The Church of Ireland
News Briefing

CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
For Saturday 14th September 2002

From: The RCB Library
Email: RCB Library

College of Preachers Meets in Dublin

The annual residential meeting of the College of Preachers will begin in the Church of Ireland Theological College on Wednesday and continue until Friday. The guest speaker will the Rt Revd John Taylor who was Bishop of St Albans from 1980 to 1995. Many will be familiar with Bishop Taylor's preaching books such as Preaching through the Prophets and Preaching on God's Justice but on this occasion he will be focusing on preaching from the Old Testament.

The College is open to all who have an interest in this vital aspect of the Church's witness, both clergy and laity, and to those preparing for ministry. There can be little doubt of the importance of preaching in the life of the Church and a greater participation, especially from ordained clergy who must preach regularly, in the affairs of the College would be welcome. Details may be had from the Hon. Secretary, the Revd Ferran Glenfield, Kill o' the Grange Parish Office, Blackrock, Co. Dublin (tel: 01-2896442).

Today (Saturday), from 11am to 6pm, and tomorrow (Sunday), from 2pm to 5pm, a major Festival of Flowers entitled "Harvest by the Sea" continues in St Patrick's Church, Harbour Road, Dalkey, Co. Dublin, the proceeds from which will be divided among local charities and the church tower restoration fund.

Tomorrow (Sunday), in Dublin, the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral will visit Christ Church Cathedral where they will attend the Sung Eucharist. At Evensong in St Patrick's Cathedral the annual Battle of Britain Commemoration Service will be held at which the preacher will be the Precentor, Canon Robert Reed. RTE Radio will broadcast a service of Holy Communion, conducted by the Revd Tom Gordon, which will include the 'Thanksgiving' setting of the eucharist by Sue Furlong, which won the recent RTE Church Music Competition.

On Tuesday the Standing Committee of the General Synod and the Representative Church Body will meet in Church of Ireland House, Dublin and on Wednesday the bishops will meet.

In the National Library of Ireland, on Tuesday evening, Professor Mary Daly, from UCD, will launch a new book by Dr Susan Hood, Assistant Librarian and Archivist in the Representative Church Body Library. Royal Roots - Republican Inheritance is a study of the survival of the Office of Arms in Dublin which registered coats of arms and preserved the pedigrees of the leading families of Ireland, many of whom were influential in affairs of the Church of Ireland. The book charts the development of the institution from the mid-nineteenth century, when still an office of the British crown, through its reformation as the Genealogical Office in the new Republic of Ireland. This is a well told story, enhanced by many illustrations, and enlivened by acute observation of personalities such as Sir Bernard Burke and Sir Arthur Vicars and events like the disappearance of the Irish crown jewels and the Irish contribution to the design of the flag of the European Union. Royal Roots - Republican Inheritance is published by the Woodfield Press, Dublin, in association with the National Library of Ireland.

In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin on Wednesday at 8.00 pm the Mothers' Union Diocesan Festival Service will be held. The service will take the form of Evensong and the address will be given by the All Ireland President, Mrs Paddy Wallace.

On Thursday evening in St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork, there will be a concert by the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra. On the following evening, in west Cork, the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Rt Revd Paul Colton, will institute the Revd Judith Hubbard-Jones as Rector of Kinneigh Union of Parishes. Ms Hubbard-Jones, was ordained to the priesthood in 1997 and since then has been Chaplain and Visitors' Officer in Gloucester Cathedral.