CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
For Saturday 4th August 2001
From: The RCB Library
Email: RCB Library
New Editor for Gazette
Last week the Church of Ireland Gazette devoted
its front page to the news of the appointment of Canon Adrian Empey as
Principal of the Theological College. This week, in a similar format, the
Gazette's front page carries the news of the appointment of its new editor,
Canon Ian Ellis.
Dr Ellis is no stranger to the Gazette, having been a leader writer for
the paper for many years, and he has also considerable experience of
broadcasting. As a former member of the editorial committee of Search
and a most active member of the publishing committee of the APCK, he is well
versed in the wider world of Church of Ireland publishing. He is also the
author of a number of thoughful books and articles, principally on the theme
of ecumenism, most notably Vision and Reality. A survey of twentieth
century Irish inter-church relations which was published in 1992.
A graduate of both Queen's and Trinity, Dr Ellis was ordained in 1977 for
the curacy of St Columba's, Portadown, and subsequently served a second
curacy in St Mark's, Armagh where he was also chaplain to the Royal School.
In 1985 he was appointed Rector of Mullavilly in the Diocese of Armagh, and
since 1993 has been Rector of Newcastle, Co. Down. Last year the Bishop of
Down and Dromore appointed him to a canonry in Belfast Cathedral.
He is well known for his commitment to the cause of ecumenism having been
honorary secretary of the General Synod's Committee for Christian Unity and
co-chairman of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting's Department of Social Issues.
He is currently President of the Irish Council of Churches and a member of
the Anglican Consultative Council's ecumenical advisory group.
Evidently Dr Ellis will bring a wide and impressive range of skills and
experiences to one of the most important posts in the Church of Ireland.
Like it or loathe it, the Gazette is a vital part of the communication
structure of the Church of Ireland and one of the Church's most significant
historical continuums. Founded in 1856 as the Irish Ecclesiastical
Gazette (it changed to its present title in 1900) the Gazette predates
all other Church of Ireland publications of record - the diocesan magazines,
the Church of Ireland Directory and the Journal of the General
Synod. It is an essential source for any historical examination of the
Church of Ireland from the mid nineteenth century onwards and it is vital it
continues to record and interpret the rich diversity of the life of the
Church.
Dr Ellis, who will continue in his post as Rector of Newcastle, will
succeed the present editor, Canon Cecil Cooper, on 1 October.
Today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday) the services in Christ Church
Cathedral, Dublin, will be sung by The Priory Singers from Ipswich. Tomorrow
(Sunday) the Bishop of Tuam, Dr Richard Henderson, will visit Errislannan
while in Clonmacnoise there will be a celebration of the Eucharist at 4.00
pm.
On Thursday the lunchtime recital in St Ann's Church, Dublin, will be
given by Dr Stanley Monkhouse who is organist in St Ann's. In
Castletownshend, Co. Cork, the Annual Festival of Classical Music continues
in St Barrahane's Church where there will be concert by Anúna.
Millennium funding has been secured to floodlight Turlough parish church
and the round tower. The church, described succinctly by Samuel Lewis in his
Topographical Dictionary of Ireland as "a neat edifice in the
later English style" is outside Castlebar and is part of a group of
parishes based on Westport where the rector is the Revd Gary Hastings.
Church of Ireland Notes appear in the Irish
Times whose web site may be found at
http://www.ireland.com/ |
