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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 issueCongratulationsCongratulations to former Castleknock National school student Andy Orr (no relation!) on becoming a member of new Louis Walsh band "6". Rumors that dancing lessons are to be part of the curriculum this term are unfounded.. ….. New Banner SignsThank you to Charles Saunders and James Nolan for the excellent banner signs in the Parish Centre and on the Church indoor notice boards. St Brigid’sThe new stained glass window depicting St Brigid is now in place in the south aisle of the church in Castleknock and looks very well. (Curiously, up until now there had been no representation of our patron saint in the church, although St Luke, St George and St Hubert are depicted in the Harry Clarke window at the other end of the south aisle.) Everyone who has seen the new window is impressed. Many thanks to Abbey Stained Glass for their skill which enhances our church. (The dedication of the new window will be in the new year – date yet to be arranged.) NEW LEADERSNEW LEADERS for Pathfinders plus wanted. Our 16+ youth club needs some new leadership. Training will be given and the group will be resourced as required. We will be setting up a Support team to give back up to the leaders. Even if you’ve no experience, please do give it serious thought and prayer. Contact Andrew on 8200040 as soon as possible. Parish NewsThe Parish News will be published monthly and will usually be available by the first Sunday. Have you any interesting stories to tell? We would welcome any articles or interesting stories which you think will make our Parish News more interesting to read. Please hand any material for consideration for inclusion in the magazine to Martha (Castleknock) or Iain (Clonsilla). Copy Deadline Organisation reports should be sent either in written format to Martha Waller, C/O The Parish Office, or by email to MarthaWaller@Hotmail.com. These should be submitted by the 10th of the preceding month, no matter what day of the week. The Rector WritesDear Friends, A big thank you to all of you who helped make the Christmas season so memorable this year. We especially want to thank the Church decorators and the readers and the two wonderful sets of Sunday club leaders who so memorably coordinated two great Christmas contributions – the Nativity scene in Clonsilla and the story of Michael Mouse in Castleknock. Well done to all concerned, especially the actors! But perhaps the biggest thank you should go to our musicians – Raymond, Maedhbh and Avril who added so much to worship throughout Advent and Christmas, from the school opening to The Nine Lessons and Carols to Christmas Day itself. Speaking of services, who will forget the marvellous day that was the school opening? The December sun shone, the crowd was the greatest ever seen in St. Brigid’s, and the children made the day with their fantastic contributions to the service and the opening. The keynote of the day was the joy and happiness on the faces of everyone, and we were delighted to have the Archbishop, The US Ambassador and Mrs Egan with us. It was a fitting climax to twenty-five years of waiting! Read more about it later in this issue, but a big thank you to all who took part and planned the day. Christmas is hardly over, before we turn to Lent. In the centre of this issue you’ll find all the details of our services and events for the season right up to Easter. I’d draw your attention to the course “Why am I afraid to tell you who I am?” an enjoyable 5 weeks looking at personal identity – why we are the people we are. We look forward to seeing you either on Thursday morning or night. Please read the Lent guide carefully and try to join us. Yours in His service Andrew LENTAsh Wednesday will be marked in the parishes with two services: Holy Communion will be said in the Parish Centre at 10.30 am, and at 8 pm there will be a Sung Eucharist in St Brigid’s. Each week in Lent there will be an extra celebration of Holy Communion early on Friday mornings at 7.30 am in St Brigid’s (which will be a real test of our devotion and discipline!!) During Lent the Sunday morning sermons will follow the theme of “Mirrors of Christ” when different lay people will reflect on people who have influenced their faith. Beginning on Thursday 21st February, there will be a weekly meeting at 11.30 [or] and 8 pm in the Parish Centre for those wanting to nurture or deepen their faith by exploring the Emmaus course (this is one way we can respond to the challenge of the ‘Power to Change’ initiative). See the pull out in centre of magazine for all details of Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Readings for Sunday Mornings in February
ADVENT STUDY COURSE ON PRAYER“I need to close out the noise, to rise above the noise; The noise that interrupts, that separates, The noise that isolates. I need to listen to God again.” (Source unknown) Advent is a time to withdraw to watch and wait. It is a timely reminder to take stock and see what exactly is on offer in this one life each of us has, and how we can connect with God. So this was the basis of our Advent study series in 2001. The series kicked off with the Rev’d David Catterall (Warden for the Church’s Ministry of Healing) who spoke on the ministry of healing and prayers of intercession for the sick. “Prayer brings improvement but healing comes in God’s time and in his order”. Week 2 was on the title of Celtic Prayer where Fr. John Joe Spring from All Hallow’s took us back in time to discover the origin of Celtic prayer, the ancient calendar, and finished with evening prayer from a very rich text from the Rhythm of Life by David Adam. Week 