Parish News Archives - February 2008

Rector Writes | Readings & Services | From the Registers | Organisation Reports | Announcements | Other News

Rector Writes

Dear Friends,

By definition, the season of Lent is the time of preparation for Holy Week, leading up to Easter. For many, it is a time to give up something like chocolate or smoking. Lent owes much of its spirit to the forty days Jesus spent in the desert preparing for his ministry. We say he was tempted there, but a more accurate translation may be "tested." The Jewish view of the desert was an abode of demons, especially that part of the desert where winds would howl around tall, rough stone. It must have been terrifying at night: dark, looming shapes, unearthly wailing of wind, and nothing else. In this place, Jesus was offered the opportunity to be the wrong kind of messiah. He rejected each possibility. When Jesus entered the desert, he left behind all the expectations of others, all the hopes, all the illusions.

However, we are people of illusions. We think we understand God, we think we know ourselves and those around us. We plan our lives and are shocked when these plans fall through. We impose our wills on God or even say we know His plans. Jesus did not have such illusions, but we have illusions about Jesus. He did not come to bribe us with earthly bread, or astonish us with feats of invulnerability. He did not seek world domination or command an army. He simply did the will of the Father.

The desert experience is about deprivation. Most of the world experiences it involuntarily. For many people, however, deprivation is a great evil, and to be avoided at all costs. In deprivation, we discover that we are not all-powerful. We are slaves to our bellies, to the opinions of others, to pleasure. We cannot bear pain, so we take a pill. We cannot bear growing old, so we dye our hair. Like Darth Vader in Star Wars, we replace our humanity with technology until there is little of ourselves left. Doing without can strip away some of the illusions and give us a glimpse of truth.

During Lent, we have the opportunity to hear voices that are usually lost in the din of pleasure and meaningless talk. When we give up something we enjoy, we experience a small reminder that, in the end, all we have is ourselves, before God.

To end this reflection with Hope, we must remember that through all of this, God is with us. He may not offer comfort now, but He promises no trial beyond our ability to succeed. He offers us no truth we cannot accept if we become as children. We can be sure of his grace in our lives. May I wish you all a blessed Lent.

Yours in Christ

Andrew

From the Registers

Holy Baptism:
Holy Baptism:
23rd December in St Brigid’s:
Emily Abayawickrema, daughter of Maedhbh and Ronan of Willow Wood.
Rachel and Miriam Glover, daughters of Vernon and Susan of Woodview.

6th January in St. Mary’s: Ikenna Okoro, son of Rakaya of Tyrrelstown
6th January in St. Brigid’s: Cian Denner, son of William and Sylvia of Blanchardstown.

May they shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father

Christian Marriage:

Funeral:

In Memorium:

Organisations Reports

Mothers’ Union
The next meeting takes place on February 4th, when Hilary Nason and Eimear Devlin will share their experiences of their time in Madagascar with habitat for Humanity.

Susan Green

Girls’ Brigade News
We finished up for Christmas with the Explorers going to Hurley Burleys and the Junior/Seniors and Brigaders having a Hot Dog night.

At the Christmas Fair our new Lucky Dip stall did very well.

We were also delighted with the response to our Charity Enterprise, our Swarovski Crystal charms/decorations that were sold in aid of the LauraLynn Foundation. Many thanks to all who supported us. We are busy preparing for Competitions at present.

Our Annual Display will be held on Friday 18th April at 7.30pm in Castleknock Community College.

Ros Garrett

Announcements

School Carols:
Our Christmas celebrations began with the National School Carol service on Sunday 16th December. The theme of this year’s drama was “Rejoice”, and it was excellently performed by Mrs. Hill’s class. The lively singing by all the classes was fabulous, and everyone appreciated the great atmosphere of worship and celebration. Refreshments afterwards were by the parents’ association and there was a chance to buy their beautifully produced new cookbook. Contact any member of the PA if you would like a copy for yourself.

Nine Lessons and Carols:
There was also a marvellous atmosphere at this service, aided and abetted by the stunning singing of Emmanuel Lawlor, Avril Watters and our own newly formed choir. We were particularly delighted that Emmanuel was able to take time out of his busy schedule to be with us that night. Thank you Maedhbh, Phillip and all who helped in any way with the music this year. We moved away from the traditional Nine Lessons this year and instead heard the whole nativity story from St. Luke, which helped us to hear parts of the message that are often neglected.

More carols:
In a great new venture this year, our Mothers’ Union members sang carols at Cuan Ros and Marymount Nursing Homes, to the great delight of the residents and staff who also joined in with gusto! Refreshments were kindly provided by the homes for all the thirsty singers. We hope to make this an annual event.

Christmas services:
It was good to see so many attending our Christmas services (new records!), with plenty of visitors and others returning home from abroad. Again, the singing was tremendous and a great family atmosphere prevailed on Christmas morning, despite some rather bleary-eyed parents, a few of whom had been up at 2am…..

Sunday Clubs:
Our two Sunday clubs excelled themselves with their nativity dramas this year. In Clonsilla on Sunday 23rd, the Sunday club performed “King in a Manger” to great acclaim, while on Christmas Day, Castleknock’s production of “Journey’s End” was rapturously received. Well done to all involved, especially Avril, Linda, Lesley and all our leaders and helpers who work tirelessly throughout the year to make our Sunday Clubs a really enjoyable experience.

