07.12.2016
Celebrations Mark 150th Anniversary of Kenure Church
Parishioners of Kenure in Rush celebrated the 150th anniversary of Kenure Church on Sunday December 4 with a special anniversary service. Archbishop Michael Jackson presided at the service which was also attended by Archbishop Suheil Dawani of the Diocese of Jerusalem who was visiting Dublin & Glendalough as part of the dioceses link partnership. The service was led by the Rector, the Revd Anthony Kelly, and also present was the Revd Ken Sherwood and the Parish Priest of Rush, Fr Kevin Bartley.
Church warden Greer Harte gave a brief history of the church which was built and endowed by the Palmer family of Kenure Estate and consecrated on December 4 1866. Their descendents Roger Graham–Palmer, his wife Vanessa and his sister Gillian attended the service on Sunday.
In his sermon Archbishop Jackson said Kenure Church was located in one of the most interesting parts of the Diocese of Dublin both geographically and ecclesiastically. It is part of north Dublin associated with movement and access, close to the M1, the airport and the border and across the sea from England, Scotland and Scandinavia.
He said the Biblical texts connected us with the geography of the Old and New Testaments. As the congregation celebrated 150 years of Kenure Church, they were also connected in prayer and humanity with the people of the Middle East who suffer and cause suffering and with Archbishop Suheil, archbishop of Jerusalem, and the link that our United Dioceses enjoy with the Diocese of Jerusalem.
“Living Stones is the phrase that our sisters and brothers, our fellow–Christians in the Land of The Holy One, use to describe themselves. Living stones feature in today’s Epistle reading from 1 Peter 2.4–10. The phrase ties us in with a living concept of buildings and of churches. The church is the people; the church is the worship; the church is the witness; the church is the activity that happens in the church building and that radiates from the church into the community and into the world. This is the heritage of connection – local, national and international – that Kenure Church has and also celebrates by its worship today. We rejoice in security, service and the Spirit of God; others with whom we are connected at a very deep level are connected with us here and now by suffering, service and the Spirit of God,” the Archbishop said.
He paid tribute to the Palmer family who not only built Kenure Church for the people of the community and their estate but also build Rush Cottage Hospital. “We get a picture of a family with a strong sense of international and local commitment and duty and openness to give to others. We get a sense of a family ready to serve their neighbours without distinction and with generosity,” he commented.
You can read Archbishop Jackson’s sermon in full here.
Bringing the service to a close, the Revd Anthony Kelly thanked all the 150th anniversary committee for their hard work and Greer Harte and Dorothy Hyland for their efforts as well as the Palmer family for attending. Archbishop Dawani delivered the Blessing in Arabic.
Photo captions:
Top – Fr Kevin Bartley, Archbishop Michael Jackson, Archbishop Suheil Dawani, the Revd Anthony Kelly and the Revd Ken Sherwood following the service to mark the 150th anniversary of Kenure Church.
Bottom – Roger Graham–Palmer (centre), his wife Vanessa (left) and his sister Gillian (right) in Kenure Church for the 150th anniversary service.