Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
Access for the Disabled
At a recent meeting of the Standing Committee of the General Synod, a working group was established to address issues relating to disability. The working group will consider issues such as accessible communications, access to buildings and awareness of the needs of the disabled.
Some years ago, the Church of Ireland, in a statement, determined that its policy was to make all aspects of Church life and worship accessible to all. Since then there has been much new legislation that has practical implications for the Church. The working group will ensure that the Church is in a position to respond positively to any proposed legislation in either jurisdiction.
Already the Church Hymnal and the main services in The Book of Common Prayer are available in large print editions and in Braille and arrangements are in place to have further material, such as marriage service sheets, produced in Braille. An increasing number of church buildings have installed loop systems to aid those with impaired hearing and such churches will be listed on the Church of Ireland website (www.ireland.anglican.org) while some churches and cathedrals provide magnifying sheets to assist visitors who have impaired vision.
Tomorrow (Sunday) Palm Sunday, announces the beginning of Holy Week during which there will be a wide variety of musical and liturgical events throughout the Church of Ireland. In Dublin, this year, more music than ever will be sung during Holy Week reflecting the blossoming interest in choral singing in a liturgical context. Details may be had from the Dublin Diocesan Church Music website (www.churchmusic.dublin.anglican.org).
In Dublin tomorrow (Sunday) morning there will be a Liturgy of Palms in Christ Church Cathedral and at Evensong in St Patrick?s Cathedral, there will be a Sequence of Music and Readings for Passiontide. Sandford parish church will have a Service of Music and Readings for Palm Sunday at 4 pm.
On Tuesday evening the choirs of the two Dublin cathedrals will combine in Christ Church for ?A Passiontide Meditation with Music and Readings? at 7 pm while on Thursday, at noon, the Archbishop of Dublin, will preside at the Chrism Eucharist in Christ Church. Also on Thursday an ecumenical Taizé music workshop will be held in the Chrysalis Retreat Centre, Donard, Co. Wicklow, in aid of Donoughmore Church Restoration Fund.
During Holy Week a team from the Diocese of Derry & Raphoe, led by Bishop Ken Good, will be in St Mary?s Cathedral, Sligo, while in Belfast Cathedral, on Good Friday, the Service of Three Hours will be led by the Bishop of Down and Dromore. The Rt Revd Alan Smithson, formerly Bishop of Jarrow, will be the Good Friday preacher in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Dublin, while in Christ Church, at 9 pm, Victoria?s Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday will be sung.
On Thursday Mrs. Evelyn Sloane retires from the staff of the Church of Ireland Theological College after almost 25 years service in the College?s administration. She began her career under the guidance to the late Canon Jim Hartin and subsequently served as secretary to his two successors as Principal, Canon John Bartlett and Canon Adrian Empey. Her unfailing good humour, admirable discretion and endless patience made many rough places smooth, eased the burdens of the teaching, administrative and domestic staff and lightened the lives of many anxious ordinands.
A new contribution to the current debate on sexuality has been written by the Dean of Killaloe, Dr Stephen White. The right true end of love. Sexuality and the contemporary church has been published by Columba Press.