Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Music in Church
One of the important aspects of the ministry of the Church of Ireland is music. In cathedrals and some parish churches there are professional or semi–professional organists and choirs who enhance the celebration of the Eucharist, Matins and Evensong. Anyone may attend these services. There is no profession of faith required, only a willingness to observe the decency of the occasion.
Many churches have a fine acoustic and are regularly made available for recitals and concerts. Often these are free events with on occasions, a retiring collection for a parish [project or for a local or international charity.
Summer Music at Sandford continues today (Friday) in Sandford parish church, Ranelagh at 1.10 pm when soprano, Catrina Scullion, will sing accompanied by pianist, Catriona Grimes. Admission is free but donations will be welcome.
On Sunday evening at 8pm there will be a free orchestral concert in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, with the St Agnes CCMA Orchestra and the New Albany High School Orchestra form Ohio. Also in Christ Church, on Monday at 6pm, there will be the final organ recital in the spring series The cathedral looks forward to welcoming back former Assistant Director of Music, Jack Oades, who is now in Exeter cathedral. The recital free to attend.
Christ Church cathedral, Waterford, will be the venue for the Waterford International Organ Festival which opens next Thursday. The festival promises to take listeners “From the Deep Sea to Lofty Heights” and includes special concerts inspired by Hamburg and Parisian composers. It will celebrate the significant anniversaries of Gabriel Fauré, Théodore Dubois and Matthias Weckmann, and will bring world famous organists to Waterford to perform programmes from the golden eras of organ composition including Professor Matthias Havinga from Amsterdam and Eric Lebrun from Paris. There will be something for everybody at the festival with a Bach cantata, a Handel organ concerto, arias and choral masterpieces and an “Underwater creatures” musical adventure for children, Full details of all the events can be found on www.waterfordinternationalorganfestival.ie
Looking further ahead the Raymond Russell Memorial Recital with music from Monkstown Parish Choir and the Students of the ACCM will be presented by Church Music Dublin on Saturday 15 June at 4pm at Monkstown parish church. Further information may be had at info@churchmusicdublin.org
On Sunday morning, in St Patrick’s cathedral, Armagh, the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross will preach at a service of ordination when four new deacons will be ordained by the Archbishop of Armagh. The four individuals, Rita Arthur, David Hawthorne, Jackie Carson and Rhonda Dempsey will serve as Ordained Local Ministers in parishes in various parts of the diocese.
On Tuesday the Bishop of Cashel, Ossory & Ferns will ordain to the deaconate Andrew Pender in St Mary’s church, Baltinglass, at 7.30pm. He will serve in the Ordained Local Ministry based in the Baltinglass group of parishes where the rector is the Revd Máirt Hanley.
Published in the Friday edition of The Irish Times