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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 WritesDear Friends, I don't often use this column to make personal comments. Just as in preaching, I think it is important that the hearers and readers think about God, the Church and the world, rather than the writer or preacher. Nevertheless, there are exceptions, and this is one of them. Since Susan's diagnosis with a brain tumour last month, we have been through turbulent times as a family. At this early stage I find it hard to write with equanimity and in a coherent way about what we have been through. It will take time for us to consider and to make sense of all that has happened - this has been an event that will shape our lives in totally new ways in the months and years to come. Susan's journey to recovery will be matched by an inner journey of discovery for us all. For now, I want to simply say thank you. One of Susan's colleagues in Tallaght wrote "you do the recovering and we'll do the praying" and that is very much how it has been for us. We constantly have a mysterious sense of being protected, cushioned, supported by the love, prayers and practical care of family, friends and parishioners. Your offers of practical help such as childcare, your visits and prayers have brought home to both of us the real meaning of Christian love and compassion in a way that we have never experienced so deeply before. It has been strange for us both to be "on the other end" of pastoral care, receivers of so much rather than givers, but it has been an extraordinary privilege. At the heart of the gospel message are love, care and compassion - and these are what we have received from all of you. Never have we felt so honoured to be part of a community - a community which reveals the presence of Christ at its heart. As the months go by I know that you will still be there for us, still making God's love real for us. In particular I want to pay tribute to my colleagues Sandra and Robert for allowing me the space to walk away from parish work at the most busy times of year. Their calm manner and willingness to take over all responsibilities allowed me to devote my time to Susan and the family over the whole Christmas period and beyond. Thank you Your friend in Christ. Andrew AnnouncementsFebruary at a glance Special Olympics If you are at all interested or would like further information, please contact: Pamela Holmes (Secretary of Youth Integration Dublin 15) Recycling News Looking forward to March Date for Your Diary INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE FAMILY DIOCESAN FAMILY FUN DAY: FUN FOR ALL AGES SUNDAY 9TH MAY 2004 THE KING'S HOSPITAL ORGANISED BY THE MOTHERS' UNION & THE SUNDAY SCHOOL SOCIETY WATCH THIS SPACE FOR MORE DETAILS Castleknock National School Parent-Teacher AssociationWe will be hosting a fund raising fashion show on 4th March 2004 at 8pm in Westmanstown Sports Centre. All are welcome to come along and enjoy the collection of casual and formal ladies, gents and childrenswear which will be modelled by teachers, pupils and parents past and present! Spot the faces you recognise! Tickets priced at 25 euro include free refreshments, hot buffet supper and brochure are available now from Brid at the school office, The Cutting Crew Hairdressing Salon in Village Centre complex, Castleknock, and from Regina Liepe of the PTA. Parish Walking GroupWe start up again on Saturday 14th February with a walk at Howth Head. Meet at St Brigid's at 9.30am. All welcome. Gladys Hutchinson Boys' Brigade NewsOne of our Company Section members, Peter O'Reilly, sang the entrance solo to "Once in Royal David's City" at the broadcast Christmas Eve Carol Service at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Congratulations are also due to Peter for being awarded the Marchant Medal and the Verso Prize at a recent award ceremony at the Cathedral. On Saturday 10th January the Company section entered the annual indoor football championship. The 10th Dublin entered three teams due to the large numbers of people joining company section this year. We entered in both the under 15s and the under 18s competitions. Team A were entered into under 18s competitions with great success coming first without a single defeat. Teams B and C were both entered into the under 15s competitions and finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Everybody involved thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon's activities. Anchor boys continue to be a lively and enthusiastic group as we progress through the year. They have done various craft work, as well as learning lots of new games. They have also been entertaining the leaders with their wonderful singing ability, football skills, miming and guessing game talents, and even some skipping (watch out G.B!) We also have a quiet group discussion each week where the boys might have to tell one of the leaders all about their favourite person, or something that happened in the news, or maybe some current topic of conversation. These discussions are great fun and everyone gets to have their say. We are now looking forward to getting ready for our display. Martha Waller, Secretary Girls' BrigadeWe would like to send our best wishes to Susan Green following her recent surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Orr family. Congratulations to Shelly on her engagement to Murat. The elimination round of P.E. Competitions began on Friday 30th January. Good luck to all our competitors. The National Finals will be held the following week in Perrystown Community Centre. G.B. Week is the first week in February when we hold our "Skipathon". The Scripture Exam will be held at the end of February. Ros Garrett Calling All Over 60s!!I am looking for some parishioners who are over 60 who are willing to talk to me (in confidence) about