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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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Previous issues of The Parish News Contents of this issue
The Parish News will be published monthly and will usually be available by the first Sunday. Copy Deadline Organisation reports should be sent either in written format to Martha Waller, C/O The Parish Office, or by email to: wallerm@oceanfree.net. These should be submitted by the 10th of the preceding month, no matter what day of the week. If possible please send them in a word document and not in the context of an email. The next Parish News will be published in the first week of February 2004. The Rector Writes"Enemy of apathy" is the title of a collection of songs from the Iona Community in Scotland. It refers to the Holy Spirit's presence inside each one of us; God's gift who helps each one of us to be true followers of Jesus. That phrase "enemy of apathy" always strikes me as a very apposite one, because apathy is clearly one of the greatest problems in Western society today. Not just in the Church but in all sectors of society - charities, politics and lots of clubs; all these are experiencing a decline in membership. The sociologists call it "the retreat into domesticity". And yet if the Spirit is really the "enemy of apathy", then the Spirit's presence inside each one of us should make a real difference to our lives, to the way we think and speak and act. The Spirit will transform our lives, if we let her. The same Spirit who came to the apostles on the day of Pentecost dwells in each one of us. We need to expect that the Spirit will change us. It seems to me that there are four key areas where can expect to see the Spirit changing us: 1) Prayer: prayer is at the heart of our relationship with God. Regular, daily prayer is the way we let God speak to us and we can unburden ourselves to God. Let's try to make that a part of our lives every day: a quiet space where we are undisturbed. Try turning off the TV!!! Or come to the study and prayer groups in the parish. 2) Scripture reading: God's word in the Bible has transformed lives over and over again throughout history. There are Bible reading notes available which encourage the habit of daily scripture reading as well as helping us to understand what we read. There are samples at the back of each Church and an order form. 3) The Eucharist is the heart of being part of God's Church. Jesus' birth, death and resurrection are celebrated and we become part of Him and He becomes part of us. Regular Communion is central to being a Christian. 4) Looking for change: if we're open to the Spirit, we won't be content that things remain the same. We'll see the brokenness in our own life, and we'll see more clearly the changes that have to be made in our world, to make it a fairer, more just place. So the Spirit won't let us be content, won't let us retreat into our domestic concerns. At Christmas time, the heart of God's message is this: He will not wait for us to come to Him; instead He has come to us. He has given us His Spirit and she offers us the chance to change and grow. Perhaps a new year is chance for a new beginning for all of us to leave behind our apathy and rediscover the Spirit inside each one of us. "A spirit-filled Christmas and a life-changing New Year to you all" Andrew Ecumenical ActivityBlessing of the Graves St. Francis Hospice Fund for Dublin 15 Aistear Beo AnnouncementsChristmas Communions: Christmas events: Looking forward to January 2004 and beyond: Looking even further ahead! The Book of Common Prayer 2004 is comingThe Book of Common Prayer 2004 (BCP) is the largest revision of the Church of Ireland's liturgy since 1662. Instead of having two books - BCP and Alternative Prayer Book (APB), there will now be one book containing both traditional and contemporary language services. The traditional language services are almost unchanged while the contemporary language forms have been revised in the light of experience of their use over twenty years and newer insights from across the Anglican Communion. Our curate, Sandra, has been part of the Committee involved in its production. Here in our group of parishes we will continue to use service sheets. We believe they are an essential tool of welcome in a community like this, where on average one new family arrives every week, many of whom don't have a C of I background, and a large number don't have English as a first language. Also it allows us to exploit the permitted seasonal and other variations to the full, without destroying the atmosphere of a service by constantly announcing page numbers. Nevertheless, many people will want to have their own copy of this historic book. It will be beautifully produced with clear well-spaced text, and a wealth of prayers that can be used privately. It would make an excellent gift, especially as a Confirmation present. Order now and save!!!