Still more carols:
Another good turnout, this time for Carols by Candlelight in the wonderful atmosphere of St. Thomas’ Mulhuddart. Our Thanks go to Elaine for organising the service and to Philip for playing. Our outreach strategy in this new area continues to go well, with many locals attending.

Speaking of musicians…:
We were very pleased to have Sean Boylan Jr. playing on Sunday 23rd December. He has an extraordinary talent at just 15 years old, and we look forward to having him with us again in the future.

Thank you…:
to all those who decorated the Churches for Christmas and especially to Pat Gray and Dorothy Robinson for their leadership.

Retirement:
A presentation was made to Valerie Fildes on Christmas morning with thanks for 7 years sterling service as editor of Parish News. This was a great deal of hard work every month, chasing contributors, designing and putting together the finished product. Valerie, enjoy your well earned retirement!

Coming up in February and beyond:
Ash Wednesday: The first day of Lent will be marked by services in Castleknock Parish Centre at 10.30am and in St. Mary’s at 8pm.

Lent Course: Our Lent course this year is “The Bible from Scratch”; a chance for everyone to get an overview of the whole sweep of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Thursday nights in Castleknock parish centre at 8pm sharp, beginning Thursday 7th. All welcome!

Support Christian Aid: During Lent, Christian Aid boxes will be available for everyone who wants to support their work by contributing something every day.

Other News

Stay Tuned to RTE Radio 1

IMPORTANT CHANGES FROM 24 MARCH 2008

RTÉ Radio 1’s Medium Wave (MW) service will close permanently on Monday, 24 March 2008. If you currently listen to RTÉ Radio 1 on MW, you will need to retune your radio to RTÉ Radio 1 FM, broadcasting between 88.2 and 90.0 Mhz.

RTÉ’s MW service has brought the world into homes all over the country since 1926 capturing moments of history and life through decades of news, sport, features and entertainment. Listeners began to leave MW when the dynamic sound of FM was introduced in the 1970s and today audiences continue to embrace new ways of listening to suit their lives.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES ON RTÉ RADIO AND TELEVISION

RTÉ Radio 1 invites you to continue listening to religious services of different denominations, recorded live at various locations around the country, on LW 252 from 10am on Sunday mornings. Most radios have LW however if your radio doesn’t you can buy a LW radio from as little as €20.

RTÉ lyric fm broadcasts Gloria every Sunday morning from 8.30am to 10.30am. Presenter Tim Thurston introduces listeners to sacred music from Gregorian chant to contemporary choral works.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta also broadcasts Mass, Aifrinn an Lae, live each Sunday morning at 11.02am (occasionally at 11.30am).

On television, RTÉ One broadcasts a religious service every Sunday morning usually at 11.15am (transmission times vary); with Catholic Masses on the first and third Sunday of the month and alternate Methodist, Presbyterian and Church of Ireland services on the other Sundays. RTÉ also occasionally broadcasts services of non-Christian denominations.

FURTHER INFORMATION: www.rte.ie/staytuned

Correction

In the last issue of the Parish News, we incorrectly attributed work done at St Mary’s in Closilla to Mr David Moreland. This should have read Mr William Dorman and we apologise sincerely for the error.

Annual Hockey Match

Once again we met at 12 midday on St Stephen’s Day at The King’s Hospital to play our annual match. Captains Hal McGuckin and Robert Lawson picked the teams. These teams were quite even, although Valerie Dobson was trying to infiltrate the opposition, standing up at the goal chatting to Andrew, Ros, Shirley and Sid. Unfortunately, this paid off and she scored the first goal!

At half time, we had a wonderful spread prepared by Valerie Greene, Valerie Jameson, Ann Kitching and Muriel Kellett. Then it was back to business for round 2. Theo scored the second goal for Robert’s team, and Hal’s team came back with a goal scored by Gareth Anderson. As hard as we tried, we could not equalise, and Dave Garrett blew the whistle at 2-1. There was a great turn out from the Lawsons, McGuckins, Dobsons, Garretts, Nelsons, Kitchings, Woods, Nagles, Jamesons, Eddie Colton, Roy Prole and many more.

Once again, we adjourned to the Nelsons’ home for mulled wine, snacks and a chance to chat and catch up with each other. Thanks are due to Robert and Jan for their wonderful hospitality, and also to The King’s Hospital for allowing us the use of their hockey pitch.

Ros Garrett

Pilates Classes

BENEFITS OF PILATES

Strengthens the abdomen, giving you a flatter tummy
Improves strength and muscle tone
Improves posture and balance
Improves joint mobility and joint flexibility
Helps respiratory, lymphatic and circulation problems
Improves bone density
Makes you less prone to injury
Improves co-ordination, both muscular and mental
Makes you feel mentally and physically relaxed and energised

Also available for Personal Training sessions and Pre-and-Post Natal sessions

To find our more information or book a place on one of the course please contact Angela on angmurphy1 at eircom.net

Beetle Drive

Friday 22nd February 2008

7.30 pm

in Castleknock Parish Hall

In aid of The Gilbert Family Trust

Admission: Adults €6 Children €5 (Family €15)

Junior/Senior Tables

Parents / Guardians MUST sign their child/children in at the door on the night.

Rector Writes | Readings & Services | From the Registers | Organisation Reports | Announcements | Other News

Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla
Parish Office
Main Street
Castleknock
Dublin 15
Tel: 01-820 0040
Fax: 01-820 0040
E-mail: castleknock@dublin.anglican.org