Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 3 April 2010
Easter Day and Beyond
The Christian narrative reaches its highlight tomorrow, Easter Day, when the resurrection will be celebrated in word and music in churches and cathedrals throughout the island.
By tradition, the bishops preach in their diocesan cathedrals and so the Archbishop of Armagh will be in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, and the Archbishop of Dublin will be in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. However, given the peculiarities of the Church of Ireland polity some bishops have more than one diocesan cathedral within their jurisdiction while in addition there are some cathedrals which do not have a conventional diocesan role. For example, the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory, who has six cathedrals in his united diocese will celebrate Easter morning in St Edan’s Cathedral, Ferns, while the Bishop of Tuam will be in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Killala, for the Easter Vigil this evening (Saturday). The Bishop of Clogher will preach in St Macartan’s Cathedral, Enniskillen, the younger of his two cathedrals, on Easter Day while the Bishop of Down and Dromore will be the preacher in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, which, although situated in the Diocese of Connor, has an association with both the Diocese of Connor and the Diocese of Down & Dromore. In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, which is a national rather than a diocesan cathedral, the Easter Day preacher will be the Dean, Dr Robert MacCarthy.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 11am RTE will broadcast a Service of Praise and Worship from St James’ Church, Crinken, Shankill, Co. Dublin. The service will be conducted by Mr Geoff Scargill, the Revd Edward Vaughan will preach and the music will be provided by the Crinken Music Group and organist, Mr Edgerton Ashmore.
On Easter Monday the Bishop of Clogher together with the Revd David Skuse and the Revd Glen West will lead the third Clogher Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The pilgrims will visit, among other locations, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Capernaum and Caesarea Maritima.
At the request of the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue the Bishop of Clogher has drawn up Guidelines for Pilgrim Groups to the Holy Land and these have been posted on the Church of Ireland website at www.ireland.anglican.org/ccud.
On Tuesday the 39th International Pan Celtic Festival will begin in Dingle. This year’s festival will have a marked Church of Ireland dimension due to the involvement of the Revd Mairt Hanley, a non-stipendiary minister based in Camp on the Dingle Peninsula. Among the events will be a walking retreat on Thursday with the Revd Ray Simpson, an Anglican priest who is a member of the Community of St Aidan & St Hilda on Lindsfarne, and a symposium on Friday and Saturday in association with the Dingle group of parishes. On the following Sunday, 11 April, the Bishop of Limerick & Killaloe will be the preacher at a special service which will feature a musical setting of Chomaoineach Naofa a Do from the 2005 Leabhar na hUrnai Coitinne. Full details of the programme may be had from the Revd Mairt Hanley, New Rectory, Kilgobbon, Camp, Dingle, Co. Kerry (066-7130230 or [email protected]).
A new series of lunchtime recitals begins in St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, next Wednesday at 1.10pm. The first recitalist will be organist, Trevor Selby, who will play works by Bach and Franck. There will be a retiring collection in aid of the cathedral’s music.