Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 19 September 2009
Culture Night
Culture Night, an annual event when ‘cultural institutions' are open to the public free of charge and for an extended period, has been an astonishing success. However, for the Church of Ireland, with limited resources and many potential cultural assets to showcase, its very success has proved to be a challenge. Last year, for example, some 3,000 people visited Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, and the management of such success is not without its problems.
This year Culture Night falls on Friday when Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin will be open from 6 until 10pm. There will be tours at 7, 8 and 9pm and music from the Assistant Organist, Tristan Russcher, and Organ Scholar, Aleksandr Nisse. In St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, which will be open from 7pm, there will be an opportunity see the choir rehearsing from 7 until 7.45. Guided tours will be available and at 9pm there will be an organ recital by Peter Barley, Organist and Master of the Choristers. In Belfast there will be a variety of events centred on the Cathedral Cultural Quarter where St Anne's Cathedral is a prominent part of the architectural and cultural landscape.
Today (Saturday) at 5pm the Irish School of Ecumenics will host a seminar in Milltown Park by Professor Stanley Hauerwas, entitled ‘Peace : A Theological Analysis'. Stanley Hauerwas is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University Divinity School in the USA. He is a vocal advocate of Christian pacifism and is well known for book such as The peaceable kingdom: a primer in Christian ethics and Against the nations: war and survival in liberal society.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 10.45 am RTE Radio will broadcast a Sung Eucharist with Harvest Thanksgiving from St John's Church, Sandymount, Dublin. The service will be sung by the Lowry Singers, directed by Earl Moffit, and the preacher will be the Chaplain, the Revd Tim Irvine, who is also Chaplain to Rathdown School. At Evensong in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the Battle of Britain Commemoration Service will be held at which the preacher will be Canon Charles Mullen, Prebendary of Rathmichael.
From Monday until Wednesday St Werburgh's Church, Dublin, will be open to the public while Christ Church cathedral is closed for filming. All the services that normally take place in the cathedral will be transferred to St Werburgh's and normal services will be resumed in Christ Church with Choral Evensong on Wednesday. St Werburgh's will be open to visitors from 9.45 am until 5pm and while there will be no admission charge donations towards the Restoration Fund will be gratefully received. The church is not normally open to the public and so this is an opportunity to see an important 18th century interior with stucco work, fine wood carving, an imposing pulpit originally from the Chapel Royal, and, in the vestibule, two 18th century fire engines. The church also displays the bell from the nearby church of St Bride which bears the name of Napper Tandy as churchwarden.
On Thursday the Bishop of Clogher, Dr Michael Jackson, will preside at the Clogher Diocesan Synod which will be held in Drumkeeran parish church and hall, Kesh. Co. Fermanagh. In Dublin, members and friends of the Crosslinks missionary society will meet in Overseas House, Belgrave Road, Rathmines at 8pm. The speaker at the meeting will be Andy Lines, Crosslinks Missionary Director, and there will also be an opportunity to meet the new Ireland Team leader, the Revd Trevor Johnson.