Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
St. Patrick’s Press CHRISTMAS
2016
From the Rectory…
Dear Friends I hope this finds you well. If we look at the most important or precious things in life they are often quite vulnerable or fragile. We often live in the knowledge that what we enjoy, possess or look upon is a passing joy.
What is so poignant or endearing when we see the dying elder or the new born babe is not that they are solid and unchanging but because they are so vulnerable – it reminds us that love is characterised by something which is very fragile. Fabric or plastic flowers can last forever but they are considered cheap imitations to fresh flowers which are fragile and soon fade. Love does not make its home in this world but rather passes through in flowers, music, flickering flames and gracious hearts.
During my youth I remember being brought up in a Rectory without central heating. In winter we would all huddle round a little candle trying to keep warm… when it was really cold we were allowed to light it!... but what a small vulnerable, flickering flame a candle provides and yet we use it in our Churches as a symbol of perfect, divine light. It does not illuminate the whole room, it hardly even illuminates a desk top, yet there is just enough light to see your way safely in spite of the darkness that threatens to close in on you, it somehow – in its own vulnerable, flickering way seems to be a little sacred sign.
Our experience of God is like this, we know him as a small light – a light that can show us the way but does not enlighten all the dark corners of the world or provide fluorescent transparency to our every move. To none of us will be imparted the reasons why some suffer and others do not; not even the most saintly can tell us what lies on the other side of life. As people of faith we nevertheless live by the light of a candle, as it were.
It is this simple presence of what is good and loving that tells us of God’s love. It enlightens us, it’s presence hints of greater things and promises to
lead us out of darkness. The Incarnation reminds us why God chose to reveal himself in a fragile and vulnerable way, simply because light, love and truth, like all life’s most precious things, share this same quality.
When the Iron Curtain eventually fell in Leipzig the commander of the communist guards said “We were prepared for guns and riots but we were not prepared for peaceful crowds saying prayers and carrying candles.” There is something about a little light that overcomes the world… this is essentially the message of Christmas.
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness,
but the darkness has not understood it. John 1.4
Christianity is about understanding this light which perfects love, melts hardened hearts and brings down the walls of division. May we be given the wisdom and courage to see and understand what God has done for us in the gift of His Son, Jesus – our eternal flame.
Wishing you a peaceful and happy Christmas.
Yours in Faith,
FRONT COVER: Lighting the Advent Candles by Avril Price-Gallagher
Parish Register Baptism 30 October 2016 Aaron Leo Byrne
We wish this little one and his family every blessing.
Funeral 28 October 2016 Frederick Norman Lee
May he rest in peace
PARISH OFFICE - CLERGY MORNINGS
Alan or myself are usually available Tues, Wed or Thurs mornings in the
parish office - please call or email or drop in and we will be happy to see
any parishioner. Of course, this is the case at other times as well, if you
contact us first. In particular, I rely on you all to let me know of any needs
in the wider parish. Grateful thanks, David
ARCHERS WINDOWS
Your local glazing specialist Composite Doors
Sliding & Bi-Fold Doors ‘A’ Rated Double & Triple Glazing
Casement Windows Sliding Sash Windows Conservatory Solid Roof Conversions
Replacement ‘Fogged’ Glass Units
Tel: 2876668 email: [email protected] www.archerswindows.ie
Peter McKiernan Personal Travel Counsellor
Tailor made to suit you—and great prices too!
• Summer / Winter holidays • City Breaks • Cruises • Group Travel • Travel Insurance • Flights & Accommodation worldwide • Ski Holidays • Honeymoons or Weddings abroad
Available evenings and weekends
01 667 8703 or 087 6666 102
or email peter.mckiernan @travelcounsellors.com
www.travelcounsellors.com/peter.mckiernan
Travel Counsellors is Licensed and Bonded by the Commission for Aviation Regulation in
Ireland number TA 0622
Treasures at Christmas
W hen it gets to this time of year people start to get ready for Christmas.
Dinners, presents, events, reunions and many other activities that keep all of us busy and occupied. What happens when we stop though? Where does our mind go in those ‘quiet’ moments. When you reflect on the past year, what do you think? How do you feel? 2016 has been eventful to say the least. Again, we have lost some incredible talent: Ronnie Corbett, Victoria Wood, Prince,
Leonard Cohen, Muhammad Ali, Alan Rickman, Frank Kelly, Kenny Baker and there are many others that have left a gap. In sport we had the Olympics, the Euros and Ireland beat the All Blacks! We’ve also experienced ‘Brexit’ and Donald Trump being elected President of America.
So much has happened, is it any wonder life seems constantly hectic. How do we slow down our pace? Especially at this time of year? The church has seasons like Advent so we can pause, reflect and focus our mind on God. The different characters that are brought to our attention in the readings leading up to Christmas help us see God’s redemptive story and have a relationship with Him.