your faith and religious practice, and how that might have changed over the years. As some of you will know, I am writing a dissertation for my masters degree, on the subject of Spirituality and the Older Person. I already have six willing volunteers from St Thomas the Apostle, Laurel Lodge, and now need to find some of our own parishioners to help me explore this. You don't have to be a religious fanatic! All experience is relevant. As I said, all this will be in strict confidence, but I would value very much hearing from you as soon as possible. Rev'd Sandra Pragnell New DeanCanon R. D. Harman, Rector of Sandford, has been appointed Dean of Christ Church Cathedral. Parish Hockey MatchOnce again we had a fantastic turn out for the Annual Hockey Match held in The King's Hospital on St Stephen's Day. Ada Lawson organised the teams ably captained by Ronnie Woods and Eddie Greene. Ronnie's team was trailing 1-0 at half time, owing to the late arrival of the goalkeeper Eddie Colton. Once in situ, and unleashing Dave Garrett to an attacking position, Eddie played a brilliant game. Those feet saved many a goal, but they were no match for the skill of Theo Lawson who scored a hat-trick (he was aided and abetted by Philip Woods)! Gareth Anderson and cousin Ben Garrett came back with a goal apiece, and despite Richard Nelson's handy stick work, there lay the final result: 3-2 to Eddie Greene's team. I have to mention the female players - we played brilliantly - Emily Dobson tackling Philip Woods and emerging with the ball!! Also the Nelson and Cadoo sisters fighting over the ball; the elder Nason, Garrett, McGuckin and Dobson ladies. Thank you for playing! It was a very sporting match, not many injuries, apart from Valerie Dobson's bouncing head! It was great to see so many young players: the junior players (national school age) played a match during the half time and gave a great running commentary of the main match. Thanks are due to the ladies who prepared the half time refreshments - it was an effort to return for the second half after the wonderful spread provided. Our main thanks must go once again to Robert & Jan Nelson who hosted a fabulous afternoon, opening up their house to players and spectators alike, where the ups and downs of the match were discussed over a few glasses of mulled wine and snacks. Looking forward to next year! Ros Garrett Parishioner Achievements SectionPeter O'Reilly Earlier in December, at a special prize giving Service, Peter was awarded the Marchant medal for purity of pronunciation and distinctiveness of annunciation, and the Verso Prize for leadership and reliability. Peter has been a chorister at St. Patrick's Cathedral for the last four years. In between extra choir practices and singing for services, he still finds time to be an active and popular member of The Boys' Brigade 10th Dublin Company. Jonathan Fildes Jonathan has just signed a deal with TCR [Total Control Racing] for the 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup in the UK. He drove for TCR last year when he won the Renaultsport Clio Cup Championship. You can follow his progress on his new website www.jonathanfildes.com. If want to see him in action, he will be racing in Mondello Park in June when the BTCC comes to Ireland and the 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup will be supporting the top line saloon car racing series. Maedhbh in Japan "Christmas blessings and greetings from Japan. This is a New Year card specially wishing you good luck in 2004. We are both keeping very well and having a ball in Japan, but missing you all. We feel it especially keenly over Christmas. It feels really strange not to be involved in the celebrations with you. We've found a tiny Anglican church here called St Alban's. It's in the middle of all the Tokyo skyscrapers, but a tiny wooden building. Please give our love to the parishioners. Missing you, lots of love, Maedhbh and Ronan." LentAsh Wednesday marking the beginning of Lent falls on 25th February this year. The idea of keeping 40 days of Lent lies not in any conscious re-enactment of Jesus' time in the wilderness (this is really a secondary theme of Lent); rather, it is for Christians a rigorous preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ in Holy Week and Easter. Originally, it was those who were preparing for baptism who had to undergo this final period of preparation before being baptised into the Church at Easter but it was not long before the Church recognised the value for all Christians of using the time before Easter in preparation, specifically in penitence marked by prayer and fasting. This is why there are extra services in Lent (such as our Friday morning early Communion at 7.30 am in St Brigid's), and opportunities to think about prayer in action in our own lives (such as in our Lent course, every Thursday 8 pm-9.15 pm in the Parish Centre, from 4th March), and the offer of Lenten boxes, for us to deny ourselves in whatever way is appropriate to give to those more needy. Also, in church, to mark the season of Lent as different, the liturgical colour is purple, we no longer sing the Gloria or Alleluias, and there are no flowers in church until Easter Day. Let us pray that, as Christians together in this parish, we may keep a prayerful and holy Lent, to prepare ourselves for the glorious resurrection of Our Lord at Easter. Ash Wednesday services Healing Eucharist in Lent Lent Course The Curate Clonsilla ProjectMany thanks to Janet Seaman, Avril McCabe and Margaret Tutty for the wonderful job they did in quickly organising and running the Coffee Morning on 16th January. It was a lovely and relaxed atmosphere which made over 500 towards the project. We hope to run more of these as every little bit helps. In order to do so we need more volunteers to make scones and tray bakes. If you think you can help in