For many in the Church who are increasingly disillusioned by the relentless de-Christianisation of Christmas, the season of Advent is altogether more agreeable.
Free from commercial hype, it still manages to retain that sense of quiet and ordered preparation which is central to its purpose: to prepare for the coming of Christ.
Advent, in the western Church, is no longer observed with the strictness of Lent: there is no fasting but the use of purple as the liturgical colour emphasises the solemnity of the season.
This is apparent also in the music and liturgy in cathedrals and parish churches tomorrow, the first day of Advent. A feature of such services, and particularly those in the two Dublin cathedrals and in the parish church of St Bartholomew, will be candlelight processions symbolising the progression from darkness into light. Those in Dublin can enjoy a feast of Advent music beginning at 3.15 p.m. in St Patrick's, continuing at 5.00 p.m. in Christ Church, and concluding at 7.00 p.m. in St Bartholomew's.
Today, the annual sale in support of St Luke's Home, Castle Road, Mahon, Cork, will be held and this evening in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the Guinness Choir and Orchestra will perform Bach's Mass in B Minor.
Tomorrow, the preacher at the Advent Eucharist in the chapel of Trinity College Dublin, will be Dr Colum Kenny, senior lecturer in media in Dublin City University, and during the liturgy an Ethiopian processional cross will be hallowed.
In St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny, at 4.00 p.m., the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory, the Right Rev John Neill, will ordain the Rev Stella Durand to the priesthood. Lady Durand has been curate in Kiltegan since last April. Messiah for All, with the Dun Laoghaire Choral Society, will begin in Monkstown parish church at 8.00 p.m.
On Wednesday, the Collegiate Church of St Nicholas, Galway, will celebrate its patronal festival, while in Christ Church, Clifden, there will be a recital by the celebrated pianist, Barry Douglas. In the chapel of Tallaght Hospital there will be a carol service, beginning at 4.30 p.m. at which all are welcome. The Culwick Choral Society and the Orchestra of St Cecilia will perform Handel's Messiah in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Today, a major international conference on the origin and development of the four Gospels and on the wider context of early Christian literature and readership will begin in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. In association with this conference the Abbot of Glenstal, the Right Rev Christopher Dillon, has opened an exhibition entitled "The Word and Its Beginning: The Origin of the Fourfold Gospel". This offers an opportunity to view important biblical papyri from the Chester Beatty collections dating back to c. AD 150 as well as material on loan from other collections including the Vatican. The exhibition will continue until January 28th, 2001.
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, has announced that the Guinness Organ Scholarship is available for the academic year 2001/2002. This scholarship is intended for organ students wishing to gain experience in all aspects of cathedral music, either before or after their college course. The cathedral is also offering choral scholarships in all voices (SATB) for the academic year 2001/2002. A tutor's position is also on offer. Details may be had from the music secretary, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin 8 (telephone 671 2426, Fax: 679 8991, email: music@cccdub.ie)