Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
Alpha Conference in Dublin
Next Wednesday the Archbishop of Dublin will open a two day Alpha Conference in St Catherine’s Church, Thomas Street, Dublin. The conference has been organized by CORE, which is based in St Catherine’s and which is led by the Revd Willi Stewart.
Alpha is a fifteen session, ten week, practical introduction to the Christian faith and has been designed primarily for non-churchgoers and those who have recently become Christians. The course was developed in Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, London, over twenty years ago and there are now some 25,000 Alpha courses throughout the world. The course is run in 132 countries and has been translated into fifty languages.
The Dublin Conference will be led by two members of the staff of Holy Trinity, Brompton, the Revd Jez Barnes and the Revd Paul Crowley, both of whom have considerable experience of Alpha courses and conferences. The conference is designed for leaders who would like to know more about Alpha, anyone already running an Alpha course, anyone who would like to bring their Alpha team to be trained.
Enquiries about the conference should be directed to Julie Carvill at 01-2861105 or email:CORE church
Today (Saturday) the Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh Diocesan Synod will be held in Rooskey, Co. Roscommon.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning RTE will broadcast Morning Prayer, according to the Book of Common Prayer, conducted by the Revd Tom Gordon. In Trinity College Chapel the preacher at the Sung Eucharist will be Fr Pearse Walsh from University Church, Dublin, while in St Bartholomew’s and Christ Church, Leeson Park, Fr John Littleton, President of the National Conference of Priests of Ireland, will be the preacher at the Harvest Thanksgiving Services. At Evensong in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, the Annual Swift Commemorative Address will be given by Professor Denis Donoghue, New York University, while in St Paul’s Church, Gleneageary, at 7.30 pm, there will be a Harvestide Service of the Word with an address from the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh.
In St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Galway, there will be two special liturgical events. At the Sung Eucharist music from six centuries will be sung by Resurgam, a new choir established by Mark Duley to explore the relationship between music, liturgy and space. Resurgam will sing again at 6.00 pm when Great Vespers, according to the Russian Orthodox rite, will be celebrated by Fr George Zavershinsky.
The celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the building of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Trim, will begin tomorrow (Sunday) when at 7.30 pm the Bishop of Meath and Kildare will preside at a Bi-Centenary Eucharist. On Thursday evening there will be a concert in the cathedral and on Sunday 26 October the Archbishop of Dublin will preach at a Festival Evensong.
The annual Day of Prayer and Praise, organized by the Church’s Ministry of Healing, will be held in St Michan’s Church, Dublin, on Wednesday when there will be services at lunchtime and at 6.00 pm. In the Irish Film Centre, Dublin, the Irish Sudanese Solidarity Group will host a Sudan Human Rights Day from mid-day until 3.00 pm.
On Thursday the final speaker in the ‘I Believe’ series of lunchtime talks in St George & St Thomas’ Church, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin, will be Mrs Betty Neill, wife of the Archbishop of Dublin. The Archbishop of Armagh will preach at a service in Belfast Cathedral for the International Conference of Soroptimists.
Next Saturday, 25 October, the Kilkenny Archaeological Society will host a seminar to celebrate 800 years of St Canice’s Cathedral. Details may be had from Rothe House, Parliament Street, Kilkenny (telephone 056-7722893).