church review

Addressing the annual service to mark the
beginning of the Michaelmas law term in St
Michan’s Church, Dublin, the Archbishop of
Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson told
President Mary McAleese and the assembled
congregation that “within our every action, there
has to be a pulsating philosophical rationale,
otherwise we preside over a riot, not of
fermenting creativity, but of rank incoherence.”
The Archbishop continued, “for myself, it is
the idea of: for the good of all which binds us
together here this morning, however we
understand our creed, however we apply our
professional acumen, however we use our
particular gift and flair. The Christian tradition
may have lost its sparkle for some, it may be of
no relevance to others and for others again it
may be the life blood of their motivation and
energy. But the catch-cry: for the good of all never
has been, nor can it ever be, the preserve of any
one religious tradition yet it is an ideal which
binds together people of principle and practice.”
Noting that “we have generally become so
accustomed to the vocabulary of economic
downturn, cut backs, austerity measures and
infrastructural rethinking”, he added, “getting
people spending once more, flipping the
pancake of consumerism at home in another
round of Celtic Tigerism will not create society
or indeed community out of the fragments of
alienation which careless privilege and selfregulating
speculation have bequeathed to the
young people who are the engine house of new
life for tomorrow. The abuse of globalisation,
the debasing of convenience and the
commodification of value have brought us to
where we are. Such concepts… cannot
themselves enable a new society to grow and
flourish. Commodification is turning beauty into
a thing for sale and purchase and turning you
and me and everyone else into functionaries of
that same thing….Society needs a shared,
collaborative, generous understanding of living
community with all of the concessions to one
another which that entails.”
Concluding, the Archbishop said,
“Carefulness and attention to people who hold
deep feelings of alienation and exclusion, along
with enabling them to emerge from the reality
of pointlessness as a matter of urgency, will
contribute to the new creation which is always
the goal and the expectation of those who see
the face of Jesus Christ in the face of other
people. The Summum Bonum (greatest good) of
earlier ages and generations may not be on our
agenda paper right now…. However, people
generally and people particularly, look for living
examples of service of the greater good on the
part of those who are custodians of what is
right. Such custodianship carries within it the
urgency to respond. Sacrifice and service are
always incumbent on those who can walk or
drive away from any and every situation.”
During the service, the Archdeacon of
Dublin, the Venerable David Pierpoint, the Dean
of Christ Church Cathedral, the Very Revd
Dermot Dunne and the Revd Canon Peter
Campion, Chaplain of Kings Hospital led the
N E W S
The Idea of “For the Good of All” Binds us
Together – Archbishop Tells Law Service
Pictured at the service marking the opening of the Law term in St Michan's Church
are Churchwardens at St Michan's, Emily Kelly and Betty O’Dowda with Uachtaráin
na hÉireann, Mary McAleese, Mr Alan Graham and the Venerable David Pierpoint,
Archdeacon of Dublin (Photo: David Wynne).
Uachtaráin na hÉireann, Mary McAleese
greets the Honourable Susan Denham,
Chief Justice at the law service in St
Michan's Church, Dublin.
CHANGING ATTITUDE
IRELAND
A small booklet launched at the last General Synod by Bishop Michael
Burrows, ‘Guidance for parents of gay children in the Church of Ireland’,
by Gerry Lynch, is available on line at the Changing Attitude Ireland
website. It’s the sixth item under the heading ‘Publications’. It is a wellwritten
document and some readers may find it helpful.
The Archbishop of Dublin, the Most
Revd Dr Michael Jackson chatting with
members of the Choir of Kings Hospital
School following the annual service
marking the beginning of the law term
in St Michan's Church, Dublin.
congregation in prayers for all those working
closely with the law including the Law Society,
the Kings Inns, Judges, An Garda Siochana, the
Police Service of Northern Ireland and
members of the Defence Forces.
The congregation at the law service this year
was led by the President of Ireland, Mary
McAleese. Amongst the others present were
the Honourable Mrs Susan Denham, Chief
Justice, the Honourable Catherine McGuinness
of the Supreme Court (retired) and the
Honourable Gerard Hogan of the High Court.
Brigadier General Michael Finn, Assistant Chief
of Staff represented the Chief of Staff of the
Defence Forces, Colonel Harvey O’Keefe, Chief
of the Air Staff, represented the Air Corps and
Assistant Commissioner Michael Feehan
represented the Garda Commissioner. The
Ambassadors of Australia, Belgium, Canada and
Israel were also present. The Kings Hospital
School continued its long association with the
service with the school choir leading the singing.
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