The cathedral and all its members will wish to offer deepest sympathy to Mr Barry Farrell, our sacristan, and his sister on the occasion of the recent death of their mother. Mrs Farrell had been in hospital for some time but had become weaker and less mobile. She died on 16 July and wa buried from the Church of the Assumption, Milltown, on Friday 18 July. The dean assisted in the service and many people associated with the cathedral were in attendance. Mrs Farrell was a member of the Friends of Christ Church and, with Barry, a regular on all the Friends' English visits.
June 22 and 29 gave us the largest number of ordinations for some years - four
deacons and two priests. For the first time in the cathedral's history a mother
was ordained deacon and her son was on of the serviers at the ordination Eucharist,
Bernie Daly and son Stephen.
The deacons on 22 June were Bernie Daly for the assistant curacy of Taney Parish, Olive Henderson as non-stipendary deacon in Tallaght, Andrew McLellan as curate assistant in the Christ Church Cathedral Group, and David Palmer as curate assistant in Glenageary. Just over six hundred people were present in the cathedral with over 530 receiving Holy Communion. Archdeacon Gordon Linney had the service under control and our thanks are due to him for its organisation.
Priest, on 29 June, had two candidates - Harry Lew, non-stipendary curate in Whitechurch parish, and Darren McFarland curate-assistant of Greystones. There was a congregation of nearly three hundred and some 220 communicants. The service was arranged by Archdeacon Edgar Swann, as permitted by his curate! It's good to hear Darren pronounce the absolution at Sunday Evensong. It seems he was allowed to say it as a deacon in Westminster Abbey on the choir tour last year - but not in Christ Church Cathedral!
In the cathedral we are fortunate in having a fine group of vicars and now, included among them, the newly ordained Andrew and Darren.
August brings us the largest number of visitors every year. Even as this is written in mid-July we are running at as many as a thousand a day. Yet for choral services, it has sometimes been difficult to ensure music every Sunday. This year we do have a choir for every Sunday and many for weekdays as well. Ad Lib, a girls' choir from Sutton Coldfield, in the English midlands, will sing Evensong on Saturday 2 August and both services on Sunday 3rd. Their conductor, Mabel Willoughby, like the dean, hails from Portadown. Derby Cathedral Choir plan to sing Evensong on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 August and both Sunday services on 10 August. The choir was Hythe Parish Church in Kent know our choir, if not our cathedral. The cathedral choir's English tour some three years ago included a concert in Hythe. Now they will sing Evensong on Thursday, Friday and Saturday the 14th, 15th and 16th of August and a Eucharist and Evensong on Sunday 17th. The Pegasus Choir will be with us on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 22-24 August. Our final visitors, on Saturday and Sunday 30-31 August, will be the gentlemen of Manchester Cathedral Voluntary Choir. Evening Prayer, on 31 August, will be the only Sunday afternoon service which is said. The Manchester choir have to be at the airport mid-afternoon.
Please note that all weekday Evensongs during August will be at the earlier hour of 17.30 (5.30 p.m.). In September we shall revert to the usual times.
Voted a huge success by the large number who attended, the 1997 Friends Salmon and Strawberry Lunch, will be long remembered. Organised this year by Irene Drew and Harold Hislop and their many helpers, they should all take a bow for content and design. The Tailors' Hall was the splendid and large setting for lunch, with the lower hall and garden available for coffee afterwards in the sunshine. Tailors' Hall manager, Frank Connolly, was helpful in every way in organising the event and came with his family to the lunch. Superquinn's Joe Connolly in Lucan/Newcastle was his ever helpful self in the cooking of the salmon. May we have Tailor's Hall again next year? Please!
Following an exhilarating week of singing the main Sunday mass in Chartres cathedral, and in La Sainte Chapelle and La Madeleine in Paris, the choir is back home to take their annual August holidays. They have been splendid ambassadors for Christ Church and for Ireland. The Director of Music has gone "down under" for five weeks to renew family contacts in New Zealand.
| 3rd | "Ad Lib" girls' choir, Sutton Coldfield. |
| 10th | The choir of Derby Cathedral, England. |
| 17th | The Choir of Hythe parish church, Kent. |
| 24th | The Pegasus Choir. |
| 31st | Gentlemen of Manchester Cathedral voluntary choir. |
Any material for September must arrive with the cathedral secretary by 12 August.
