Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Varied Lenten Programmes
Lent is one of the seasons of the Church’s year which has become associated with learning and many parishes and cathedrals organize special lecture programmes, adult education meetings and series of themed sermons. A random selection of Lenten programmes which has come to hand gives a flavour of the differing issues which are concerning the Church.
In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, there will be a series of sermons at Evensong each Sunday on the theme “Lent is What You Do” when speakers from various organizations which are engaged in Christian activity in the world will introduce their work. The first speaker, tomorrow, (Sunday) will be Sister Stanislaus Kennedy from Focus Ireland, and on the following Sundays there will be addresses by Fr Peter McVerry (Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice), Fr Gerry Rafferty (Merchants Quay Drugs Project), Justin Kilcullen (Trocaire) and Tom Arnold (Concern).
On Tuesday evenings in the Knox Hall, the Monkstown Rural Deanery will host two sessions on “Believing in a Secular World” with psychologist, Fr Desmond Donnell, and two sessions on “Interfaith Issues” with Canon Desmond Sinnamon and the Archbishop of Dublin. At the same time in Geashill union of parishes the Revd Leslie Crampton will lead a series of mid-week services which will use the APCK study leaflets on Church of Ireland belief and practice.
Thursday evenings at 9.00 pm is the slot in St Matthias’ parish, Ballybrack, for talks on “Christians Facing Hard Issues”. Crime and punishment, the media and politics will be addressed by John Lonergan, David McWilliams and Mary Hanafin respectively. The final session on “Questions for the Church” will be led by the Revd Willi Stewart from CORE.
Across the city, in Rathfarnham, on Thursday evenings, the Church of Ireland parish and the Church of the Holy Spirit, Ballyroan, will host a series of talks in Rathfarnham parish church. On the theme of “Personal Identity in Today’s World”, there will be presentations on the role of parents, the problem of suffering, relationships, and spirituality for busy people.
Today (Saturday) the Bishop of Tuam, Dr Richard Henderson, will preside at a Diocesan Education Day in Pontoon and in the evening in Kildare Cathedral there will be a concert by the Maynooth University Orchestra. In St Iberius Church Wexford, the Dublin-based Gaudete Singers will give a lunchtime concert as part of the Wexford Spring Festival, beginning at 1.15pm.
Tomorrow (Sunday) RTE radio will broadcast an ecumenical Service of the Word in Kilternan Parish Church, when the rector Canon David Moynan will preach. In Christ Church, Taney, Dundrum, the annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service for the Gift of Sport will be held at 7.00 pm. This year’s address will be given by media personality and rugby analyst George Hook, and the collection will be in aid of Schizophrenia Ireland.
On Tuesday the Standing Committee of the General Synod and the Representative Church Body will meet in Church of Ireland House, Dublin. In Christ Church Cathedral the lunchtime history lecture will be given by the Revd Professor Adrian Empey who will discuss “The Manors of the Cathedral Priory of Holy Trinity, Dublin”.
In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, on Thursday evening there will be a Festival Service and exhibition of parish banners. The exhibition will continue over St Patrick’s Tide, until 19 March.
On Friday evening in St George’s Church, Belfast, the final discussion in the series “Are the Thirty Nine Articles Sectarian?” will begin at 7.30 pm. The topic will be “The Thirty Nine Articles, the Anglican Communion and Church Unity” and all are welcome to attend and put their view.
A Vocations Conference will be held in the Church of Ireland Theological College on Friday and Saturday. This will provide an opportunity to find out more about the work of the ordained ministry and to discover what is involved in selection and training. Those who are interested in attending this conference should contact their local clergy who can pass on names to Diocesan Directors of ordinands.