It’s great reading the different perspective of the ‘characters’ leading to, and the foretelling of the birth of Jesus. As I reflect on this past year, there are times that make me smile, wince, groan and make me thankful. My perspec-tive could be and will be different to your perspective and that’s what makes all of us interesting! All of us can look at the same story differently, because of what we bring to that story! As we read the gospel accounts we get differ-ent people’s point of view.
I love this verse found in Luke, “But his (Jesus’) mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51) Mary loved her son, Jesus, beyond what we can imagine. She witnessed and experienced things that we will never know. Why? Because she stored up in her heart treasures about her son that those around did not know.
How often do we do this? Store treasures up in our hearts that encourage us and give us hope. What do you treasure about the Christmas story? What is it that gives you hope? Our perspective is important. God’s voice is ever-present in the accounts given of Jesus’ birth. God still speaks today, and desires for us to know his voice as we reflect on the story of our lives, and the story of hope we find in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. As time passes this Christmas season, reflect on the story that God has for you. Listen for his voice and allow the Hope of His story to impact your story.
Rev. Alan Breen
A s I write this, we are well on the way to
Christmas. The shops are packed; there is
a mad frenzy of present purchasing, Christmas
decorations and visits to Santa. Yet we are in
the season of Advent, supposedly a season of
hope, preparation, prayer and reflection for the
coming of the Lord. Unfortunately Advent is
now a rushed season, seemingly as impatient as
my children, as each morning they open their
Advent calendars and count the remaining days
till Christmas. At this time of year I often think
of a poem by John Betjeman, “Advent 1955”.
It highlights that this impatience is not new! In
this hectic period, let us try to calm our hearts, and reflect on the true gift
of Christmas, the birth of Christ, a present that cannot be priced.
Advent 1955
The Advent wind begins to stir With sea-like sounds in our Scotch fir,
It’s dark at breakfast, dark at tea, And in between we only see
Clouds hurrying across the sky And rain-wet roads the wind blows dry
And branches bending to the gale Against great skies all silver pale
The world seems travelling into space, And travelling at a faster pace
Than in the leisured summer weather When we and it sit out together,
For now we feel the world spin round On some momentous journey bound - Journey to what? to whom? to where?
The Advent bells call out ‘Prepare, Your world is journeying to the birth Of God made Man for us on earth.’
And how, in fact, do we prepare
The great day that waits us there -
Rev. Ross Styles
For the twenty-fifth day of December, The birth of Christ? For some it means
An interchange of hunting scenes On coloured cards, And I remember
Last year I sent out twenty yards, Laid end to end, of Christmas cards
To people that I scarcely know They’d sent a card to me, and so I had to send one back. Oh dear! Is this a form of Christmas cheer? Or is it, which is less surprising,
My pride gone in for advertising? The only cards that really count Are that extremely small amount
From real friends who keep in touch And are not rich but love us much Some ways indeed are very odd
By which we hail the birth of God.
We raise the price of things in shops, We give plain boxes fancy tops
And lines which traders cannot sell Thus parcel’d go extremely well
We dole out bribes we call a present To those to whom we must be pleasant For business reasons. Our defence is
These bribes are charged against expenses And bring relief in Income Tax
Enough of these unworthy cracks! ‘The time draws near the birth of Christ’.
A present that cannot be priced Given two thousand years ago
Yet if God had not given so He still would be a distant stranger
And not the Baby in the manger
by John Betjeman
Wishing you all a merry Christmas,
God bless,
Ross
Mac Sherry’s Pharmacy
Whitethorn Centre, Kilcoole
Tel 287 0400
9 am-6.30 pm Mon-Fri 9 am-6 pm Saturday
Prescriptions &
Medical Supplies
Cosmetics & Perfumes
Ear Piercing by Appointment.
Hill’s Garage Greystones Servicing & repairs to all makes of cars at our premises on
Hillside Road,
Greystones.
Tel: 287 4510 / 287 4507 Fax: 287 6473
Christmas is Coming
“Christmas is coming”… I wonder how those words make you feel? For some of us, those words might make us feel excited, expectant, joyful. We look forward to eating all the food, opening presents and spending time with family. For others, those words might engender a sense of terror, or boredom! We dread cooking all the food, buying presents and spending time with family! Nevertheless, however you feel about Christmas, it is indeed coming, and
quickly at that! I’ve been rather organised this year, and have managed to get the vast majority of my presents sorted by the end of November, and just need to get some of them off in the post before the inevitable Christmas rush. I’m always reminded at this time of year of the importance of being prepared, and in this season of advent, we are encouraged before the madness or joy of Christmas (depending on your viewpoint) to be still and prepare ourselves.
