Minor Canons appointed to St Anne’s Cathedral
The Dean and Chapter of Saint Anne’s Cathedral have appointed the Revd Adrian Dorrian and the Revd Nigel Kirkpatrick as minor canons in addition to the existing minor canon of the Cathedral, the Revd Stephen Fielding.
Adrian is the rector of St Mark’s Dundela and Nigel the rector of St Dorothea’s, Gilnahirk, both in the Diocese of Down.
Minor canons have largely an occasional working role in the liturgical life of a cathedral; primarily as clergy who are also gifted as singers and are able to lead Choral Evensong and Sung Compline with the Choir. They are a valued and important part of the flow of the cathedral’s musical life, although they are not accorded the title ‘Canon’, nor are they part of the Cathedral Chapter.
“The aspiration in St Anne’s is to have a sung service every day,” says The Very Revd John Mann, Dean of St Anne’s, “but this is likely to take another two or three years to realise. At the moment Compline is sung on Mondays at 5.30 pm and Choral Evensong is on Wednesdays at 5.30 pm – both during term time. It is hoped that a third weekday service may be put in place shortly.
“We do encourage people to attend the Cathedral at 5.30 pm on weekdays, especially on Mondays and Wednesdays for the choral services. The traffic is so much lighter after 6.00 pm!”