19.08.2016
The Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough Celebrate 800 Years Together
The Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough mark 800 years as United Dioceses in 2016. This historic centenary will be marked and celebrated by a number of events during 2016 and 2017 beginning in October when it will be the theme of the annual Diocesan Service for National and Junior Schools.
A number of key events are taking shape currently. The Octave of Laurence O’Toole, the Patron Saint of Dublin, will provide a focal point in October beginning with an Ecumenical Festival Evensong in Christ Church Cathedral on the eve of the Feast of St Laurence O’Toole, Sunday November 13. All members of the dioceses will be invited to attend along with ecumenical and inter faith guests.
All weekday cathedral services during that week will reflect Laurencetide and Dublin and Glendalough 800 themes. The week will conclude with a Diocesan Come and Sing Festival Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday November 20 to which singers from every parish will be invited to sing with the cathedral choir.
The Octave of St Laurance O’Toole will also provide the backdrop for a Week of Exploration of 800 years. This will include a series of lectures on Dublin and Glendalough 800 organised and hosted by the Christ Church Library and Archives Committee.
On the Feast of St Laurence O’Toole, November 14, schools in the Dublin 8 area will be invited to visit Christ Church Cathedral for a small exhibition on the Patron Saint of Dublin and a tour of the cathedral.
The week will also see the launch of ‘A History Trail of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough’. This will be a downloadable image based trail of objects and places of historical significance, nominated by the people in the Dioceses, that will traverse and highlight the urban and rural areas of Dublin and Glendalough. It will consist of a series of numbered images of the objects and places of interest and an illustrated map to show where they are to be found. The graphic design, layout and illustration will be completed by the award winning illustrator Mark Wickham. It will be made available to download to the members of the Dioceses on the Diocesan website. For information on how to nominate please CLICK HERE
As part of the 800th anniversary celebrations Dublin and Glendalough’s links with other dioceses will be highlighted.
The Anglican dioceses of Spain and of Portugal view the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough as their mother diocese. The history of this is well known to all. It relates to Archbishop Plunket and Archbishop Gregg. Incidentally the current Archbishop of Dublin was the chief consecrator of the Bishop of Portugal and has attended and spoken at the General Synod of the Church of Spain. The Spanish and Portugese bishops will attend both the Diocesan Synods and the National Schools Service.
Further events are planned for 2017 and will include a Diocesan National School Choral Competition to be held in March 2017. It is envisaged that preliminary rounds will take place in February 2017. Details and application forms will be sent to schools in time for the start of the 2017/18 school year. In the meantime, if you don’t have a school choir maybe think about setting one up, and if you already have a school choir, get practising.
Photo caption: Life and History in Dublin and Glendalough