Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
General Synod Meets in Dublin
Next Thursday morning the General Synod will open in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, and will continue until Saturday. In addition to the consideration of the reports of the various committees and commissions which report annually on their activities, this year’s Synod has six pieces of legislation to debate. There are bills to regulate Down and Tuam cathedrals, to ensure gender balance on boards of nomination, to increase the size of vestries to enhance participation in Church governance, and to extend the term of office of the Commission on Episcopal Ministry and Structures. However, the most substantial, and perhaps a more controversial, piece of legislation is a bill to permit interchangeability of ministry between the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland.
On Thursday evening the General Synod Service will be held at 7.30pm in St Patrick’s cathedral where the preacher will be the Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory. On Friday morning at 8.15am the Church of Ireland Council for Mission will host an address by the Bishop of Maridi from South Sudan, the Rt Revd Justion Badi, who will speak on ‘Through Thick and Thin – Partnership that Works’
Today (Saturday) in St Eunan’s cathedral, the Very Revd Arthur Barrett will be installed as Dean of Raphoe.
The Heinrich Boll Memorial Weekend takes place on Achill Island this weekend, with a special focus on travel writers and travel writing. This evening’s programme [Saturday] includes readings in the Church of Ireland parish church of St Thomas, Dugort, while tomorrow morning [Sunday], the programme includes a lecture by the Revd Professor Patrick Comerford, from the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, on ‘The Achill missionary buildings at Mweelin – history, origins and people’.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning RTE will televise a service with the people of Castlecaulfield and Donaghmore, co Tyrone. The celebrant and preacher will be the Revd Dr Peter Thompson and the service will showcase some music from the forthcoming supplement to the Church Hymnal. A series of ‘Music in May’, begins in St George’s church, Belfast, with Choral Evensong at 5pm, a recital by Emma Gibbons, Director of Music in St George’s, at 6pm and refreshments at 6.30pm. In Dublin, at 6pm, the Patronal Festival of John’s church, Sandymount, will be celebrated at which the restored organ will be dedicated. The preacher will be the Revd Dr Adrian Empey.
On Tuesday afternoon the Retired Clergy Fellowship will meet in Taney Parish Centre, Dundrum, where Bishop Samuel Poyntz will deliver a paper on ‘John Frederick MacNeice: Heroic Outsider’. In the evening in St James’ church, Donemana, the Bishop of Derry & Raphoe will institute the Revd Dr Robin Stockitt to the incumbency of Donagheady. Dr Stockitt has been Rector of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany.
On Wednesday the lunchtime recital in St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, will be given by Galina Badmaeva (violin) and Malcolm Green (piano/cello)
As part of the bicentenary celebrations in St George’s church, Belfast, the distinguished ecclesiastical historian, Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, from Oxford, will give a lecture on ‘The Reformation – this Stupid and Pernicious Tragedy?’ on Thursday evening at 7.30pm. The lecture will be chaired by Dr William Crawley from BBC Radio Ulster’s ‘Sunday Sequence’ and tickets will be available at the church door
Professor MacCullagh will speak again in St Audoen’s church, Dublin, on Friday at 1pm. Co–sponsored by Changing Attitude Ireland and the Church of Ireland Chaplaincy in TCD, Professor MacCullagh will be interviewed by Brian Dobson from RTE. Possible questions may be conveyed in advance to Mr Dobson at [email protected]
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’