Liturgical Advisory Committee30 Apr 21

Liturgical Advisory Committee launches Northern Ireland Centenary resource

The Centenary of the Opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament will take place on 22nd June 2021

The Liturgical Advisory Committee (LAC) of the Church of Ireland has published a resource for use in parishes marking the Centenary of the Opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament, which will take place on 22nd June 2021.  The published resource includes (in PDF and Word format):

• an introduction setting the historical context, written by the Revd Dr Stanley Gamble;
• a Service of the Word to mark the Centenary of the Opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament;
• a wide selection of suggested Scripture readings; and
• a range of prayers in contemporary and traditional language.

While the resource has been compiled with particular reference to the Northern Ireland Centenary, it is also intended that the structure and much of the content of this Service can be used in the future to help congregations and individuals pray for those in authority and government.

Speaking about the Service on behalf of the LAC, the Committee’s Chaplain, the Revd Adrian Dorrian, said: “Throughout the Decade of Centenaries, the LAC has been working in parallel with the Church of Ireland’s Historical Centenaries Working Group to provide worship leaders and parishes with resources to help mark and commemorate some of the most significant dates in our shared history.  We hope that this Service of the Word will be useful to those preparing to mark the Centenary of the Opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament in a liturgical setting. 

“Prayers for those in authority have always been at the heart of our worship; of course they are built in to the Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer.  Many of the resources in this service are not specific to this particular centenary, and we believe that they will remain useful to the Church as we continue to hold those in authority before God in the years to come.”

The resource can be accessed on the Church of Ireland website at this link.