3 brought us to the topic of Contemplative prayer led by Canon Billy Marshall. He outlined the thinking behind this form of prayer and talked about different methods and how they could be integrated into everyday life. Canon Marshall then led the group in contemplative prayer. The group gave very positive feedback to this type of prayer. Week 4 saw the conclusion of our series led by the Rev’d Tom Gordon who talked to the group on penitence, confession and reconciliation. He looked at various writings down through the century and current theological thought. Each evening concluded with a question and answer session followed by a late evening office. Tea and coffee followed provided by Mary McKeever and Ashling Shine. Our thanks goes to our curate the Rev’d Sandra Pragnell for coordinating the series so efficiently. We sincerely thank our speakers who each evening left us with an enriched experience. Ten Minute QuizBy Sean Skehan
Boys' BrigadeBB News by Martha Waller—Secretary We reopened after Christmas on Tuesday 8th January, 2002. Anchor Boys. Junior Section. On Saturday 6th January the 10th Dublin entered 2 teams in the annual 5-a-side Soccer indoor held at DCU. Both teams were a credit to the company and while not reaching the latter stages of the competition the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Our thanks goes to Colin Deegan of the 11th Dublin for organizing this. And now to the year ahead the JS boys are busy preparing for the figure marching competition which is coming up in February, scripture and further achievement badge work is to mention just some of the activities. Girls BrigadeGirls' Brigade Notes by Roz Garrett. We are back in full swing after Christmas. Just before Christmas our Explorers took part in the verse speaking competition and did extremely well. Santa arrived with presents for everyone at our Christmas party. January is a busy month for us as we are preparing for the P.E. competitions which will be held in February. February also brings our G.B .fund raising week and our annual Scripture exam. Our annual display will be held on Fri. 26th. April at 7.30 p.m. in Castleknock Community College. Castleknock and Clonsilla Mothers’ UnionMothers' Union Notes By Shirley McGuckin (Hon. Secretary) Monday 7th January was a night to be remembered as 32 members got together in the Parish Centre to celebrate 40 years of MU in the Branch. We were delighted to welcome Rev. Andrew Orr, Rev. Susan Green, and Rev. Sandra Pragnell as our guests. The evening commenced with a wine reception and much chat as reminiscing took place among the members. The scrap books and photo albums did the rounds also. Small presentations were made to our longstanding members who were present - Pat Gray, Dorothy Robinson, Chatty Eager, Rosemary Allen, and Beatrice Richards (who we were especially delighted to have with us following her recent stay in hospital. Unfortunately, Hannah McConnell who was the first Branch Secretary could not be with us. The members were given a glimpse of our new MU banner, which has yet to be fitted with poles etc and will be dedicated in due course. We look forward to hearing June Wilkinson, Diocesan President, speak to us at our February meeting on Monday 4th Feb. Pathfinders' Youth Club UpdatePathfinder Notes By Evelyn Pender Another busy month for Pathfinder members! The exchanging of Kris kindle gifts was held over until Sunday 13th January so that everyone could be involved. Plans for the period from now until May include a ‘Friends’ Disco, a family quiz night, the Alton Towers Weekend Away and the Pathfinder 10 Year Reunion (for past members, supporters and leaders). The Alton Towers trip dates have been narrowed down to end March/early April and we have 10 members signed up to travel already. This looks set to be an exciting year! Pathfinders is a Youth Club run for 11 to 14 year olds. If you are interested in hearing more about Pathfinders or would like to become a leader, call Evelyn Pender on 8200040 Sunday Club NewsSunday Club Notes By Ada Lawson Christmas Morning in Castleknock was a very hectic morning, not only with Santa after arriving, the Sunday Club took part in the Christmas Family Service. The Junior Section (ages 4-6) did “JESUS IS BORN” holding up large letters with a narrator, Mark Sheridan. Well done Mark. The Senior Section (ages 7-11) did a Christmas drama Michael Mouse, which was very successful. A big thank you to Jan Nelson who did the costumes and Ada Lawson for co-coordinating the children for rehearsals. The Children were great and they enjoyed performing. The following is written by Emily Dobson, Narrator Michael is a mouse who wants to meet baby Jesus. Michael is not allowed in because he has no present and all the other animals do. The sheep has wool to keep the baby warm, the cow has milk in case the baby gets thirsty and the hen has eggs for the baby. When Michael sees a hole up very high on the stable wall, he thinks that he could maybe climb up there and have a look into the stable. When he squeezed himself into the hole he sees Mary " Joseph looking over at him happily. He realizes that he has blocked the draught and that this is his present to baby Jesus. We did this play in our Church on Christmas Day. Michael was willing to block the draught for as long as Jesus needed. The best gift we can give Jesus is ourselves for as long as He needs us. The Characters
