Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
St Catherine?s Vestry Book Published
The second volume in the Representative Church Body Library?s ?Texts and Calendars? series, The vestry records of the parishes of St Catherine and St James, Dublin, 1657-96, edited by Dr Raymond Gillespie, from NUI-Maynooth, who is one of the most prolific of Irish historians, has been published by Four Courts Press. It was recently launched in St Catherine & St James? Church, Donore Avenue, by Dr Toby Barnard, from Hertford College, Oxford, who has written widely on the Church of Ireland in the17th and 18th centuries.
The volume provides a vivid picture of life in the suburbs of 17th century Dublin and chronicles the development of a rapidly expanding part of the city which, as it was in the Liberties area, was outside the control of the corporation. Information on church buildings and their contents, liturgy, record keeping, land holding and a wide variety of administrative activity abounds. The vestry records contain much valuable information on the people who lived in the parish and, for genealogists, has an additional value in that it contains details of burials for the period before the beginning of the first parish register.
Dr Gillespie?s valuable introduction and notes explain much of the complexity of parish life and administration, Bernadette Cunningham?s index provides easy access to the wealth of detail, while an appendix of the St Catherine?s cess list of 1648-49, from Dublin City Archives, broadens the scope of the study.
Today (Saturday) the Bishop of Kilmore will be in Johannesburg where he will participate in an International Conference for Leaders organized by the Scripture Union.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning the Archbishop of Dublin will celebrate the Eucharist in St Mary?s Home, Pembroke Park, to mark the 96 th birthday of Sister Anne of the Community of St John the Evangelist while in Trinity College Chapel the preacher at the Sung Eucharist will be the former Bishop of Cork, the Rt Revd Roy Warke. In the evening in St Fin Barre?s Cathedral, Cork, the Revd Helen Tarnberg Steed, from the Swedish diocese of Skara, will be installed as Dean?s Vicar.
On Monday the Archbishop of Armagh will institute the Revd Ken Hall to the incumbency of Brackaville, Coalisland.
On Tuesday evening the Archbishop of Dublin will institute the Revd Michael Thompson to the incumbency of the grouped parishes of St Bartholomew?s and Leeson Park in Christ Church, Leeson Park, formerly the chapel of the Molyneux Home and from 1972 shared with the Methodist Church. The preacher will be Dr Donal Gray, Canon Emeritus of Westminster. In the Theological College, the Marsh Society will be addressed by Canon Kenneth Kearon, soon to become Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. He will speak on ?The Future of the Anglican Communion? an issue of current interest in the light of the publication of the report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion chaired by Archbishop Eames.
The Derry & Raphoe Diocesan Synod will be held on Wednesday in Clooney and in the evening the Archbishop of Dublin will institute the Revd Gillian Wharton, formerly Chaplain and Head of Religious Education in Rathdown School, as Rector of Booterstown and Mount Merrion.
On Thursday the final lunchtime lecture in the ?I Believe? series in St George & St Thomas?s Church, Cathal Brugha, Street, Dublin, will be given by Sgt Dave McInerney of the Garda Racial Unit.
On Friday at 8 pm there will be a Gala Concert with the Monkstown Chamber Choir and Ceoltoiri na hAislinge in All Saints Church, Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, in aid of the church refurbishment fund.
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