A reminder for those who get their copy of the Review before the first Sunday in the month – the annual citizenship service will be at 11 a.m. on All Saints’ Day, Sunday 1 November. Please note that, since the morning service will not be eucharistic, the 3.30 p.m. service will be a Sung Eucharist to mark the feast of All Saints.

Our warm good wishes go to CORE and to the Revd Willi Stewart and his team as they move from Saint Werburgh’s to their own new home in Saint Catherine’s church, Thomas Street. This magnificent building, indecently disposed of by the Church of Ireland many years ago, has been an unfortunate blot on the Dublin cityscape for years. Now it has been superbly restored for public worship and will be consecrated by the archbishop on Friday 6 November at 8 p.m.

This festive event will be held in the cathedral on Saturday 7 November from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. when the choirs will sing Evensong. Children – please come and sing under the direction of Mark Duley. Adults - please come and support the children as the sing the 5 p.m. service.

The future of church music for the future in the dioceses may largely have been secured by existence of this important course. Every year certificates are awarded to candidates who complete a year of the three-year course. This year’s certificates will be awarded at Evensong on Sunday 8 November at 3.30 p.m. The recipients will be welcome indeed.

Christopher Shiell is just back from the Pilgrims’ Association conference, which this year was held in Chester cathedral. This conference, attended by representatives from both Christ Church and Saint Patrick’s, is an event planned to help cathedrals present themselves to their visitors and to make them welcome as pilgrims. Mark Duley this month is off to the annual conference of cathedral organists. More on this next month.

Periods of residence for each canon are chosen on or near the feast of Saint Laurence O’Toole, founder of the present cathedral. This year, the feast falling on a Saturday, the chapter will meet at 11 a.m. on Friday 13 November, ending with the eucharist and a light lunch at 12.45 p.m. The dignitaries each choose three Sundays of residence, the canons two each. The actual Saint Laurence eucharist will be kept on Saturday 14^th, also at 12.45 p.m.

The historical societies of the Church in Wales and of the Church of Ireland will have a joint weekend conference from 13-15 November. Although principally resident in and centred on the theological college, the Saturday afternoon meeting will be held in the cathedral, concluding with evensong at 5 p.m. and the launch, by the dean, of the two latest volumes of the cathedral history ancillary volumes.

Saint Cecilia is the traditional patroness of the arts, renowned allegedly for her skill as an organist. Her feast day falls on 22 November, which this year is a Sunday. At 3.30 p.m. evensong that day we shall mark it as a service to give thanks for those who offer their skills in music, theatre and the arts.

The season does not actually begin until the first Sunday in December, so this is advance notice. One of the great cathedral events of Advent is the procession with carols on Advent Sunday. Please note that this year the service will be held at the earlier hour of 5 p.m. This experiment is to try to attract many people who may not wish to come to the city centre for a service at the earlier years’ time of 8 p.m.

This is a repeat of a note from last month in case any possible donor missed it!

One of the most exciting archaeological events in years in the cathedral may be seen every day by making a visit to the cathedral crypt. Many will remember the cluttered stone surrounding the crypt pillars. Some have simply disappeared – "borrowed" by visitors and never returned. Now, as a part of the preparations for the crypt restoration, it is being meticulously cleaned, recorded and stored in the crypt south aisle. Rachel Moss under the supervision of Professor Roger Stalley of Trinity College is leading the work. It is proving a major attraction to our visitors.

Do you find time lies heavy on you? Do you enjoy meeting new people from many different lands? If you do, then please make contact with the administrator or with Mrs Irene Drew at the cathedral. Would you commit yourself to being a welcomer to visitors to the cathedral on a regular morning or afternoon each week?

The bookshops are full of titles "A Theology of...." this, that and the other thing. Recently we saw notes for "A Theology of Toys". They are not without appropriateness to many areas of life if you read carefully into them.