Regular Services in the Cathedral Weekdays except Wednesdays Matins 9.30 am Wednesdays, Saints’ and Holy Days Holy Communion 9.30 am Sundays Holy Communion 10.00 am Sung Eucharist 11.00 am Choral Evensong 3.15 pm Cathedra is published by the Friends of Armagh Cathedral, c/o The Library, 43 Abbey Street, Armagh BT61 7DY. Email: [email protected] A Year in the life of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh Website: www.stpatricks-cathedral.org Issue 13, Spring 2020 © The Friends of Armagh Cathedral Disestablishment - 150 Years on Trimprint Ltd, Armagh A Year in the life of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh The Friends of Armagh Cathedral Cathedra is the annual magazine of The Membership of the Friends gives you the Friends of Armagh Cathedral. It is opportunity to help the Cathedral, and intended both to keep in touch with the participate in events organised by the members of the Friends and to be a Friends, without necessarily being window through which others can see involved in regular worship in the something of the life of the Cathedral in Cathedral. Anyone who wishes to support the previous year. It is free to the aims of the Friends may join. members, and can be purchased from Membership is an effective way to support the Cathedral shop. a cathedral standing on one of the earliest Christian sites in Ireland, tracing its The Friends of Armagh Cathedral was foundation to St Patrick in AD 445. established in 1938. It is a registered charity, whose aims are to bring together There is a pull-out application form for in a fellowship of loyalty and devotion all membership in the centre of this who care for the ancient foundation of the magazine. Do pass your copy of the Cathedral Church of St Patrick Armagh magazine on to anyone who might be and its continuing witness to the glory of interested. God, and to assist in the maintenance and preservation of the Cathedral for posterity. Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................... 2 Highlights from 2019....................................................................................................... 3-8 The Friends in 2019 ...................................................................................................... 8-10 Music in the Cathedral ................................................................................................ 11-15 A Legacy for a Secular Age - a Sermon for the Sesquicentenary of the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland .................................................. 15-17 Disestablishment – What was it all about? .................................................................. 18-23 Interview with the Revd Ted Fleming .............................................................................. 24 Regular Services in the Cathedral .................................................................................... 30 Cover picture: 1868 cartoon of Church of Ireland being destroyed by Gladstone. 1 Cathedra, Issue 13, Spring 2020 Foreword Highlights from 2019 How extraordinary! Gillian Faulkner’s for all that he has achieved as Organist article on the Disestablishment of the and Master of the Choristers, and we look Gregory Dunstan, Dean Church of Ireland brought me straight forward to the resumption of ‘normal back to my boyhood as a chorister of St service’ when this is possible. George’s, Windsor. It was at school Dr Peter Thompson, now Prebendary of January Geoffrey Hamilton, curate of St there that I first saw the word, Mullabrack, writes about the Armagh The first major event of 2019 was the Columba’s, Portadown. ‘antidisestablishmentarianism’. Then, th Diocesan Singers, the Voluntary Choir and installation on Sunday 13 January of the the Church was hardly ninety years the wider sphere of music around the Revd Dr Peter Thompson as Prebendary of March disestablished. Now it is 150 years Cathedral, especially the Charles Wood Mullabrack, in succession to Canon Neville March opened with the World Day of since Gladstone’s Irish Church Act set Festival. Peter and the Voluntary Choir Hughes. Peter continues to direct the Prayer (formerly the Wom en’s World Day us free to be whatever our Lord would st contributed significantly to the life of the Armagh Diocesan Singers, and to be a of Prayer) on Friday 1 . Arranged by have us be. Gillian has given us a Church of Ireland this year, when the gifted and inspiring Assistant Organist. women from the various churches in wonderfully-researched insight into Electoral Colleges for Derry and Raphoe, Armagh, this year’s service was held in the how it happened. The following Sunday afternoon, at a Cathedral, on the theme, ‘Come, Down and Dromore, and Connor came to Sung Eucharist and in the presence of a You will be reading this, as I am writing it, the Cathedral for a Eucharist before going large congregation, six people from the everything is ready’. The address was at a time when the churches in Ireland about their work. These were inspiring Diocese were