Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 15 March 2008
Spring Issue of Search
A mainstream American view of the controversies besetting this year’s Lambeth Conference, offered by Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish of Utah, is one of the most compelling articles in the new issue of the Church of Ireland journal, Search. The Lambeth Conference and the future of the Anglican Communion will continue to exercise minds at least for the next six months, so more “Lambeth” material has been commissioned for Search’s summer issue. In the meantime the everyday life and thought of the Church goes on – worship, prayer lives, ministry and witness, and more secular political concerns.
Contributors to this issue range over all these areas. Margaret Daly-Denton offers some of the fruit of her recent research into eucharistic origins, encouraging a re-think ideas on how the central sacrament of the Church began; Barry Forde, recently ordained, offers some challenging thoughts on ‘the ministry of all the baptised’ and its implication for our baptismal practice and definition of membership; Malcolm Macourt looks at another angle on this question in his consideration of the apparent rise in Church of Ireland membership shown in the Census of 2006; while Patrick Comerford introduces an occasional series on Styles of Prayer, to be offered in future issues.
On the more secular political front, approaching the first anniversary of the new administration in the North, David Stevens of Corrymeela seeks to measure the depth of the reconciliation achieved and urges that we need to work towards a “fuller peace”. Finally, In Retrospect returns with a portrait of Dean David Wilson of St Patrick’s Cathedral by a member of his family. Please click here to access Search Journal's website.
The liturgical celebrations of St Patrick’s Day have, for the most part, been moved to today (Saturday) to avoid clashing with Holy Week. In Downpatrick at 12.15 pm there will be the traditional laying of a wreath at St Patrick’s grave which will be preceded by a celebration of the Eucharist in Down Cathedral where the preacher will be the Revd Paul Symonds. In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Urnaí na Nóna will be sung by the Cathedral Choir at 5 pm.
Tomorrow evening (Sunday) here will be a Civic Service in Cashel Cathedral where the preacher will be the Very Revd Walter Forde, Parish Priest of Castlebridge, Co. Wexford while on St Patrick’s Day there will be a Civic Service in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral after which the Bishop of Cork will host a reception in the Palace for the Lord Mayor and City Council, civic and voluntary leaders. In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, there will be a Eucharist in Irish at 8.30 am while at 10.45 am the Bishop of St Andrews, the Rt Revd David Chillingworth, will preach at the Sung Eucharist which will be broadcast by RTE.
Tomorrow morning (Sunday) RTE will broadcast a service for Palm Sunday from St Marks’ Church, Ballymacash, Co. Antrim, led by Canon George Irwin. In Dublin there will be a Procession of Palms at the Sung Eucharist while in St Patrick’s Cathedral at Evensong there will be a sequence of music and readings for passiontide. The former Bishop of Connor, Dr Samuel Poyntz, will preach in Taney parish, Dublin, where he will lead the Holy Week devotions each evening, except Monday, until Good Friday.
On Thursday the Archbishop of Armagh will greet Queen Elizabeth in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, where she will distribute the Royal Maundy to 164 recipients.. This will be the first occasion on which this ceremony has been held outside Britain. The Choir of the Chapel Royal, along with the Cathedral Choir, will lead the worship.
The Bishop of Tuam will be in the Diocese of West Virginia, with which his diocese is linked, for Holy Week while the Bishop of Connor will be in Belfast Cathedral on Good Friday to deliver the addresses at the Three Hour Devotion.