The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label=
Ulster-Scots Ulster Scots, may refer to:
* Ulster Scots people
The Ulster Scots ( Ulster-Scots: ''Ulstèr-Scotch''; ga, Albanaigh Ultach), also called Ulster Scots people (''Ulstèr-Scotch fowk'') or (in North America) Scotch-Irish (''Scotch-Airisch'') ...
, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a
Christian church
In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...
in
Ireland and an autonomous province of the
Anglican Communion. It is organised on an
all-Ireland basis and is the
second largest
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of Time in physics, time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally t ...
Christian church on the island after the
Roman Catholic Church. Like other
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
churches, it has retained elements of pre-Reformation practice, notably its
episcopal polity, while rejecting the primacy of the Pope.
In theological and liturgical matters, it incorporates many principles of the
Reformation, particularly those of the
English Reformation
The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
, but self-identifies as being both
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
and
Catholic, in that it sees itself as the inheritor of a continuous tradition going back to the founding of
Christianity in Ireland. As with other members of the global Anglican communion, individual parishes accommodate different approaches to the level of ritual and formality, variously referred to as
High
High may refer to:
Science and technology
* Height
* High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area
* High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory
* High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...
and
Low Church.
Overview
The Church of Ireland sees itself as that 'part of the Irish Church which was influenced by the
Reformation, and has its origins in the early
Celtic Church of St Patrick'. This makes it both "
Catholic", as the inheritor of a continuous tradition of faith and practice, and
Protestant, since it rejects the authority of
Rome and accepts changes in doctrine and liturgy caused by the Reformation.
Following the
Synod of Ráth Breasail (also known as Rathbreasail) in 1111, Irish Catholicism transitioned from a
monastic to a
diocesan and
parish-based mode of organisation and
governance. Many Irish present-day dioceses trace their boundaries to decisions made at the synod. The work of organizing the Church was completed by the
Synod of Kells which took place in 1152, under the presidency of
Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni. Diocesan reform continued and the number of
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
rics was increased from two to four. The synod granted the
Primacy of Ireland to the
Archdiocese of Armagh.
Some modern scholarship argues that early Irish Christianity was functionally separate from Rome but shared much of its liturgy and practice, and that this allowed both the Church of Ireland and Irish Catholicism to claim descent from
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...
. It is also said that the Catholic Church in Ireland was jurisdictionally independent until 1155, when
Pope Adrian IV
Pope Adrian IV ( la, Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman t ...
purported to declare it a papal fief and granted
Henry II of England the
Lordship of Ireland in return for paying
tithes; his right to do so has been disputed ever since.
In 1534,
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
broke with the Papacy and became head of the
Church of England; two years later, the
Irish Parliament followed suit by appointing him head of the Irish church. Although many bishops and most of the clergy refused to conform, the new Church of Ireland retained possession of diocesan buildings and lands, since under the feudal system bishops held that property as
vassals of the Crown. Despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the new church, a large majority of the Irish remained loyal to the
Church of Rome, while in
Ulster the church was outnumbered by
Presbyterians
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
. However, it remained the
established church
A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a t ...
of the whole of Ireland until the
First Gladstone ministry’s
Irish Church Act 1869 disestablished it, with effect from 1 January 1871.
The modern Church of Ireland is the second largest religious organisation in the
Republic of Ireland, and the third largest in
Northern Ireland, after the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churches.
History
Formation
Christianity in
Ireland is generally dated to the mid to late fifth century
AD, when the Romano-British cleric
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...
began his conversion mission, although the exact dates are disputed. Prior to the 12th century, the Irish church was independent of
Papal
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
control, and governed by powerful
monasteries, rather than
bishops
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
. While the
Kingdom of Dublin looked to the English
Diocese of Canterbury for guidance, in 1005 AD
Brian Ború
Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Bri ...
made a large donation to the Monastery of Armagh and recognised its
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
as
Primate of all Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...
in an attempt to secure his position as
High King of Ireland.
Inspired by
Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair
Malachy (}; Modern ga, Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair; ) (1094 – 2 November 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to the apocryphal ...
, reformist head of
Bangor Abbey, the 1111
Synod of Ráth Breasail sought to reduce the power of the monasteries by creating
Dioceses headed by bishops, as was common outside Ireland. Under the 1152
Synod of Kells, the Irish church received its own archbishops, rather than being subject to Canterbury. Under the
Laudabiliter in 1155, English-born
Pope Adrian IV
Pope Adrian IV ( la, Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman t ...
granted
Henry II of England the
Lordship of Ireland in return for paying
tithes to Rome. His claim was based on the 4th century
Donation of Constantine, which allegedly gave the Papacy religious control over all Christian territories in the western
Roman Empire. Its legality was disputed at the time, since Ireland had never been part of the empire, while the Donation itself was later exposed as a forgery.