commissioned by the given by Mrs Florrie Hoey, the Cathedral have all been put out of our buildings. A occasions to attend. Archbishop as Parish Readers. The Reader. virus has achieved what Cromwell could Mary Caldwell, our Honorary Secretary, Diocesan Singers sang the service. th not! We are learning, however, that the Lent began on Wednesday 6 , with a Sung has written a lively account of the past Church is not simply people rather than Eucharist celebrated by the Archbishop in year. Our thanks go to her, to the February buildings, but congregations of faith, the morning and Choral Evensong sung by Honorary Treasurer, the Membership The annual Girls Friendly Society kindness and mutual support even when the Cathedral Choir in the evening. Secretary, and all the committee for their Diocesan Festival Service was held on we are dispersed and unable to meet. th work. Finally, Canon Ted Fleming looks Sunday 24 February, on the theme, The Cathedral was, as usual, much Here, then, is some wonderful fare for back over a long and immensely fruitful ‘Whenever you see a rainbow, remember involved in the ‘Home of St Patrick these times at home. Immediately before ministry in the Diocese, marked also by his God is love’. The preacher was the Revd Festival’. Gillian’s article you will find the splendid gifts as an historian and his love of The newly commissioned Parish Readers sermon preached by Bishop Gregory learning. Cameron when we marked the Let me finish with a heartfelt ‘thank you’ anniversary of Disestablishment in to Drs John and Gillian Faulkner for September. His call to us to be the Church another splendid production. Thank you, for Ireland is truer still today. too, for all that you contribute to the Music is an essential part of the Cathedral as members of the Friends. If Cathedral’s worship. Dr Stephen Timpany you would like us to send a copy of this to conveys not only the contribution of the a friend of yours, please let me know. choir and its music to the Cathedral, but also how important it is for the choir to have life of its own beyond the singing. Gregory Dunstan We are enormously indebted to Stephen Dean 2 3 Cathedra, Issue 13, Spring 2020 A Year in the life of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh th th On Tuesday 12 the Armagh Cathedrals April Forde, Dean of Belfast, preached a Monday 24 saw the first of a series of meetings Partnership hosted an event in the Market On Maundy Thursday, the Archbishop sermon well grounded in the of Episcopal Electoral Colleges to fill Episcopal Place Theatre, at which the speaker was presided at the annual Chrism Eucharist mission and purpose of a vacancies. The Ven. Andrew Forster was elected th the Very Revd William Morton. Formerly on the morning of Maundy Thursday, at cathedral. Bishop of Derry and Raphoe on 29 August, and which oil is consecrated for healing, and the Ven. David McClay Bishop of Down and Dean of Derry, now of St Patrick’s, Dublin, At a Eucharist in the afternoon of th th Dromore on 4 November. Because the Synod and with a life-long connection with he, the diocesan clergy and Readers Sunday 26 , the Archbishop Hall was closed for repairs, the meetings were Armagh, his words clearly touched many reaffirm the promises of their ordination commissioned Paul Turton as a and commissioning. After this, the held in the Cathedral. Each meeting of a College in the audience. Diocesan Reader. services of Good Friday, and Easter Eve is preceded by a celebration of the Eucharist, and th th On Friday 15 the Cathedral itself was the followed their usual pattern. it was on 24 June that a new red altar frontal, June given in memory of Dean Herbie Cassidy, was setting for a concert by Brian Finnegan On the afternoon of Pentecost Easter Day began early, with the used for the first time. and Friends arranged by Armagh City, Archbishop’s annual dawn celebration at Sunday, the Archbishop confirmed Banbridge and Craigavon Borough the Argory, followed by the usual services adult candidates from the parishes Council. of the Eucharist and Evensong in the of Woodschapel and Gracefield, Kilmore and the Dobbin and St The Cathedral Choir sang Evensong on the Cathedral. Mark’s Armagh. Eve of St Patrick’s Day, before adjourning th for a most convivial evening in the Music May In the evening of Friday 14 , the The annual Diocesan Festival Service of South Ulster Sinfonia returned to Hall. the Mothers Union, on the theme of the Cathedral to give a ‘farewell’ The Sung Eucharist on the morning of ‘Listen, observe, act – in step with God’, concert for their long-time Musical th th Sunday 17 , celebrated by the Archbishop, was held on Wednesday 8 . The preacher Director, Roger Jarvis, before his was followed by a gathering of members was the Dean. return to England. Roger will also nd be missed in the Parish of of many of Armagh’s churches in the Following their AGM on Thursday 2 , the Tartaraghan, where he was Shambles, celebrating all that we have in Friends held their annual Festival Service th organist for many years.