20.05.2024
200 Years of Worship and Witness in St Philip and St James’ Booterstown
Two centuries of faith and vision were celebrated on Sunday (May 19) with a special service in St Philip and St James’ Church, Booterstown. The church was packed on the Day of Pentecost for the 200th anniversary of the consecration of the building and the sun shone down on the congregation as they enjoyed the hospitality afterwards.
The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd John McDowell, was the preacher while the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, presided and dedicated a number of projects which have been carried out on the church.
Joining the Rector, Canon Gillian Wharton, were her predecessor, Canon Arthur Barrett, former Archdeacon of Dublin, the Ven Gordon Linney, Fr Myles Heaney of the nearby Spiritan Order, and Lay Readers Uta Raab and Alan Rhodes. National and local public representatives were in attendance. Relatives and descendants of previous incumbents joined in person and tuned in online.
Apart from the organist, the choir was given an additional boost by the Steadfast Band. Children and staff from Booterstown NS also participated in the service.
On Sunday May 16 1824, the newly completed church, dedicated to St Philip and St James, was consecrated by the Most Revd William Magee, Archbishop of Dublin. Three years previously the parish of Booterstown was formed, having been carved out of the Parish of Donnybrook.
Introducing the service, Canon Wharton noted that the anniversary was a momentous occasion in the life of their community of faith.
“Today, we do not just give thanks for the church as a building, we give thanks for the church as a community of people, the Body of Christ, for those whose faith and vision saw the foundation of the parish and the building of this church; for those who have been part of this parish community over the past 203 years and for those whose presence and prayers have hallowed the walls and fabric of this church for 200 years and made it a house of prayer,” she said.
Archbishop McDowell noted in his sermon that one of the great things about anniversaries was that new parish histories will be published. And Booterstown was no exception, he said, as parishioner Michael Lee had built on previous work in producing and updating the annals of the parish. He paid tribute to Mr Lee for gathering together the diverse range of what had happened in the parish over 200 years.
The Archbishop noted that the parish had some very wealthy patrons including George Herbert who gave the land for the church and the La Touche family who supported the construction.
But he said that the major funding for the church came from the Board of First Fruits and Tenths. Money was collected by way of a tax on clerical incomes and went to England. In the early 1700s the Church of Ireland wanted to see it returned to Ireland. They sent a young cleric, Jonathan Swift, to London to negotiate its return and the money that he brought home went to set up the Board of First Fruits and Tenths. This resulted in numerous churches being built around the country. In Booterstown, the funds provided by the Board was augmented by parishioners, he said.
“Now there is no Board of First Fruits, no Parish Cess. And as you know, if you want something you have to do it yourself. And I thank you for the work that you have done. You do it because this place is close to your hearts,” Archbishop McDowell commented.
The Archbishop said that after Covid people discovered the absolute joy of coming back to church. “They were back in the place where they found the holiness of God,” he said. “They learned that although God can be found everywhere, we are rooted in a sense of place and this is where God and people come together.”
He said that people had different perceptions and convictions about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. “But this is not the whole story. It is not the main story. In the New Testament from Pentecost, it is a shared experience when people were all together in one place. No individual can capture it… The important thing about Pentecost is the symbol of the overwhelming power of God. God called the people together on that day and gave new life to a new kind of people,” he stated, explaining that the Spirit was no longer reserved for the special people but was poured out on all people who had been baptised.
“At Pentecost the friends of Jesus discovered they could communicate with all people, that they could make sense of the Gospel to all, that they could, with the Holy Spirit, build bridges with strangers and communicate with everyone. This is what you are called to do today through the power of the Holy Spirit. You are called to worship God in this place,” he said.
Over the past number of years the parish has undertaken a number of projects including replacing the roof of the church, installing a new heating system, an enhanced sound system, facilities to livestream services, alterations to make the church more accessible to people with mobility challenges and a more flexible seating arrangement. These were all dedicated by the Archbishop of Dublin who thanked the parish for this work and praised the generosity of those who funded it.