Since Ireland was now considered a
Papal fief, its bishops were appointed by
Rome but generally adopted English
liturgy
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
and saints, such as
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066.
Edward was the son of Æth ...
, and
Thomas Becket. In 1536, the
Irish Parliament followed their English colleagues by accepting
Henry VIII of England as head of the church, rather than the Pope. This marks the founding of the reformed Church of Ireland, confirmed when Henry became
King of Ireland
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
in 1541. Largely restricted to
Dublin, led by
Archbishop George Browne, it expanded under
Edward VI, until Catholicism was restored by his sister
Mary I in 1553.
When
Elizabeth I of England became queen in 1558, only five bishops accepted her
Religious Settlement, and most of the Irish clergy had to be replaced. This was hampered by the church's relative poverty, while adapting to the changes of regime damaged the reputation of those who remained.
Hugh Curwen
Hugh Curwen ( - 1 November 1568) was an English ecclesiastic and statesman, who served as Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1555 to 1567, then as Bishop of Oxford until his death in November 1568.
Previous entries, includ ...
was
Dean of Hereford until 1555, when Mary made him
Catholic Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin ( ga, Ard-Easpag Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the head of the Archdiocese of Dublin in the Catholic Church, responsible for its spiritual and administrative needs. The office has existed since 1152, in succession to a regula ...
, before returning to the reformed church in 1558. Despite accusations of 'moral delinquency', he remained Archbishop and
Lord Chancellor until 1567, when he was appointed
Bishop of Oxford.
The absence of Gaelic-speaking ministers led to the adoption of a gradualist policy, similar to that used in Catholic areas of Northern England. 'Occasional conformity' allowed the use of pre-Reformation rites, combined with acceptance of the established Church; this practice persisted in both England and Ireland well into the mid-18th century.
Lack of
Irish Gaelic
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the ...
literature was another restriction; shortly before his death in 1585,
Nicholas Walsh began translation of the
New Testament. Continued by John Kearny and
Nehemiah Donnellan
Nehemiah Donnellan (a.k.a. Fearganainm Ó Domhnalláin) (fl. c. 1560-1609) was Archbishop of Tuam.
Background
Donellan was born in the county of Galway, a son of Mael Sechlainn Ó Dónalláin, by his wife Sisly, daughter of William Ó Cellaigh o ...
, it was finally printed in 1602 by
William Daniel, who also translated the
Book of Common Prayer, or BCP, in 1606. An Irish version of the Old Testament was published in 1685 by
Narcissus Marsh, but the revised BCP was not available until 1712.
17th century
At the beginning of the 17th century, most native Irish were Catholic, with Protestant settlers in
Ulster establishing an independent Presbyterian church. Largely confined to an English-speaking minority in
The Pale, the most important figure of the Church's development was Dublin-born theologian and historian,
James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh from 1625 to 1656. In 1615, the Church of Ireland drew up its own confession of faith, similar to the English version, but more detailed, less ambiguous and often explicitly Calvinist. When the
Thirty-Nine Articles were formally adopted by the Irish church in 1634, Ussher ensured they were in addition to the Irish Articles; however, they were soon superseded by the Thirty Nine Articles, which remain in use to the present day.
Under
Charles I, the Church of Ireland claimed to be the original and universal church, while the Papacy was an innovation, thus vesting it with the supremacy of
Apostolic succession
Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bish ...
. This argument was supported by Ussher, and Charles' former personal chaplain,
John Leslie, a key supporter of Caroline reforms in Scotland, appointed bishop of
Derry & Raphoe in 1633. During the 1641–1653
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years' War (from ga, Cogadh na hAon-déag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in the kin ...
, nearly two-thirds of Ireland was controlled by the largely Catholic
Confederacy, and in 1644,
Giovanni Battista Rinuccini became
Papal Nuncio to Ireland. Irish Catholicism had developed greater tolerance for Protestants, while sharing their hostility to elaborate ritual. Rinuccini's insistence on following Roman liturgy, and attempts to re-introduce ceremonies such as
foot washing Foot washing is the act of cleansing one's feet.
Foot washing may also refer to:
* Maundy (foot washing), a religious rite involving foot washing observed by various Christian denominations
* Wudu
Wuḍūʾ ( ar, الوضوء ' ) is the Islamic ...
divided the Confederacy, and contributed to its rapid collapse in the 1649–1652
Cromwell's re-conquest of Ireland.
