Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
Saturday 22 April 2006
New Dean of Armagh to be Installed
The new Dean of Armagh, the Very Revd Patrick Rooke, will be installed at a service in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Armagh on Thursday evening when the preacher will be the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Revd Alan Harper.
Dean Rooke, who was appointed by the Archbishop of Armagh in February, succeeds the Very Revd Herbert Cassidy, who was Dean of Armagh from 1989 until his retirement. With the Deanery goes the Keepership of the Library, founded by Archbishop Richard Robinson in 1771, a post which Dean Cassidy filled with distinction. However, the new dean does have experience of parish, diocesan and cathedral life in Armagh. He was Rector of Ballymore from 1988 to 1994 while from 1992 until 1994 he was Assistant Provincial and Diocesan Registrar and an Honorary Vicar Choral in the cathedral.
Otherwise Dean Rooke?s career has been confined to the Diocese of Connor where he served two curacies and where he has been rector of two parishes, most recently Agherton, Portstewart, from 1994. He has been a member of the chapter of St Saviour, Connor since 2001 and was appointed Archdeacon of Dalriadia on 2005. Outside the diocese he is a member of the Standing Committee of the General Synod and the Chairman of the Hard Gospel Committee.
Today (Saturday), in the Theological College, the Church of Ireland journal Search will host a colloquium on ?Islamic-Christian Relation in Ireland Today? the results of which will subsequently be published in a special issue of the periodical. Among the speakers will be Sheikh Yahya Al Hussein from the Islamic Centre, Dr Elaine Wright of the Chester Beatty Library and the Revd Alan Race from Leicester who has written widely on religious pluralism.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the services in St Patrick?s Cathedral, Dublin, will be sung by European Cathedral Singers while the Cathedral Choir is on tour in London with the choir of St Bartholomew?s. In the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the ?Picture Sermon? at the Sung Eucharist will be given by the art historian, Dr Iam McAleer, from Bristiol University who will speak on Titian?s 16th century masterpiece, ?Noli me Tangere?. As part of the Tipperary Peace Convention there will be an Ecumenical Service in St Mary?s Church during which the winning song in the 2006 Tipperary International Song of Peace competition will be sung.
On Monday evening the Archbishop of Armagh will institute the Revd Ruth Murray to the incumbancy of Woodchapel. Ms Murray has been curate of Antrim since her ordination in 2003. Meanwhile in Kilkenny the in augural McAdoo Lecture, entitled ?Harry McAdoo and the Work of ARCIC? will be delivered in the Chapter Room of St Canices?s Cathedral, by the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Revd Christopher Hill. The late Dr McAdoo was Co-Chairman of ARCIC I and Bishop Hill was its Secretary.
On Wednesday the Archbishop of Dublin will visit Kilkenny College where he will officially open a dormitory extension while the Bishop of Cork will visit Ashton School and Bandon Grammar School.
A call for papers has been issued for a conference to take place in Maynooth in September. Papers are invited from researchers working on the history of women?s religious life from the medieval and early modern period through to the recent past in Ireland or Britain, or dealing with women from Ireland or Britain working overseas. Papers relating to all Christian denominations are welcome.. Details may be had from Dr Yvonne McKenna, Department of Sociology, University of Limerick, E-mail Dr McKenna