Parish Matters October 2018

The Rector writes……

On the last Sunday in September we were delighted to welcome back Bishop Michael Burrows as guest preacher in St Michael’s, Blackrock. He was our curate between 1987 and 1991 and was the first person to occupy the curate’s house at 64 Willowbank. On the day this newsletter appears in our churches, (Sunday 7^th October), we will have had the Revd Sarah Marry preach at two of our Harvest Thanksgiving services. It is great to be able to welcome her back in a formal capacity. She left this parish to take up her responsibilities in Shandon and St Luke’s Home, three and a half years ago.

Also, on Sunday 7^th October, after morning services in this parish, I will be leaving promptly to make a return visit to my home parish of Enniscorthy in Co. Wexford to preach at their evening Harvest Thanksgiving. While I have driven through Enniscorthy a number of times over the years, I have not been back inside the church since the day my father retired as rector of that parish in 2002. It will be interesting to meet people again, many of whom I have not seen in sixteen years. Of course, there will be many changes too. Nothing remains static. New people will be involved in the life and worship of the parish who will not know me or remember my father. Many others, who were very committed parishioners in the past, will have passed on and continue their worship in heaven. Facilities will have improved. St Mary’s Church in Enniscorthy is a vast building and so at the back under the gallery I gather pews have been removed to make a welcome area. I look forward to seeing it.

Returning to formative and once familiar places and encountering people again after the passage of time, can be fascinating. Life is a series of ‘seasons’ and the skill of living a fulfilled life is being able to recognise and negotiate the transition between these seasons. For Christians it is important to remember that God always goes ahead of us. He is always there before us. I like one of the collects at Morning Prayer which reminds me of that. I print it below. Perhaps it will help you as you negotiate any change or transition in life or return to once familiar places after an absence of some time.

Go before us, Lord, in all our doings, with your most gracious favour,

and further us with your continual help;

that in all our works, begun, continued and ended in you,

we may glorify your holy name,

and finally by your mercy attain everlasting life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Yours in Christ,                    Adrian

PARISH BIBLE STUDY GROUPS

Parish Bible Studies and Prayer Groups. Our Parish Bible Study Groups continue to be led by Florence Binions and we are grateful to her for all the preparation she puts into each session. These groups meet on a fortnightly basis in Blackrock and Moneygourney. We thank those who host these meetings in their homes. They are a wonderful opportunity for learning together and for fellowship.

The following Bible study group meetings will take place in Joan Miller’s home on Wednesday afternoon, 17th October at 2.30pm and on Thursday evening in Carol Boylan’s home on the 18th October at 7.30pm. New members are always welcome.

St Luke’s School Notes. We extend a very warm welcome to our 21 new Junior Infants and hope that they will be very happy as they settle into life at St Luke’s. We also welcome Drew, Sofia, Laura, Finian, Giorga, Ciarra, Loughlan and Emanuele into our more senior classes. We welcome three new teachers, Ms Sugrue, Ms Scannell and Ms Dermody. We wish Ms Bryan well as she begins her maternity leave.

Many congratulations to the following pupils who were presented prizes at our end of term service in June:

Val Jago Shield: Daniel Dennehy, Daniel Vermak and Sophie Noctor

Runners-Up: Fionn Creedon, Stefany Ibebugwu and Adrian Frank

Flack Trophy for Handwriting: Miglena Topkarova

Gash Squaddy of the year: Sarah McCarthy

Bean Uí Chaoimh Shield (Gaeilge): Jessica Young

Runners-Up: Alison McCarthy and Amy Donovan

Coombes Shield for Sportsmanship: Sam Dale

Gradam Mháire Roycroft: Sophie Noctor

Andrew Chambers Memorial Award (Most Promising Hockey Player): Laura Barry and Jamie Dorgan

We look forward to a busy autumn term ahead.

