Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
New Series of Christ Church Lectures
The role of cathedrals in educations the faithful is an ancient and honourable one. Irish cathedral schools, both choir schools and grammar schools, have made a significant contribution to the intellectual and cultural life of the nation but, with the exception of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, such places of learning are no more. And so cathedrals have sought other ways to continue their educational role. One model, which has been adopted successfully by Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, has been that of lunchtime lectures which have introduced to a general audience aspects of the life of the cathedral and its interaction with the wider world. More recently these lectures have been a collaborative project with Dublin City Council, which has had the beneficial effect of broadening their appeal.
The first of a new series of lectures, under the general title of “The Natural Resources of Medieval Dublin” will be held in the crypt of Christ Church on Tuesday, beginning at 1.15pm. The speaker will be Dr Siobhan Geraghty, Heritage Officer of Tipperary North Riding Council, and her topic will be “The Dublin Vikings: Rape and Pillage or Soil and Tillage?”
On the following three Tuesdays, Professor Adrian Empey will speak on the cathedral manors, Professor Sean de Courcey will consider some of the influences of the Liffey on medieval Dublin, and Dr Aidan O’Sullivan will explore the use of wood in the Anglo-Norman city.
This evening in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, there will be a Musical Celebration in support of “Adopt a Minefield (Dublin Campaign)” of which the Archbishop of Dublin is a patrol. This will be an opportunity to hear nine of Dublin’s finest choirs sing Faure’s Requiem and Pavlors Carvalho perform Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata. In St Mary’s Church, Clonmel, there will be a concert by the Corcoisabhainn choir with Ian Sexton at the organ.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning the final sermon in the “What Makes Me Tick” series in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, will be delivered by the Revd Raimund Blanke, Roman Catholic Chaplain in Cologne University. In the afternoon, in Tallaght Hospital, the Archbishop of Dublin will take part in an Ecumenical Service to mark the 250th anniversary of the Meath Hospital, while at Evensong in St Patrick’s Cathedral, the preacher will be the Revd Dr John Bartlett, formerly Principal of the Church of Ireland Theological College. In the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Cashel, the Rt. Revd Peter Barrett will be enthroned as Bishop of Cashel, while in St Colman’s Cathedral, Cloyne, the Revd Alan Marley will be instituted to the Cloyne union of parishes and installed as dean.
The Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Dr Richard Clarke, will be in Dublin tomorrow (Sunday) evening when he will preach at a Mass for Peace in the Church of Mary Immaculate Refuge of Sinners, Rathmines. The service has been organised by the San Egidio Community which hosted the recent conference in Rome attended by Dr Clarke.
On Thursday evening a six week course entitled “Questions and Answers About Mission” begins in Overseas House, Dublin. Sponsored by the Association of Missionary Societies, details of this adult education course may be had from Overseas House, 3 Belgrave Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6.
Friday is Women’s World Day of Prayer, and the order of service for 2003 has been compiled by the woman of Lebanon. This ecumenical service will be held in churches throughout Ireland, and anyone, male or female, is welcome to attend. Details may be available from local churches.