Name ____________________________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________ No money needed now! Payment on delivery in March. Mission SundayOn Sunday 11th January 2004 we are delighted to welcome as our preacher at our main services Ms Linda Chambers, who is the newly appointed USPG World Mission Adviser for the Church of Ireland. Our parishes have been supporting the USPG project working at St Anne's Hospital in Liuli, Tanzania, and we look forward to hearing more about USPG's work worldwide. Boys' Brigade News10th Dublin Company is thrilled to have a thriving Company Section. This year we welcomed eight boys who were promoted from Junior Section and one new recruit, David Coulter. This brings the total for the section to 16. To date, the boys have started their fitness, soccer and uni-hock training. They have held one table quiz with good results. Soccer training started on 4th October. We had an excellent response from all the young men to our indoor bowls event. There was keen interest in the game, which still remains a mystery to some of us. After some initial instruction, the competitive nature took over and we had a very exciting evening. There may be some candidates for the bowls club in the making! Once again we wish to thank Eddie Greene and his helpers from Castleknock Indoor Bowls Club for giving of their time and making the evening so enjoyable for all. Some of the boys took part in the Annual Hike with the Dublin Battalion to Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. Further enquiries to Lawrence O'Reilly or Robert Lawson. Martha Waller, Secretary Mother's UnionWe hosted the North Dublin Area meeting in the Parish Centre on Monday 3rd November. The evening was very well attended by our own members and by members from the seven other branches that make up the North Dublin Area. Some may have been disappointed when they heard that Mr. John Lonergan, Governor of Mountjoy Prison, was unable to come but The Rev. Katharine Poulton who stepped in at the last minute certainly had our full attention when she described prison life behind that stark door on North Circular Road and recounted her experiences as Prison Chaplain. Katharine took time to answer questions put to her by members. The evening was rounded off by the ever welcome cup of tea and luscious eats. The excess food was later brought to the Simon Community night shelter for distribution among the homeless. The topic for the December meeting is "Health and Well-Being - Natural Choices" and we will have a "seasonal" supper to put us in the Christmas spirit! We plan to meet together for a meal in January - more details later. Valerie Greene, Hon. Secretary. Girls' BrigadeWell done to all the girls who entered the G.B. Féis held on Saturday 8th November especially to Grainne who was placed 3rd in the Junior Section. Saturday 13th December is the last day of G.B. before Christmas and the date of our Explorer Party. The older girls will finish on Wednesday 17th December. Ros Garrett Sunday ClubOn Saturday 8th a group of Sunday club members and leaders attended the Synagogue in Terenure. The sexes are split and the men sit downstairs whilst the women sit upstairs in the Gallery. James Nelson and myself were given Jewish Caps to wear and sat with Michael throughout the service. He helped explain what was happening. The scrolls, which are Jewish law, are removed from the Arc, which is kept at the front, at the start of the Service. These are sung through the service by different people. At the end of the Service, the Scrolls are placed back into the holder and back into the Arc. If someone drops the scrolls during the service, the congregation will have to fast for 24 hours. Prayers like we say are also said during the Service. The Service started at 9.15 and went on for two and a half hours. We were told that we were lucky that the Chief Rabbi was sick and there was no sermon! Every time someone helped with the service, they would shake people's hands when they came down. People talk during the service and sometimes the Rabbi stops to get their attention and everyone goes quiet. At the end of the service we were all invited to their hall for Tea/Coffee or wine and some light food. Thank you to Beryl Stone for organising the visit and to the Congregation for making us feel very welcome. Everyone enjoyed themselves and felt it was a great experience. Alec Kitching Subscriptions - a word from the TreasurersA lot of people ask us: "how can we support the Church financially?" Everyone knows that the Church doesn't run on thin air. But how is your money spent?
As people so often comment, it is a miracle that so much is done, and so many lives touched and enriched, on such a small budget. However, we still do not meet our running costs through direct giving. If you'd like to help the Church by giving in a planned way in 2004, we offer two ways to for you to do this: 1) Standing order: a regular payment of your choice is automatically deducted from your bank account every month. 2) Envelopes: a year's supply, marked with the date of each Sunday, comes packed in a box. Simply place your giving in the envelope and put it on the collection plate at the offertory. If you miss coming to Church on a given Sunday, simply bring the old envelopes with you next time you come. That way you can be sure your giving is regular and planned. You can have more than one set of envelopes in a family, so that older children can make their contribution too. Even better, contributions to the Church made in either of these ways can be increased through Gift Aid where the church claims back the tax you have already paid on your donation. We cannot do that on money put directly into the plate. If you would like to subscribe in either of these ways, or want more information, contact the Treasurers: Thank you Extra!! Extra!! Read all about itIf you would like to hear more about what's going on in the wider church, there are two excellent publications you can subscribe to: The Church Review To order your copy or see a sample contact Bea Richards. The Church of Ireland Gazette To see a sample or place an order contact Valerie Greene. Clonsilla ProjectUpdate December 2003 Target = €200,000 Amount received or pledged so far = €120,000 Fundraising news Thank you to all who supported our Gift Fair on the 16th November last. It was another great success with just over 4,000 raised. Many thanks to all who worked so hard for this event, especially Elizabeth Fleeton who put the whole show together and to Margaret Tutty, Ruby Bannister and Janet Seaman who worked so hard in the kitchen and on the Clonsilla stall. Many thanks also to all who helped them. Parishioner giving I want to help the Clonsilla Project: Monthly instalments by standing order: I enclose a donation of €............................ Name...................................................... Address................................................... Phone........................................................ Please send to Donna Greenway, 13 Hazelbury Park, Clonee, Dublin 15 Notices
Week of Prayer for Christian UnitySunday 18th to Sunday 25th January 2004 Theme: "My Peace I give to you" For the second year running, the churches here in Dublin 15 are marking Christian unity week with a short service in a different church every evening (8-8.30 p.m.). A simple service of prayer and scripture, some silence and music, it provides us with an opportunity to meet together with Christians of other traditions, to get to know one another's places of worship, and most importantly to pray together for the unity which is God's will for us. The first service will be at St Thomas' Mulhuddart (opposite Hollystown Golf Club) at 8 p.m. on Sunday 18th January. Nearer the time there will be posters listing all the venues throughout the week - do try to come along to at least one service of the week to join our Christian neighbours in prayer. Pathfinders - can you help?A great team of volunteer helpers (on a rota basis) run Pathfinders (for our young people of confirmation age) on Sunday evenings in term time from 6.15 to 7.30pm, and there are some keen junior helpers as well. There is a committed group of young people who value being able to meet together in a secure environment with a Christian ethos: activities include games, quizzes, crafts, cooking, and the occasional outing. Since autumn 2002, our Curate Sandra has been coordinating Pathfinders, but now, because of her parish commitments and her part-time masters degree, we must find a new Coordinator for Pathfinders from January 2004. It is really important for our young people that someone comes forward. If you can help or would like more information, please speak to the Rector Andrew or to the Curate Sandra as soon as possible. We owe this to our young people. At A GlanceWednesday 3rd December Wednesday 10th December Wednesday 17th December Make sure that these dates are in your diary. World Aids DayWORLD AIDS DAY is on 1st December. We will mark this with special prayers at our weekly service of Holy Communion in the Parish Centre on Wednesday 3rd December. Christian Aid believes that as poor people are more vulnerable to HIV, HIV is linked with poverty. Christian Aid is campaigning for new trade rules which could help reduce the spread of HIV by reducing poverty. Information on their campaign can be obtained from their website (www.christianaid.ie). Christmas and Christian Aid'Share the Celebration' is Christian Aid's seasonal slogan. As we celebrate God's great gift to us of the coming of the Christ child at Christmas, we are challenged to help others around the world share in that celebration. The Christmas poster shows a gift-wrapped box of tools: Christian Aid's programme manager in South Africa, Rob Cunningham, describes 'Christianity in action' in Cape Town where hundreds of people are learning skills in carpentry, metal work and sewing. Many of these people were destitute and now have a real chance to improve their skills and themselves. As well as the training courses, advice is given on setting up in trade and making small businesses thrive. For Rob, the most wonderful gift was "seeing women who had been unemployed able to provide for their children and ensure that the Christmas they have is a joyous one". Other partnerships of Christian Aid being highlighted this Christmas include: rural libraries and literacy programmes in Peru; health care work in Cambodia; training in how to farm in famine-stricken Malawi; and sports clubs to help reconciliation between opposing factions in Burundi. When we think of what we spend on our own Christmas celebrations, perhaps we should be humbled to think how much difference a small gift of ours can make to someone in the developing world. A thoughtFESTIVALS OF THE SPIRIT Rituals mark changes and passages in our life. WaterWhen you are tired and worn out, close your eyes and flood yourself with stillness. This is the spiritual water of renewal. FROM THE REGISTRARSSympathy: Sympathy: Readings for Sunday ServicesSunday 7 December (Advent 2) Sunday 14 December (Advent 3) Sunday 21 December (Advent 4) Sunday 28 December (Christmas 1) Sunday 4 January (Christmas 2) Sunday 11 January (Baptism of Christ) Sunday 18 January (Epiphany 2) Sunday 25 January (Conversion of St Paul) Services for December and JanuaryEvery Wednesday: Holy Communion at 10.30 a.m. in Parish Centre Sunday 7th December - Advent 2 Sunday 14th December - Advent 3 Sunday 21st December - Advent 4 Wednesday 24th December - Christmas Eve Thursday 25th December - Christmas Day Friday 26th December - St. Stephen Saturday 27th December Sunday 28th December - Christmas 1 Monday 29th December - Holy Innocents Wednesday 31st December Thursday 1st January - Naming of Jesus Sunday 4th January - Christmas 2 Tuesday 6th January - Epiphany Sunday 11th January - Mission Sunday / Baptism of Christ / Epiphany 1 Sunday 18th January - Epiphany 2 / Christian unity week begins Tuesday 20th January Sunday 25th January - Conversion of St. Paul |
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Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla |
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