The church was re-established after the 1660
Restoration of Charles II and in January 1661, meetings by 'Papists, Presbyterians, Independents or separatists' were made illegal. In practice, the penal laws were loosely enforced and after 1666, Protestant
Dissenter
A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc.
Usage in Christianity
Dissent from the Anglican church
In the social and religious history of England and Wales, and ...
s and Catholics were allowed to resume their seats in the
Parliament of Ireland. In 1685, the Catholic
James II James II may refer to:
* James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade
* James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier
* James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily
* James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...
became king with considerable backing in all three kingdoms; this changed when his policies seemed to go beyond tolerance for Catholicism and into an attack on the established church. His prosecution of the
Seven Bishops in England for seditious libel in June 1688 destroyed his support base, while many felt James lost his right to govern by ignoring his
coronation Oath to maintain the primacy of the Protestant religion.
This made oaths a high-profile issue, since ministers of the
national
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
churches of England, Scotland and Ireland were required to swear allegiance to the ruling monarch. When the 1688
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
replaced James with his Protestant daughter and son-in-law,
Mary II
Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694.
Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...
and
William III William III or William the Third may refer to:
Kings
* William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198)
* William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702)
* William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
, a minority felt bound by their previous oath and refused to swear another. This led to the
Non-Juring schism
The Nonjuring schism refers to a split in the State religion, established churches of England, Scotland and Ireland, following the deposition and exile of James II of England, James II and VII in the 1688 Glorious Revolution. As a condition of o ...
, although for the vast majority, this was a matter of personal conscience, rather than political support for James.
The Irish church was less affected by this controversy, although the
Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh became a Non-Juror, as did a handful of the clergy, including
Jacobite propagandist
Charles Leslie. The
Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland is traditionally viewed as beginning in 1691 when the
Treaty of Limerick ended the
1689–1691 Williamite War. The Church re-established control and the 1697
Banishment Act
The Banishment Act or Bishops' Banishment Act (9 Will 3 c.1) was a 1697 Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of Ireland which banished all ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinaries and regular clergy of the Roman Catholic Church from Ireland. B ...
expelled Catholic bishops and
regular clergy
Regular clergy, or just regulars, are clerics in the Catholic Church who follow a rule () of life, and are therefore also members of religious institutes. Secular clergy are clerics who are not bound by a rule of life.
Terminology and history
The ...
from Ireland, leaving only the so-called
secular clergy
In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogra ...
.
18th century
In 1704, the
Test Act was extended to Ireland; this effectively restricted public office to members of the Church of Ireland and officially remained in place until the 1829
Catholic Relief Act. However, the practice of occasional conformity continued, while many Catholic gentry by-passed these restrictions by educating their sons as Protestants, their daughters as Catholics;
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke (; 12 January NS.html"_;"title="New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">NS">New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">NS/nowiki>_1729_–_9_July_1797)_was_an_ NS.html"_;"title="New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style"> ...
, who was raised Church of Ireland but whose parents simultaneously raised his sister Juliana Catholic, is one example.
It is estimated fewer than 15 – 20% of the Irish population were nominally members of the church, which remained a minority under pressure from both Catholics and Protestant Nonconformists. The
1719 Toleration Act allowed Nonconformists freedom of worship, while the Irish Parliament paid their ministers a small subsidy known as the 'regium donum.'
Although willing to permit a degree of flexibility, like their English counterparts, Irish bishops viewed their status as the national church to be non-negotiable and used their seats in the
Irish House of Lords to enforce this. However, in 1725 Parliament passed the first in a series of 'temporary' Indemnity Acts, which allowed office holders to 'postpone' taking the oaths; the bishops were willing to approve these, since they could be repealed at any point.
In the 17th century, religious and political beliefs were often assumed to be the same; thus Catholics were considered political subversives, simply because of their religion. During the 18th century, sectarian divisions were replaced by a growing sense of Irish autonomy; in 1749,
Bishop Berkeley
George Berkeley (; 12 March 168514 January 1753) – known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland) – was an Anglo-Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immateri ...
issued an address to the Catholic clergy, urging them to work together with the church in the (Irish) national interest. After 1750, the government increasingly viewed Catholic emancipation as a way to reduce the power of Protestant nationalists like the
United Irishmen; this had potential implications for the church since the requirement non-church members pay tithes was deeply resented. The movement ended after the
1798 Rebellion
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...
and Ireland's incorporation with Britain.
