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PARISH OFFICE NEWS

On 12th July we welcome Jennifer McGrath of Lucan as our new Parish Administrator. Jennifer will be working in the Parish Office, providing valuable support to the clergy and the Select Vestries. We look forward to her arrival and hope she will be very happy with us.

SAINTS' DAYS AND OTHER HOLY DAYS IN JULY AND AUGUST

The following information about Saints’ days may be useful in your personal prayers. The details have been compiled from a number of sources, including Commemorating Saints and Others of the Irish Church (ed. Brian Mayne), A Calendar of Saints (ed. James Bentley), and Exciting Holiness (Canterbury Press).

3rd July St Thomas - Apostle. Mentioned in the gospels where, most famously, he is the apostle unconvinced about the resurrection of Jesus. According to tradition, Tho mas travelled as a missionary to India where he is believed to have died. The Mar Thoma Christians of India claim Thomas as their founder. He is the patron saint of our church in Mulhuddart.

6th July St Moninne of Killeavy - Armagh Diocese, died 518. The founder of a small monastery for women near Newry, Moninne (also called Bline or Darerca) is remembered for her teaching and pastoral concern.

8th July St Killian - Bishop and Martyr, died 689. Originally from Co. Cavan, Killian was a missionary in continental Europe, rebuilding the church in Baden and Bavaria. Many churches in Germany and Austria were dedicated to him. He was killed in Wurzburg with two other missionaries on this day in 689.

19th July Gregory - (Bishop of Nyssa, died 394) and Macrina (Deaconess, died 379). Gregory was born in Caesarea (now Turkey) in 330, the son of an aristocratic Christian family. Introduced to the spiritual life by his older sister Macrina, Gregory became one of the theologians known as the Cappadocian Fathers. He married a deeply spiritual woman, Theosebia, and only later in life was ordained, becoming Bishop of Nyssa in 372. The death of his sister Macrina and an older brother Basil affected him deeply yet strengthened his faith and spirituality.

22nd July Mary Magdalene - All four gospels give Mary a unique place among Jesus’ followers. Probably from Magdala, near the Sea of Galilee, she was healed by Jesus before accompanying him during his ministry. Her faithfulness led her to stay by the cross during the crucifixion and to be the first disciple to discover the empty tomb on Easter morning. Jesus’ commission to her to take the good news to the others, earned her the title “Apostle to the Apostles” in the early church. (Holy Communion will be celebrated on 21st July at 10.30 a.m. in the Parish Centre.)

24th July Declan - Bishop, Lismore Diocese, 5th century - From Ardmore in west Waterford, Declan was a prince of the tribe of Decies, among whom there were believed to have been Christians before the coming of Patrick.

25th July James, Apostle - Often called James the Great, he was a fisherman from Galilee, one of the first (with his brother John) to be called to follow Jesus. The two brothers were with Jesus at the Transfiguration and again in the Garden of Gethsemane. They annoyed the others by asking for special treatment when Jesus came into his glory. James was killed by the sword on the order of Herod Agrippa who hoped, by disposing of the Christian leaders, that he could prevent the spread of the Gospel. James is believed to have been martyred in the year 44. (This festival will be marked in the services on Sunday 25th July.)

6th August The Transfiguration of Our Lord - The story of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain is told in the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and in Peter’s Second Letter. It makes clear that God’s salvation is for all, and that Christ is the one who brings that salvation.

9th August Felim - Kilmore Diocese, circa 560. According to tradition, Felim (or Fedilimth) was the father of St Columba. He is remembered in Kilmore Diocese, where the abbey on Trinity Island in Lough Oughter recalls the earliest days of Christianity in Cavan and the neighbourhood.

9th August Nathi (or Crumnathy) - Achonry Diocese, circa 610. The monastery of Achonry, Co Sligo, which was founded by St Finnian of Clonard in the 6th century, was established under Nathi as a centre of prayer and study.

12th August Muredach (or Murtagh) - Killala Diocese, circa 480. Muredach was an ‘old man’, perhaps a presbyter or priest, in St Patrick’s household. Later, Patrick left Muredach to be bishop in West Sligo and Mayo. One tradition says Muredach ended his days as a hermit on Inishmurray.

