On Friday evening in St Mary's Cathedral, Tuam, Bishop Richard Henderson will institute the Rev Alastair Grimason to the incumbency of the Tuam union of parishes. Mr Grimason also will be installed as Dean of Tuam.
The new dean is from Dungannon and was educated at TCD. He was ordained in 1979 for the curacy of Joanmount in north Belfast and after a second curacy in North Strand, Dublin, was appointed rector of Navan in 1984. Since 1991 he has been rector of Tullamore.
Dean Grimason will be responsible for the churches of St Mary, Cong, and St John the Baptist, Aasleagh. He will be assisted by the Rev Maureen Ryan, auxiliary priest.
Tomorrow morning the choir of Schola Cantorum, Lulea, Sweden, will sing the service in Christ Church, Dun Laoghaire, while in St John's Church, Sandymount, the Lenten address will be given by Dr Raymond Refausse from the Representative Church Body Library. At Evensong in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the fourth in the series of episcopal addresses on the Apostles' Creed will be given by the Right Rev M.A.O. Lewis, Bishop of Middleton. In Lisburn, Co Antrim, the former Bishop of Connor, Dr Samuel Poyntz, will preach in Christ Church Cathedral at the opening service of a week of millennium celebrations.
On Tuesday evening in St Andrew's School, Malahide, there will be a Lenten talk on "The Celtic Tiger and the Homeless", and on Wednesday evening in St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork, the course on "Christ the Healer" continues with a talk on "The Challenge of Chaplaincy" by Sister Rosarii of Cork University Hospital. In Rathfarnham Parish Church, on Thursday evening, the speakers in the Lenten series on "Faith Matters for a New Millennium" will be the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Dr Richard Clarke, and Father Martin Clark, communications officer of the Irish Bishops' Conference.
The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, has opened an exhibition of works of art by Olivia Williams, a second-year ordinand in the Church of Ireland Theological College. The exhibition, entitled "A Lily amongst Thorns", draws its inspiration from the Old Testament Song of Songs and continue at Signal Arts Centre, Albert Avenue, Bray, until April 8th.
This year's annual retreat of the Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer will be held from June 9th to 11th (weekend) and June 12th to 15th (mid-week) at Bellinter Conference Centre, Navan. Participation is open to everyone, especially those enrolling for the first time. Details from the Rev David Ferry, 1 Lowertown Road, Ballymagorry, Strabane, Co Tyrone, BT82OLE (048-883545). Early booking, if possible by the end of April, would be appreciated.
Information is now available on an autumn pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to be led by the Very Rev William Beare, Dean of Lismore, and Pastor Robert Dunlop of Brannockstown Baptist Church. This Jubilee Year pilgrimage will take place from November 7th to 16th. Details from Dean Beare (058-54105) or Pastor Dunlop (045-483629).
Last week's reference to a Mothers' Union service should have stated that it marked the Feast of the Annunciation.