The Sunday Club both Castleknock " Clonsilla had a Fun Evening on Saturday 19th January from 6 pm - 8 pm this took the format of a Beetle Drive, which the children thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to everyone who made it such a success. A date for the diary, the Sunday Club is hosting “The way to the Cross” for the children on Friday 29th March from 10.30 am until 12.30 pm in the Castleknock Parish Centre. Watch this space for more details. On Saturday, 19th January, approximately 57 club members of Castleknock and Clonsilla Sunday Club got together for a Fun Evening which consisted of a Beetle Drive in the Parish Centre. All the children seemed to enjoy the evening and there were four winners :-
Many thanks to the Leaders and Helpers namely, Leslie Anders, Marie " Ruby Bannister, Sandra Connolly, Alex Kitching, Jan Nelson, Margaret and Gillian Tutty, Emma Hamilton, Jennifer Hollingsworth and Ada Lawson who was our Compere for the evening. Fun Evening Report by Valerie Jameson OPENING OF CASTLEKNOCK NATIONAL SCHOOL - 9TH DECEMBER 2001Hello, Goodbye Goodbye, Old school Goodbye, Old school Hello, New school Open day By Caroline Brindley Putting up decorations, learning poems, learning prayers, excited pupils, worried teachers, past pupils and parents were there. School Opening By William Meara Hi! I am eleven years old. I’m here to tell you about our school opening. On the day of the opening we first went to the Church. We had a carol service as well as the opening. Our class did a poem and a rhyming couplet. After the service we went up to the yard for a speech. Then all of my class went down to the Parish Centre to the disco. There was hot food and cake. That day was great fun. There were people opening the school. Such as our past Teacher Mr. Deacon. He was cool. That was my cool story about the school opening. The following stories were written by pupils of 6th class about a very important day in the history of Castleknock National School. I think you will agree with me that they capture the children’s own impressions beautifully about what for them was a wonderful day. School opening By Sinead Baker The school opening was really exciting yet very scary for me. I had to read a verse of a poem. I felt shaky because in rehearsal I mispronounced a word. This was only blessed. I couldn’t believe it the American Ambassador was going to be there, the Archbishop also. As I walked up to the microphone my hands were shaking with fear. It seemed like forever, but finally my turn was here. I was so relieved. Afterwards we walked to the school and the Ambassador cut the ribbon, it was a magical moment and I am very proud to be a pupil here at C.N.S. Melanie Mullan. age 11 The Official School opening of Castleknock National School took place on December 9th 2001. This was the postponed opening as it was cancelled for the day of mourning after the tragedy that happened in America. We had hoped that the Minister for Education, Michael Woods could come but unfortunately he was tied up with something else. We were delighted to have the Ambassador of America, His Excellency Richard Egan to “Cut the Ribbon” and officially open our school. Our School Opening By Eva Greene On Sunday the 9th December 2001 at 3 o’clock our school had its official opening. At three the children and their parents were all gathered in St. Brigid’s Church. There we sang hymns and the children of the school (us) put on splendid performances. Some children gave gifts to the Archbishop, the American Ambassador to Ireland and Lorna Beattie. Our School Opening By Olivia Ruddock On the 9th of December Castleknock National School had their school opening. The Archbishop and the American Ambassador came. School Opening by Leah Crawford The official school opening of Castleknock national school took place on Sunday the 9th of December 2001. It had been postponed because of the day of mourning after the tragedy in America. By: Jennifer Hollingsworth. The school opening was a great success. Lots of people attended it including Richard Egan – the American Ambassador, Walton Empey – the Archbishop, Paul Colton – The Bishop of Cork, past teachers, past pupils and many, many family and friends of the pupils. Our School Opening (and carol service) By Ute Greene On Sunday the ninth December we had our carol service and official school opening. The Archbishop came and so did the American Ambassador. At the carol service we said prayers, sang songs, read and the younger class did a play. I read and I sang “Teachers Prayer”, with the rest of sixth class. I enjoyed it a lot. At the end of the service Caroline and Ben presented two things to the Ambassador. Emma and James presented something to the Archbishop. The School Opening By Lauren Holmes The Official Opening for Castleknock National School took place on the 9th of December. It began at three o’clock with a carol service in St. Brigid’s Church (just opposite our school). All of the children in our school did something like reading a prayer, reciting a poem or being in a play. The Archbishop and the American Ambassador attended this joyous event. The Bishop of Cork and many other important people came. We were all delighted to see them. After the service the entire congregation walked over to the school where the children stood in the guard of honor to welcome The American Ambassador. € Money Matters €DONATIONS TO CHARITIES AND MISSION SOCIETIES Each year the parishes donate money to Church based charities and mission societies. We agreed this year that this should be 10% of our ‘core’ income [ie envelopes, standing orders, plate collection] from the previous year. That represents approximately €5000 for 2001. The amounts given that we gave this year are as shown below:
