Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 4 October 2008
New Book on Women’s Ministry
Next Tuesday evening Embracing Women, a new book by Canon Ginnie Kennerley, will be launched by the Archbishop of Dublin in Christ Church Cathedral. The book has been published by Columba Press.
This book traces the story of the development of women’s ordained ministry in the Church of Ireland from 1976 to the present day – a period in which all involved in the issue were aware of making history in the Church of Ireland. It offers a story both of personal pilgrimage and of ecclesial development, as the author describes her own journey alongside the dialogue of groups and individuals within the Church.
The Church of Ireland voted to ordain women as priests and, if elected, as bishops back in 1990, two years before the Church of England voted to ordain women priests, and nearly two decades after the first Anglican women were ordained in Hong Kong. There were many twists and turns, and a good deal of pain, in the fourteen years it took to progress from the Church’s decision that there was “no theological objection” to the ordination of women to its carefully considered vote actually to do so. Despite the strong reservations of a small minority of the male clergy, the decision caused no split in the Church, and women now account for over 16 per cent of its serving clergy.
Ginnie Kennerley is a graduate of Oxford and Dublin Universities and the Irish School of Ecumenics and holds a Doctorate of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. From 1988 to 1993 she was Lecturer in Applied Theology in the Church of Ireland Theological College and from 1993 to 2005 Rector of the Narraghmore group of parishes in Co. Wicklow.
This afternoon (Saturday) the Capella Choir will be the performers in a new series of ‘Airs and Melodies’ concerts which begin in Whitechurch parish church at 3pm, while this evening in St John the Baptist Church, Knightown, Valentia Island, there will be a concert by the renowned violinist, Darragh Morgan in aid of the refurbishment of the church.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning the Enniskerry Gosple Choir, under its new director, Siobhan Kennedy-Perri, will sing at the first Gospel Eucharist of the season in Powerscourt Church, Enniskerry. At Evensong in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, there will be a Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the 50th anniversary of An Taisce at which the preacher will be Fr Seam McDonagh, while in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, the Friends’ Annual Service will be held. In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, the Girls’ Choir will be commissioned during Evensong.
On Monday morning at 10.15 am the annual New Term Law Service will be held in St Michan’s Church, Church Street. The Archbishop of Dublin will officiate, assisted by the Archdeacon of Dublin and the Dean of Christ Church, and the preacher will be Fr Godfrey O’Donnell from the Romanian Orthodox Church in Ireland.
A new series of organ recitals begins in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, on Wednesday evening at 6.30pm when Philip Moore, Organist Emeritus in York Minister will play,. At 7pm the AGM of the Church Education Society will be held in the Church of Ireland College of Education.
On Thursday evening a new eight week course, ‘Exploring Faith through Film’ begins in St George & St Thomas’s Church, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin. The course will be led by the Revd Katharine Poulton from the parish and David McDonnell, a final year student in the Theological College. Details may be had via email by clicking here or by calling 086-8290828.