19th to 20th centuries
Following the legal union of Ireland and the
Kingdom of Great Britain by the
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a single 'Act of Union 1801') were parallel acts of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Irela ...
, the Church of Ireland was also united with the Church of England to form the United Church of England and Ireland. At the same time, one archbishop and three bishops from Ireland (selected by rotation) were given seats in the
House of Lords at Westminster, joining the two archbishops and twenty-four bishops from the Church of England.
The Irish Church was over-staffed, with 22 bishops, including 4 archbishops, for an official membership of 852,000, less than that of the
Church of England's Diocese of Durham. The
Church Temporalities (Ireland) Act 1833 reduced these to 12, as well as making financial changes. Part of a series of reforms by the
1830–1834 Whig government that included the
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament, Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major chan ...
, it caused deep political splits. The implications of government legislating church governance was a contributory factor in the
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...
and had wide repercussions for the Anglican Communion.
Another source of resentment was the funding of the Church by
tithes imposed on all Irish subjects, even though the majority were not members. This led to anomalies like the incumbent of a living near Bessborough, who in 1833 was receiving £1,000 per year, despite the fact the parish had no Protestants or even a church. The "
Tithe War
The Tithe War ( ga, Cogadh na nDeachúna) was a campaign of mainly nonviolent civil disobedience, punctuated by sporadic violent episodes, in Ireland between 1830 and 1836 in reaction to the enforcement of tithes on the Roman Catholic majority f ...
" of 1831–36 led to their replacement by the ''tithe rent charge'' but they did not entirely disappear until the
Irish Church Act 1869.
The Act ended the Church's status as a state organisation; its bishops were removed from the House of Lords and its property transferred to the government. Compensation was paid but in the immediate aftermath, parishes faced great difficulty in local financing after the loss of rent-generating lands and buildings.
Governance
The head of the Church of Ireland is, ''ex officio'', the
Archbishop of Armagh
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
. In 1870, immediately prior to its disestablishment, the Church provided for its internal government, led by a General Synod, and with financial and administrative support by a Representative Church Body. Like other Irish churches, the Church of Ireland did not divide when Ireland was
partitioned in the 1920s and it continues to be governed on an all-Ireland basis.
Structure
The polity of the Church of Ireland is
episcopal church governance
An episcopal polity is a hierarchical form of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. (The word "bishop" derives, via the British Latin and Vulgar Latin term ''*ebiscopus''/''*bisc ...
, as in other Anglican churches. The church maintains the traditional structure dating to pre-Reformation times, a system of geographical
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
organised into
dioceses. There were more than 30 of these historically, grouped into four provinces; today, after consolidation over the centuries, there are
eleven Church of Ireland dioceses or united dioceses, each headed by a bishop and belonging to one of two surviving provinces. In May 2019 the Church of Ireland Synod agreed to the merger of the dioceses of Tuam, Killala and Achonry with Limerick and Killaloe. Full merger will come into effect on the resignation or retirement of either of the current bishops. The new diocese is known as
Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe and is part of the province of Dublin.
The leader of the
southern province is the
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...
, at present
Michael Jackson; that of the
northern province is the
Archbishop of Armagh
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
, at present
Francis John McDowell. These two archbishops are styled
Primate of Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...
and
Primate of All Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...
respectively, suggesting the ultimate seniority of the latter. Although he has relatively little absolute authority, the Archbishop of Armagh is respected as the church's general leader and spokesman, and is elected in a process different from those for all other bishops.
General synod and policy-making
Doctrine, canon law, church governance, church policy, and liturgical matters are decided by the church's
general synod. The general synod comprises two houses, the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives. The House of Bishops includes the 10 diocesan bishops and two archbishops, forming one order. The House of Representatives is made up of two orders, clergy and
laity
In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother.
In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...
. The order of clergy holds one third of the seats while the laity holds two-thirds of the seats. As of 2017, there are 216 clergy members and 432 lay members in the House of Representatives. The membership of the House of Representatives is made up of delegates from the dioceses, with seats allocated to each diocese's clergy and laity in specific numbers; these delegates are elected every three years. The general synod meets annually, and special meetings can be called by the leading bishop or one third of any of its orders.
Changes in policy must be passed by a simple majority of both the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives. Changes to doctrine, for example the decision to ordain women as priests, must be passed by a two-thirds majority of both Houses. The two sit together for general deliberations but separate for some discussions and voting. While the House of Representatives always votes publicly, often by orders, the House of Bishops has tended to vote in private, coming to a decision before matters reach the floor of the synod. This practice has been broken only once when, in 1999, the House of Bishops voted unanimously in public to endorse the efforts of the Archbishop of Armagh, the Diocese of Armagh and the Standing Committee of the General Synod in their attempts to resolve
the crisis at the Church of the Ascension at Drumcree near
Portadown.
