Today, Advent Sunday, the eve of the 150th anniversary of the consecration of Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral Cork, greetings have been received from two diocesan bishops in England: the Bishop of Peterborough, the Right Reverend Donald Allister, and the Bishop of Lichfield, the Right Reverend Dr Michael Ipgrave.
What is the significance of these?
The Bishop of Peterborough’s predecessor from 1868 to 1891, Bishop William Connor Magee, was Dean of Cork from 1864 to 1868, much of the period when St Fin Barre’s Cathedral was being built. Bishop Magee was the preacher at Evensong on the day of the Consecration of the Cathedral, 30th November 1870.
Bishop Michael Ipgrave has more contemporary links with Cork, Cloyne and Ross. Before he was Bishop he came to stay with Bishop and Mrs Colton and to lead a day symposium about interfaith dialogue. However, in recent years, the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross and the Diocese of Lichfield have been working towards creating a post-Brexit partnership link. To this end, visitors have already been received from Lichfield,and Bishop Ipgrave himself has made a visit. A delegation from Cork was due to travel to Lichfield, but those plans were put on hold and will have to be rescheduled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The present day cathedral, designed by William Burges, is the most recent building on the site where Christian worship and witness have been offered in Cork since the Seventh Century.
Since the CoronaVirus Pandemic has put a halt to all the traditional celebrations, different ways of marking the occasion have been put in place, including the sharing with you of these greetings.
Here are their Greetings!
The greetings from the Bishop of Peterborough may be read here:
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