Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 13 February 2010
Ash Wednesday Celebrations
Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which since the seventh century has been the first day of Lent, the forty day period of penance before Easter. Traditionally this was marked by the imposition of ashes, in token of mourning and penitence, on the heads of the clergy and people and this rite is still observed in the Roman Catholic Church and in those parts of the Anglican Communion where there is a strong catholic tradition.
In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, there will be a celebration of the Eucharist at 5.45pm. The service will be sung by the Cathedral Choir, directed by Mark Duley, and the celebrant will be the Dean of St Patrick’s, Dr. Robert MacCarthy. At 6pm in Christ Church Cathedral there will be a Sung Eucharist with the imposition of ashes. The setting will be Walton’s Missa Brevis and the choir will sing Allegri’s haunting Miserere which has been long associated with the Ash Wednesday liturgy.
Today (Saturday) St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, will be closed to visitors for DIT graduation ceremonies. In Taney Parish Centre the Dublin branch of the Open Christian Network will meet at 2.15pm. The Revd Darren McCallig, Church of Ireland Chaplain in TCD, will introduce a discussion on ‘Ethics in a changing society – where to now’
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 8.30am there will be a celebration of the Eucharist in Irish in the Chapel of the Church of Ireland College of Education, Upper Rathmines Road, Dublin. This is part of the regular calendar of events which is organized by Cumann Gaelach Na hEaglaise (Irish Guild of the Church). In St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, at 10.45am the Archbishop of Dublin will preach and celebrate the Eucharist. The services in St Patrick’s Cathedral will be sung by the Amonico Consort from Warwick while in Christ Church Cathedral the visiting choir will be the Lassus Scholars.
Next Friday in the UCD Humanities Institute of Ireland there will be a symposium on early medieval chant and ritual to mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of James McKinnon’s The Advent Project: The Later-Seventh-Century Creation of the Roman Mass Proper which remains a major contribution to our understanding of the formation of the medieval chant tradition in Rome. The organisers of this symposium hope to stimulate a fruitful dialogue and discussion between chant scholars, historians and liturgists and also welcome participants from other disciplinary backgrounds with an interest in early medieval Rome.
Among the speakers will be Dr Susan Rankin, from Cambridge, known in Church of Ireland circles as the daughter of Fred Rankin, a former Chairman of the Executive Committee of the RCB, and Dr Frank Lawrence, Lecturer in Early Music in UCD and a former member of the choir of Christ Church Cathedral
The symposium will take place on from 10.00am to 5.00pm. There is no participation fee and tea/coffee will be provided during the day. The programme includes a short recital of Gregorian and Old Roman chant featuring the propers of the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday).
Further details will be available at www.ucd.ie/music/adventproject
Applications are invited for the Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music which is organized by the Dublin & Glendalough Diocesan Church Music Committee. This is a part-time course in organ playing, choir training and liturgy and aims to ensure a continued supply of musicians for parish churches. The closing date for applications is 31 May and information may be had from www.churchmusicdublin.org or from Mrs Jacqueline Mullen at 01-298 8923 or [email protected]