13th August Jeremy Taylor - Bishop of Down and Connor, died 1667. Born in Cambridge in 1613, Jeremy Taylor was ordained before the Civil War in 1633. A distinguished Anglican theologian, his books Holy Living and Holy Dying are still in print. He came to Ireland in 1658 to lecture, but stayed to become Bishop of Down and Connor. His health suffered from the protracted conflicts, whereby he was rejected by both the Catholics and the Presbyterians. He died on this day in 1667.

14th August Fachtna (or Fachanan) - Bishop, Ross Diocese, 6 th century. Described as a ‘wise and upright man’ and a great preacher, Fachtna founded the community of Rosscarbery in West Cork.

24th August Bartholomew, Apostle - Bartholomew is thought to be the same as Nathaniel, who recognises Jesus for who he is, and was granted a vision of the Risen Lord. According to tradition, Bartholomew later preached in India and Armenia. He is believed to have been martyred in Armenia on the orders of King Astyages, who had him flayed alive before beheading.

28th August Augustine of Hippo - Bishop, died 430. Born in Algeria, North Africa in 354, Augustine as an educated young man rejected Christianity. However, he was influenced by his mother (St Monica) and by the Bishop of Milan (St Ambrose) and in mid life was baptised and later ordained. Returning to Africa, he became Bishop of Hippo in 396. Many of his writings, including his Confessions and The City of God, have been preserved and are still influential today. A famous prayer of his includes the words, “O God, you have created us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you”. Augustine died in 430 when the Vandals were invading Hippo.

THE SWEDISH EXPERIENCE by Eddie Greene

It is thanks to David Hepburn that I undertook the ‘Swedish Experience’. David was the organiser of this trip—he booked flights, planned the route, booked accommodation and cajoled me into accompanying him and his two friends, Paul and Clive. All I had to do was pedal for 8 days and cover 650 miles from Malmo in southern Sweden to Sundsvall on the north-eastern coast.

I reckoned the 25/30 miles pleasure cycles I had been doing at weekends would not sustain me for this trip. I trained hard, sometimes both early morning and late evening on the same day, sometimes 91 mile round trips to Virginia on Saturdays but I also kept up the pleasure cycles with the parish group of lads. I hoped this would be enough. Time would tell!.

David and I departed Dublin Airport on Monday 14th June 2004, transferred at Stansted, arrived at Malmo and spent the first night in Falsterbo with friends of David. Next day Paul and Clive flew into Malmo and we departed at mid-day on the first leg of the trip in pouring of rain and gale force winds. We cycled for 68 miles on the smoothest of roads through hilly terrain and beautiful scenery. This was a short day’s cycle. We were given a Swedish welcome that evening by Birgitta Barcroft, a friend of David, and were entertained royally to dinner with some of her family and friends. Birgitta had been the Swedish link in organising the overnight accommodation.

The trip continued with us being on the road each morning at 8 a.m. We stopped around 10.30 for coffee and cakes, had a lunch break around 2 p.m. [we ate one lunch in a bus shelter during heavy rain!] and had more coffee about 4, usually arriving at our overnight accommodation by 6. The procedure then was do a quick check on the bikes and secure them for the night. A shower and short rest was then followed by a substantial dinner—we could eat the legs off the tables! Moose and reindeer from Lapland featured a couple of times on the menu. Every night we were in bed by 10 p.m. at the latest—we were just so tired. Our daily mileage varied between 80 and 106 so we needed our rest.

The accommodation varied from small hotels to guesthouses to log cabins sometimes in very remote areas. One log cabin in particular was quite ‘cosy’ - four in a small bedroom with a rather low sloping roofline when if you sat up in bed quickly you were likely to hit the ceiling. At this cabin there was no shower facility but 50 yards away there was a wood burning sauna by the lake. Your sauna was to be followed by a jump in the lake. We chickened out on the jump in the lake!

