Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
For Saturday 24 October 2009
Fermoy Celebrations
This weekend the 200th anniversary of the consecration of Christ Church, Fermoy, will be celebrated.
Last night (Friday) there was a special service at which the preacher was the Bishop of Cork, the Rt Revd Paul Colton, and this was followed by the official opening of the Adair Hall, named after the Revd William Adair who was appointed as the first rector of Fermoy in 1803. Tomorrow (Sunday) there will be a special Harvest Thanksgiving Service at which the preacher will be the Dean of Cloyne, the Very Revd Alan Marlay, who is a former Rector of Fermoy.
During the celebrations the church will be open all day for visitors. There will be an exhibition on the history not only of Christ Church but of the other churches in the Fermoy union of parishes, both open and closed. An updated edition of Niall Bruncardi’s 1984 history of Christ Church is also planned.
Christ Church was erected in 1808 on a site presented by J.W. Anderson of Ashfield, Fermoy, and the costs of the building were met by Mr Anderson, John Hyde, of Castlehyde, and the Board of First Fruits. The church, which was built to accommodate 500 worshippers, was described by Samuel Lewis in his Topographical dictionary of Ireland, published in 1837, as ‘a remarkably elegant structure’. Today it is at the centre of a union of parishes, which includes the churches of Ballyhooley, Knockmourne, Ardnageely and Brigown. The rector is the Revd Eileen Cremin who, together with the churchwardens, Alfie Whitford and Hazel Coleman, have arranged and coordinated the anniversary celebrations.
In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, today (Saturday) Evensong will be sung by the choir of Bangor Abbey who will also sing the services tomorrow (Sunday).
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the sermon series at the Choral Eucharist on ‘Twenty-first century Jesus’ continues with an address by the Chaplain, the Revd Darren McCallig. In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, the services will be sung by the choir of St Mary’s Church, Nottingham.
The shortened Alpha Course for business people, which is being run by the Revd Michael Heaney and his wife, Rhodanne, in St Ann’s Church, Dublin, will be in recess next Monday for the bank holiday but will resume on Monday 2 November. The sessions are from 12.40 to 1.30pm, lunch is provided, and all are welcome.
On Friday the Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Dr Robert McCarthy will attend a dinner at Pusey House, Oxford to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the House. Dr MacCarthy was a Librarian of Pusey House and a Fellow of St Cross College from 1981 to 1982.
The autumn 2009 edition of the Church of Ireland journal Search is now available. It is a special issue on euthanasia and end of life issues, based on a Colloquium on Euthanasia and End of Life Issues which Search co-hosted in June with Trinity College, Dublin.
The journal includes contributions on: ‘Legalising Euthanasia?’ by Professor Robin Gill (University of Kent); ‘A Christian Case for Change’ by Professor Paul Badham (University of Wales at Lampeter); ‘From a European Perspective’ by Profesor Maureen Junker Kenny (Trinity College, Dublin); ‘A Gerontologist looks at the Issues’ by Profesor Desmond O’Neill (TCD and Director of the Centre for Ageing, Neurosciences and the Humanities, Tallaght Hospital); and ‘The Law in Ireland’ by Professor Ivana Bacik (Trinity College, Dublin).
Copies are available from the Good Bookshop, Donegall Street, Belfast, Best Sellers, Dawson Street, Dublin, and the Resource Centre, Rathmines, Dublin 6.