 |
The Church of Ireland Diocese of Dublin |
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
The Church of Ireland Diocese of Dublin |
|
|---|---|---|
Other NewsThe Season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany | Letter from Irene Young | Castleknock Vestry News | Thanks to all Couriers | Sheena Cadoo's Trip to Uganda 2004 | Jill Tuttly's Trip to Brazil with Habitat | The Amost Trust |Saints Days and Other Holy Days in December and January THE SEASON OF ADVENT, CHRISTMAS and EPIPHANY - DECEMBER 2004—JANUARY 2005Details of all Services and Events THE ADVENT WREATH Some of you may also like to make an Advent wreath at home. POSADA A list is at the back of church in St Mary’s and St Brigid’s for you to sign up which date you would like to host Mary and Joseph . ADVENT STUDY GROUP Organised ecumenically to enable us to prepare with other local Christians, there are 3 sessions on a Thursday evening: December 2nd, 9th and 16th. Each begins at 8pm, finishing approximately at 9.15p, with coffee. The first 2 sessions take place in the Parish Centre in Castleknock, and the final session (on 16th Dec) is in St Thomas the Apostle Church, Laurel Lodge. The themes of each session are as follows, and all are welcome at any of them: Thurs 2nd Dec: Customs and Symbols of Advent (led by the Rev’d Sandra Pragnell) Thurs 9th Dec: the Advent themes and the Gospels (led by the Rev’d Andrew Orr) Thurs 16th Dec: Advent Celebration in reflection, prayer and song (led by Jenny Cuypers, Catechist at St Thomas the Apostle). WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU. DO YOU FIND THE SEASON OF CHRISTMAS DIFFICULT? CHRISTMAS CAROLS Sunday 12th December: 11.30am at St Brigid’s—Castleknock National School Annual School Carol Service (all welcome). Sunday 19th December: 7pm at St Brigid’s—Joint Parishes Carol Service,. followed by seasonal refreshments in the Parish Centre (all welcome). Saturday 11th December: 8pm at St Brigid’s—Christmas Concert by the Choir of St Patrick’s Cathedral; in aid of the Clonsilla Project and the Castleknock Lions (tickets available from the Parish Office). CARING AND SHARING Thank you. CHRISTMAS SERVICES For us as Christians, the birth of Jesus is a glorious expression of God’s love for the whole human race. Come and celebrate that with us at any of the services. Christmas Eve (Friday 24th Dec) Christmas Day (Sat 25th Dec) St Stephen’s Day (Christmas 1) (Sun 26th Dec) St John’s Day (Mon 27th Dec) Holy Innocents’ Day (Tues 28th Dec) Wednesday 29th Dec Check New Years day Christmas 2 (Sun 2nd Jan) EPIPHANY Epiphany will be marked with a celebration of Holy Communion (said) on Thursday 6th January at 8pm in St Mary’s, Clonsilla.
LETTER FROM IRENE YOUNGDear Parishioners, Just a short note to keep you up to date on my "comings and goings". I have now completed my placement training with in your parish and as from Advent Sunday; I will be back assisting in my own Parish of Leixlip Union, at the main Sunday morning services. I would like to take this opportunity, through your Newsletter, to thank your rector Rev Andrew Orr, and Curate Rev Sandra Pragnell, firstly for accepting my placement, and secondly for all their help, advice and support given to me. I have learned a lot during my time with you. I would like to wish Martha and Stella all the best with their course and look forward to seeing them at lectures. On Sunday the 9th January 2005 at 3.30pm in Christ Church Cathedral, I will be one of four trainee Diocesan lay Readers ready for Commissioning by the Archbishop. This service is open for anyone who wishes to attend it. Thank you all for your support. Irene Young
CASTLEKNOCK VESTRY NEWSThe Vestry had recently arranged for St. Brigid’s Church to be painted before Christmas. However, a preliminary survey of the church prior to this revealed the presence of dry rot in some of the rafters near the west end of the building. We are awaiting the architect’s full report, but it appears that some plaster will have to be stripped away to reveal the extent of the problem and then treatment will be required. This may mean closing the back of the church for some weeks in the New Year; we will keep parishioners informed about what will happen nearer the time.
