11.12.2019
CITI and Church House Combine for Carol Service
The Church of Ireland Theological Institute and Church House Dublin united this year for a combined Carol Service. The service took place in Holy Trinity, Rathmines, yesterday evening (Tuesday December 10) and Archbishop Michael Jackson presided with director of CITI Canon Dr Maurice Elliott, the Rector the Revd Rob Jones, the Revd Dr Paddy McGlinchy and the Revd Dr William Olhausen.
The service, which was a first in recent years, included readers from both CITI and Church House. It even featured a choir, formed specially for the occasion, made up of ordinands and staff from both bodies. Under the direction of ordinand, Philip McKinley, the choir performed two pieces, one of which Philip wrote for the service entitled ‘Into the World’.
During the service Archbishop Jackson spoke of the spirit of Advent and the sense of penitence and preparation prior to the celebration of Christmas. He added that those who live a life of discipleship could not do it seated, not even seated in a church. “We need to do it in work and where other people are,” he contended.
Referring to the Collect for the First Sunday in Advent [“Give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light,”], the Archbishop said it was important to protect ourselves to enable us to go into the front line in the quest of the best of humanity and this too could only be done in community.
