Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 11 July 2009
Agar Celebrations in Cashel
Yesterday evening a weekend of celebrations to mark the bi-centenary of the death of Charles Agar, Archbishop of Cashel, 1779-1801, began with an address by the Dean of Cashel, Dr Philip Knowles, and an organ recital in Cashel Cathedral.
Today (Saturday) there will be a conference in the Cashel Palace Hotel, formerly the residence of the archbishops of Cashel. The keynote address will be given by Dr Anthony Malcomson, whose comprehensive study of Agar, published by Four Courts Press in 2002, substantially restored Agar’s reputation and concluded that he, like most of the bishops, was zealous and well intentioned but compromised by the variety of non-ecclesiastical duties imposed upon them.
There will be contributions from Dr Martin Mansergh TD, Minister of State for the Arts and the OPW, and Dr David Butler from UCC, while the Dean of Cashel will also speak as will Dr Niall Gregory, Dr Des Marnane, and George Cunningham who will talk about the Bolton Library, which stands in the precincts of the cathedral.
Tomorrow (Sunday) there will be a Festival Eucharist in Cashel Cathedral at 11.30 am and at 8pm there will be a Bicentenary Festival Service at which the preacher will be the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper.
During the Festival there will be local walking tours, a floral and photographic display in the cathedral and an exhibition in the Bolton Library.
This evening (Saturday) at 8pm the choir of Caius College, Cambridge, will give a recital in St Bartholomew’s Church, Clyde Road, Dublin.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning the Archbishop of Dublin will attend the National Day of Commemoration in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, and in the afternoon there will be a Summer Service in Templeconnor Church, Clonmacnoise, at 4pm. The services in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, will be sung by the Norwich Cathedral Girls’ Choir.
The summer issue of the Church of Ireland journal, Search, is now available, and features of a number of this year’s anniversaries - John Calvin, the Ulster Plantation, Handel, and even the foundation Guinness’s brewery. The continuing impact of Calvin’s thinking on the Church of Ireland is considered by Dublin-born Professor Alan Ford, whose magisterial biography James Ussher was published recently. The influence of our past is emphasised also Dr Jonathan Bardon as he notes the maladministration and brutality involved in the early years of the Ulster Plantation, leaving scars still painful in our day.
Canon Michael Kennedy’s exploration of the Church of Ireland’s evolving thinking on the Virgin Mary offers a more hopeful reflection on inter-community issues. While we are rightly loyal to the insights of our tradition, we can also learn to set aside past antagonisms and listen for approaches to truth from other traditions. This is an area also explored by the Revd Stanley Gamble in his consideration of Anglican theological method as experienced in our communion in recent times. The mutual challenges of GAFCON and TEC, the mediating role of the Lambeth Conference, the problems and significance of cultural context in both the past and the present – all these are pondered, along with the threat of stalemate between them.
This issue also offers a study of a Church of Ireland church-plant, CORE, by its curate, the Revd Rob Jones; some colourful sketches of Handel in Dublin from Mark Duley; thoughts on contemplative prayer from Canon William Marshall; and from the Dean of St Patrick’s, Dr Robert MacCarthy, an account of the Guinness family’s connection with the Church of Ireland.