Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
Saturday 25 February 2006
New History of the Irish Church
The appearance of a new book on Irish church history is always a matter of some remark but when a new publication claims to be the first book on Irish religious history to be written from a wholly non-denominational and ecumenical perspective it lays greater than usual claims to attention.
The religious condition of Ireland, 1770-1850 has been written by Dr Nigel Yates, Professor of Ecclesiastical History in the University of Wales at Lampeter. A former English county archivist who has turned to history full time, Nigel Yates is already well known as an historian of the Church of England with, among others, studies of the Oxford Movement, ritualism, and church architecture.
His new work examines the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterians and Roman Catholics, with some discussion also of the Methodists. It seeks to explain the changes which took place in these churches and to show how their reasonably stable and tolerant mutual relationships in the late eighteenth century were shattered by political, religious and social events. A major theme is to demonstrate that between 1770 and 1850, all the churches in Ireland experienced significant programmes of ecclesiastical reform and that, despite theological differences, many of these reforms were similar across the denominational divides. Among the reforms were attempts to better the standards of piety and moral behaviour of the laity, to improve training and leadership among the clergy, to tighten up ecclesiastical discipline, to provide more services and preaching, to increase the number of communicants and to build and repair churches.
For Church of Ireland readers, the period under examination is one of particular interest when the church ?as by law established? began to come under increasing scrutiny leading to the reforms of the 1830s which proved to be the harbinger of disestablishment later in the century. Dr Yates has carefully trawled through the archives in the RCB Library and has made use of otherwise neglected sources such as visitation returns and episcopal charges.
The religious condition of Ireland has been published by Oxford University Press but at the hefty cover price of ?100 it seems likely that the RCB Library copy will be well used.
This afternoon (Saturday) at 3.30 pm the Irish Committee of the Intercontinental Church Society will host a lecture on ?Church planting in the new Europe and our wider work? in the Downshire Centre of Hillsborough parish, Co. Down ? all are welcome to attend.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, will celebrate the Eucharist and preach in St Canice?s Cathedral, Kilkenny, while in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the lecture sermon at the Sung Eucharist will be delivered by the pianist, John O?Conor, who recently received an honorary doctorate in music from the university.
In the afternoon in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Armagh, the Girls Friendly Society Diocesan Festival Service will be held at which the Revd Dorothy McVeigh, Rector of Annaghmore, will be commissioned as Diocesan Chaplain. In the evening, at Powerscourt Church, Enniskerry, the special speaker at the Gospel Music Eucharist will be Philip McKinley. As one of the contributors to the recent diocesan report: 'Welcoming Angels', he will speak on the Church's ministry to the international community in Ireland.
Wednesday is the beginning of Lent when on Ash Wednesday the general penance of the whole congregation is symbolized by the imposition of ashes on the heads of clergy and laity. In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, at 6 pm there will be a Sung Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes and the singing of the famous setting of the words of Psalm 51, Misereri mei, Deus by Gregororio Allegri. At 7pm, RTE Radio 1 will broadcast a Liturgy for Ash Wednesday from St Bartholomew?s Church, Ballsbridge, Dublin, conducted by the Vicar, the Revd Michael Thompson, with music by the Girl?s Choir.