St Fin Barre’s Cathedral hosted Giverny McAndry from the Cathedral Music Trust, UK on Sunday 1st October. The Cathedral Choir was awarded a grant of £15,000 to support singing lessons for Choristers and Junior Lay Vicars. The singing lessons began in September and they are being given by Triona Walsh and by Mary MacSweeney, who is also a tutor in singing at the MTU Cork School of Music.
The Dean of Cork, the Very Rev. Nigel Dunne, Mary MacSweeney, Giveny McAndry and Peter Stobart after the service on Sunday, 1st October 2023.
Cathedral Music Trust and its forerunner the Friends of Cathedral Music has given over £4 million in grants to choral foundations since 1956. Their grants help maintain and develop the work of choral foundations across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Director of Music Peter Stobart said:
It was great to welcome Giverny McAndry to Cork and to hear her speak to the choir and congregation about the Trust’s enthusiasm for what we do. The fruits of the lessons are already been seen, and the choristers are enjoying the extra tuition and the challenge that their teachers are giving to them.
On Monday, 25th September 2023, the Rev. Martin Steele was ordained to the priesthood by the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Right Rev. Dr Paul Colton.
The cathedral was full for the occasion with visitors from all over Ireland, including clergy and lay people from Cork, Cloyne and Ross as well as from previous parishes in which Martin served.
The Bishop of Cork, Dr Paul Colton presided at the liturgy, and the former Archbishop of Armagh, the Right Rev. Dr Richard Clarke preached at the Service. The Lay Vicars Choral of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral Choir sung under their Director of Music, Peter Stobart, and the Assistant Director of Music, Matthew Breen played the organ.
Bishop Paul welcomed everyone, local parishioners as well as those who had travelled great distances to be there, and the greatest welcome was extended to Martin. Bishop Paul said:
We are here to support you with our prayers and with our love. It is a day of rejoicing and celebration. We thank God for you, and we thank God that you have heard his call.
As part of his sermon, the Right Rev. Richard Clarke said:
Martin begins a priestly ministry today. He is given authority for this – the authority of the Church, but primarily the authority of God. An authority of love, of involvement, and of service. But in seeking to fulfil God’s ministry through us, we are still called to be authentic. Authentically what God has made us – real people rather than a parody of priesthood, just as God the Holy Trinity must not be a cardboard cut-out figure in our mind. Nor must the priest be a stylised stereotype of what we imagine clergy are meant to be like. God deserves better from us. So Martin, people can only believe you and trust you when they know you as you are.
The Ordination Service was part of the Commemoration Weekend for the 1400 Anniversary of the Death of St Fin Barre. “The events of the weekend were leading towards the ordination of Martin on Monday evening”, said the Bishop, “which, to me, emphasises the continuity of tradition stretching back to St Finn Barre, who brought Christianity to Cork.”
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The Commemoration Weekend for the 1400th Anniversary of the death of St Fin Barre, the Patron Saint of Cork, came to a close on Monday, 25th September, the Saint’s Feast Day. Throughout the weekend a series of events were offered at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral to allow everyone to visit, pray, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Cathedral and its grounds.
Icon of Saint Fin Barre specially commissioned for the St Fin Barre 1400 Commemoration Weekend from iconographer Aidan Hart
Beginning on Friday morning at 11 am, the three local primary schools were presented with Wildlife Kits from the Cathedral’s Operations Manger, Eoin Murphy, and the Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Colette Finn. The cathedral also arranged for a drama to be performed for the pupils to learn about the history of Cork.
In the evening Choral Evensong officially opened Culture Night at the Cathedral, which over 800 people attended this year.
On Saturday 23rd September Bishop Paul Colton started the day with a Commemoration Service. Nearly 1,000 people visited the cathedral throughout the day, of which nearly 80 people were Finbarrs and 1 of which was a poodle named Finbarre! Bishop Paul Colton had a small present for each of them. In the afternoon members and champions of the St Finbarr’s GAA and St Fin Barre’s National Hurling and Football Club visited together with the Lord Mayor, Cllr Kieran McCarthy.
In the evening the Celebrity Organ Recital with the renowned organist and composer Naji Hakim took place and everyone celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Organ rebuild. Naji travelled from his home in the South of France especially to be with us for the weekend.
On Sunday, 24th September, a Festival Evensong for the Patronal Festival of Saint Fin Barre took place at the Cathedral. The preacher was the Dean of Ossory, the Very Rev. Stephen Farrell. As part of the Evensong a specially commissioned icon of Saint Fin Barre was consecrated by the Bishop
On Monday, a Quiet Day and Retreat for the clergy of the Diocese led by the former Archbishop of Armagh (and former Dean of Cork), the Right Reverend Dr Richard Clarke, took place at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral. Refreshments for the clergy were provided all day at the Bishop’s Palace.
The commemoration weekend culminated in the evening with the Ordination of the Rev. Martin Steele to the priesthood. You can read about it here.
Photos: Eoin Murphy
Posted inDiocese|Comments Off on St Fin Barre 1400 – A Weekend of Events
St Anne’s Church, Shandon has a few special events lined up for Culture Night on Friday, 22nd September 2023.
Inspired by Shandon – A collection of Memorabilia,Visual Media, Ephemera, Trinkets, and Curiosities is visual display of memorabilia relating to St. Anne’s Church. The Shandon Bells will be on display in St Anne’s Church, Shandon on Culture Night Friday Sept 22nd from 6pm.
Under de Goldie Fishis an illustrated talk about the history of St Anne’s Church and its environs featuring photos, postcards, maps and other items collected by Michael Lenihan over the last 40 years. The talk will start at 7pm until 8pm.
All are very welcome to attend and admission is free.
Do you have any St. Anne’s Church or Shandon Bells memorabilia or keepsakes that are special to you and have a story to tell? If so there will be an opportunity at the end of the talk for those in attendance to share. If you are unable to attend the event, you are welcome to email photos and descriptions/stories of you items to rsvp@stanneshandon.ie and we will share it on your behalf. See our social media channels for more details.
Throughout next weekend there will be events at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork (a full list is HERE) to commemorate the 1400th anniversary this year of the death of Saint Fin Barre of Cork, our patron saint. His patronal saint’s day is on 25th September every year.
On Saturday, 23rd September there is an open invitation to the people of Cork to make a visit to the Cathedral between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. just to drop in, or on a mini-pilgrimage to mark this 1400th anniversary, to say a prayer or light a candle, or, outside, to walk the Cathedral labyrinth.
There is a special invitation to anyone out there who bears the name of our patron saint, in whatever spelling or form, to come to the Cathedral and to receive a small commemorative gift (subject, of course, to our supply).
So if you are a Finbarr, Finbar, Finnbar, Finn Barre, Finbarre, Barry, Baz or Fionbarra etc we would love you to visit on this special occasion. If you can show us that you do carry his name we have that small commemorative gift for you and look forward to welcoming you.
The Dean of Cork, the Very Reverend Nigel Dunne says:
To share the name of Cork’s patron saint is, to my mind, something special. It makes the person part of a 1400 year old tradition which lies at the heart of our city’s foundation. We look forward to welcoming many Finbarrs/Finbars to the Cathedral to be part of our commemorative festival weekend along with anyone from Cork who would like to drop in to visit.
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