Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Climate Sunday
Parishes across the Church of Ireland are being encouraged to support Climate Sunday – an initiative of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland – in a new short video filmed around Ireland.
The initiative is calling on all local churches to hold a climate–focused service on any Sunday before the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November this year, and to commit to long–term action on climate change. The collective action and commitments from local churches across Britain and Ireland will be presented to the UK Government at a Nations Climate Sunday Service in Glasgow on 5 September.
The video, produced on behalf of the Church and Society Commission, is introduced by Canon Andrew Orr, a member of the Commission and also Chair of Eco–Congregation Ireland, an inter–church organisation seeking to help churches to celebrate the gift of God’s creation, recognise the inter–dependence of all creation, and care for it in their life and mission and through members’ personal lifestyles.
The Archbishop of Armagh remarked: ‘There has probably never been a time when an emphasis by the Churches on the care of the created order is needed. Climate Sunday gives parishes the opportunity to celebrate God’s work in creation as well as his work in redemption, at a time when the need to do so is most pressing.’
Canon Orr, added: ‘Climate Sunday is a fantastic initiative which is already proving very popular, with over 5,000 churches already signed up. It’s a very straightforward way for churches to highlight the issue of climate justice in their congregations and get involved in caring for God’s creation.’
Parishes are encouraged to share the video widely in their services and through their websites and social media accounts over the summer months, and to register their interest before Sunday September 5 at www.climatesunday.org
Eco–Congregation Ireland’s latest newsletter highlights examples of environmental projects undertaken by churches across the island of Ireland. This includes coverage of the group’s first Gold Awards ceremony, ‘no–mow’ areas at Carrigaline union of parishes, a call for climate campaign organisers from Christian Aid Ireland, a mini–series on creation care at St John’s, Orangefield, and the recent Voices of the Climate Crisis webinar hosted by the Irish Council of Churches – see www.ecocongregationireland.com
Tomorrow (Sunday)at 3.15pm in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, three recently elected canons will be installed: the Revd Aonghus Mayes, the Revd Ian Gallagher, and the Very Revd Roderick Smyth to the Prebends of Newcastle, Tipperkevin, and Taney, respectively. They will join three colleagues who were installed two weeks ago making a total of six installations in the one month, a record for the Chapter: the Revd Katharine Poulton, the Revd Malcolm Kingston, and the Very Revd Kenneth Hall to the Prebends of Swords, Yagoe, and Tassagard, respectively.
Every Friday at 5.00 p.m. from now to the end of August, the St Patrick’s Cathedral Organists, David Leigh and Stuart Nicholson, will be giving an organ recital online on the Willis organ. Further details at www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/live_at_five. In next Friday’s recital, David Leigh will be playing works by the French organist and composer, Marcel Dupré.
Church Music Dublin has commissioned a series of short videos in which David O’Shea discusses the various stops on the organ. These videos will be of interest to organ students and other interested parties. The videos may be found on the Church Music Dublin website at the following link: Introduction to Organ Registration | Church Music Dublin
Published in the Saturday edition of The Irish Times