Liturgical Advisory Committee
Liturgical Advisory Committee news
Presentation to long–serving secretary following retirement
The 273rd meeting of the Church of Ireland’s Liturgical Advisory Committee took place over two days on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th November 2022.
The LAC continues to be active, preparing and planning the development of liturgical material for the Church of Ireland. Initial discussions around a major liturgical resource for Children’s and Families Ministry took place. Members were very pleased with the material that was presented and discussed. Work on this will be ongoing for some time.
Wording was agreed for a draft motion to be brought to the 2023 General Synod, asking leave to bring a Bill in 2024 to amend the Book of Common Prayer to correct a discrepancy around the observance of Remembrance Sunday. This draft will be submitted to the Synod Office in due course for feedback through the appropriate structures.
Prayer resources for those struggling in times of particular challenge and anxiety were approved. These were compiled at the invitation of the Church and Society Commission, who will make this resource (which includes prayers for use during public worship and personal devotion) available. Some prayers for use in churches around the weekend of the Coronation of King Charles III in the UK on 6th May 2023 were also completed.
Finally, work was begun on a set of prayers for use by those in the 18–35 age group. The LAC also moved into its various sub–committees during this two–day meeting: Resources (which drafts and edits liturgical material); Music (which has several projects in the early stages of development); and Children’s Liturgy. In due course, a new digital and typesetting committee will also be convened.
A special presentation was made to the Very Revd Gerald Field. Dean Field has recently retired from the LAC after 18 years as Honorary Secretary; he and his wife Lucy joined committee members for the Tuesday evening meal.
The LAC’s Vice–Chair, the Venerable Ricky Rountree (who happens to be Dean Field’s predecessor as Honorary Secretary), paid tribute to all that he had done during his tenure to support the work of the committee and the worshipping life of the Church of Ireland as a whole. In particular, he noted that Dean Field took on the new role at a point when the LAC had to redetermine its identity following an intense and focused period of work to produce the 2004 Book of Common Prayer. Dean Field was instrumental in helping to gently steer the LAC during this period, and played a vital role as one of the ‘public faces’ of the committee throughout the Church of Ireland. The Dean was presented with a cut glass ornamental replica of the title page of the Book of Common Prayer – a small gift in acknowledgement of his considerable and effective service over 18 years.
Dean Field has been succeeded as Honorary Secretary by the Very Revd Nigel Dunne, Dean of Cork.