THANKS TO ALL COURIERSAt the end of another year, it is timely to thank by name all those who deliver this Parish News every month to the parishioners in their area. It is an unsung task so cheerfully borne, and they go round their neighbourhood in rain and shine (and at this time of year in the dark!) to ensure you receive your copy promptly. So we wish to thank publicly all our Couriers: Donna Allen, Jonathan Arlow, Mrs G Ashford, Pat Boyle, Ann Cadoo, Sandra Connolly, Mrs A Crawford, Mr T Davis, Tom Gardiner, Valerie Greene, Donna and Iain Greenway, Jean Hogan, Gladys Hutchinson, Jacob Imagbe, William Inglis, Valerie Jameson, Michael Keller, David Kelly, David Knox, Reggie Lowe, Marion and Cormac McCormack, Nita Nangle, Fergus Naughton, Paula O’Brien, Patricia Parker, Ms A Patton, Beatrice Richards, Derek Russell-Hill, Janet Seaman, Yvonne Smith, Alan Smyth and Edwin Watters.
SHEENA CADOO'S TRIP TO UGANDA 2004On the 4th July 2004, I flew to Entebbe airport in Uganda. I felt apprehensive as I did not know what to expect and did not know anyone else on the project. My initial impression of Uganda was that it was very dry and that there seemed to be people everywhere. I quickly discovered that traffic lights did not exist and I feared for my life on the journey from the airport to the village!! We were greeted by lots of smiling faces when we reached the village of Kyoyma. I swoon found that Ugandan people were the friendliest and most welcoming people I had ever met. Our accommodation was basic—it had no water, toilets or electricity. However it was luxurious compared to the mud huts which surrounded us. We set up home—three rooms in a nearly built house. Two were bedrooms, the third to eat in. Our mosquito nets were the aesthetic focus of the bedrooms. The primary school where we were based had 1081 pupils ranging from 4—16. Our task was to juggle our time between teaching lessons and re-building two classrooms. I taught science daily for one and half hours and also taught nursery children many of whom were AIDs orphans The rest of my time was spent using a pick axe, chisel or paint brush! All lessons were taught in English. We soon learnt that though a child could give numerous definitions or scientific equations, they did not necessarily understand them. Their conversational English was almost non-existent so it was quite a challenge to make them understand us. We used lots of posters to try and make lessons more interesting. We also bought a supply of colouring pencils [a rare treat] and encouraged the children to draw what they had learnt. It wasn’t all fun thought-we had a syllabus to cover. We gave a couple of test, which gave us a helpful picture of how the children were getting one. The results ranged form 4% to 96%! Evenings were spent collecting water from the well which was half a mile from our house. As it was dark by seven o’clock we were limited in what we could do. Our time was occupied by reading, writing letter, playing cards and making lesson plans. Weekends were time to visit some of the amazing sights Uganda has to offer. We stayed on an island on the Nile and another on Lake Victoria, visited waterfalls and Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. The highlight of our travelling was white water rafting on the Nile, the worlds second best river to raft on. The last day of the project was a sad one. It was time to say goodbye to the children and teachers we had grown to love. We held a sports day for the children in the morning which caused great excitement. In the afternoon the school held celebrations in our honour. It was really hard leaving the children who came to our house to say goodbye. One of the saddest things I saw was the children going through our rubbish bags as we drove off. Water bottles, tins and old towels could all be put to good use. Thank you for helping make my trip possible. I can honestly say I had the best two months of my life. I made life long friends and think if have contracted the ‘travel bug’!!
