Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
General Synod Meets in Armagh
The General Synod of the Church of Ireland will open its proceedings next Tuesday morning in Armagh City Hotel and continue until Thursday. This will be the first occasion on which the General Synod has met in the primatial see, indeed the first time on which it has met anywhere other than Dublin, Belfast and Cork, and, therefore the first time on which the Archbishop of Armagh will preside over the Synod in his own diocese.
This will also be the first occasion on which the pulpit at the General Synod Service will be occupied by an Archbishop of Canterbury. On Tuesday evening in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Armagh , Dr Rowan Williams, whose books feature regularly in the Church Times ?Top Ten Religious Books?, will be the preacher. Among the other visitors to the Synod will be the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Sean Brady, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Dr Ivan McKay, the President of the Methodist Church , the Revd James Rea, and the Ven. Arfon Williams from the Church in Wales .
The business of this year?s Synod is somewhat different from recent years for with the publication of the new Book of Common Prayer the mass of liturgical legislation has, at least for the moment, disappeared from the agenda. Indeed there is only one bill for consideration which relates to the entirely different, but no less important, matter of clergy pensions. A motion to dissolve the Council of Mission in Ireland and the Council for the Church Overseas and their replacement by a new Council for Mission will be also be debated.
There will be major presentations on proposals for new initiatives in lay and ordained ministry, the development of youth outreach projects, and the Church?s witness in areas such as medical ethics, social justice and politics. As well as the principal reports ? those of the Standing Committee and the Representative Church Body ? the Synod will consider reports on topics such as Christian unity, marriage, education, the ministry of healing and church buildings.
As always, a significant part of the business of the General Synod is the making and cementing of friendships and alliances as bishops, clergy and laity from throughout the island of Ireland come together, for the most part, amicably, to remember the past, discuss the present and consider the future.
Today (Saturday) the Bishop of Kilmore, the Rt Revd Ken Clarke, will participate in a conference in University College , Dublin , entitled ?Christianity Engaging?. The conference will mark the launch of Evangelical Alliance Ireland which will be a new movement of evangelical Christian churches, organizations and individuals within the Republic of Ireland . Further details may be had at www.evangelical.ie
Tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon again at St John?s Church , Sandymount, the Archbishop of Dublin will preach and celebrate the Eucharist at the Patronal Festival. In St Patrick?s Cathedral, Dublin , Canon Robert Warren, Rector of Tralee, will be installed as Prebendary of Taney. At Sung Eucharist in Trinity College Chapel the preacher will be Dr Margaret Daly Denton, Director of the Newman Theological Institute in Ballina, Mayo. In Clonmacnoise, the Sunday Evening Services continue at 4.00 pm. while the Bishop of Cork, the Rt Revd Paul Colton, will attend the Aughadown Flower Festival. In St Mary?s Church Inistioge there will be a Songs of Praise at 3.30pm, featuring the choir Laois Youth Alive directed by the Diocesan Youth Officer, the Revd Philip Heak, who will also play the uillean pipes.
On 'Trinity Monday' in the Chapel of Trinity College, the Revd Canon Lucy Winkett, Precentor of St Paul's Cathedral, London will preach before the University. On Wednesday at 6.30 pm in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Dublin , David Leigh, the Cathedral?s Assistant Organist, will give a recital which will include Max Reger?s Symphonic Fantasia & Fugue, Op. 57.
With the arrival of May St Brigid?s Cathedral, Kildare, and the Round Tower , are open regularly to visitors. Until the end of September the cathedral and tower may be visited between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm , Monday to Saturday, and from 200 to 500 pm on Sundays.
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