22.01.2018
Trinity Chapel Choir Takes Epiphanytide Trip to Enniskillen
After the Christmas break Trinity College Chapel Choir always takes an Epiphanytide trip before the start of Hilary term. This year the choir members were delighted to receive invitations to sing in Enniskillen on the weekend of January 13 and 14.
By invitation of the Parish Priest of St Michael’s Church, Monseigneur Peter O’Reilly and the Director of Music the choir sang Mass on Saturday January 13. Monseigneur O’Reilly met the choir before the mass and outlined the ecumenical work taking place in Enniskillen and in particular with St Macartin’s Cathedral which is situated directly across the road from St Michael’s. The ‘crossing of the road’ by Queen Elizabeth in Enniskillen when she was visited both St Marcartin’s Cathedral and St Michael’s Church was a very significant occasion – it was the first time that she had visited a Roman Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. Both churches have been co–operating on many ventures to build reconciliation. Therefore they were delighted to sing at both St Michael’s and St Macartin’s.
The Director of Music at St Michael’s, Paul Flynn is a former conductor of Trinity College Chapel Choir and they had the opportunity to sing part of his ‘Mass for St Columba’ along with his hymn ‘Save us, Saviour of the World’, Memorial acclamation ‘Salvator Mundi’ and motet ‘Charitatem Habete’. Paul is developing a music scholarship programme in the parish in conjunction with Simon Harden, organist of Rathfarnham Parish Church and former organ scholar at Trinity.
On Sunday morning the chapel choir joined the cathedral choir at St Macartin’s for Sung Eucharist. Almost 40 singers and made ‘a merry noise’. Dean Kenneth Hall invited the Church of Ireland Chaplain at Trinity, the Revd Steve Brunn to preach to the full cathedral. Professor Sean Barret who has been a staunch supporter of College Chapel in Trinity for many decades was in the congregation.
It was a great pleasure to be at St Macartin’s to join in this service because Dean Kenneth Hall has kept close connections with Trinity and is a member of the committee of Dublin University Far Eastern Mission. Dean Hall facilitated a placement for Walter Lau from the Provence of Hong Kong in Enniskillen last year. Walter was ordained to the diaconate in Saint John’s Cathedral Hong Kong on All Saint’s Day. After the Eucharist Dean and Mrs Hall invited Trinity Chapel Choir and the Cathedral Choir at Saint Macartin’s for coffee in the deanery which was a lovely way for the two choirs to mix for some very lively and convivial conversations.
Sung Services in College Chapel commenced on Thursday January 18 with Choral Evensong at 17.15 and on Sunday January 21 with Sung Eucharist at 10.45. These services are sung each week in lecture term and all are welcome to attend.