Parish News Archives - August 2009

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

Rector Writes

CURATE’S LETTER

Dear Friends,

At this time of year I know that many of you are preparing to go away on holidays. The word ‘holiday’ is actually a contraction of the words ‘holy’ and ‘day’ - ‘holy-days’ were originally special spiritual days. Nowadays, though, we usually think of ‘holidays’ as a break away from school, work or home. However, we ignore the original meaning of the word at considerable cost to ourselves because, as well as getting physically tired, we can become spiritually tired too.

I celebrate Holy Communion once a week in Christ Church Cathedral (where I am one of the Clerical Vicars) at 12.45 p.m. and, recently, the Gospel reading contained just three verses from St. Matthew - ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light’ (Mt 11:28-30).

Holidays provide us with some time away from the pressures of modern-day living, an opportunity to relax, visit a new place, or have a break away from our usual routines, in order to rest and reflect. Hopefully, too, as we set aside some time to attend to our physical needs for relaxation, we can make provision for our spiritual needs as well.

On this theme of holidays, if you are visiting places in Europe, you might like to attend services in the local Anglican church, which is part of the Diocese in Europe. This Diocese (part of the Church of England) covers all of Europe, other than Britain and Ireland, and stretches from Finland to Morocco, and from Madeira to Moscow and Turkey. Most of the popular holiday destinations have services in English and provide a welcome, friendship and hospitality to visitors. You can find further details on the website of the Diocese in Europe – www.europe.anglican.org

Summertime also means that, once again, we will be holding or annual children’s summer club in the parish. This will run from August 17th – 21st in Castleknock Parish Centre and is based on Scripture Union’s holiday club material. We are looking forward to a week full of activities, crafts, drama, music, video presentations and bible readings, as we explore the stories of creation, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lions’ den, Jesus’ birth, and his crucifixion and resurrection. All children of primary school age are welcome and there are a small number of places left – please contact me or the parish office for further details.

For those of you going away, I wish all of you a relaxed and enjoyable holiday and hope that you may find space for God also, so that your ‘holidays’ may be ‘holy-days too.

Elaine

From the Registers

Holy Baptism:
12th July in St. Brigid’s Church – Thomas Lavery, son of Geoffrey and Grace

19th July in St. Brigid’s Church – Zöe Byrne, daughter of Peter and Suzanne, and her cousin, Joshua Copeland, son of Bob and Jenny.

May they shine as lights in the world, to the glory of God the Father.

Christian Marriage:

Funeral:
5th June in St. Brigid’s Church – May White

May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

In Memorium:
May White

We were deeply saddened to hear of the death of our oldest parishioner, May White, on 3rd June. May recently celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday 8th May and many of her relatives and friends from near and far gathered in Marymount Care Centre to mark this great occasion with her.

We extend our sympathy to her daughter, Rosemary, son-on-law, Albert, her grandchildren, Sarah and David, and the wider family circle at this time.

Organisations Reports

Mothers' Union
This time of month comes around so quickly! With Mothers Union over and not starting until Monday, September 7 just wanted to let you know a little about what we are about:

We are the worlds largest womens organization worldwide 3.6 million members.... helping others to help themselves both at home and worldwide. At home we help in many ways ... the Darndale Creche at Christmas with our shoeboxes. Connolly Memorial Geriatric Units with unwanted gifts to distribute as birthday and christmas presents to patients, Jack and Jill Foundation with old mobiles who help give care to children whose life is shorter then most. Warm clothing collected for Enable Ireland and hats and scarves for the Simon Community and lots more these are but a few.....

Worldwide we help with natural disasters, the monies going directly to the needs of the people concerned. Literacy programmes which are so important for the self esteem and for the education of people in developing countries. Parenting groups here at home and abroad.

You too can help us to help others. We are a very diverse group. This year Mothers Union we are helping out with feeding the young people during Urban Soul (young people helping out in the inner city) and also providing a nappy changing facility for Young mums at the Ploughing Championships. This is just a small insight to Mothers Union.... Essentially women of all ages meeting together for support of each other.

If you are new to the Parish this is a great way of meeting new people and making friends. If you are in the Parish if you have never been why not drop into one of our meetings with one of your friends......Everyone welcome

If you want any information please contact Hilary Nason.

Announcements

Barbeque and ‘Songs of Praise’:
We will be holding a barbeque in the grounds of St. Mary’s Church, Clonsilla, on Sunday 30th August at 1 p.m. This will be followed by a ‘Songs of Praise’ service at 2.30 p.m. Sheets are available in the churches for those who would like to suggest hymns for this. Come along and bring your friends! All welcome!

Castleknock National School :
The school year finished with the annual service and prize giving on Sunday 21st June. At this service we bade farewell to 6th class as they journey on to new horizons. The school will re-open on Monday 31st August and we look forward to welcoming many new pupils.

Re-openings:
All our Parish Organisations will be re-opening in September. Please contact the Parish Office for details (8200040) if you don’t have a contact number.

