CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
For Saturday 6th April 2002
From: The RCB Library
Email: RCB Library
70th Anniversary Celebrations at St Polycarp's
Tomorrow (Sunday) the former Bishop of Connor,
Dr Samuel Poyntz, will preach at Festal Evensong in St Polycarp's
Church, Finaghy, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the consecration
of the church.
St Polycarp's, a distinctive building in late Gothic
style, on an elevated site, will be a familiar landmark to those who
regularly drive along the Lisburn Road towards Belfast. Its origins lie
in the church extension programme, closely associated with John
Frederick McNeice, Archdeacon of Connor from 1927 until 1931 and
subsequently Bishop of Connor, which sought to provide churches for five
areas of special opportunity in the Belfast area- Finaghy, Stranmillis,
Donegal Road, Mountpottinger and Cregagh. Indeed it is said to have been
McNeice who chose the dedication for the new church - Polycarp, Bishop
of Smyrna, saint and martyr, and one of the most important Christians in
Roman Asia in the mid-second century.
The new church was consecrated on 2 April 1932 by
Bishop Grierson and in its seventy year history has enjoyed the services
of a faithful succession of clergy, some of whom went on to make their
mark elsewhere. The first curate in charge was the Revd F.J. Mitchell,
later to be Bishop of Kilmore and Bishop of Down and Dromore, Sterling
Mortimer, a curate in the 1940s, became Dean of Elphin, while the
present Dean of Connor, the Very Revd John Bond was a curate in St
Polycarp's. But perhaps its most significant clerical son was Jim
Hartin, who, as Sub Warden of the Divinity Hostel and the first
Principal of the Church of Ireland Theological College, was a formative
influence on generations of ordinands.
Since 1996 the Rector of Finaghy has been the Revd
Clifford Skillen who is also Assistant Editor of the Church of
Ireland Gazette.
Today (Saturday) a publication entitled Steeple
and People, which has been produced by Whitechurch parish, Co.
Dublin, will be launched by Mr Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs
Correspondent of The Irish Times. This publication is in aid of
the church restoration fund and has been edited by the Revd Patrick
Comerford. The united parishes of Lucan and Leixlip will hold a Monster
Book Sale in the Church of Ireland Parish Centre, Main Street, Lucan
from 10.30 until 2.00 pm. In St Nicholas' Collegiate Church, Galway, the
Chapel Choir of Trinity College, Dublin, will give a concert this
evening (Saturday) and will sing the service tomorrow (Sunday)
morning.
In Dublin the first Sunday Eucharist of Trinity term
will be celebrated in the Chapel of Trinity College tomorrow (Sunday)
morning while in St Patrick's Cathedral the services will be sung by the
choir of St Peter's Church, Antrim Road, Belfast directed by Robert
Thompson. In the evening in St Macartan's Cathedral, Enniskillen, the
Bishop of Clogher, Dr Michael Jackson, will be enthroned while, in
Killala, the Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, Dr Richard Henderson,
will attend the episcopal ordination of Monsignor John Fleming.
On Monday the Dean of St Patrick's, Dublin, Dr Robert
MacCarthy, will address the Friends of St Columb's Cathedral, Derry. In
Portsmouth Cathedral the annual Deans' and Provosts' Conference begins
at which the sole Irish delegate will be the Dean of Christ Church,
Dublin, the Very Revd John Paterson. A fine theological programme has
been devised using the talents of two of the Anglican primates, who will
be meeting in Canterbury later in the week. Archbishop Peter Carnley
from Perth, Western Australia, is regarded as a radical, liberal thinker
while Archbishop David Gitari from Kenya is expected to speak from a
more evangelical viewpoint.
Church of Ireland Notes appear in the Irish
Times whose web site may be found at
http://www.ireland.com/ |