Statutes and constitution
The church's internal laws are formulated as bills proposed to the Houses of the general synod, which when passed become Statutes. The church's governing document, its constitution, is modified, consolidated and published by way of statute also, the most recent edition, the 13th, being published in 2003.
Representative body
The representative body of the Church of Ireland, often called the "Representative Church Body" (RCB), is the corporate trustee of the church, as established by law, and much of the church's property is vested in it. The members of the RCB are the bishops plus diocesan delegates and twelve co-opted members, and it meets at least four times a year. The staff of the representative body are analogous to clerical civil servants, and among other duties they oversee property, including church buildings, cemeteries and investments, administer some salaries and pensions, and manage the church library. While parishes, dioceses, and other parts of the church structure care for their particular properties, this is often subject to RCB rules.
Orders of ministry and positions
The Church of Ireland embraces three orders of ministry: deacons, priests (or presbyters) and bishops. These orders are distinct from positions such as
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
,
vicar or
canon.
Diocesan governance
Each diocese or united diocese is led by its Ordinary, one of the ten bishops and two archbishops, and the Ordinary may have one or more Archdeacons to support them, along with a Rural Dean for each group of parishes. There is a diocesan synod for each diocese; there may be separate synods for historic dioceses now in unions. These synods comprise the bishop along with clergy and lay representatives from the parishes, and subject to the laws of the church, and the work of the general synod and its committees and the representative body and its committees, oversee the operation of the diocese. Each diocesan synod in turn appoints a diocesan council to which it can delegate powers.
Parochial governance
Each parish has a presiding member of the clergy, assisted by two churchwardens and often also two glebewardens, one of each type of warden being appointed by the clerical incumbent, and one by popular vote. All qualified adult members of the parish comprise the general vestry, which meets annually, within 20 days each side of Easter, as the Easter Vestry. There is also a select vestry for the parish, or sometimes for each active church in a parish, comprising the presiding cleric and any curate assistants, along with relevant churchwardens and glebewardens and a number of members elected at the Easter Vestry meeting. The select vestry assists in the care and operation of the parish and one or more church buildings.
Cathedral governance
Special provisions apply to the management and operation of five key cathedrals, in Dublin (which contains two Church of Ireland cathedrals), Armagh, Down, and Belfast.
Tribunals
The church has disciplinary and appeals tribunals, and diocesan courts, and a court of the general synod.
Present
Membership
The Church of Ireland experienced a major decline in membership during the 20th century, both in Northern Ireland, where around 65% of its members live, and in the Republic of Ireland. The church is still the second-largest in the
Republic of Ireland, with 126,414 members in 2016 (minus 2% compared to the 2011 census results)
[''Census 2016 Results''](_blank)
. and the third-largest in
Northern Ireland, with around 260,000 members.
The most recently available figures published by the Church of Ireland, dating to 2013, found that average Sunday attendance across the church was 58,257, with 74 per cent of this attendance in the
Province of Armagh. Attendance varied strongly across dioceses; the most-attended diocese was Down and Dromore, with 12,731 in average Sunday attendance, while the least-attended was
Meath and Kildare with 1,463.
Similarly, in 2016, a peer-reviewed study published in the ''
Journal of Anglican Studies'' by
Cambridge University Press found that the Church of Ireland has approximately 384,176 total members and 58,000 active baptised members.
Cathedrals
The Church of Ireland has two cathedrals in Dublin: within the line of the walls of the old city is
Christ Church Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Dublin, and just outside the old walls is
St. Patrick's Cathedral, which the church designated as the National Cathedral for Ireland in 1870. Cathedrals also exist in the other dioceses.
There is also the metropolitan cathedral church of Ireland, situated in Armagh,
St Patrick's Cathedral. This cathedral is the seat of the archbishop and metropolitan,
the Most Reverend John McDowell.
Offices, training of priests and teachers
The church's central offices are in
Rathmines, adjacent to the former
Church of Ireland College of Education, and the church's library is in Churchtown. Teacher training now occurs within the
Dublin City University Institute of Education, overseen by the Church of Ireland Centre, based at the former
All Hallows College. The church operates a seminary, the
Church of Ireland Theological Institute, in
Rathgar, in the south inner suburbs of Dublin.
