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The Church of Ireland Diocese of Dublin |
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The Church of Ireland Diocese of Dublin |
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Other NewsAnnual Christmas Hockey Match | Appreciation from Janet Craven | Tsunami Relief Fund | Update on Lauralynn Childrens Hospice | Lent - Forty Holy Days | Lenten Study Series 2005 | Prayers for South East Asia | Dusting | Discovery | Donations to Charity | Saints Days and Other Holy Days in February ANNUAL CHRISTMAS HOCKEY MATCHThis year, with St. Stephen’s Day falling on a Sunday, our hockey match started at the later time of 1.30 p.m. after the church services. Due to a heavy frost, the Astro pitch at The King’s Hospital was partially frozen and we had to switch to an all weather pitch, much to the delight of the older players and to the disgust of the younger ones! The game got under way with about 16 a-side, Rob Nelson and Dave Garrett as captains, umpired by Ada Lawson assisted by Dave Dobson, although some of his decisions sounded suspect as he was playing with the whistle in his mouth! Making his debut (better late than never) was none other than Robert Lawson – he claimed not to have played before, but we think that he has been secretly practising - no doubt trained by Theo & Paul! The match was played fairly and was enjoyed by everyone. Dave Garrett’s team won 2-1, the 2 goals scored by Theo Lawson who narrowly made it past the brilliant defence of Rob Nelson’s team! The other goal was scored by Gareth Anderson – set up by Dave Dobson (so he says!) Our half time refreshments were very welcome, provided by Valerie Greene and Monica Woods. Dave Dobson ran a junior hockey match at half time. We had plenty of support, as some were injured or sick and could not play but turned up to watch. It was lovely to see some new faces alongside the regulars. Once again we retired to the home of Robert & Jan Nelson for a very relaxing afternoon, for mulled wine, snacks and chat – many thanks to them for their wonderful hospitality. Thanks are also due to The King’s Hospital for the use of their hockey pitch. Looking forward to next year! Ros Garrett
APPRECIATION FROM JANET CRAVENOn behalf of the Connor and Godden families we want to thank the clergy and parishioners and the whole community of Alice’s friends for their great support during her illness in early November and continuing since then. It has all been an expression of God’s love.
TSUNAMI RELIEF FUNDA big thank you to all of you who contributed so generously to the Tsunami Relief Fund. The response, as you can see below, was tremendous: Parish Centre Coffee morning: €1,284.19 No money is deducted by the Bishops’ Appeal for administration so all your money goes directly to those who need it. Special thanks to Liz Fleeton for the Trinity Coffee morning; to Janet Seaman, Shirley McGuckin, Avril McCabe and the team for the Parish Centre coffee; and to Beryl Stone who worked very hard organising the street collections and donations from local businesses.
UPDATE ON LAURALYNN CHILDRENS HOSPICEThe Lauralynn Children’s Hospice Foundation was set up by me and my husband Brendan in memory of our children Lynn & Laura, to build a Hospice for families of children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. It will provide respite not only for the sick child, but very importantly for the parents and siblings also. It is about giving choice to these children and their families throughout the child’s illness and choice when the end comes. It is about support afterwards for as long as it is needed. It is about ‘Putting life into a child’s day, not days into a child’s life’. In the relatively short time since the charity was set up, we have come a long way. We also have a long road ahead though. A very kind Property Developer has donated land and will build the hospice for us, as part of an overall development plan. We have certainly been very lucky in this and, all going well, this brings the project forward enormously. However, the setting up, staffing and running of the Hospice will require significant support and financing in the future, and this is our biggest challenge. We have held various fund raising events ourselves, such as a Charity Ball, co-hosted with the Irish Hospice Foundation in November 2004, which was a great success. We have had many wonderful donations given very generously, and would like to say a huge Thanks to all concerned. There are also a number of events being organised for the current year by various people interested in supporting a very worthy cause, and again we are extremely grateful for this. Further information can be found on our website at: www.lauralynnhospice.com and our E-mail address is: Wishing everyone a Healthy & Peaceful New Year Jane McKenna
