CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
For Saturday 28th October 2000
From: The RCB
Library
Email: RCB Library
Church Silver Exhibition
In recent years there has been something of a renewal of interest in
the relationship between the Anglican Church and fine art. Books such as
Canon Keith Walker's Images or idols? The place of sacred art in
churches today and Jeremy Begbie's Voicing creation's praise.
Towards a theology of the arts have been useful in stimulating
debate and have helped the Church to begin to recover its ancient role
as a patron of the arts.
The reformed Church of Ireland, true to its puritan roots, betrayed
little interest in art. Its church buildings were, for the most part,
plain and unadorned with little colour on walls, in windows or in
furnishings until the nineteenth century. However, in one area of
artistic endeavour, the commissioning of silverwork, the Church of
Ireland was a considerable patron. The Reformation changed eucharistic
practice by emphasizing greater lay participation in the the Holy
Communion. Chalices were abandoned or refashioned into larger communion
cups, flagons were required for wine, and patens increased in size. Many
of these new pieces, which were the work of leading Dublin and
provincial silversmiths, were memorial pieces and their decoration and
inscriptions are valuable sources for aspects of local history.
There is, until the end of November, an opportunity to see some of
the best provincial pieces and these are on show in the Office of Public
Works, 51 St Stephen's Green, Dublin. The exhibition entitled "Me
fieri fecit. North Thomond Church Silver" includes Church of
Ireland chalices, patens and flagons from the cathedrals and parishes in
the dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe. Admission is free.
Two other aspects of the Church's cultural life will be addressed
next week. In the National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin on Wednesday
evening the Irish Society for Archives will
host a lecture by Dr Raymond Refaussé on "The role of the
Representative Church Body Library as a repository for the archives and
manuscripts of the Church of Ireland". All are welcome to this
lecture which will begin at 8.00 pm.
On Friday the Roscrea Autumn Conference begins and continues until
the 5 November when the theme will be "Aspects of Music and Liturgy
in the Medieval Irish Church". Among the speakers will be Dr Barra
Boydell, Senior Lecturer in Music, NUI-Maynooth, who will give papers on
the musical heritage of Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedrals,
Dublin. Bookings and additional information may be had from Fr Nivard
Kinsella, Guestmaster, Mt St Joseph, Roscrea (tele 0505-21711).
Tomorrow RTE will broadcast parish communion from All Saints' Church,
Grangegorman where the vicar is Canon David Pierpoint while also
televising a parish eucharist with the Revd Ian Poulton and the
congregation of Killiney, Ballybrack. The Rector of Ballyrashane, Co.
Antrim, the Revd John McDowell, will preach at the Sung Eucharist in
Trinity College Chapel, Dublin, while in St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork
the chapter preacher will be Canon Paul Willoughby. At Evensong in St
Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the "Hopes for the New
Millennium" address will be given by Fr Peter McVerry S.J.
On Tuesday the final lunchtime lecture in the present series on
"Some Archbishops of Dublin and Glendalough" will be given in
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, at 1.15 pm, when Dr Muriel McCarthy,
Keeper of Marsh's Library, whose subject, will speak on Narcissus Marsh.
On Friday the Church's Ministry of Healing in the Diocese of Derry
and Raphoe will hold an Evening Conference
beginning at 7.30 pm. The guest speaker, in St Peter's Church, will be
Dr Anne Townsend, a non-stipendiary minister of the Church of England,
who is a doctor, and psychotherapist.
Church of Ireland Notes appear in the Irish
Times whose web site may be found at http://www.ireland.com/ |