Anglican Communion
The churches of the Anglican Communion are linked by affection and common loyalty. They are in full communion with the
See
See or SEE may refer to:
* Sight - seeing
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Music:
** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals
*** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See''
** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho
* Television
* ...
of Canterbury and thus the
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, in his person, is a unique focus of Anglican unity. He calls the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference, chairs the meeting of Primates, and is President of the Anglican Consultative Council. The contemporary Church of Ireland, despite having a number of
High Church (often described as
Anglo-Catholic) parishes, is generally on the
Low Church end of the spectrum of world
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
. Historically, it had little of the difference in churchmanship between parishes characteristic of other Anglican provinces, although a number of markedly liberal, High Church or
Evangelical parishes have developed in recent decades. It was the second province of the Anglican Communion after the
Anglican Church of New Zealand
The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia ( mi, Te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tīreni, ki Ngā Moutere o te Moana Nui a Kiwa; formerly the Church of the Province of New Zealand) is a Anglican province, province of the Angl ...
(1857) to adopt, on its 1871 disestablishment,
synodical government. It was also one of the first provinces to begin ordaining women to the priesthood (1991).
Relation with the GAFCON movement
GAFCON
The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a global network of conservative Anglicanism, Anglican churches that formed in 2008 in response to an ongoing theological crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion. ...
Ireland was launched on 21 April 2018, in
Belfast, with 320 attendees from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. International speakers included Archbishops
Peter Jensen (retired Archbishop of
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
) and
Gregory Venables
Gregory James Venables (born 6 December 1949) is an English Anglican bishop. He has served as the Primate of the Southern Cone in South America from 2001 until 2010, and once again since 2016 until 2020. He is the former diocesan bishop of Arg ...
(Primate of the
Anglican Church of South America
The Anglican Church of South America ( es, Iglesia Anglicana de Sudamérica) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion that covers six dioceses in the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.
Formed in 198 ...
). The Church of Ireland was represented at
GAFCON III, held on 17–22 June 2018 in
Jerusalem, by a six-member delegation which included two bishops;
Ferran Glenfield
Samuel Ferran Glenfield (born 1954) is an Irish Anglican bishop. Glenfield is the current Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh.
Personal life
Glenfield is married to Jean, a teacher at Wesley College Dublin.They have three children.
Educatio ...
of
Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh and
Harold Miller of
Down and Dromore. Their participation was criticised by some members of the Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland is not a member of GAFCON and the church communicated that attendance by clergy was unofficial in "a personal capacity" and the General Synod has voted against GAFCON's statement on the Lambeth Conference. GAFCON supporters refuted their critics claims, saying that they endorse Lambeth 1.10 resolution on human sexuality, which is still the official stance of the Church of Ireland, but has been rejected by the liberal provinces of the
Anglican Communion. The Rev. Charles Raven stated: "the charge that GAFCON is a breakaway or separatist group is not supported by the evidence. It is a movement of reform and revitalisation which has enabled faithful Anglicans to remain within the Communion, especially in North America and Brazil. While being clear that participation in its common life is based upon fidelity to the biblical gospel, not merely upon historic ties, the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration of 2008 says quite unequivocally that 'Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion'."
Ecumenical relations
Like many other Anglican churches, the Church of Ireland is a member of many ecumenical bodies, including the
World Council of Churches, the
Conference of European Churches,
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) is an ecumenical organisation. The members include most of the major churches in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. CTBI is registered at Companies House with number 05661787. Its office is in Cen ...
and the
Irish Council of Churches The Irish Council of Churches (ICC) (founded 1922, reorganised under its present name 1966) is an ecumenical Christian body. It is a sister organisation of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
Member churches are currently:
* The Antiochian ...
. It is also a member of the
Porvoo Communion.
Flags
In 1999, the church voted to prohibit the flying of flags other than
St Patrick's flag
Saint Patrick's Saltire or Saint Patrick's Cross is a red saltire (X-shaped cross) on a white field. In heraldic language, it may be blazoned "'' argent, a saltire gules''". The Saint Patrick's Flag (''Bratach Naomh Pádraig'') is a flag comp ...
and the
Flag of the Anglican Communion
The first use of the Compass Rose emblem of the Anglican Communion was occasioned by the convening in 1954 of "The First World Congress of the Anglican Communion" at The Cathedral Church of St. Mark, Minneapolis, Minnesota, all as is memorialized ...
. However, the
Union Flag continues to fly on many churches in
Northern Ireland.
