10.09.2012
Revd Roy Byrne Installed as 12th Canon of Christ Church Cathedral
The Reverend Roy Byrne was installed as the Twelfth Canon of Christ Church Cathedral at Choral Evensong on Sunday September 9. He has been rector of Drumcondra, North Strand and St Barnabas since 2008 and a large number of family, friends and parishioners joined the cathedral congregation to wish him well in his new role. The sermon was preached by the Revd Sandra Pragnell, Dean–elect of St Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick. Her address is reproduced below.
Sermon of the Revd Sandra Pragnell at the Installation of the Revd Roy H. Byrne as 12th Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
Sunday 9 Sept 2012 at 3.30pm (Proper 18; 14th Sunday after Trinity)
Readings: Exodus 14.5–31; Matthew 6.1–18
May I speak in the name of God, our creator, our redeemer, and our sustainer. Amen.
First, I want to thank the Dean and Roy for the kind invitation to share with you on this auspicious occasion; and secondly, to say how good it is to be back here – it was in this historic house of prayer that I was ordained both deacon and priest, and in which prior to that I served as Student Reader, and then later served as Priest Vicar. My own ministry owes a lot to this very special cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, commonly called Christ Church.
In preparation for today, the immediate thing I realised I needed was to understand what a canon is, and what is the role of a canon in a cathedral – after all, you just never know when that kind of information might be useful. So as many clergy do, the first thing to do was to find a relevant quote – so I sat down … and Googled – Wikipedia is a fount of all knowledge – and it gave me two quotes:
First – Wikipedia says, “If a vicar is noticed by the bishop as a very competent parish priest and worthy of recognition of the fact, the Bishop of the diocese can appoint him or her as a Canon.”
And secondly “Canons are definitely amongst the big guns of the Church.”
So here we have it – it is indeed a great honour that is being bestowed on the very competent Rector of Drumcondra and North Strand – and all of us who know Roy, who have seen what a conscientious rector and dedicated pastor he is, will know just how well deserved this is recognition of his faithful service. And we rejoice in this for Roy, for his family and friends, for Roy’s parishioners, and for the chapter to whom he will have so much to contribute in its role of administration, behind the scenes, but so essential in underpinning every part of God’s mission in this place. Of course, it is true that Roy has deep roots in another Dublin cathedral, but he is certainly no stranger to this one, having already contributed greatly to its worship, and its fabric and furnishings, as well as drawing on his vast historical knowledge to the benefit of Christ Church, and indeed of Christ’s wider Church – having served for nearly 13 years on the cathedral’s treasury, and then culture committee, and having been the chief designer of the Bible exhibition here which marked the anniversary of the King James Bible – which was so well received. Now, assuming the privilege of a Canon on the Chapter, as one of Wikipedia’s big guns, we can be sure that Roy will respect this new role and take his duties seriously under God.
But more than all that, Roy is one of the kindest and most considerate people I know. When I came to Dublin in 1998 to begin life and study at the Theological College, I knew practically no one in Ireland – I found myself in a foreign country, far from my family and friends, and frankly rather bewildered and lost. And it was Roy, who was in the 3rd year, who took me under his wing – dragged me out of my room to take me on outings, to show me around Dublin, to teach me all those different cultural things you need to pick up, to share his passion for the church and for his country’s history, not to mention finding nice places for coffee and cake (essential to get through college), and other outings I shall draw a veil over. But that incredible welcome Roy gave me and his sheer thoughtfulness was something for which I will always be grateful and never forget.
So back to our Canon – having started with Wikipedia, I shall stay with the W’s – because this cathedral in its Mission Statement focuses on three W’s – Welcome, Worship and Witness – and also because the readings for the second service today just happen (in God’s providence) to focus on the hallmark of the Christian journey – which has something to say to each one of us about welcome, worship and witness, wherever we are on our faith journey. Clearly, Roy is warm, caring and welcoming – his gifts will complement the rest of the chapter in their responsibility for Christ Church’s call to be welcoming to the world that comes in through the doors. The psalmist calls us to be faithful to God’s commandments, to meditate on them and to delight in them – and these are commandments of love, which Jesus summed up in his Golden Rule: and being hospitable, being welcoming is the appropriate response to that Golden Rule. Of course, every Christian, every parish is called to be hospitable – and the special place of a mother church of a diocese, particularly one with a whole millennium of ministry, is called to show Christ’s love to all who enter these hallowed walls – the stranger from afar, the curious tourist, the seeker who knows not what they seek, the lost who long to belong – and to offer these pilgrims with sensitivity a safe space – wherever they have come from, whatever they look like, and whoever they love.
