CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
For Saturday 14 November 1998
The Church and Culture
The Church of Ireland, by accident of history, has
inherited responsibility for a significant part of that which in the
language of today would be described as "national heritage":
buildings and their contents, books and manuscripts, music and history.
There is an evident willingness to share these riches with a wider
audience and although resources within the Church are limited the
opportunities offered by conferences and publication programmes are
increasingly being utilised.
Today (Saturday) in Dublin the fourth and fifth
volumes in the Christ Church Documents Series will be launched by the
Dean of Christ Church, the Very Revd John Paterson. The Registers of
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, has been edited by Dr Raymond Refaussé
a²nd Dr Colm Lennon, and Music at Christ Church before 1800: Documents
and Selected Anthems, by Dr Barra Boydell. The Lay Vicars Choral, who
are the professional core of the cathedral choir, will sing some of the
pieces from Dr Boydell's selection.
This launch will take place in the context of a joint
meeting of the Church of Ireland Historical Society and the Welsh
Religious History Society which is being held over the week-end in
Christ Church and the Theological College. Among the speakers at the
conference will be the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Dr Richard Clarke,
the Vicar of St Ann's, Dublin, Dr Adrian Empey, and the general editor
of the Christ Church Documents Series, Dr Raymond Gillespie.
The Christ Church Documents Series is published by
Four Courts Press who are also the publishers of another book with
strong Church of Ireland associations. Elizabeth Bowen Remembered. The
Farahy Addresses, edited by Dr Eibhear Walsh, will be launched in Cork
on Thursday by Donnacha O Dualaing, the subject of whose M.A. thesis was
Elizabeth Bowen. The project is the brainchild of the Provost of Tuam,
the Very Revd Dr Robert MacCarthy, on whose initiative Farrahy church
was restored and the annual commemorative lecture instituted.
Another significant figure in the cultural life of
the Church is Lesley Whiteside: archivist, historian, biographer, and,
more recently, aficionada of stained glass. Her latest work The Book of
Saints, published by Bramley Books in England, is a profusely
illustrated study of the saints and stained glass and includes examples
of windows from Irish churches.
On the musical front the Choir of St Bartholomew's
parish church, Dublin, has produced a CD containing a selection of
popular European church music from 16th century to the present day.
Recently launched by Alexander Anissimov, Principal Conductor of the
National Symphony Orchestra, the CD is available from the APCK, Veritas,
Christ Church Cathedral and the Resource Centre in Rathmines.
Today (Saturday) the Church of Ireland Men's Society
will have a Quiet Afternoon in Magheradroll parish church, Ballynahinch
while in the evening in Dublin there will be a Missionary Forum in Kill
o' the Grange parish centre where the address will be given by Martin
Goldsmith, formerly Principal of All Nations College in England. In
Maynooth there will be a concert to celebrate the 750th anniversary of
St Mary's parish church where the Archbishop of Armagh will preach
tomorrow (Sunday) at a Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning RTE will broadcast a
service, from St Mark's Church, Dundela, to mark the centenary of the
birth of C.S. Lewis while in the afternoon the Lord Mayor of Dublin,
Senator Joe Doyle, will give the address at the annual Huguenot Service
in St Patrick's Cathedral.
On Wednesday the Archbishop of Dublin begins a
mission in the parish of St John, New Brunswick, Canada while the
Archbishop of Armagh will visit the Theological College.
On Friday the RCB Library will remain open until 7.30
pm.
Church of Ireland Notes appear in the Irish
Times whose web site may be found at
http://www.ireland.com/ |