Publications
The church has an official website. Its journal is ''
The Church of Ireland Gazette
''The Church of Ireland Gazette'' is a monthly magazine promoting the Christian faith, covers the activities of the Church of Ireland across all its dioceses in Ireland (North and South). Although associated with the Church of Ireland (Anglican) ...
'', which is editorially independent, but the governing body of which is appointed by the church. Many parishes and other internal organizations also produce newsletters or other publications, as well as maintaining websites.
Doctrine and practice
The centre of the Church of Ireland's teaching is the life, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church include:
*
Chalcedonian
Chalcedonian Christianity is the branch of Christianity that accepts and upholds theological and ecclesiological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Christolo ...
Christology; Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God in one person. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
* Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
* The Old and New Testaments of the Bible ("God's Word written") were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit". The Apocrypha are additional books that are to be read, but not to determine doctrine. The
Apocrypha of the King James version of the Bible constitutes the books of the
Vulgate version that are present neither in the
Hebrew Old Testament nor the Greek
New Testament.
* The "two great and necessary"
sacraments
A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the real ...
are
Baptism and the
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
(also called Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper).
* Those
"commonly called Sacraments that are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel" are
confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
,
ordination, marriage,
reconciliation of a penitent
Confession, in many religions, is the acknowledgment of one's sins (sinfulness) or wrongs.
Christianity Catholicism
In Catholic teaching, the Sacrament of Penance (Catholic Church), Sacrament of Penance is the method of the Church by whic ...
and
unction.
* Belief in
heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
,
hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
and
Jesus's return in glory.
The 16th-century apologist,
Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker (25 March 1554 – 2 November 1600) was an English priest in the Church of England and an influential theologian.The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church by F. L. Cross (Editor), E. A. Livingstone (Editor) Oxford University ...
, posits that there are three sources of authority in Anglicanism: scripture, tradition and reason. It is not known how widely accepted this idea is within Anglicanism. It is further posited that the three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine; things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.
Modern doctrinal debates
Ordination of women
In recent decades, the church has ordained women to all offices. In 1984, the General Synod approved the ordination of women to the diaconate and, in 1987, the first woman, Katherine Poulton, was ordained as a deacon. In 1990 the church began ordaining women to the priesthood. The first two women ordained were
Kathleen Margaret Brown
Kathleen Margaret Brown was the first woman in the Church of Ireland to be ordained to full-time ministry.
Brown was curate under Brian Courtney at St. Nicholas', Carrickfergus, and remained in the parish from 1988 until 1992 when she was insti ...
and Irene Templeton. In 2013, the church appointed its first female bishop,
Pat Storey.
Same-sex unions and LGBT clergy
The church has been divided over aspects of human sexuality. In 2002, the issue became pertinent as a vicar provided a blessing for a lesbian couple. The denomination announced a period of discernment to allocate time to the perspectives within the discussion. In 2010, a congregation was recognised by the church for receiving an LGBTI award for offering services for LGBTI people. The Church of Ireland canon defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and does not perform same-sex marriages, but the church also supported the legal right of same-sex couples to register a civil marriage.
Civil partnerships have been allowed since 2005. The church has no official position on civil unions. In 2008, "the Church of Ireland Pensions Board ha
confirmed that it will treat civil partners the same as spouses." The General Synod adopted the Pensions Board's policy in 2008. In 2011, a cleric in the Church of Ireland entered into a same-sex civil partnership with his bishop's permission. Assurances of sexual abstinence were not required from the cleric. In 2012, the church's Clergy Pension Fund continued to recognise that "the pension entitlement of a member's registered civil partner will be the same as that of a surviving spouse." Regarding cohabitation, the church said that "any view of cohabitation has to be the intention of the couple to lifelong loyalty and faithfulness within their relationship." In 2004, then Archbishop
John Neill said that the "Church would support the extension of legal rights on issues such as tax, welfare benefits, inheritance and hospital visits to
cohabiting couples, both same gender and others." The church recognises four general viewpoints within the denomination ranging from opposition to acceptance toward same-gender relationships.
Prior to the referendum on same-sex marriage, the church remained neutral on the issue. In 2015, the Bishop of Cork, the Rt. Rev.
Paul Colton, Bishop
Michael Burrows
Michael Burrows, FRS (born 1963) is a British computer scientist and the creator of the Burrows–Wheeler transform, currently working for Google. Born in Britain, as of 2018 he lives in the United States, although he remains a British citizen. ...
of Cashel, and two retired archbishops of Dublin endorsed same-sex marriage. While voting "no" on gay marriage, Bishop Pat Storey endorsed civil unions. Also, 55 clergy signed a letter supporting the blessing of same-sex couples. In its pastoral letter, the church reiterated that, presently, church marriages are only for heterosexual couples, but that clergy may offer prayers for same-sex couples.
