Announcements
Confirmation:
Congratulations to the 10 young people and 1 adult who were confirmed on 25th May in St. Brigid’s. They were: Thomas Anders, Yasmine Barr, Lisa Buckley, Jane Crawford, Luke Henshaw, Sam McIntosh, Abigail Nangle, Sam Roberts, Remi Ryan John and Jennifer Young. It was great to see so many of the parish there to support the candidates in this important step in their faith journey: everyone agreed that the service was a very memorable one for the candidates and their families. In this parish we take confirmation preparation very seriously, and a big thank you as always goes to Elaine Dunne and all the team who prepared the students over their 1 year course. Thanks are also due to those who catered at the day of preparation, after the service and for the confirmation breakfast on June 4th, when the newly confirmed received their certificates, gifts and received Holy Communion with their families.
Ordination:
Sunday 8th June was a very historic day for our parishes as our friend and long time lay reader, Robert Lawson, was ordained as deacon. The service took place in Christ Church cathedral and was a wonderful and moving occasion, with many parishioners there to support him and the other candidates. Robert will begin his ministry serving in the Celbridge Group of Parishes and we wish him God’s richest blessing in the months to come. Robert’s departure is a loss to us but a great gain for Celbridge.
Prior to his ordination, on Sunday 18th May, Robert preached in Clonsilla and Castleknock. He was presented with his set of stoles and a very enjoyable lunch was held in the Parish Centre.
Cappagh 100:
Andrew and Elaine took part in a special service to mark 100 years since the foundation of Cappagh hospital. Beginning as a convalescent hospital for children from Temple Street, it quickly became a specialist hospital for the treatment of bone damage caused by TB. Children would spend up to 3 years in the hospital, often unable to leave their beds as they were immobilised to allow the bones to heal. The open air and sunshine were considered important parts of the cure, and hundreds of beds would be wheeled outdoors on a daily basis. Following the decline in TB cases, Cappagh became a leading hospital for the treatment of many orthopaedic conditions in adults and children. The tremendous contribution of the Daughters of Charity throughout that time was recognised at the Mass.
Bell blessing:
Andrew was asked to take part in the blessing of a bell in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin. The President has commissioned the hanging of the bell, which formerly hung in the Vice Regal Lodge, outside, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The bell’s wooden frame comes from two trees, one from the north and one from the south. After speeches from the President and poet Theo Dorgan, local representatives from the Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Muslim and Jewish faiths said prayers of blessing. The event was attended by members of peace and reconciliation groups in the North.
Drugs Service:
Andrew again took part in the Greater Blanchardstown Response to Drugs annual service of Commemoration and Hope. Once again it was a powerfully moving service with testimony from those whose children died and those who had recovered from drug abuse.
Inter-faith dialogue:
Andrew took part in the 4th Dublin 15 Interfaith round table Conference. The theme this year was “Violence against Women” and a very impressive array of speakers took part. Senator Ivana Bacik was exceptionally good at outlining the issues, while other speakers outlined their faith tradition’s struggles with issues of gender based violence – there were Sikhs, Muslims, Pagans, Buddhists, Hindus as well as a whole range of Christian denominations. It reminded us all that gender based violence is prevalent in our society and religious communities are far from immune – as we know ourselves.
Door Knocking:
At the time of writing we are visiting new areas in Tyrrelstown, searching for members who might not have found their way to us.
Clonsilla clean up:
Visitors to Clonsilla will have noticed great landscaping work taking place at the bottom of the churchyard. Hopefully this will improve the appearance for many years to come.
