ON Tuesday the refurbished administrative headquarters of the Church of Ireland, Church of Ireland House in Rathmines, will be officially reopened and rededicated by the Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin in the presence of the members of the Representative Church Body and the Standing Committee of the General Synod.
The church's administration moved from 52 St Stephen's Green to a new purpose-built headquarters, off Church Avenue, Rathmines, in November 1969, and was joined there in 1981 by the Dublin Diocesan Office, which was moved from the Synod Hall. The building has served the Church of Ireland and the Diocese of Dublin well but in recent years the requirements of modern administration and the demands of health and safety legislation have combined to make a major refurbishment essential.
The interior of the building has been completely refurbished to provide a more congenial and more efficient working environment for the staff and for the bishops, clergy and laity who meet there to order the church's affairs. In addition, the installation of a lift and the provision of extended reception and waiting facilities are welcome developments. The opportunity has also been taken to create self-contained accommodation for the Diocese of Dublin within the building but with a separate entrance.
Following the development of new diocesan offices in Cork and Belfast and the improvements in the facilities in the Theological College and the RCB Library in recent years, the refurbishment of Church of Ireland House is another welcome example of investment in the church's future.
Today the Meath and Kildare Diocesan Synod will be held at Wilson's Hospital, Multyfarnham, where a visitor will be Canon Bob Fyffe from the Diocese of St Andrew's, with which Meath and Kildare is twinned. In Holy Trinity Church, Drumbo, the Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer will have a Quiet Day led by the Dean of Raphoe, Dr Stephen White, while in Dublin the conference and a.g.m. of the Association of Inter-Church Families will be held in Taney Parish Centre. In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, at 8 p.m., there will be a concert by the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra.
Tomorrow RTE will broadcast morning service from Arklow, Co Wicklow, where the rector is the Rev Nigel Sherwood. In St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the annual RAF Association service will be held, while in St Brigid's Cathedral, Kildare, the former bishop of Connor, Dr Samuel Poyntz, will preach at the Friends of the Cathedral Festival.
In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, there will be two ordinations tomorrow. The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, will ordain Roy Byrne to the diaconate, to serve in the cathedral group of parishes, and will raise the Rev Peter Smyth, curate of Stillorgan and Blackrock, to the priesthood.
On Wednesday, from 4 p.m., a vigil, organised by Debt Coalition, will begin outside Government Buildings, keeping up the pressure for the cancellation of world debt. Many Church of Ireland members have already signed the debt cancellation petition. The vigil will continue into Thursday.
On Thursday the Tuam, Killala and Achonry Diocesan Synod will be held in the Synod Hall in Tuam, while in St Saviour's Church, Arklow, the Dublin and Glendalough Mothers' Union Festival Service will take place. In Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, the Archbishop of Armagh will institute the Rev Shane Forster to the incumbency, while the Rev Leslie Stevenson will be instituted to the incumbency of Portarlington union of parishes by the Bishop of Meath and Kildare.
In St Macartin's Parochial Hall, Enniskillen, the Clogher Diocesan Synod will take place on Friday. The Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Service for Primary and Secondary Schools will be held in Christ Church Cathedral, where the address will be given by Ms Suzanne Harris, lay chaplain to Newpark Comprehensive School.