Harvest Thanksgiving. Our final two harvest thanksgiving services in this parish are in Frankfield and Douglas on Sunday 7 October. On this occasion will be good to have the Revd Sarah Marry return to be the preacher at both these services. We thank the Revd Hazel Minion, who will be taking services in St Anne’s Shandon and in St Luke’s Home that day, to facilitate Sarah’s presence with us.

Parish Bowls Club The Parish Bowls Club reopened in September after the summer break. They meet on Wednesday evenings in the Canon Packham Hall. We wish them well for the season ahead.

The Parish Healer Prayer Chain currently consists of seven members who undertake to pray for the sick and those in need who are on the parish prayer list. This means that every day, those who request prayer are being supported. This group is co-ordinated by the Revd Hazel Minion.

In addition, a monthly Parish Prayer Group is hosted by various parishioners. Those who gather value the fellowship as they pray for the needs of the parish and the wider community.

Clergy Conference. This year the Bishop has invited Pádraig Ó’Tuama, the leader of the Corrymeela Community to give the addresses at the annual Clergy Conference at Ballylickey. We are grateful to him for all the work he puts into this gathering each year. The conference takes place between 15 and 17 October.

Concert. The St Nicholas’ Brass Band and guest artists are holding a concert in St Michael’s Church in Blackrock on Friday 19 October at 8pm. Tickets at €10 are available from David Kerr (086) 8109825 or at the door and all are welcome.

Renovations in Passage West. Over the summer period, the old corrugated iron annex to the parochial hall in Marmullane was demolished. While it had served its purpose for many years as a kitchen extension, it no longer complied with building standards. In its place, a new extension has been built and fitted out to a very high standard by Mervyn Hosford. We are very grateful to parishioner Jill Hingston, who generously sponsored much of the expense of this work and to the parishioners who also raised money in recent years to bring about this development. The hall is now up and running again and is being used by the parish for badminton several days a week, as well as for church meetings and hospitality after special services. The local Grow It Yourself Group also hold their meetings there on a regular basis.

Website, Twitter and Facebook Just a reminder of the fact that we have a parish Facebook page. If you are on Facebook and have not done so already, please ‘like’ our page. Parishioners are asked to keep an eye on it over the winter and we will try and make it interesting! Our parish website is updated weekly and there are regular posts on Twitter. So there is no excuse for not knowing what is going on in the parish.

Service and Sausages – We will be resuming our Service with Sausages on the 7th of October in St. Luke’s Church in Douglas at 6pm.  This is a fun service, mainly for primary school children.  Many parents have helped out preparing delicious juice and hot dogs for hungry worshippers following the service.  It is always nice to see new faces helping out and if anyone is interested in testing out their culinary skills, please contact the curate.

Theatre Supper Evening

We are planning Theatre Supper Evenings on 15th, 16th & 17th November.  This will be held in collaboration with Carrigaline Union of Parishes and the venue will again be the Canon Packham Hall.  We have a cast and rehearsals will be commencing shortly.

Douglas Union with Frankfield will be performing ‘The Patient’ by Agatha Christie and this year will be directed by Rodney Bolingbroke.  Carrigaline will be performing ‘Between Mouthfuls’ by Alan Ayckbourne and a short sketch called “Shoppers” by Jean McConnell, which again will be directed by Mary Murphy. Dinner will again be provided by the Bull McCabe’s.  Tickets will be limited as always so we will let you know when they go on sale!  Book early to avoid disappointment!

ECO TIPS

Creation Time started on 1st September and finished on 4th October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of ecologists and all of us who are trying to live a more sustainable life.

National Tree Day was on Thursday 4th October so, if you have room, think of planting a tree sapling or a shrub in your garden this weekend. Trees are the lungs of our ecosystem.

If you can’t do this why not take a walk in a local wood such as Currabinny or Fota Arboretum and enjoy the beautiful autumn colours and the majesty of massive trees planted by our ancestors up to 200 years ago, when they were saplings.

CHURCH SERVICES – October 2018