During the afternoon on the fourth day, as we passed through the town of Motala, we were overwhelmed by some 15,000 cyclists who were preparing for the annual 300 km cycle around Lake Vattern commencing that evening and continuing through the night. It was the biggest collection of the finest bikes we ever saw.

Navigation was of the utmost importance — map work and compass work went hand in hand to keep us on the right route particularly as some of the smaller roads were not shown on the maps. On a couple of occasions we rode on gravel surfaced roads and this was a worry in case we got punctures. Thankfully we didn’t. Generally speaking, the terrain was hilly involving thousands of gear changes each day but road surfaces were unbelievable smooth and clearly marked. Murphy’s Law reigned and David found what must have been the one and only porthole in Sweden resulting in a broken spoke and buckled wheel. Otherwise we had a trouble-free run. [The damaged wheel was repaired in a cycle shop in Motala—while we waited].

The heavily forested country side we cycled through was very sparsely populated and often we were the only customers in the coffee shops in the small towns and villages. We passed many churches situated in remote areas, their grounds beautifully maintained — one even had an array of sprinklers in operation and flowers on each headstone. In southern Sweden we noticed that every house had a huge, neatly stacked stock of firewood nearby — apparently it is common to have a seven year supply. As we went further north, the stocks were quite small or non-existent.

Weatherise we experienced strong head wind, heavy rain, cool temperatures and glorious sunshine. [One text message received from a parishioner during the trip advised the taking of gripewater to help with the wind!] On midsummer’s night we were at our most northerly overnight stop, Hudiksvall. There was 24 hours of brightness which was quite stunning. One reminder of the colder winter weather was stakes on the roadside to indicate the edge of the road and the depth of snow.

SUNDSVALL—what a welcome sight! We arrived on day 8 in glorious sunshine at 1 p.m. having clocked up 669 miles and our only disappointment was we hadn’t seen a Moose.

All that was left for us to do now was to get ourselves back south to Bvasteras airport near Stockholm. We hired two cars to transport ourselves and the bikes. We spent the night in Vasterasand and departed at 10 a.m. on Wednesday 23 June. David and I bade our farewells to Paul and Clive in Stansted airport. As a group we gelled very well, had may different experiences [one we cannot even mention!] and had plenty of banter during our time together. At 6 p.m. we arrived back at Dublin Airport to be greeted by wellwishers with balloons and banners!

Thank you to one and all for the encouragement, support and generous donations — to date the Clonsilla Project has benefited by €10,000.

The intensive training stood me well when the going was tough. The entire trip was an experience long to be remembered.

THE ARCHBISHOP'S COURSE IN THEOLOGY 2002 - 2004 by Martha Waller

A PRAYER

In the silence, the deep, echoing silence,
I listen for You.

In the dark, the calm, tranquil dark,
I listen for You.

In the storm, the howling, raging storm,
I listen for You.

In the waves, the crashing, ravening waves,
I listen for You.

By the stream, the tumbling, bubbling stream,
I listen for You.

In the woods, the cool, shady woods,
I listen for You.

And in the calm and the quiet
The power and the noise

The serene and the busy
I listen

And You are there.

(by Frances James, aged 12)

It doesn’t seem very long ago when I embarked on the Archbishop’s Course in September 2002. Now I have successfully completed the course, including six written assignments, and will be presented with my certificate at a special service in Christ Church Cathedral on 21 st September 2004.

Ok, you might ask, “What is the Archbishop’s Course?” and “What does it involve, apart from doing assignments?” Finally, and most important, is the question “Why did I do it?”

The Archbishop’s Course is designed to provide a serious programme of study, leading to a deeper understanding of the Christian Faith. The course is divided into six units and each unit lasts six weeks. Each of the two years are divided into three terms: Autumn, Spring and Summer. An assignment based on the six lectures of that term is set and marked by the Co-ordinator for that term. This all sounds like very serious stuff, but in reality while the course is formal in its structure it is also an opportunity to meet up with, and get to know quite well, a variety of different people from the United Dioceses. After our lecture there was always plenty of chat and laughter over the famous “cuppa” thanks mainly to the resident ordinands who were assigned to set it up for us.

