News FromThe Choir

Father Lee Dunleavy - a new chapter in the life of our MD

Father Lee Dunleavy - a new chapter in the life of our MD

Monday 1st July 2024

Our warmest congratulations to our Musical Director Lee Dunleavy, who was ordained a deacon in the Church of England on Sunday 30th June.

Father Lee was ordained by the Rt Revd Stephen Race, Bishop of Beverley, at the church of St George in the Meadows in Nottingham. The church was packed with family, friends, well wishers and members of the various choirs which Lee has directed, including of course the RLSBC. All were there to support Lee as he embarks on this new chapter in his life, which follows two years of training at Ripon College Cuddesdon.

Lee will serve as curate in the parish of St George in the Meadows, and in the neighbouring parish of St Cyprian of Carthage, Sneinton. Lee's last appearance as our MD, the culmination of his musical career, will be on Saturday 13th July, as conductor of our performance of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610.

Lee's ordination took place on the day known in the church as Petertide, the Sunday nearest the feast of St Peter. This is one of the Ember Days traditionally set aside by the church as times of prayer and fasting. They were considered a good time for the ordination of clergy and like many things, the Anglican church inherited the idea from Rome.

Lee is one of seven new deacons in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. The remaining six were ordained at Southwell Minster on the morning of Sunday 30th June. As part of that service, the choir of Southwell Minster sang a work composed by Lee, Tantum Ergo, and you can hear it on the Minster's YouTube feed:

please click here

The photograph above shows the newly ordained Father Lee, with his wife Sally, his stepdaughter Charlotte, and Bishop Stephen of Beverley.

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