Irish Times Notes17 Dec 16

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

40th Black Santa Sit–Out

Yesterday (Friday) Belfast’s Black Santa, the Very Rev John Mann, began the 40th charity sit–out on the steps of St Anne’s cathedral. This will be Dean Mann’s 6th sit–out. As always he will be supported by the Bishops of Connor and Down & Dromore and members of the Cathedral Chapter who will join the Dean on the steps of the Cathedral from 8am until 6pm every day, with the exception of Sunday, from the launch until Christmas Eve.

The Dean’s Christmas sit–out raises much needed funds for local charities who work hard to change lives all year round, with a percentage going to overseas charities. The tradition was established by Dean Sammy Crooks who, after his installation in the Cathedral in 1970, set about raising major funding to complete the Cathedral, a project that had been on–going since 1899. He realised that those in Northern Ireland had given generously to his building fund over the years, and it was now time for the Cathedral to be seen to support local charities.

The Dean is hoping that in this, his sixth Black Santa year and the 40th of the tradition, he can reach his £200,000 target. He also expects the sum collected since he took on the Black Santa mantle to pass the £1 million mark early in the sit–out.

The Annual Ecumenical Carol Singing on the steps of Dublin’s Mansion House on Dawson Street, organised by the Diocesan Council for Mission and the Archdiocese’s Office for Evangelisation & Ecumenism, will take place today (Saturday) at 2.30pm.  The singing will be led by Crumlin Community Choir and there will be seasonal readings by the Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr. Rebecca Moynihan), Eileen Dunne (RTE), Very Revd Bryan Shorthall OFM Cap (Parish Priest, Halston Street), Revd Rosemary Lindsay (Methodist Church) and Dr Iva Beranek (Church’s Ministry of Healing).

This evening at 4pm St John’s Church, Park Avenue, Sandymount, will host their Carols by Candlelight service when there will be a collection for Merchants’ Quay Ireland, while in Christ Church cathedral at 8pm the Mornington Singers will give a Christmas concert. The Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory, the Rt Revd Michael Burrows, will preside at a Carol Service & Service of Light at 7pm to mark the re–opening of St Mary’s church, Littleton, which is part of Kilcooley union of parishes in Co. Tipperary, where the rector is the Revd Victor Fitzpatrick.

Tomorrow (Sunday)  at 11am a new branch of the Mothers’ Union will be inaugurated in St Lasarian’s Cathedral, Old Leighlin, at the main Sunday Eucharist by the Revd Margaret Sykes, Diocesan President. The Mothers’ Union is open to women and men and the 2017 enrolment in Leighlin will reflect this membership. The Leighlin branch will be the newest branch of the Mothers’ Union in the diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory and in the wider Church of Ireland. 

There will be Festivals of Nine Lessons and Carols tomorrow (Sunday) in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin, at 3.15, in St Fin Barres’s cathedral, Cork, at 4pm and in St Canice’s cathedral, Kilkenny at 5pm. The Galway Civic Carol Service will be held in St Nicholas’ Collegiate church at 4pm and at 7pm the Dublin Civic Carol Service will take place in St Ann’s church, Dawson Street.

In Christ Church cathedral. Dublin, there will be a Service of Five Lessons and Carols tomorrow (Sunday) at 3.30pm and a Service of Nine Lessons and Carols on Monday evening at 8pm.