LENT - FORTY HOLY DAYSAs a traditional time of self-denial, alms giving and prayer, Lent can help us to prepare our hearts and souls to celebrate the Easter victory. ASH WEDNESDAY – The Porch of Lent: On Wed 9th February, we have two opportunities to begin Lent together as a worshipping community: 10.30 a.m. Holy Communion, in the Parish Centre At the morning service, there will be the option of receiving the ashes – this signifies mourning or contrition, a gesture mentioned frequently in the Bible, which Christians used as a public sign of penitence. Ash, made from the palm crosses of last year, is imposed with the prayer “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.” The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available privately for those who feel they need more than the General Confession and Absolution each Sunday. All Church of Ireland priests are commanded at their ordination, amongst other pastoral duties, to absolve sins. Feel free to contact the Rector or the Curate if you would like to discuss this further. WEEKDAY SERVICES IN LENT: WEDNESDAY – the regular Wednesday morning 10.30 a.m. Holy Communion continues in the Parish Centre. FRIDAY – Every Friday morning at 7.30 a.m. in St Brigid’s, Castleknock, there will be a short service of Holy Communion. This extra devotion is a constant reminder that Lent is also “a Joyful Walk toward Holy Easter”, the Passover of Christ which is the summit of the history of God’s plan for the salvation of the world. STUDY COURSES: MONDAY NIGHTS - Lent is also seen as “a Journey to Reform Ourselves, both Individually and as a Church” – so the opportunity on Monday nights in Lent to look at the Enneagram is to be welcomed, as it helps us to understand our own make-up and spirituality. Full details later in this issue of Parish News. PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY: Lent also calls us to “a More Attentive Listening to the Word of God”. You might like to think about getting Study Notes to help you with your Bible reading (ask the clergy if you are interested). If your time is very limited, two very simple suggestions for Lent are either to read over the Sunday gospel each day in the following week (it is printed on the coloured announcement sheet each Sunday, so do take the leaflet away with you) or to look up the gospel for the following Sunday (the Readings for each Sunday are listed in this Parish News) and read it over several times during the week as a preparation for the following Sunday. PRAYER AND FASTING: For Christians the idea of fasting (denying ourselves) is always linked to prayer and the sharing of our goods. Nowadays, the word ‘alms giving’ is disliked as it smacks of condescension to the poor. ‘Sharing’ is a far more acceptable term – it is precisely what the original meaning of alms giving was (one fast to be able to share) – and it reminds us of the sharing in our Christian worship, particularly in the Breaking of the Bread. Lent boxes for Christian Aid and for USPG are available in church if you would find it helpful to use one of those for regular giving. And don’t forget that regular giving to the church throughout the year is made easy by the envelope scheme (ask the clergy for details). The Curate
LENTEN STUDY SERIES 2005The series is called the Enneagram. What, you may ask, is this? Read on ……. “The Enneagram is a study of the nine basic types of people. It explains why we behave the way we do, and it points to specific directions for individual growth. It is an important tool for improving relationships with family, friends and co-workers. The Enneagram teaches that early in life we learned to feel safe and to cope with our family situations and personal circumstances by developing a strategy on our natural talents and abilities. By working with the Enneagram, we develop a deeper understanding of others and learn alternatives to our own patterns of behaviour. We break free from worn-out coping strategies and begin to see life from a broader point of view”. (From The Enneagram made Easy by Baron and Wagele) Course Details: Course Leader: The Course will be given by Myles O’Reilly SJ and another leader who are very experienced in this field Duration: It will run over 5 Mondays (14th February- 14th March) at 7.30 p.m. in Castleknock Parish Centre. You will need to attend the 5 nights as the personality types are covered over the five week period. Cost: The cost of the Course is €50. Our last course was great fun and all participants thoroughly enjoyed it! Places are limited to 25 people and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please the following format below to book and return as soon as possible Name : _____________________________ Phone: __________________ Number of places required: ____________ Amount enclosed: €________ Please mark your envelope “The Enneagram” and post it, together with the course fee, to the following address: The Parish Office, Castleknock Main St, Castleknock, Dublin 15 Cheques should be made payable to: Castleknock Parish