Why did I do the Archbishop’s Course?

I commenced doing the Archbishop’s Course in order to explore the relationship between my own understanding of my Christian Faith and the reason why I go to Church on Sunday. I learned why the service is structured the way it is, and why the readings on a particular Sunday are the same no matter which service I attend. I now know that the Preacher is required to deliver his/her sermon on the Scripture readings of the day and not on his/her own favourite Scripture passages Sunday by Sunday.

I thoroughly enjoyed doing the course and the challenge of reading and reflection leading to my being able to think for myself and successfully complete the assignments.

THE MAINTENENCE OF THE ORGAN IN ST BRIGID'S CHURCH by Raymond Russell

The organ was built by Forster and Andrews in 1870 making the organ 134 years old. It has 2 manuals and pedal. The organ was restored by Wells and Kennedy in 1991 when they carried out a major and very valuable restoration of the instrument that will enable the organ to continue to give very valuable service for the next 100 years. Fortunately the organ action was never electrified and the mechanical action was conserved but like any other mechanical machine, it requires major servicing periodically to keep it working effectively.

The organ is tuned once a year with minor repairs being carried out at the same time. The touch on the manuals and the pedals was quite heavy and so the opinions of top organ builders were consulted on the best course of action. We were very fortunate to have the expertise of Stephen Adams who agreed to carry out this work. It involved modifying the springs so that the touch is lighter and more even. The swell pedal had ceased to work properly and this was adjusted. The organ seat was at the correct height for tall players and so the legs have been shortened and the seat can now rest on blocks for tall players and smaller players will be able to play comfortably without the blocks. The reed stop only stayed in tune for a short time after tuning so it has been adjusted to stay in tune longer and each pipe has been revoiced. This stop gives a very distinctive colour to the organ sound when mixed with other stops and you will notice this when the work is finished.

The pipes of the top Swell manual are in a box which has Venetian shutters at the front and these are opened and closed by a swell pedal which controls the loudness of the sound from these pipes. The lower manual called the Great has pipes out in the open at the front of the organ and this is the loudest division on the organ.

The specification of the organ is

Great Organ	Swell Organ
Open Diapason 8	Lieblich Bordun 16
Stopd Diapason treble 8	Open Diapason 8
Stopd Diapason bass 8	Salicional 8
Bell Gamba (tenor c) 8	Principal 4
Dulciana (tenor c) 8	Oboe 8
Principal 4
Flute 4	Pedal Organ
Twelfth 2 2/3	Bourdon 16
Fifteenth 2
Couplers
Gt to Ped
Sw to Gt
Swell tremulant
Sw to Ped

This work will transform the organ and make it a pleasure to play and lead the worship in St Brigid’s for many years to come. I would encourage anyone who plays a keyboard instrument to try out the organ. If this instrument were to be built today it would cost €150,000+ so it is incumbent on us all to conserve it in the best condition possible and use it to lead the worship for many years to come.

THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER 2004

Many of you will now have your own copies of the beautiful (and historic) new Prayer Book for the Church of Ireland. There are copies in each of the churches for use at the services for which no service sheet is prepared (eg the Sunday morning Communion service at St Brigid’s at 8.30am, and Night Prayer at St Thomas’ at 8pm). Also, each church has some Desk editions for the clergy to use. Below is a record of those in whose memory the desk editions and some of the pew editions have been dedicated.

In Memoriam
Presentation Desk Edition:

St Brigid’s: Canon George and Renee Hobson
Holy Spirit Chapel: Archbishop Alan and Audrey Buchanan
St Mary’s: Elizabeth Olive Kennedy (1923-2001)

Desk Edition:

St Brigid’s: Edward and Kathleen Colton (2)
St Mary’s: Eric Howard Bannister (1) & Gwen Hill (1)
St Thomas’: Grace McClean (1) & Patrick Smullen (1952-2002) (1)

Pew Editions:

Bob Johnson, Joseph and Susan Ruttle, Norman E. Nason, Daire Devlin, Walter Wilkinson (12th June 1907 - 12th October 1984), Tom and May Maharry, Patrick Smullen (1952-2002).

