Next Monday at 12.30pm there will be another in the series of Discovery Services in the Church of St George and St Thomas, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin, at which the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, will preside.
These services, led by the Discovery Gospel Choir, offer Anglican worship with an African flavour and seek to reach out to the new group of Africans who have come to live in Ireland.
Monday's service has a special appeal as the parish clergy, the Rev Katherine Poulton and the Rev Norma McMaster, together with Canon Horace McKinley, will be joined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who will preach the sermon.
Archbishop Tutu is one of the few truly international figures in the Anglican world. His charismatic presence and prophetic voice have earned him attention and ensured him respect throughout the world.
His has been a lifetime of service, variously in the Church of England, at the World Council of Churches and, most notably, in Africa, where he was successively bishop of Lesotho, Johannesburg and archbishop of Cape Town until his retirement in 1996.
A persistent voice for justice and truth, the experiences of Archbishop Tutu, especially in South Africa, have much to teach others who live in divided societies. He will also take part in a debate at the University Philosophical Society in Trinity College Dublin on Wednesday.
Tomorrow morning the preacher at the 10.30 service in St Mary's Church, Athlone, where the rector is the Rev Graham Doyle, will be the Rev Jan Cicka from the Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church.
On Monday at Lambeth Palace, London, the Archbishop of Canterbury will confer the Lambeth degree of doctor of music on Dr Harry Grindle. A former organist of St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, and head of music in Stranmillis College, Belfast, Dr Grindle is well known for his renowned chamber choir, the Priory Singers, and for his book, Irish Cathedral Music. The T.C. Hammond Theological Lectures will be held on Wednesday at the Irish Church Missions, 28 Bachelors Walk, Dublin, beginning at 11am.
The speaker will be the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, who will meet the Archbishop of Dublin on Thursday. Booking is required, and details may be had from the Rev Eddie Coulter at 01-8730829 or at Dublin@icm-online.ie
In the evening the organ recital in St Patrick's Cathedral, at 6.30pm, will be given by Lewis Brito-Babapulle.
On Thursday morning in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, the Archbishop of Armagh will ordain three deacons. Patrick Barton will serve as curate assistant in the parish of St Mark, Armagh, Alan Cross in Drumglass and John McClenaghan in St Columba's parish, Portadown. In Tullow, Co Carlow, the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory will preside at the diocesan synod, which for the first time will include representatives from the diocese of Ferns.
Thursday is St Columba's Day when there will be a service of installation in St Columb's Cathedral, Derry.
The Rev Robert Clarke, rector of Edenderry and Clanabogan, and the Rev David Ferry, rector of Donagheady, will be installed as canons by the dean of Derry, Dr William Morton.