Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 29 January 2011
St Brigid’s Celebrations in Armagh
Each year, on St Brigid’s Day, the Centre for Celtic Spirituality, which is directed by the Revd Grace Clunie, organizes an event in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh. According to the old Celtic calendar the first day of February marked the beginning of the Spring season. It was a time to celebrate the end of the darkness and to look forward to the lengthening of the days. This St Brigid’s Day, next Tuesday, at 7.30 pm, the Centre will welcome the Revd Dr Ken Newell, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and an ecumenical canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, and Fr Gerry Reynolds of Clonard Monastery.
During the years of conflict in Northern Ireland, there were some who set examples of reconciliation for the whole of society. Dr Newell and Fr Reynolds were among them and they would like to share their story of how their friendship developed. They have asked that the evening be entitled ‘Building Healthy Communities Through Honest Friendship’. This is because they admit that, if a friendship is to be real and of depth, it will take those involved beyond ‘just being nice’ to dealing with the difficult and thorny issues of hurt, identity and history that have contributed to the underlying sectarianism that led to years of conflict and may still be residual in our society.
These are the issues which Dr Newell and Fr. Gerry Reynolds will address in open conversation, with opportunities for questions. The evening will be chaired by the Revd Tony Davidson, Minister of First Armagh Presbyterian Church. All proceeds will go to the work of The Centre for Celtic Spirituality and everyone is most welcome.
Today (Saturday) the Archbishop of Dublin’s Course in Theology will meet in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, where, at 12.45 they will join in a celebration of the Eucharist. In the Church of Ireland Community House in Carlow there will be a day long writing retreat entitled ’Writing to Wake Up’ which will be facilitated by Canon Maureen Ryan, a former Church of Ireland Gazette columnist, psychologist, novelist and poet. In the evening there will be a Songs of Praise service in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Trim, at 7.30pm in aid of the Meath Child Care Society. The event will be narrated by the Dean of Clonmacnoise, the Very Revd Robert Jones, and there will be music from guest soloists and the Meath Diocesan Choir.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the Sung Eucharist in Christ Church Cathedral will be at the earlier time of 9am to facilitate the preacher, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, the Most Revd Katherine Jefferts Schori, who has been attending the meeting of Anglican Primates in Swords. In the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the preacher at the Choral Eucharist at 10.45am will be Canon Giles Goddard, the chairman of Inclusive Church, a group dedicated to celebrating and maintaining the traditional inclusivity and diversity of the Anglican Communion.
In St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick tomorrow (Sunday) morning a plaque in memory of a former Bishop of Limerick, Dr Robert Wyse Jackson, will be dedicated at a service at which the preacher will be his daughter-in-law, the Revd Vanessa Wyse Jackson, while in St Paul’s church, Lisburn, the Dean of Connor, the Very Revd John Bond, will dedicate gifts in memory of a former rector, Canon Ken Cochrane. At Evensong in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, the choristers will sing Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols accompanied by harpist, Dianne Marshall.