 525 and in 1185 Malachy is believed to have discovered her body with those of St Patrick amd St Columba at Downpatrick. She is the patron of poets, blacksmiths and healers.
Tomorrow (Sunday) her feast day will be celebrated in St Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare, with a Choral Eucharist at 3.30 pm when the celebrant will be the Dean of Kildare, Dr John Marsden. St Brigid’s Day is also the 20th anniversary of the consecration of the former Bishop of Cork, the Rt Revd Roy Warke, who, together with his wife Eileen, is a member of the Kildare Cathedral Choir which is directed by Derek Verso. To mark this anniversary Bishop Warke will preach at the service tomorrow (Sunday).
This afternoon ((Saturday) at 3pm in Whitechurch parish church, Dublin, there will be a recital by the Gaudete Singers, directed by David Leigh, Assistant Organist in St Patrick’s Cathedral, of works by Palestrina and Arvo Part.
Tomorrow morning (Sunday) in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the preacher at the Choral Eucharist will be one of the Roman Catholic Chaplains in the College, the Revd Kieran Dunne who will speak about the ‘Church and the University’ In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, after the morning Eucharist the bell ringers will attempt a quarter peal from about 12.30 to 1.25 pm.
Donations from the 31st annual sit-out for charity at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, will be presented at a ‘The Good Samaritans Service’ in the cathedral at 3.30pm. Over 170 charities and community groups will be represented when in excess of £260,000 will be distributed. The presentations will be made by three people. The Revd David Hunmphries, a former vicar choral in the cathedral and now Rector of Stormont, is the longest serving member of the ‘Black Santa’ team. Mrs T. McGrath is the wife of Tom McGrath, president of the Belfast Institute of Insurance, which held its centenary service in St Anne’s last year and donated the collection to the sit-out, and Paul, Clark of UTV will represent the media and the contribution which it makes to the sit-out.
On Monday evening the Archbishop of Dublin will attend a reception in Dublin Castle hosted by An Taoiseach to honour Cardinal Sean Brady.
‘Equipping the Saints’ are two seminars on prayer led by the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Revd Alan Abernethy. The first will be held in Belfast Castle on Tuesday evening and further information and booking details may be had from the bishop’s secretary, Rosemary Patterson (028 9031 0128) or from the Connor Diocesan Training Officer, Peter Hamill (028 9185 7827).
Wednesday is the beginning of Lent when there will be Sung Eucharist for Ash Wednesday in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, at 5.45 pm and in Christ Church at 6pm.