Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 19 July 2008
The Bishops Go to Lambeth
Tomorrow (Sunday) in Canterbury the opening act of worship will be held at the Lambeth Conference which will continue until Sunday 3 August.
The conference was established in 1867 and meets about every ten years under the presidency of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Until 1958 the meetings were held in Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but since 1978 the conference has been held in the more spacious surroundings of the University of Kent in Canterbury.
Previous conferences have dealt with important issues such as Christian reunion, the family in contemporary society, the renewal of the church and the ordination of women. At both the 1988 and 1998 conferences the issue of homosexuality was discussed and it is this issue, at least according to the popular pre-conference hype, which seems likely to be a dominant theme at the 2008 conference. That this has a resonance for the Church of Ireland was evident in The Irish Times last week when the former Rector of Ballymascanlan, the Revd Mervyn Kingston, drew attention to the establishment of a group called Changing Attitudes Ireland. This is a network of clergy and laity, both gay and straight, committed to working for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendeded affirmation in the church.
All the Irish bishops have accepted the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury to attend the conference. This is welcome for if the Anglican Communion is to have any sustained relevance it must be inclusive. This is particularly important for the Church of Ireland which, as a small, insular church, needs regular exposure to world wide Anglicanism in order to broaden its horizons and to place, in a realistic perspective, the domestic issues with which it is so often preoccupied.
Today (Saturday) the parish of Donabate and Lusk in north County Dublin will hold its annual Garden Fete beginning at 2pm while on Wednesday evening, beginning at 7pm, the Ardamine Union Summer Fete will take place in the Riverchapel Community Centre in Co. Wexford.
Tomorrow (Sunday) in Dublin the services in Christ Church Cathedral will be sung by the choir of the Church of St John the Baptist, Northampton, while in St Patrick’s Cathedral the visiting choir will be the East Wickham Singers from Kent. At 4pm in Clonmacnoise the Annual Outdoor Service and Picnic will be held. The preacher will be the Very Revd Patrick Towers, Provost of Galway, and the music will be provided by the choirs of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Trim, and St Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare. A collection will be made for the Jerusalem and Middle East Church Association. In Co. Tipperary the Annual Festival Service in the Glen of Aherlow will be held at 7.30pm. Prayers will be recited at the Well of St Sedna for peace and healing and the theme of healing will be continued in the festival service at which the preacher will be the Dean of Cashel, Dr Philip Knowles.
On Monday the Simon Balle School Coir and Band from England will give a lunchtime concert in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. In St Patrick’s Cathedral Evensong on Tuesday will be sung by the choir of Hatfield Choir, Durham, and on Wednesday there will be a lunchtime recital by the Fredrich Wolf Choir from Germany.
On Thursday in West Cork the St Barrahane’s Church Festival of Music begins in Castletownshend and continues weekly until 21 August. The opening recital will be given by the piano trio, Ensemble Avalon who will play pieces by Hayden, Fauré and Bernstein.