We are very grateful to Sean McCabe of St Brigid’s congregation who has been inscribing the books. If anyone else would like to have a pew edition in one of the churches inscribed with the name of a loved one, or to celebrate perhaps an anniversary, please contact the clergy in writing.

DOULOS IN DUBLIN (7th - 16th May 2004) by Janet Craven

This magnificent Lady of the Ocean arrived in Dublin on 6 th May, the event being filmed beautifully for RTE. The response of Dublin people was overwhelming: the numbers visiting and attending various events and meetings far exceeded the expectations of the ship’s crew. The media involvement was amazing, says Jonny Lindsay, a Dubliner who, with his Singapore-born wife Sheila, was responsible for setting up the whole visit. Newspaper articles, radio interviews, and slots on RTE and TV3, including Nationwide and Seascapes, all gave ample scope for the ship’s company to talk of their purpose and faith. The sales of books also exceeded the norm; in fact, Mrs Lindsay (senior) says sales were higher than any European port visited, including in the UK. The following week, the response in Derry was also remarkable, the ship being berthed in the centre of the city where it could not be missed. Jonny and Sheila send special thanks to all who prayed for this event, which affected not only Dublin but Galway, Kilkenny, and North Wicklow, where teams were welcomed, and they give all the praise to God. The Port Report is soon to be published. More next month!

RECTORY APPEAL - THANKS AND APPRECIATION

A THOUGHT

Cast all your anxiety on God because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

As you pray today:

Bring your worries to the Lord and leave the whole bundle at his feet.

We would like to thank all of you who responded so generously to our appeal on behalf of the Rectory family following Susan’s diagnosis, surgery and convalescence. With your help, the fund has been able to pay all of the fees for the Nursing Home Susan went to, for the child minding which was required at the Rectory until the end of May, and also the fee to the child minders’ agency. The appeal is now closed; no further costs are foreseen. We are delighted that Susan continues to make such a great recovery. And we add our thanks (to those of Andrew and Susan and the family) to you all for your great generosity.

Please note that any remaining funds will be transferred into the Rector’s Discretionary Fund which is used to help our own parishioners.

Dave Dobson, Ken Doyle, Sandra Pragnell, Gladys Hutchinson, Valerie Fildes

YOUNG PARISHIONERS ON OVERSEAS MISSION

Please keep the following young parishioners in your prayers this summer.

All of them are giving up their time to put their Christianity into action, and we pray both for safe travel for them and that they will find the experience personally enriching.

Karen Cadoo: Karen leaves Ireland on 2 nd July to go to Pemba, an island off the coast of Tanzania. She will be going with two friends who are also final year medical students. The three of them will be helping with an AIDS project in a local hospital and in the community. They begin their trip in Zanzibar, where they will learn from the project there before going to Pemba. Karen returns home on 25 th August.

Sheena Cadoo: Sheena leaves home on 4 th July for Uganda with a group organised by the University of Newcastle (England). Sheena and the others will be working for 5 weeks in a village near Jinja, Uganda, teaching conversational English and basic maths to primary school children, and also helping to complete a day centre for AIDS orphans. Sheena will then travel into Kenya, before returning home on 31 st August.

Lennon Neary: Lennon Neary is going to Madagascar at the end of July with a team of students from Trinity College. They will be working with Habitat for Humanity, building homes for the poorest people.

(Karen, Sheen and Lennon are very grateful to the parishioners who have supported their fundraising in preparation for their trips.)

Gillian Tutty: Gillian, together with a group of about 30 students from King’s Hospital, will travel to Brazil on 15 th August. They will spend two weeks there on a Habitat project in the Cocandins district of Brazil, helping to build homes and to stock farms for the poorest people who need assistance. Gillian will be in Brazil for 2 weeks, returning at the end of August.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be a Fundraising Coffee Morning in aid of Gillian’s trip on Saturday 10 th July (from 10 a.m.) at the Tutty home, at Jarretstown. Please come along (and bring your friends) to support this worthwhile venture.

The Church of Ireland Diocese of Dublin Welcome to the Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla