Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
Lent
Wednesday is the beginning of Lent which, in preparation for Easter, Christians throughout the western church observe as a time of penance by abstinence and devotion to religious exercises. In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, at 6.00 pm, there will be a Sung Eucharist at 6.00 pm with the imposition of ashes.
A series of lunchtime lectures on the theme, ?Lent - A Time for Reflection, Healing and Change? will begin in St Iberius?s Church, Wexford, on Ash Wednesday when the first speaker will be the Revd Maria Jansson, Curate of Wexford and Kilscoran, while in the evening, in Bantry, the Bishop of Cork will host the first in a Lenten series of talks in the rural deaneries of his diocese on the forthcoming Book of Common Prayer 2004.
A series of Lenten reflections has been planned for Sunday Evensong in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Dublin. The Dean of St Patrick?s, Dr Robert MacCarthy, will introduce the series on 29 February and on subsequent Sundays there will contributions from the Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP on Northern Ireland, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin on the Roman Catholic Church, the Bishop of Connor on the Church of Ireland and Canon Michael Bordeaux on the Russian Orthodox Church.
Those who prefer a private Lenten discipline might like to read The Day He Died. The Passion according to Luke which is a new book by the former Dean of Kildare, the Very Revd Matthew Byrne. Praised in The Church Times as a ?work of admirable depth and awesome simplicity? this Columba Press publication is based on a series of radio talks and is a reflection of that deceptively easy style of communication of which Matt Byrne is a master. An alternative religious exercise might be to read the new collection of essays by Toby Barnard which has been published by Four Courts Press. Irish Protestant Ascents and Descents, 1641-1770 brings together, conveniently in one book, pieces which were published or given as lectures between 1973 and 2000. They explore what it meant to be a protestant living in Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries and they are but some of the fruits of the sustained research which has made Dr Barnard the leading historian in this field.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the lecture-sermon at the Sung Eucharist will be delivered by Sir Roy Strong, former Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and internationally renowned expert on both fine art and gardening. In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, the services will be sung by the Lassus Scholars, and at Evensong the Archbishop of Dublin will commission the Revd Mark Wilson as Chaplain of the Tallaght Hospital.
On Monday the address at the lunchtime Healing Service in St George?s Church, Belfast, will be give by the former Bishop of Limerick, the Rt Revd Edward Darling.
At lunchtime on Friday there will be a recital in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Dublin, by the St Paul?s Chamber Strings from Mobile, Alabama. In the evening, in Fintona, the Bishop of Clogher will institute the Revd Francis Rutledge, to the incumbency of Donacavey and Barr. Mr Rutledge, who was ordained in 1986 has been Rector of Carrigrohane in the Diocese of Cork since 1997.
Auditions for choral scholarships to the Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Girls? Choir will be held on Saturday 20 March. This will be preceded by an Open Day on Saturday 6 March to which prospective choristers and their parents are invited. Further information may be had from the Director of Music, Ms Judy Martin (website http://www.cccdub.ie).
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