Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
St Patrick’s Gift Day
Today (Saturday) is the Dean of St Patrick’s, Gift Day. In normal circumstances the Dean, Dr William Morton, would be in the cathedral, meeting donors, dispensing hospitality and talking about this year’s project. But, of course, these are not normal times – the cathedral is not yet open and so it will be donation at a distance.
For over 30 years, the Dean’s Gift Day has focused on initiatives which would not have been possible without the support of the wider community. Theses have greatly improved the fabric of the cathedral. Last year’s appeal raised over €23,845 towards the restoration of the historic green altar frontal.
This year the cathedral has faced unprecedented challenges, having to close its doors to worshippers and visitors due to the Covid-19 virus. The daily life of St Patrick’s has continued however – not least in its worship, and music. Through the use of ‘live stream’ choral evensong was available on Sundays, and, since the beginning of June, this has been extended to include choral matins each Sunday, as well as choral evensong on weekdays. Another most welcome dimension has been the series of lunchtime organ recitals by Cathedral Organist, David Leigh, on Mondays and Fridays through live stream (www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/worship/video-stream). There have been a large number of listeners during these stressful times, and it seems likely that the transmission of services and musical events in this way will continue as the Church emerges from the grip of this pandemic.
This is what is behind the decision to make the upgrading of the ‘live stream’ the subject of the Dean’s Gift Day Appeal 2020. The quality of sound available on live stream currently does not do justice to the standard of the organ and choral tradition offered in St Patrick’s. However, to upgrade the live stream will be extremely costly. Professional advice has indicated that the most urgent need is to improve the audio output of live stream, followed later by the visual component. The aim is to raise in the region of €50,000 so that the quality of the system will be commensurate with what St Patrick’s requires.
Contributions are invited via the website at www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/donate. Alternatively a donation may be made by cheque which should be sent to the cathedral office at St Patrick’s Cathedral, St Patrick’s Close, Dublin D08 H6X3, and made payable to ‘Saint Patrick’s Cathedral’.
The revised government restrictions will allow for places of worship to open next Monday, St Peter’s Day. The Archbishop of Dublin will celebrate Holy Communion in Christ Church Taney, at 11am, joined by the Rector of Taney, Canon Robert Warren, and Curate, the Revd Nigel Pierpoint. In line with Government guidelines, numbers in the church will be limited and measures have been taken by the parish to ensure the safety of the congregation. Attendance at the service is at the invitation of the Archbishop.
The re-opening of churches in a still challenging environment will require sure foundations and ceaseless vigilance. To this end a set of protocols has been prepared by representatives from the House of Bishops, the RCB Executive Committee and RCB staff. The protocols are available in the Parish Resources section of the Church of Ireland website. In addition, the Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough have produced a video in which RTÉ’s Bryan Dobson guides churchgoers through the general steps being taken to ensure their safety and that of their fellow worshippers. It is available on the Dublin & Glendalough YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/vcYyhwFTRKQ
Published in the Saturday edition of The Irish Times