Congratulations:
Congratulations to Betty and Frank Turner on the birth of their first great grandchild, a girl, Charleigh Katherine, to Stephen and Robyn in Toronto.

Children’s Summer Club: 17th-21st August:
‘Show Stoppers’ - a week full of fun and games is promised at this years’ Summer Club, which runs from August 17th – 21st in Castleknock Parish Centre. Based on Scripture Union’s holiday club material, the week will be full of activities, crafts drama, music, video presentations and Bible readings, as we explore the stories of creation, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lions’ den, Jesus’ birth, and his crucifixion and resurrection. All children of Primary School age are welcome. Get ready to lift the curtain on the greatest show on earth – God’s great plan for salvation!

Ordination of Rev. Robert Lawson to the Priesthood: 28th June:
A large number of parishioners were present in Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday 28th June as our good friend and former lay reader, Robert Lawson, was ordained to the priesthood. Robert celebrated the Eucharist for the first time in Christ Church, Celbridge, on Monday 29th June.

We were delighted to welcome Robert as our celebrant and preacher in both St. Mary’s Church, Clonsilla, and St. Brigid’s Church, Castleknock, on Sunday 19th July. We wish him all of God’s blessings as he continues to minister in the Parishes of Celbridge and Straffan with Newcastle-Lyons.

Sea Sunday: 12th July:
We were delighted to welcome Rev. Canon Adrian Empey as our preacher in Clonsilla and Castleknock on Sunday 12th July. Canon Empey spoke about his work with the ‘Mission to Seafarers’.

Confirmation:
Archbishop Neill visited St. Brigid’s Church, Castleknock, on Sunday 14th June to administer Confirmation. Everyone agreed that the service was a very memorable one for the candidates and their families.

Our candidates this year were:
Ali Clougher, Sarah Doyle, Stuart Harold, Chris Hawker, Andrew McCabe, Luke Murphy, Sarah Mutawe, Rolus Olusa, Rachel Orr, Tim Robinson and Cameron Sheils.

It was great to see so many parishioners at the Confirmation service to support our young people as they took an important step in their faith journey - please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Thanks to all those who helped at the service, to those who provided refreshments afterwards, and to those who helped at the Confirmation breakfast on Sunday 21st June, when the newly confirmed received their certificates and gifts. Many thanks also to all those who helped with Confirmation classes during the year.

Other News

The Flying Angel Story

The history of The Mission to Seafarers dates back to early in the 19th century when a young Anglican clergyman, John Ashley, realised, while holidaying near the Bristol Channel, that the seafarers who manned the ships there had no one to minister to them. He decided to become their self-appointed chaplain.

The Missions to Seamen founded
His work between 1835 and his retirement in 1850, inspired similar ministries in other ports and, in 1856, it was decided that these should be grouped together under the name The Mission to Seamen Afloat, at Home and Abroad. By 1858, when the society was renamed The Missions to Seamen and adopted a flying angel as its symbol, the society was at work in 14 ports.

The change from sail to steam, which took place during the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s, meant that ships could dock at the quayside because they no longer had to anchor at sea waiting for a favourable wind. This meant there was a need for somewhere for the seafarers to go ashore. In response, Mission centres gradually opened so that the men could be offered, for example, light refreshments, reading and games rooms, good cheap accommodation and, of course, a chapel. Where there were no such centres, seafarers were at the mercy of “crimps”.

Crimping
Crimping flourished as a result of the way seafarers were paid. Instead of receiving their money on board ship, they were paid a few days later at the shipping company offices. During those three or four days the crimps provided them with money, alcohol, food and lodgings, under the guise of “hospitality”. When pay-day arrived, the crimp presented his bill, which, in most cases, exhausted the seafarer’s pay packet. Almost penniless, he was forced to ship out again.

Crimping became the special concern of the Revd Robert Boyer who was the first superintendent of The Missions to Seamen. Boyer’s campaign against crimping, and the continuing pressure he put on the authorities to deal with it, played a large part in the implementation of the Transmission of Wages scheme, whereby seafarers were supplied with a rail ticket and some money on leaving their ship, receiving the bulk of their wages at home via a money order.

First World War
The outbreak of the First World War meant some of the Mission’s smaller stations were closed down. However, new ones opened – 27 in Britain and 24 overseas – to meet war-time emergencies. Several of these were shared with other welfare organisations. At Dunkerque, for example, where a lot of work was done for Channel patrol vessels, a Mission chaplain shared a building with a Quaker ambulance unit.

The First World War over, 1920 saw the start of the longest slump the British shipping industry had ever known. The pressure on the Mission was intense. For years, every evening there were queues of unemployed seamen outside Flying Angel clubs looking for food and accommodation. Few were ever turned away.

Second World War
Gradually, however, as the British economy improved, seafarers found their conditions of work improving too. By the time the Second World War broke out the shipping industry was in a fairly stable condition. The Mission’s involvement in the war began on the very first day, following the torpedoing of the liner Athenia, off the Irish coast, with the loss of 112 lives. Survivors were visited in hospital by the Glasgow chaplain and from then on the Mission was in the thick of things.

