Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
Saturday 30 July 2005
Mothers? Union records for RCB Library
The Mothers? Union in Ireland has decided to transfer its records to the Representative Church Body Library where, in due, course, they will be available to researchers. Work is well under way at the MU office in Dublin, where Mrs Anne Denard has been appraising the records and the process of transfer is under way. It is expected that these records will be an invaluable source for documenting many aspects of the life of the Church of Ireland in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
The Mothers? Union traces its origins to the initiative of Mary Sumner, a rector?s wife in Old Arlesford in the diocese of Winchester who, in 1876, brought together local women and so founded an organization with the aim of encouraging women in their Christian faith and in their roles as wives and mothers. From these modest beginnings the MU has grown into a world wide Anglican organization of over 750,000 members which promotes the well being of families.
In Ireland the Mothers? Union began in 1887 in the parish of Raheny, due to the initiative of the rector?s wife, Arabella Hayes. A second branch was established soon after in the Dublin city parish of St Catherine, and before the end of the century there were branches in, among other places, Portadown, Sligo, Wexford, Galway and Ballycastle. By the early years of the 20th century the MU had a presence in every diocese of the Church of Ireland and as the century progressed the organization grew to become, arguably, the single most influential Anglican organization in Ireland. Aside from its local branches, which are the very soul of the MU, the development of departments to deal with issues such as social concern, young families, overseas, education, literature and prayer reflect an evolving organization seeking to meet the challenges of each new age.
The current All-Ireland President of the Mothers? Union in Ireland is Mrs Paddy Wallace from Randlestown, Co. Antrim, and the organization is run from St Michan?s Church, Church Street, Dublin, where the Administrative Officer is Mr Frank Lawrence.
In 1987 the Mothers? Union in Ireland celebrated its centenary and to mark the event a short history entitled Specially Concerned, written by Edna Burrows and Patricia Mayes, was published. It is hoped that the availability of the MU archive will, in due course, provide the basis, not only for local and specific studies, but also for a more substantial history of this most important facet of the life of the Church of Ireland.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the services in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, will be sung by the Southwell Minster Chorale while in St Patrick?s Cathedral the visiting choir will be from Christ Church, Grosse Point in the USA. At 4 pm the Annual OutDoor Service will be held at Clonmacnoise where the music will be provided by St George?s Band from Dublin, and the preacher will be the Very Revd Michael Burrows, Dean of Cork.
One of the enduring pleasures for those on holiday is the opportunity to visit churches. In an age when security, insurance and staffing often provide seemingly insurmountable hurdles many churches remain locked and inaccessible outside the hours of services to all but the most persistent. It is therefore most encouraging that the parishioners of St Stephen?s Church, Mount Street, affectionately knows as the Pepper Canister Church, have formed a rota to ensure that the building is open during July and August on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays from 12.30 to 2.30 pm.
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