JILL TUTTLY’S TRIP TO BRAZIL WITH HABITATIn August this year, a group of 30 students and teachers from the Kings Hospital school embarked on a charity trip to Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, we donated US$5,000 to Father John Cribbon, an Irishman who works in Rio in the slums. After Rio, we flew to Palmas, further inland. The town we were working in was called Guarai (pronounced Guar-i-e), in the state of Tocantins. We were working with the international charity Habitat, which aims to provide adequate housing for those in need. The Habitat slogan translates as Making a better world, one house at a time. To get one of these houses, a family must put their name down, and the Habitat committee then choose who will get the house. The people who move into the house work on the house themselves, with help from volunteers, the Habitat crew and the local community, with finance for the materials provided from Habitat. When the people move in, they must pay 25% of their monthly earnings to the Habitat fund for an agreed period of time. This money will then be used to pay for the next house which is built under the Habitat system. It costs about US$3,500 to build a house. The typical layout of a Habitat house is two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and living room. We had donated US$15,000 so we went to the site where they were building three houses. We were all given jobs, and worked there for about five days. We started working at 6am, and we finished working each day about 11am, as the heat was unbearable. We were also working on renovating four other houses which we had financed to renovate. Working on the new houses involved sieving sand (they needed to extract the small stones and use the fine sand for building with), clearing out the rubble from the houses, digging six foot holes for septic tanks in rocky dry ground, unloading roof tiles from trucks, etc. Renovating old houses involved clearing the overgrown gardens with shovels and rakes. One afternoon, we had lunch with different families living in Habitat houses. We visited a local community called the Matinha community, where everyone lives by the Bible. No decision is made without consulting the Bible first. This community concentrates on horticulture and everything is sold at the local market. We visited another community another day, and here we gave ten Dutch milk cows to ten local families. Under this system, the first calf of each cow has to be given back to be given onto someone else, and it goes on. One night we had dinner in the local parish centre with the youth club. Each morning before we began working, everyone held hands and said the Lords Prayer, firstly in English and then in Portuguese. Thank you very much again for the donations many of you gave towards this Habitat project, its gone to a good home!
THE AMOST TRUST“Help us to rebuild ruined lives in the land we once called Holy” Bethlehem is much on our minds in the Advent and Christmas season. Yet the people of Palestine are facing ruin – of their houses, their roads, their businesses and their lives. They are confined to their villages, towns and even in their houses for days at a time, unable to travel without permits from one part of the West Bank and Gaza to another – let alone between the two, or into Israel, where many were employed. Tourists have largely stopped coming, businesses have closed, even the Church of the Holy Nativity became a battleground. Whatever the prospects for the political situation, the damage that has been done to Palestinian society will take years to rebuild. Individual families are struggling to get enough food to eat and those prevented from reaching medical treatment are suffering long term damage. Amos Trust, which works with “forgotten people” and is supported by Christian Aid, is raising funds for its work in speaking out for those who are suffering in the land we called the Holy Land and for practical help to rebuild ruined lives. Its primary partner in Jerusalem is the Anglican Diocese which is providing humanitarian aid through its established institutions: hospitals in Gaza, Nablus and Jerusalem are providing food parcels to families in need, as well as sustaining medical care. Amos is also supporting the Right to a Home and a Homeland which is a new initiative of two established groups – one Israeli and one Palestinian – aiming to rebuild demolished Palestinian homes as a means of building trust between the two peoples. We would like to contribute to this work of Amos in the Holy Land this Christmas through the Caring and Sharing envelopes – so please give generously in order that we can help our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land as well as those in need in our local area. Thank you. The Rev’d Andrew and the Rev’d Sandra
