Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 14 February 2009
New Canons for St Patrick’s
Tomorrow (Sunday) in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, two new canons will be installed in the context of Evensong when the preacher will be the canon in residence, the Ven. Patrick Lawrence, who is Rector of Julianstown.
Following disestablishment St Patrick’s Cathedral was re-constituted as a national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Twelve of the twenty-two canonries were reserved for representatives of the each of the united dioceses, the prebend of Cualaun remained the seat of the Archbishop of Dublin in the chapter, and the other canons were elected by the chapter. More recently the chapter has been increased by the addition of two
ecumenical canonries.
Following the retirement of Canon Noel Battye, who was a chapter canon, the chapter has elected the Archdeacon of Cork, the Ven. Robin Bantry White to the prebendal stall of Castleknock. Archdeacon White has served in the diocese of Cork, Cloyne & Ross since 1979 and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Representative Church Body and one of the Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod he is a considerable figure in the central councils of the Church.
Originally the representative canons were elected by their diocesan synods but in most instances these elections have passed to the diocesan bishops who make the appointment. However, the new Bishop of Cashel & Ossory, the Rt Revd Michael Burrows, has restored to the diocese this right of election and as a result the Dean of Cashel, Dr Philip Knowles has been elected as Prebendary of Stagonil on the chapter of St Patrick’s.. Dr Knowles is an accomplished musician and a diligent custodian of the Bolton Library which is one of the great cultural treasures of Cashel.
Dr Knowles is also one of the moving forces behind the arrangements to celebrate the bi-centenary of the death of Charles Agar who was Archbishop of Cashel from 1799 to 1801. Agar is credited with building, at his own expense, the Georgian cathedral of St John the Baptist which replaced St Patrick’s on the Rock of Cashel as the Church of Ireland cathedral for the diocese. He is the subject of a substantial study by Anthony Malcolmson which was published by Four Courts Press in 2002 and Dr Malcolmson will one of a number of distinguished speakers at the bi-centenary celebrations which are planned for the weekend of 10 to 12 July.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the preacher in the ‘Thinking Aloud’ series of sermons at the Choral Eucharist in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, will be Canon Marilyn McCord Adams who is Regius Professor of Divinity in Oxford. Professor McCord Adams will also address the College Theological Society on ‘Problems of Evil in Theology’ on Monday evening at 7pm in the Graduates Memorial Building.
The Crosslinks Mission Director, Canon Andy Lines, will be in Dublin on Monday. He will address the Missionary Care Fellowship at Overseas House, 3 Belgrave Road, Rathmines at 8pm on ‘Up-date on World Mission’. Visitors will be welcome and refreshments will be served.
On Wednesday the Executive Committee of the Representative Church Body will meet in Church of Ireland House, Dublin.
The Bishop of Meath & Kildare has appointed Canon Leslie Stevenson, Rector of Portarlington, as Archdeacon of Meath & Kildare in succession to the Ven. Patrick Lawrence who is moving to the Diocese of Dublin to be Rector of Monkstown. Archdiaconal responsibilities evidently run in the Stevenson family. Canon Stevenson’s father, the Ven. Clayton Stevenson was Archdeacon of Connor from 1979 to 1988.