Irish Times Notes13 May 23

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Historical Society Meeting in Armagh

The Spring conference of the Church of Ireland Historical Society will be held in the Armagh Robinson Library on Saturday 20 May, beginning at 10 am with registration at 10.30am.

In the morning session the Revd Dr Adrian Empey will speak about the Red Book of Ossory of which he is preparing an edition for the Irish Manuscripts Commission. This will be followed by a paper on ‘The pilgrimage to St Patrick’s Purgatory’s function and significance in later medieval society’ by Tara Shields, who is a history PHD candidate in Queen’s University, Belfast.

After lunch, Dr Raymond Gillespie, Professor Emeritus in Maynooth University, will discuss ‘The collegiate church in seventeenth century Ireland: a question of survival’, and the conference will conclude with a paper by Dr Andrew Holmes, Reader in History and Chair of the Religious Studies Research Forum at Queen’s University Belfast, on ‘More than unionism and conflict? Protestant religion in Northern Ireland to 1980’.

Attendance is free to all paid–up members. Non–members can purchase a one–day membership for €10/£10.

The annual subscription is fixed at €40/£40 (student rate £15/€15). This includes admission to our bi–annual conferences, book discounts, and exclusive access to the Society’s recordings of papers delivered at previous conferences. Subscriptions for 2023 may be paid on the membership section of the Society’s website: churchofirelandhist.org.  Lunch will be available in Number 9 Vicars’ Hill at a cost of £10/€10.

Queries may be addressed to the honorary secretaries, Professor Alan Ford or Dr Miriam Moffitt, by email (secretary.coihs@gmail.com). Alternatively, you can visit the society’s website.

Tomorrow (Sunday) at 3.15pm the Friends of Armagh Cathedral Annual Service will be held. The preacher will be the Very Revd Kenneth Hall, Dean of Clogher.

On Monday evening at 6pm the series of organ recitals will continue in  Christ Church cathedral, Dublin. The recitalist will be Arthur Greene, the  Cathedral’s Organ Scholar.

In St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, the Tuesday lunchtime concert at 1.15pm will be given by Celia Donoghue (clarinet) and Ethna Tinney (piano).

Thursday is the Feast of the Ascension when Church of Ireland House, Dublin, will be closed.

The Church of Ireland’s Inter Faith Working Group is pleased to be partnering with the Sanctuary in Faith Stream of Places of Sanctuary in an in–person conference to take place on Saturday 20 May. The topic is ‘The Dialogue of Friendship: Living together in our diverse communities’. The keynote speaker is the Rev Dr Stephen Skuce, with representatives from Direct Provision centres and the Tullamore Welcome Centre. The venue is the Irish School of Ecumenics, Dublin, and the event will start at 10am. Attendees and participants are asked to register at: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/dialogue-of-friendship-living-together-in-diverse-communities-tickets-552413492627

The Commission on Ministry is asking parishes to encourage conversations and discussions by holding a Vocation Sunday on 21 May, or another date at their discretion. Anyone with an interest in exploring a vocation to ordained ministry is encouraged to speak with their Rector in the first instance.  A range of resources is available at www.vocations.ireland.anglican.org which include articles on pathways to ordination, lay ministry, Pioneer Ministry, and understanding selection.

The Honorary Secretaries of the United Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough have announced the appointment of Ian Walshe as the new Diocesan Secretary. He succeeds Sylvia Heggie who officially retired at the end of 2022. Ian will be well known to many in the dioceses as he worked for the Representative Church Body, most recently in the property section.