The Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Robin Eames, will represent the Church of Ireland at the ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the World Council of Churches. These will begin in Amsterdam on Friday and continue until the following Sunday.
The WCC was formally constituted in Amsterdam on August 23rd, 1948, and represents the fusion of two movements, "Life and Work" and "Faith and Order". Work on this process had been in hand since 1937 but the establishment of a formal constitution was delayed by the second World War. In 1961 the International Missionary Council was integrated with the WCC. At its formation in 1948 the WCC had 147 member-churches and by 1993 this number had risen to 322. With the exception of the Roman Catholic Church and the Unitarians, the council includes churches from all the main confessions and denominations.
The work of the WCC is divided into four units: unity and renewal; mission, education and witness; justice, peace and creation; sharing and service. Much of this work is reflected in an extensive publications programme encompassing both books and periodicals, much of which is available in the Representative Church Body Library.
This evening in St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork, the Aberfan Male Voice Choir from Wales will give a recital to mark the 30th anniversary of the choir's foundation in the wake of the Aberfan pit disaster of 1966.
Tomorrow RTE will broadcast Morning Service from Frankfield, Co Cork, led by the Archdeacon of Cork, the Ven Robin Bantry White, Morning Prayer, from St Paul's Church, Ballymachugh, Co Cavan, will be broadcast on Northern Sound, while in the evening the BBC Radio 2 programme Sunday Half Hour will come from Agherton Parish Church, Portstewart. A new series of "Gloria", featuring the best in medieval and modern sacred choral music, will begin on RTE FM3 at 8 p.m. As before the programmes will be introduced by Tim Thurston, who for the initial broadcast has selected a chant by Hildegard of Bingen, motets by Melgas, Johann Christoph Bach, Poulenc and Pizzetti, and excerpts from a setting of the Mass by Du Caurroy.
In Dublin the Rev Graeme Brown, formerly leader of the Iona Community, will preach at the Sung Eucharist in St John's Church, Sandymount, while in Raheny and Coolock, Canon John Kanyikwa, Rector of St John the Evangelist Theological Seminary in Zambia, will preach at the beginning of a six-week visit to this country.
Canon Kanyika is an International Partner in Mission supported by CMS Ireland. In the evening, the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, will ordain the Rev Lynda Peilow, curate of Castleknock, to the priesthood in Christ Church Cathedral, where the preacher will be the Bishop of Porvoo, Finland. The Dean of St Patrick's, Dublin, Dr Maurice Stewart, will preach at the Friends' Festival Service in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh.
The Standing Committee of the General Synod and the Representative Church Body will meet in the Church of Ireland College of Education, Rathmines, on Tuesday.
On Thursday the Dublin and Glendalough Mothers' Union Festival Service will be held in Christ Church Cathedral, where the preacher will be the Archdeacon of Glendalough, the Ven Edgar Swann.