Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
Centenary Celebrations in Belfast Cathedral
This year the centenary of the consecration of St Anne?s Cathedral, Belfast, will be celebrated and the Dean of Belfast, Dr Houston McKelvey and his team have constructed an ambitious programme of events.
The celebrations will begin in February with the presentation of cheques to those charities which are to benefit from the Dean of Belfast?s Christmas Sitout. Thereafter there will be a series of services and events which will highlight the musical life of St Anne?s, the cathedral?s interaction with aspects of civic and professional life, and its relations with other churches. Addresses will be given by, among others, the distinguished British judge, Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, the American Methodist, the Revd Dr P. Blackwell, and Lord Peter Brooke who will speak at a service in to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
The centenary of the consecration will be marked by Festal Evensong on 2 June when the preacher will be the Archbishop of Armagh. Admission to this service will be by ticket and enquiries concerning admission should be made to the Cathedral Office before 14 February.
The musical programme includes concerts and recitals by the Choral Scholars of King?s College, Cambridge, the BBC Singers conducted by Stephen Cleobury, the Glasgow Phoenix Choir and the Priory Singers.
Belfast Cathedral was built around the old parish church of St Anne. The foundation stone was laid in 1899, the parish church was closed at the end of 1903, and the nave of the new cathedral was consecrated by the Bishop of Down and Connor, Thomas James Welland, on 2 June 1904. In the best tradition of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe the building programme was protracted and the cathedral was not completed until 1981.
Tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon there will be an Epiphany Carol Service in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Dublin, while at 7.00 pm in St Paul?s Church, Glenageary there will be Evensong for Epiphanytide with music from the Rosney Consort.
In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, following Evensong there will be a presentation to the recently retired Dean, the Very Revd John Paterson. The presentation will be followed by a reception in the Great Hall of Dublinia and car parking will be available in the Civic Offices from noon until 7.30 pm.
The historic links between the Church of Ireland and the brewing and distilling trades will be re-emphasised on Monday when the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory, the Rt Revd Peter Barrett, will bless the new Diageo plant in Waterford as part of the official opening ceremony. The Guinness family have been long time supporters of St Patrick?s Cathedral, Dublin, while the 19th century restoration of Christ Church Cathedral was funded by the Dublin distiller, Henry Roe.
On Thursday evening, at 8.00 pm, the series of talks on ?The Anglican Way - Scripture, Tradition and Reason?, organised by the Monkstown Rural Deanery, continues in St Brigid?s Parish Centre, Stillorgan, where the speaker will be the Revd Professor Adrian Empey, Principal of the Church of Ireland Theological College.
The Archbishop of Armagh has announced the appointment of Mr C. Garret Walker as a Lay Canon of St Patrick?s Cathedral, Armagh. Mr Walker has been a prominent layman in the Diocese of Dublin for many years and has served with distinction on the central councils of the church. His attention to detail is legendary and his finely honed skills as a proof reader have saved many honorary secretaries from error and embarrassment. Mr Walker?s installation will take place when St Patrick?s Cathedral re-opens later this year after extensive renovation.
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