When asked about clergy entering into civil same-sex marriages, the letter stated that "all are free to exercise their democratic entitlements once they are enshrined in legislation. However, members of the clergy, are further bound by the Ordinal and by the authority of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland."
Services of Thanksgiving for same-sex marriage have taken place in congregations; for example, St. Audoen's Church hosted "a service of thanksgiving" for same-sex marriage. LGBTI services are also allowed by the
Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross.
REFORM Ireland, a conservative lobby, has criticised the official letter as "a dangerous departure from confessing Anglicanism" and continues to oppose same-sex marriage recognition. Reflecting division, the church deferred its report on same-sex marriage to listen to all voices. ''
The Church of Ireland Gazette
''The Church of Ireland Gazette'' is a monthly magazine promoting the Christian faith, covers the activities of the Church of Ireland across all its dioceses in Ireland (North and South). Although associated with the Church of Ireland (Anglican) ...
'', although "editorially independent", endorsed a blessing rite for same-sex couples. Many congregations, including cathedrals, have become publicly affirming of LGBTI rights. A church report has determined that "the moral logic underpinning the negative portrayal of same-sex eroticism in Scripture does not directly address committed, loving, consecrated same-sex relationships today". In 2017, the General Synod considered a proposal to request for public services of thanksgiving for same-sex couples, but the proposal was not passed; the church's select committee on human sexuality recommended that the bishops continue to study the issues. There were 176 votes against the motion to request public services, 146 in favour, and 24 abstentions. The Bishop of Cork, Paul Colton, declared his support for same-sex marriage ceremonies in the Church of Ireland.
Liturgical issues
Irish language
The first translation of the
Book of Common Prayer into Irish was published in 1606. An Irish translation of the revised prayer book of 1662 was published in 1712.
The Church of Ireland has its own Irish language body, ''Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise'' ("Irish Guild of the Church"). This was founded in 1914 to bring together members of the Church of Ireland interested in the
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
and Gaelic culture and to promote the Irish language within the Church of Ireland. The guild aims to link its programmes with the Irish language initiatives which have been centred round
Christ Church Cathedral. It holds services twice a month in Irish.
[Church of Ireland Notes, page 2, ''Irish Times'', 10 January 2009.]
From 1926 to 1995, the church had its own Irish-language teacher training college, ''
Coláiste Moibhí
Coláiste Moibhí was a preparatory school in Ireland providing Irish-language instruction for Protestant boys and girls intending to proceed to train as primary schoolteachers. Operating from 1926 to 1995, it was located just outside Shankill ...
''. Today, there are a number of interdenominational ''
Gaelscoileanna
A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language-medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary an ...
'' (schools where
Irish-medium education
A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language-medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary an ...
is applied).
See also
*
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
*
Church of England
*
Scottish Episcopal Church
*
Episcopal Church (United States)
*
Church in Wales
*
Bishops' Selection Conference
{{unreferenced, date=October 2010
In the Church of Ireland, the Bishops' Selection Conference is an annual panel of church members, representing both clergy and laity, who assess candidates offering themselves for consideration for training for the ...
*
Protestantism in Ireland
*
Religion in Northern Ireland
*
Religion in the Republic of Ireland
Notes
References
Sources
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Further reading
* Cross, F. L. (ed.) (1957) ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church''. Oxford: U. P.; pp. 700–701
* Fair, John D. "The Irish disestablishment conference of 1869." ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' 26.4 (1975): 379–394.
* MacCarthy, Robert ''Ancient and Modern: a short history of the Church of Ireland''. Four Courts Press Ltd., 1995
* McCormack, Christopher F. "The Irish Church Disestablishment Act (1869) and the general synod of the Church of Ireland (1871): the art and structure of educational reform." ''History of Education'' 47.3 (2018): 303–320.
* McDowell, Robert Brendan. ''The Church of Ireland 1869–1969'' (Routledge, 2017_.
* Neill, Stephen (1965) ''Anglicanism''. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books
* ''The Church of Ireland: An illustrated history'' Booklink. 2013
External links
Church of IrelandChurch of Ireland Theological InstituteRepresentative Church Body Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of Ireland
1536 establishments in Ireland
Ireland
Protestantism in the United Kingdom
Ireland
All-Ireland organisations
Anglicanism in Ireland
Anglicanism in the Republic of Ireland
Christianity in Northern Ireland
Religious organizations established in 1536