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June '98 Around and about Dublin'sChrist Church Cathedral |
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Many will have seen the photograph in The Irish Times of the dean receiving a cheque for £20,000.00 – the first of five promised by Dublin Corporation. It is in ways such as this that the cathedral appeal is building up to enable us to undertake the restoration and outreach that will enable us to minister to worshippers and visitors in the twenty-first century. Such donations are always welcome!
Over the coming months we shall give a slot each month for reasons why various areas of the cathedrals and its organisation need renewal. This month we deal with the crypt – "dark and dank" as it has been described.
More than £1m will be needed to put the crypt into action as a centre for the cathedral’s hospitality and outreach. Hospitality is one of the traditions cathedrals carry over from pre-reformation times when every monastery had its guestmaster. A cathedral such as Christ Church must be a living building and a place of prayer – not just a tourist attraction. We need to turn our visitors into pilgrims, to tell them of God’s purpose and to interpret the building for them. For such a purpose we have only the "dark and dank" crypt.
Its renewal will give us an area nearly as large as the entire upper church. New flooring is necessary; the removal of partition walls will enlarge the total usable area so that hospitality could be provided for 2-300 people at a time; a new kitchen is to be made – full meals will be possible; a project exhibition area will be available for church and general purposes; and the entire eastern section will become a treasury where the cathedral silver could be on permanent display. An "artist in residence" might even be at work on modern complementary projects. A small charge for access to this last area could be donated to charities. At the same time the structure of the crypt must be carefully examined for its stability. Its heavy arches carry the entire weight of the cathedral above. It allows the building to stretch and contract as the great bells swing in the tower or the organ shakes the foundations.
The cathedral proper is our outreach to those who worship and those who visit to see the history of Dublin in visible form. The crypt will be the foundation for our ministry of hospitality as we reach out to serve the entire community. As its restoration cost is high, so too its importance will be vital for our ministry to Dubliners and to visitors from all over the world. The cathedral must be a flagship for the dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, indeed for the whole Church of Ireland. As such it must be a place of prayer and prophecy, a beacon to shine God’s light into the world, a living symbol of God’s grace and a place of welcome. We want our visitors to know, not just that they may enter, but that they are welcome to a place where prayer has made for nearly a thousand years, a place of presence, of beauty, order, space, timelessness, mystery and dignity. The crypt, in such an outreach, will be a major area.
Do visit Saint Michan’s and see the re-painted interior. Do look at the restored front of Saint Werburgh’s. [shown here on the right]. The only word one can use is "spectacular".
Canon David Pierpoint rightly received praise at General Synod, not just for their restoration but also for his good use of the media in making both projects known.
The dean is making excellent recovery but has to be careful to avoid overstretching his energy levels. Some special events, however, give a little break from routine. Recently he preached on behalf of Christ Church 2000 at Castledermot when the choir sang Evensong. He has also preached at the St Davids cathedral music festival and is to preach at the Liverpool cathedral civic service in June. The flying of the Christ Church flag beyond the cathedral, by music and preaching, is good for our own wellbeing and for our public image.
Dr Lewis Ayres from the TCD department of theology will preach at the 11 a.m. Sung Eucharist; the dean at 3.30 p.m. Evensong. Following Evensong there will be the launch of the fourth preparatory volume in the cathedral history series and there will be a garden party at the deanery.
The ordination of deacons will be held on Sunday 21 June at 3.30 p.m. and that of priests on Sunday 28 June also at 3.30 p.m. It is hoped that a car parking facility may be available for those attending the service. We shall get this information to parishes with candidate and also to the candidates themselves.
It has been suggested that members of the congregation and some from around the dioceses might value an occasional Saturday "Quiet Afternoon" for devotion and reflection, ending with Choral Evensong at 5 p.m. If you are interested please put your name and address on a post card and send it to the dean.
Everyone who was present at the Salmon and Strawberry Luncheon last year found the venue at Tailors’ Hall both comfortable and interesting. The same venue had been planned for this year. Sadly it is about to change ownership and will not be available to us. At short notice it has not been possible to find an alternative venue for this year. (Another reason for the restoration of the crypt and our own venue!)
Defining
the doctrine of the Trinity is never easy. One attempt to do so with brevity
is on the front cover of the newssheet. For those whose Latin is rusty the following
is the key: "Pater/Father", "Filius/Son", "Spiritus
Sanctus / Holy Spirit", "Deus/God", "est/is", "non
est / is not". The lines connecting "Pater/Filius/Spiritus" are
each connected by "non est" so that it is heresy (if such now exists)
to link them in any way. "Deus" in the centre is connected to each
by "est" thus indicating that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are part
of the one triune God. It is hoped at some stage in the future to have a copy
of this symbol, in enamels and glowing colour, inserted and illuminated in the
vast black hole high over the chapter and choir stalls under the central tower.
The Sung Eucharist on Sunday 28 June will be the annual parade service of the Saint John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland. The connections of the brigade with the cathedral have been forged over many years and we are pleased to welcome them to worship with us. The dean will be the preacher at the service
Carelessness by individuals is the way that facilitates most burglars or intruders. A high-level outside access door seen to be open, a key left in a door, or bolts not properly secured, makes life easy. By some such method intruders gained access to the music room on Monday 18 May. The file contents of Mark Duley’s desk were scattered over the music room floor. It was on trying to gain access to the chapter room – about 5.30 a.m. – that they set off the alarms and fled. Money was their obvious objective.
A package in the grounds between the civic offices and the cathedral was the cause of more excitement – on Wednesday 20th. It turned out to be a hoax, as was discovered by a controlled explosion. The serious implications, however, are that there was no attempt to give any message to the cathedral authorities. Had it been a real bomb the windows of the south aisle would almost certainly have blown in on top of visitors.
The annual general meeting of the Friends of the cathedral will be held in the chapter house on Thursday 4 June at 8 p.m. We hope for a goodly number in attendance.
Material for the July Church Review must reach the dean by 12th June
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