PRAYERS FOR SOUTH EAST ASIA Heavenly Father, God, who in creation formed wave and wind, O Lord, From the comfort of my home DUSTING A house becomes a home when you can write "I love you" on the furniture. I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the "condition" of Life is short. Enjoy it! Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need? Dust if you must, but there's not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb, music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again. Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. And when you go - and go you must - you, yourself will make more dust! Share this with all the wonderful women in your life! I JUST DID. It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived. Anon DONATIONS TO CHARITYEvery year the Select Vestries agree to donate to charities and mission societies in Ireland and abroad. The amounts donated in 2004 are shown below. Not included in these figures are Christian Aid, Dublin 15 Hospice Appeal and The Amos Trust (which assists Palestinian Christians) which were funded by special collections at certain times of the year. Notes: Protestant Aid is a charity supported by all the Reformed Churches which helps people in need in Ireland of all denominations. USPG is the oldest mission society in the Anglican Communion, founded in 1701, and helps with development, education and healthcare projects all around the developing world. Crosslinks is another Anglican mission society (formerly BCMS) which has development and evangelism projects particularly in Africa and South Asia. Dr. Janet Craven is a member of their General Council. PACT is a charity again supported by the Protestant Churches which places children for adoption and runs counselling services including post adoption, post abortion and crisis pregnancy. Corrymeela is an ecumenical community based in Ballycastle which works to improve inter community relationships in the North. The Country Air Association is a small charity which provides holidays for those in need. Thank you for your support.
SAINTS DAYS AND OTHER HOLY DAYS IN FEBRUARYBy the Curate The following summary of 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). If you want to read this in full, please contact the Parish Office. 1st February - St Brigid, Abbess of Kildare. A contemporary of Patrick and the founder of a religious community in Kildare, little is known about Brigid (or Brid or Bride) and many traditions and myths endure. But her spirituality strongly influenced the Irish church immediately after Patrick’s time, which developed with communities of monks and nuns. Brigid’s pre-eminence led her to being regarded as Ireland’s second patron saint – such a revered place in a male-dominated list of Celtic saints is in itself a testimony to Brigid’s leadership and holiness. 4th February - Manche Masemola, Martyr. Manche lived her short life in Marishane 10th February - St Scholastica, Abbess (born c. 480). The sister of the famous St Benedict, Scholastica chose to consecrate her life to God at an early age and joined a nunnery directed by Benedict. 14th February - SS Cyril and Methodius, Missionaries to the Slavs. Born in Thessalonica. 14th February - St Valentine, Martyr. A priest (and possibly bishop) in Terni, Valentine was martyred at Rome under Emperor Claudius in 269. Valentine’s connection with lovers may stem from the pagan Lupercalia festival in Rome which occurred on the Ides of February. For Christians, the day marks an acknowledgement of an all-loving God who blesses those who love one another, as Jesus called his disciples to do. 15th February - Thomas Bray, Founder of SPCK and SPG (later USPG). Born in Shropshire in 1656. 17th February: Janani Luwum, Archbishop of Uganda, Martyr. Born at Acholi in Uganda in 1922. 23rd February - St Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, Martyr. One of the first Christian martyrs, Polycarp had been bishop of Smryna (on the Aegean coast) for over 40 years when persecution of Christians began. 27th February - George Herbert, Priest, Poet. (1593-1633) Born into an aristocratic Pembroke family, Herbert went to Cambridge in 1614 becoming a fellow of Trinity College and eventually an MP, apparently destined for a life at court. To everyone’s surprise, he decided to be ordained and after spending time with his friend Nicholas Ferrar at Little Gidding, was made deacon in 1626. Married in 1629, and priested in 1630, Herbert was given the parish of Bemerton, near Salisbury, where he spent the rest of his short life. A prolific writer, many of his hymns are still popular, and his poetry, especially The Temple, and work on the priestly life The Country Parson, earned him a leading place in English literature. But he never neglected his parishioners, and encouraged daily attendance at morning and evening prayer, calling to mind the words of his hymn ‘Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee’.
Annual Christmas Hockey Match | Appreciation from Janet Craven | Tsunami Relief Fund | Update on Lauralynn Childrens Hospice | Lent - Forty Holy Days | Lenten Study Series 2005 | Prayers for South East Asia | Dusting | Discovery | Donations to Charity | Saints Days and Other Holy Days in February |
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Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla |
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