Notes Protestant Aid is a charity, supported by all the Protestant Churches, which helps people in need in Ireland of all denominations. USPG is the oldest mission society in the Anglican Communion, founded in 1701 and helps with development, education and healthcare projects all around the developing world. PACT is a charity, again supported by the Protestant churches, which places children for adoption and runs counselling services including post-adoption, post abortion and crisis preganancy. Corrymeela and The Columbanus Community are both ecumenical communities, one in Ballycastle and one in North Belfast, seeking to improve inner-community relationships in the North. The Country Air Association is a small charity which provides holidays for those in need. Special Church Collections in recent months (amounts in Irish pounds:). Collection for St. Francis Hospice, Raheny taken at the Blessing of the Graves in St. Brigid's £746.00 Collection for Bishops' Appeal, Afghanistan £940 Collection for the three Dublin Children's Hospitals made at the school opening: IR£1010.00 Caring and sharing Collection (for the Rector's Discretionary Fund) IR£1506.00 Thank you for your support DIOCESAN FORUMA report by Martin Tighe On Sat 24 November the Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Forum was held in Dublin. The 3 key speakers, Archbishop Empey, Bishop Paul Colton and Prof. Patricia Barker (Lecturer at Dublin City University) opened the forum with diverse and in places thought provoking speeches. The content of their talks ranged from the witty to the critical, from the formal to the imaginative, and from the encouraging to the disparaging. They were well delivered and well received. It was great to see, yet again, the gifted and talented people involved directly and otherwise with the Church of Ireland. Clergy and lay parishioners from nearly all the parishes were in attendance, which was approx. 400 people. Occasions like this always present a great opportunity to meet with a representative cross section of the Church. All in attendance were divided into groups to discuss a range of topics, which (having been chosen by a vote earlier in the year) covered support for the clergy, attracting and keeping new members, faith development, support for the elderly, and young people’s activities. In true C of I fashion a democratic and libertarian approach was closely adhered to with all members of each group being encouraged to speak and be heard. Each person attended one discussion group in the morning and one in the afternoon. It was encouraging to see a healthy mix of people in each group engaging in focussed and challenging debate. Generally the tone of the discussions would indicate that people utilised the event as an opportunity to openly discuss issues between clergy and parishioners which might normally be overlooked as more pressing demands associated with parish life take precedence. Typical areas of discussion were: access to church/prayer, extending the role of lay parishioners, communication between clergy and laity, practical support for clergy, the elderly and children. A suggestion that a committee be set up to monitor progress in the areas examined gained popular support. It was a lively and encouraging day. There is a “buzz” within the church, a genuine concern for the future of the church, a desire for it to grow and re-establish itself as the main focal point, as the pillar of the local community. The setting in All Hallows College, Drumcondra, was thoroughly relaxing and visually appealing. Tea, coffee and a light snack were provided. The forum activities were closed with a harmonious and melodic choral (by all of us!) organised by the Rev’d Tom Gordon. It was great to bear witness to hundreds of people expressing their deep sense of faith through music. Indeed, it is always moving to hear and be part of a Christian gathering, expressing Christian faith without inhibitions. Archbishop Empey concluded the forum on an enthusiastic note expressing the church’s willingness to embrace the suggestions made at the forum. He spoke of the church’s’ eagerness to introduce and implement focussed changes to make it a more accommodating and meaningful place for a diverse Church congregation. Tiny TotsTiny Tots has had a great Christmas term which included many happy mornings for the tots and their mums. Our programme included a visit to the Leisureplex, Christmas crafts, and of course the all important Christmas party, many thanks to Santa for making the long journey from the North Pole. We also had a lovely Mums night out, at the Ming Court restaurant.***This term we have a busy programme, which has several highlights. We are especially looking forward, to our visit to Nuzums and to our annual Beetle Drive. Castleknock Tiny Tots 2002 Spring term:
The Tiny Tots Committee consists of
The Committee members can be contacted at the Parish Centre New members are welcome to come along . Please contact Lesley Anders at the Parish Office castleknock@dublin.anglican.orgfor any details. FROM THE PARISH REGISTERSHoly Baptism
May She shine as the light of Christ in the world to the glory of God the Father. Christian Burial
Lord now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled. In Memorian Joseph Henry Ruttle(4th January 1911 to 29th December 2001) We also extend our sincere sympathy to parishioner Joan Whitehead, on the death of her sister-in-law Dorothy Whitehead, and to Robert, Derek and Peter Whitehead, Dorothy’s nephews. Diary for FebruarySunday Service Times:
Looking ahead to March
Easter Day – services at the usual times (i e. summer time!). 1. A Study in Scarlet 2. Cousin 3. 24 4. Hickory Twicker 5. Lizard 6. 1888 7. the love of money 8. On (His/Her) Majesty's Service 9. Jupiter 10. April, May and June |
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Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla |
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