In response to the needs created by the convoy system Mission stations opened in places where the society had never worked before, such as Halifax, Nova Scotia. The work of the Belfast club was typical of the spirit with which the Mission responded to seafarers’ needs during the Second World War. In canteens entirely staffed by volunteers, four-and-a-half million meals were served. And although twice damaged by enemy action and once by fire, the canteens closed for only six days during the six years of war.

Recovery was slow after the war, both for the shipping industry and the Mission but gradually the society re-organised, and by 1956, when the Mission celebrated its centenary, it had centres in 81 ports.

Modernisation
Shortly after that date, changes began to take place in the shipping industry which had enormous repercussions for both seafarers and for the Mission. Ships became larger and more specialised, and containerisation became widespread. One result of these changes was much quicker turnaround times in ports, which meant seafarers spent much less time in port and longer periods at sea. In response, the Mission closed some clubs, opened others in new ports, and moved yet others into smaller buildings nearer to where the ships docked and equipped them with the essentials for people with limited time ashore.

By the 1980s, changes in the world economy had brought a huge change in the nationalities of seafarers. Whereas previously, the seafarers of the world’s merchant navies had come predominantly from the Western world, two thirds of the world’s seafarers now came from developing countries such as India and the Philippines. One reason was the increasing number of ships flying flags of convenience, as ship-owners in traditional maritime nations re-flagged their vessels in order to cut costs by employing crews from low-wage developing countries. A significant number of these flag of convenience ships sailed with ill-trained crew members who were receiving inadequate wages and working in unsatisfactory, sometime dangerous, conditions.

Working for Justice
The plight of these seafarers became of increasing concern to Mission chaplains, who not only worked hard to help with problems such as non-payment of wages and unsafe conditions, but started to campaign for improved conditions just as their forebears had in the previous century. In 1985 the Mission appointed its first chaplain specifically to develop its work in the area of justice.

In 2000, The Missions to Seamen changed its name to The Mission to Seafarers, the new name reflecting what the Mission has always been in reality - a society which cares for all who earn their living at sea, regardless of gender, nationality or rank.

The Challenge Today
The challenge The Mission to Seafarers faces in 2009 is how best to minister to people of many different cultures and faiths, who are facing ever-increasing physical, cultural and social isolation. But whatever ways of working The Mission to Seafarers develops in the future, the fundamentals will not change. Its job is to be there in God’s name as a source of help, strength and hope to seafarers and their families.

St. Mary’s Church, Clonsilla – Communion Linen

The Communion Linen (for the communion, credence and offertory tables) in St. Mary’s Church, Clonsilla, are now very worn, to the extent that they now need to be replaced. This will cost approximately €320.

St. Brigid’s Church, Castleknock – Hymn Books

We have recently purchased twelve new hymn books for members of the choir in Castleknock at a cost of €240.


Would you like to sponsor or co-sponsor some of these in memory of a loved one?
If so, please contact Rev. Elaine.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who supported me and helped me raise the sponsorship that I needed to enable me go to Africa for 8 weeks this summer as a volunteer teacher. Your help and generosity has made this possible for me.

Jennifer Hollingsworth

The Difference

So often
I can’t wear the right clothes,
Speak the right words,
Fit the right mould,
Be the shape people want me
to be,
Expect me to be,
Demand that I am,
To conform.
But you Lord
Accept me,
Release me,
Make it possible to be me,
Perfectly free
In your service,
Open for you
To transform.

Daphne Kitching

God's Fingerprints

GOD HAS SIGNED HIS SIGNATURE

Across the midnight sky,
His hands have placed the
stars in space
Beyond the naked eye.
On snowflakes, birds and
butterflies
And waves upon the sea,
On seashells on the sandy
shore
His fingerprints we see.
Mountain peaks and singing
streams
The clouds, the earth, the land,
Each living thing all bears the
stamp
Of his creative hand.
In colour, texture and design
On blossom, bud and tree,
He leaves his hallmark
everywhere
For those with eyes to see.

Kathleen Gillum

Number Fun

Here is one of those totally useless bits of information that is interesting nonetheless: at five minutes and six seconds after 4 a.m. on 7th of August this year, the time and date will be 04:05:06 07/08/09. This will not happen again for 100 years.

In 1893, the first mosque in the United States was built.

Parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls appeared for sale in the June 1st, 1954 issue of the Wall Street Journal.

Franklin Pierce was the first U.S. President to have a Christmas tree in the White House.
German immigrant, Louis Prang was the first to bring Christmas cards to America

There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in chess.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades = David; Clubs = Alexander the Great ; Hearts = Charlemagne; Diamonds = Julius Caesar.

There are six million parts in the Boeing 747-400.

The word "laser" stands for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission by radiation."

In February 1878, the first telephone book was published in New Haven, Connecticut. The book was one page long and had fifty names in it.

Crayola Crayons currently has over 120 different crayon colours.

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