SAINTS DAYS AND OTHER HOLY DAYS IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY(An abridged list for reasons of space, but many thanks to those of you who have told me how much you appreciate this article, Sandra.) 3rd December - St Francis Xavier, Missionary, Apostle of the Indies. Born in 1506 in Navarre (Basque region of northern Spain), Francis was one of the first to join Ignatius of Loyola, taking vows to form the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). With an emphasis on preaching the Gospel overseas, Francis sailed to Goa in India in 1541. Travelling all over the East Indies, Ceylon, Malaya and Japan, he founded churches and converted thousands. He died on board ship in 1552 just as he reached China. 4th December - St John of Damascus, Monk, Teacher of the Faith. Born in 657 in Damascus (by then a Muslim city), John’s father (Chief of Revenue) was the leading Christian there. Educated in science and theology, John became a monk in 716 at Mar Saba (near Jerusalem), later becoming a priest. A prolific writer of hymns and theology, he was very influential in both the eastern and western church. He died on this day in 749. 6th December - St Nicholas of Myra, Bishop. The “real” Santa Claus, Nicholas was a 4th century Bishop in Asia Minor (now southern Turkey). He became renowned as a wonder worker, with stories of his love and care for children, his feeding of the hungry, and healing of the sick. He is also said to have saved 3 girls from a life of prostitution. 12th December - St Finnian of Clonard, Abbot. One of the greatest teachers and scholars of the Irish Church, Finnian encouraged the growth of monasticism in Ireland. His foundation for biblical study at Clonard was pre-eminent, earning him the title ‘Teacher of the Saints’. He died c. 549. 13th December - St Lucy, Martyr at Syracuse. A native of Syracuse in Sicily, Lucy lived in the early 4th century when the Roman authorities were enforcing their religious cults. Tradition records Lucy as a young Christian giving her goods to the poor, and being betrayed to the authorities by her angry betrothed. She was put to death for her faith in 304. 18th December - St Flannan, Missionary and Pilgrim. One of the travelling Irish saints, Flannan succeeded St Mo-Lua at Killaloe Cathedral and his Oratory there is an impressive example of early Irish architecture. He died on this day c. 640. 26th December - St Stephen, Deacon, First Martyr. Described in the Acts of the Apostles as one of the 7 deacons caring for widows in Jerusalem, Stephen’s eloquent speech of Christian witness before the Sanhedrin after his arrest, led inevitably to his death by stoning. (This Festival will be marked on Sunday 26th December at all 3 services.) 27th December - St John, Apostle and Evangelist . Honoured by the Church as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’ and as the one who in the gospel proclaimed Jesus as the Word made flesh, John was (with James) a son of Zebedee the fisherman, who followed Jesus. He was there at the Transfiguration, at the Last Supper, at the agony in Gethsemane, and at the foot of the cross with Mary. He was also a witness of the resurrection (‘he saw and he believed’) and lived and died witnessing to that truth. (St John’s Day is marked with a Eucharist at 10.30am in the Parish Centre.) 28th December - The Holy Innocents. Herod the Great was ruthlessly efficient on behalf of the Roman authorities for 33 years. Matthew’s gospel records his slaughter of innocent children under the age of 2, in his desire to eliminate the infant Jesus. (This day will be marked with a Eucharist at 10.30am in the Parish Centre.) 2nd January - St Munchin, Abbot. A 7th century monk. Munchin ‘the Wise’ is honoured in Limerick. He inaugurated a tradition of prayer and study in a golden period of Irish Christianity and Celtic monastic life. 6th January - The Epiphany. One of the Church’s principal feasts, known as “the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles”, Epiphany (with the visit of the foreigners, the ‘Wise Men’ from the east) emphasises that from the incarnation, the Good News of Jesus Christ is for all. Initially the Church celebrated Christ’s birth and baptism together (on 6th Jan) but gradually they became the beginning and end of a 12 day celebration. (Due to the calendar change, the Orthodox Church still keep the Nativity on this day.) There will be a Eucharist at 8pm on Thurs 6 th Jan in St Mary’s Clonsilla.) 18th - 25th January - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. First kept as an Octave (8 days) of prayer in 1908, the dates are significant. 18th January was the Feast of the Confession (of Chair) of Peter - a reminder of Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ and his naming by Jesus as Peter the Rock on which the Church was to be built.25 th January is the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul (as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles). There will be opportunities for ecumenical prayer during this week, as well as our traditional pulpit swap. 28th January - St Thomas Aquinas, Priest, Philosopher, Teacher of the Faith. A great thinker and teacher of the medieval church, Thomas was educated at the University of Naples and, against his family’s wishes, joined the Dominican Order of Preachers. His profound theological wisdom and gentleness of spirit earned him the title ‘the angelic doctor’. He died in 1274 en route to the Council of Lyons. 31st January - St Edan, Bishop (died 632) . Edan (or Aedan, or M’Aed oc, or Mogue) was the founder of Ferns diocese, and the link between Ferns diocese and the Church in Wales is based on a close link spiritually between St David of Wales and Mogue of Ferns. The above details have been compiled from Exciting Holiness (Canterbury Press).
The Season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany | Letter from Irene Young | Castleknock Vestry News | Thanks to all Couriers | Sheena Cadoo's Trip to Uganda 2004 | Jill Tuttly's Trip to Brazil with Habitat | The Amost Trust |Saints Days and Other Holy Days in December and January |
||
|
Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla |
||
