Archbishop Charles Brown, Papal Nuncio to Ireland, will be preaching
at special services in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast and at St Patrick’s
Cathedral, Armagh during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.This runs from January 18–25 and Archbishop Brown will preach in St Anne’s at 7pm on January 21 and in Armagh at 7.30pm on January 22.
The service at St Anne’s Cathedral will be led by the Dean, the Very Rev John Mann with Fr Hugh Kennedy, Administrator of St Peter’s Cathedral.
It will be attended by the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy; the Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Rt Rev Harold Miller and Bishop Noel Treanor; Bishop Donal McKeown; Bishop Anthony Farquhar; the Rev Dr Rob Craig, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church. The Methodist President will be represented by the Rev Dr Donald Ker.
Choral music at the service will be led by the choirs of both St Anne’s Cathedral and St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast.
The service at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, will be led by the Dean, the Very Rev Gregory Dunstan, and will be attended by the Archbishop of Armagh, The Most Rev Dr Richard Clarke; Cardinal Sean Brady; Archbishop Eamon Martin, Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh, and other clergy. The music in Armagh will be led by the choirs of both cathedrals in the city.
The order of service will be on the theme of ‘Is Christ Divided?’ as set out by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. This year the Liturgy has been prepared by the Churches in Canada.
In advance of the service in St Anne’s Cathedral, Dean Mann said: ‘I very much welcome Archbishop Charles Brown and all the church leaders to St Anne’s for what is an important annual occasion for our two cathedrals in Belfast, marking not only the on–going partnership between St Peter’s and St Anne’s but more importantly a coming together of Christians from across the city to share our gifts in mutual love.
“May this service and that in Armagh the following day be a springboard for future endeavours, weaving together the threads of the past whilst stepping forward in unity and faith.”
Other services and events will take place in churches during the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.