17.05.2016
Clontarf Parish Celebrates 150th Anniversary of the Church of St John the Baptist
Parishioners past and present, friends and members of the wider community gathered in the Church of St John the Baptist in Clontarf on Pentecost (Sunday May 15) to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the current church building. While Christian worship and witness has taken place in the area for centuries, the current church opened its doors 1866.
The special anniversary service took place in the presence of the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke (who preached) and the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson. The church was beautifully decorated for a flower festival which was taking place throughout the weekend as part of the anniversary celebrations. The service began in the old church and the congregation then processed to the current church led by members of the local Scouts.
The service also included a tribute to organist John Rowden who has played the organ in the Church of St John the Baptist for 50 years. The Rector, the Revd Lesley Robinson read greetings to Mr Rowden from Liverpool Cathedral and made a presentation to him on behalf of the parish. She said the parish was blessed to have had the virtuoso organist playing for them for a third of the life of the church building.
Reflecting on 150 years of the Church of St John the Baptist, Archbishop Clarke said that the parish had never stood still and rested on its laurels: they had moved to the new church 150 years ago, later added a chancel, extended Green Lanes School and built the parish centre.
“There has always been change and there has always been movement,” he stated. “As we celebrate what our forbearers have done, we must look at what we want to be today and into the future.”
Referring to a painting by Gauguin which bears the inscription ‘Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?’ the Archbishop said these were questions we all must ask. To the first question, he said the Church of St John the Baptist and the Clontarf area had had a long and varied history of Christian spirituality.
As with every Christian community, in answer to the question ‘What are we?’ Archbishop Clarke said the church should set itself to be a community to which people are drawn, where they can belong and where they can find God. “Many people in our society are searching for something beyond ourselves to make them believe in themselves. People in today’s society feel intensely alone,” he said. He added: “I believe we’re in a society where people are asking ‘is this as good as it gets?’ Society has become secularised and utterly individualistic where many seem concerned with what image they project to others rather than being part of a community”. He asked if people could find anything in our churches that might convince them that they are more than the image they are trying to cultivate.
Looking at where the church is going, the Archbishop said that people often say today that they are spiritual but not religious. He said that both words have the same meaning and suggested that what people were really saying was that they did not find the church useful in connecting with their spirituality. “The church is not about judging and being inward looking. It is to be a community which is seeking on a constant basis to connect to the God who created us… How long can we survive as the Church of Ireland unless we again and again focus on prayer. A community which is about spirituality and connectedness to God would be attractive to all,” he stated.
Bringing the service to a close the Rector thanked all who had helped prepare the church for the flower festival and the 150th anniversary service. “I feel privileged and humbled to be even a small part of the history of this day… It’s humbling to thing that in years to come people will read about the 150th anniversary of this church,” she said.
Photo captions:
Top: Clergy and church wardens following the 150th anniversary service of the Church of St John the Baptist in Clontarf.
Middle: John Rowden has played the organ in Clontarf for 50 years. He received a presentation in honour of his long service to the parish from the Rector, the Revd Lesley Robinson, at the service to mark the 150th anniversary of the Church of St John the Baptist.
Bottom: One of the arrangements at the flower festival at the Church of St John the Baptist to mark its 150th anniversary.