Added on 19/01/2013

Saturday 19 January 2013

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which began yesterday, will be a focus for community acts of worship in cathedrals and churches throughout the Church of Ireland. The new Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke, on behalf of the Church of Ireland’s Commission for Unity and Dialogue, has reminded clergy that service material provided by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) for use during Christian Unity Week is available for free download at www.ctbi.org.uk/weekofprayer

Yesterday (Friday) evening the Dublin Council of Churches Opening Service took place in St George & St Thomas‘ church in Cathal Brugha Street which houses both Church of Ireland and the Indian orthodox communities. Leaders from the Christian communities in the city were present and the address was given by the Revd Professor Frederick Bliss from Rome.

Tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon Archbishop Diarmuid Martin will preach in St Saviour’s Church, Arklow, where the local ecumenical gospel choir, Revival, will lead the singing, while at 6pm in St Bartholomew’s church, Dublin, there will be Choral Evensong attended by the Constantinian Order, the Order of St Lazarus, the Order of St John, the Papal Knights, the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the Order of Malta. On Tuesday evening the Dean of Belfast, the Very Revd John Mann, will preach in St Peter’s cathedral, Belfast, and on Friday evening Dr Patrick Devitt, Principal of All Hallow’s College, will preach in Drumcondra parish church.

An Interchurch Service in the Irish language will be held in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, on Friday, evening at 8pm. This service, a tradition for over 20 years, will celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with hymns, prayers and readings. Hymns will be sung by the choir of Gaelscoil na Cille, Co. Meath, a consort of Christ Church Cathedral choir will sing canticles and an anthem and there will also be music played on the uilleann pipes. The Rev Elaine Dunne will preach and refreshments will be available in the medieval cathedral crypt after the service. The service has been organised by Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise and Pobal an Aifrinn.

This afternoon, at 3pm, in St John’s church, Malone, Belfast, there will be a Memorial Eucharist in thanksgiving for the life of Canon Brian Mayne. A distinguished liturgist, Canon Mayne was Honorary Secretary of the Liturgical Advisory Committee and editor of the Book of Common Prayer 2004.

The lunchtime lecture in St Bartholomew’s church, Belfast, on Tuesday will be on ‘The Poor – Always With Us?’. It will take the form of a conversation between Dr Esmond Birnie, Chief Economist with Price Waterhouse Cooper in Northern Ireland, and the Revd Dr Scott Peddie, Minister of Templepatrick Non–Subscribing Presbyterian Church who is active with Christians Against Poverty in Northern Ireland.

Christian Aid Ireland‘s CEO, Rosamund Bennett, has welcomed the news of the appointment of the recently retired Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, as chairman of the board of trustees of Christian Aid. Dr Williams will take up his new appointment in May. There is a strong relationship with the board of Christian Aid Ireland, chaired by the Bishop of Limerick, the Rt Revd Trevor Williams, who is currently part of a delegation visiting Israel and Palestine. He is visiting organisations that promote civil and human rights, agricultural development, and the development of sustainable communities. Also on the delegation are the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the Bishop of Worcester, together with Christian Aid staff including Rosamond Bennett.

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’