The Church of Ireland
News Briefing

CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
For Saturday 23rd November 2002

From: The RCB Library
Email: RCB Library

Meeting of European Cultural Parliament

Dr Kenneth Milne, who chairs the European Affairs Panel of the Church in Society Committee of the General Synod, attended the first session of the European Cultural Parliament in Belgium earlier this month.

The parliament, which a non-governmental organization, is comprised of writers, artists and arts administrators from the member states of the European Union, and from the applicant countries. The conveners of the parliament believe that one of the reasons why many Europeans feel distanced from the EU and its institutions is that it has become too much identified, in their minds, with politics and bureaucracy. Some fifty members from the world of literature, history, music, film, archaeology and architecture addressed the issue of how best the arts and humanities might contribute to the development, among the citizens of Europe, of a greater understanding of their common cultural inheritance.

The parliament was held in the College d'Europe, in Bruges, during the city's year as European City of Culture, and was supported by UNESCO, the Finnish Ministry of Education, the Council of Europe and the Finnish Ministry of Culture. The session was chaired by a Swedish diplomat, Karl-Erik Norrman, and was facilitated by students from the College d'Europe which trains future European administrators.

Today (Saturday) the All Ireland Council of the Mothers' Union will meet in Castleknock parish Centre, Dublin, where the guest speaker will be Mr Peter Byrne from Christian Aid. Key issues arising from the recent MU conference in South Africa, including AIDS/HIV, will be discussed. In the Lady Chapel of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, at 8.00 pm the Gaudette Singers, directed by David Leigh, the sub-organist in St Patrick's, will give a recital. The main work will be the Missa Pange Longua by Josquin Desprez, and there will also be works by Ricard Deering and Peter Phillips.

Tomorrow (Sunday) the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd John Neill, will visit Holmpatrick while in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, the preacher at the Sung Eucharist will be the Revd Lars Kielland, a Lutheran priest from Lillehammer in Norway. In the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist, Cashel, the Guinness Choir, directed by David Milne, will sing during Morning Prayer when the preacher will be the Revd Tom Dundas. At Evensong in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Canon David Williams, Rector of Kinsale, will preach at the annual commemoration of those who lost their lives on Irish ships, 1939-45. At 8.00 pm in St Flannan's Cathedral, Killaloe, the the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Rt Revd Michael Mayes, will re-dedicate the organ and preach.

On Monday the Armagh Clergy Conference begins in Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal, and continues until Thursday. The guest speaker will be the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones.

Tuesday is Charter Day in The King's Hospital and the first occasion on which the new Archbishop of Dublin will visit the school as one of its governors. The final history lecture in the current lunchtime series, which has been organized by Dublin City Council and Christ Church Cathedral, will be given in City Hall at 1.15 pm. The speaker will be Ms Sheila Carden from the Old Dublin Society who will speak on "Alderman Tom Kelly and the Political Crisis, 1917-21.

On Wednesday evening in Granard parish church, Co. Longford, the Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, the Rt Revd Ken Clarke, will introduce the Revd Janet Catterall as a part time stipendiary priest in the Mostrim group of parishes. Mrs Catterall has been Rector of Drung, Co. Cavan, since 1995.