In today’s Old Testament lesson, we heard how the Israelites finally were able to begin their journey to safety, to the Promised Land, and were assured of God’s protection. Sanctuary may be an outdated concept today, yet the open doors of Christ Church signify a ready welcome to visitors and to those seeking a place set apart for God within sacred walls and in a consecrated space. And we need to be conscious of the presence of God yes, but also conscious of the presence of God within every visitor whoever he or she is. And healing and wholeness are integral parts of that welcome and hospitality, because the image of an open door is far more than just Welcome – it is a positive invitation, and it is an invitation which is inclusive. As I have said here before in this pulpit, the open door should permit anyone to come in, whoever they are, and whatever they may or may not believe. Some critics worry that this means ‘anything goes’ – but far from it – the doors are open because every single one of us is equally in need of the healing and salvation that Jesus offers us in this messy sinful world. And if we as church marginalise any of God’s people for whatever reason, shutting them outside the church doors, then surely we shut Our Lord Jesus outside in the cold with them, rather than celebrating the wonderful gift of life in all its rich diversity, which God saw and tells us that it is very good. As God welcomes us, so must we all welcome others.
The second W is for Worship. Roy has already been playing a part in the worship here at Christ Church, as I mentioned earlier, and as a Canon on the Chapter, he will now have a more significant role, and the privilege of preaching God’s Word beyond his parish, to a wider more gathered and eclectic congregation. Worship here is intertwined with Music – that international language that transcends languages – that connects us with the music of the spheres, with the divine, with eternity. After all, there was music on earth before there was human speech, according to Genesis, as Adam and Eve would have woken to bird song. Music is literally timeless, even eternal – the note A will always be A – and always has been A – from the beginning of time, now, and for ever. Music can carry us through so many emotions – grief, doubt, pain, fear – and music, sublime as it is here, draws us into worship, a God–given gift that all can take part in and all can be transformed by.
Christ church has long been recognised as a centre of spirituality, prayer and learning in the heart of this large busy noisy and bustling city, a practice maintained for nearly a thousand years. All the staff here, clerical and lay, and including the new 12th Canon play a vital part in the life of the cathedral. Worship, according to today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, includes prayer, almsgiving and a wholesome lifestyle – clearly something that Jesus expects of every one of us, as we heard in our Gospel reading. But Jesus also has a warning for us in this gospel – a warning about empty phrases, wordy prayers, lengthy prayers. And we also know that Jesus would pray all night sometimes – so this must refer to silent Spirit–filled communion with God, which is beyond words. Silence – which is so hard to find in our noisy, word–filled, deafening world – and yet so important if we are to nurture our own relationship with God. And that silence and stillness that a great cathedral can offer with its doors open all day – is part of the last W – Witness.
In the thrillers and detective stories on television that my mum enjoys so much, you often hear people questioning the credibility of a witness. Each one of us is responsible for the credibility of our own Christian witness. Here in Christ Church, it is the Chapter with the Dean who work hard to safeguard and broaden the cathedral’s Witness as authentic and credible: by its uplifting liturgy at Sunday worship week by week, augmented by the superb choir and musicians; by its faithful daily prayer; by special diocesan and civic events; by its emphasis on learning and teaching and preaching; by its social events and opportunities to meet; by its welcome to all who come through these doors, Christ Church demonstrates a Christ–like and widely valued ministry of Welcome, Worship and Witness, with or without a little help from Wikipedia from time to time.
So today we celebrate and rejoice here with Roy, who joins a historic roll call of worthy clerics who have witnessed to Almighty God in this most holy place for a thousand years. May Roy be blessed in this well–deserved honour that has been bestowed on him; may he enjoy this new challenge; and may he continue to be a most faithful and compassionate priest, here, in his parishes, and wherever God may lead him – in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, + Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.