20.10.2022
All things bright and beautiful – Diocesan Service for Primary and Junior Schools
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, was packed to capacity this morning (Thursday October 20) as young people from schools across the dioceses gathered for the first Diocesan Service for Primary and Junior Schools since 2019.
The theme of the service was ‘All things bright and beautiful’ and the children raised the roof with their singing while giving thanks for God’s creation. The service was led by the Revd Sean Hanily in the presence of Archbishop Michael Jackson, Dean Dermot Dunne and Archdeacon Neal O’Raw. The address was given by Dublin and Glendalough’s Youth Ministry Development Officer, Emma Fawcett. Representatives of the Department of Education, the General Synod and diocesan boards of education and the INTO were also in attendance.
A drama, set in the Garden of Eden, was presented by Play it by Ear Drama Company who noted that the humans had one rule to follow but they broke it by eating from the tree of knowledge. However, the said that God would find a way to make it right.
Picking up on the theme, Emma observed that in the beginning God’s creation was perfect but the sin put a barrier between God and his people. She said God’s relationship with humanity was restored through Jesus. God created some amazing things, Emma said adding that the Psalm that was read during the service [Psalm 104: 31–34] told us how to respond to creation saying that we should praise God and rejoice in the Lord. “The next time you see a magical moment in creation I want you to give thanks to God because he restored our relationship with God and he created so many fabulous things,” she concluded.
Prayers were led by children from a number of schools during the service. They prayed for the people of Ukraine and of Russia for all involved in education.
The collection was taken up for the Alice Leahy Trust.