this way please contact Janet Seaman. OTHER FUNDRAISING EVENTS COMING UP ARE:Cents for Lent which will involve the children of the parish. Gift Weekend on the 10th and 11th April in St. Mary's so please tell your friends to come along and see the flower decorations for Easter along with the plans for the new project. We hope to hold an official sod turning ceremony within the next couple of months so watch this space. The Leamington Sinfonia, Wednesday 14th April in Castleknock Church. More details next month. Fort Lucan will happen again in June on a date to be decided. The Golf Classic that was to be held on the 6th May has been put back to September because of the one that is being run in June for the New Hospice. The Gift Fair on 14th November 2004 Some of you may be wondering why we are still fundraising when we said that we would only be doing so for three years [which is now up]. The reason is that we did not get enough from direct giving-it has only brought in one quarter of that which we anticipated. As we go to press the architect is going to tender for the project and we will publish the projected cost next month. Many thanks to all who have contributed and helped us so far. If you can help in any way or have any ideas, please contact any member of the Clonsilla Vestry. Valerie Fildes The McKenna family lost both of their children at a very young age (both girls are buried in Castleknock Churchyard) and through their loss are hoping to set up a hospice for children. Jane has been fundraising and asked us to publish this to thank those who have supported her so far. Laura Lynn Children's HospiceIt is through our sorrow that the 'Laura Lynn Children's Hospice Foundation' came to be set up. The loss of our beautiful daughters, Lynn and Laura, taken away so early in their lives, is something we must try to live with every moment of every day. The pain is indescribable, but we cannot change what is. There is our hope, though, that some good can come out of our sadness. The 'Laura Lynn Children's Hospice' will bring comfort, peace and happiness to terminally ill children, their parents and their siblings. It may give some meaning to why our girls have had to leave us so soon. They, and many other children, no longer physically a part of our world, will never know the benefits of a children's hospice, but hopefully lots of other children whose lives will be limited and often very difficult will have a better existence. It is about putting life into a child's day - not days into a child's life. It is about having a choice. Visiting two children's hospices - one in Devon and one in Perth, Scotland - and seeing the huge benefits they bring has given us the determination to succeed, however long it takes. As with everything in this world, though, the funds that are needed to build and maintain the hospice will be enormous. But it can and will be done. Our sincere thanks to all who support us. Jane McKenna Please note: This is a completely separate foundation from the appeal for the Dublin 15 Hospice, being launched under the auspices of St. Francis Hospital Raheny. All experts agree that a hospice for Children is such a special place that it needs to be a place apart from a hospice for adults. Parish ActivityCHRISTIAN UNITY WEEK HOSPICE APPEAL REMEMBER, REMEMBER: POPPY APPEAL - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND MARRIAGE WEEK - FEB 8TH - 15TH * the quotations are from Quotes and Anecdotes, edited by Anthony P. Castle. (The Rev'd Sandra Pragnell) The Presentation of Christ (commonly called Candlemas)Sunday 1st February, 10am Family Eucharist, St Mary's, Clonsilla Candlemas falls on 2nd February (or the nearest Sunday) and is the feast marking the day when Mary and Joseph took the new born infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, where he was greeted by Simeon and Anna, and the glory of the Christ child was revealed. The beautiful Canticle 'Nunc Dimittis' (Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace) was Simeon's response to the revelation he had thus received from God in his old age. It is an important feast day of the church, but its strongest attraction is the "bitter sweet" nature of what Candlemas celebrates. It is a pivotal moment for the church because, on the one hand, it is a last lingering look back to the Christmas festivities surrounding the birth of the Messiah, but now we turn around, Lent is ahead of us, and we look forward to the Cross. Simeon himself speaks of the sword that will pierce Mary's heart, and who can fail to think of her faithfully standing at the foot of the Cross where her beloved Son is dying? In Church we mark this change of mood at the end of the service, by using words which clearly show that Lent and Good Friday lie ahead of us. We move towards the font with a call to penitence, visibly marked by the blowing out of our candles; and we recognise that the font is where we were baptised into Christ's death and resurrection, and pray that Lent will lead us to enter more deeply into the Easter mystery. "Let us shine with the light of Christ in the world." Do come and join us at St Mary's on Sunday 1st February, for a special Family Eucharist for all ages. (The Curate) Welcome and FarewellWe welcome to St Brigid's the Imagbe family who have moved to Blanchardstown from Cork, where they were members of the congregation of St Fin Barre's Cathedral. We say farewell to Clonsilla parishioners John and Veronica Hill, who moved to Altinkum in Turkey in December, and also to Castleknock parishioners Liz and David Gohery, moving to the UK where David works. We wish them every blessing in the future. St Brigid, Patron Saint of our Church in Castleknock
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Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla |
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