Even with so many other things to prepare and get ready for the coming of Christmas, in the middle of all that fuss and excitement, there should be a moment for us to reflect on the fact that God chose to live as a human being. God who created the planets and the stars, and all the creatures, and you and I, became a baby, and was born in a cave used for animals. Could you imagine the scandal if the next member of the royal family to give birth did so in a barn? And yet the King of Kings was born in a stable. This is one of the most scandalous acts in human history, and yet speaks to the very nature of Jesus Christ. Paul, writing to the Philippians, says this about Jesus;
‘Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness’. (Philippians 2: 6-7)
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus speaks often about what it means to be a servant, and he encourages his followers to be servant-hearted too. In a culture that demands ‘our rights’, where success is often defined as how many people follow your every whim, the idea of being a servant seems strange. And yet, for those of us who have answered the call to follow Christ, servanthood is exactly what Jesus calls us to. Servanthood can be costly. It demands much of us! And yet in a world caught up in consumerism, it can be incredibly liberating. It allows us to forget about accumulating possessions, and encourages us to bless others, by giving of ourselves, our time, and our resources. This Christmas, as we exchange gifts with those we love, may we find joy in the giving of ourselves in service to those around us.
Rev. Stuart Moles
SALES, SERVICE,
BODY WORK
PROMPT PERSONAL ATTENTION
Farrankelly, Delgany, Co. Wicklow
TELEPHONE: (01) 287 4224 FAX: (01) 287 7188
An imaginative journey in learning
Tel: 086 849 4529
St Patrick’s National School Grounds
www.smileysunflowers.com
Weekly Art Classes
(5-12 yr olds)
Join Artzone and unleash your creative side!
Fully Qualified Art Teachers work to a structured curriculum
producing new and exciting portfolios every term.
Fees: €100 per 8 week term (7.5% sibling discount)
St. Patrick’s Parish Centre, Greystones
Mondays @ 4.30 pm
To book call: 01 4990614 / 086 8159073
or see www.artzone.ie.
The Advent Countdown
T he season of Advent has just begun and to be honest it’s not something I’ve paid much
attention to till now. I mean, I went to church services growing up where they lit the candles at the front each week leading up to Christmas but I had no idea what it meant. I just saw it as a different version of an Advent calendar I would be have at home without the chocolates behind each window; not nearly as fun. But I paid enough attention to notice it each week.
Now I didn’t even know what the word advent meant so I had to look it up and it means “coming” or “arrival.” I also found out that the word advent is worth 10 points in Scrabble for all of you that will play the game over the festive period! After reading that I guess that growing up that was the mean-ing it had to me in a way. My Advent calendar was the count to the arrival, but that would have been Santa Claus rather than Jesus.
From spending a while looking it up I learnt a lot about what Advent was about. I realised the whole point of this tradition was preparation and antici-pation. Now, when I say preparation I know that can be for a lot of people the stress of making sure the turkey is cooked, trying to pick the perfect presents for everyone, worrying about the snow they warn us about every year (that never comes).
Each Sunday of Advent a virtue of Jesus is the focus for each week and these are hope, love, joy and peace. I want to focus on peace as for a lot of people this can be a stressful time in the build up to Christmas. This Advent season I pray you will take to heart the words of 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
Realise in the weeks coming up to Christmas that Jesus wants you to be stress and anxiety free because as the verse says He cares about you. Take to heart the reason He came down on Christmas Day was because He cared and He still does and will forevermore.
Wishing you every blessing this wonderful season and I’ll leave you with the words of 2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”
Stephen O’Neill
Temple Carrig School
The first Church of Ireland secondary school in the voluntary model to be established in the country, Temple Carraig is unique in that, although it is run by a minority faith, it is for the whole community in the Greystones and Delgany area. Only 20% of the students are from a Church of Ireland back-ground.
Established in 2012, the school first opened its doors to pupils in September 2014, in temporary accommodation, before the present school building was finally completed in December 2015. “This is a beautiful building,” said Kenny, “but it’s just a building. It is the pupils, their parents and teachers, and the staff that make it an educational facility. All of you will make your mark. There is nothing that can hold you back if you believe in what you want.”
For his part, the school’s chairman, Garrett Fennell, addressed the diversity in Temple Carraig, stating, “Much of the current debate around patronage in Irish education is very polarised and fails to recognise that diversity and tol-erance comes in many shapes and ways. Indeed, schools under Church of Ireland patronage have been models for inclusive multidenominational edu-cation for decades.”
Reporting by Paul Byrne at: www.greystonesguide.ie
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny officially opened the school on 7th October 2016
Year 1 Scare-a-thon Halloween Hockey Tournament
Pupils from every year group enjoy some Wednesday afternoon Adventure Walking with Deputy Principal Mr Russell Harris - and Gus, the dog!
PAMPERED PETS
DOG MINDER & CAT VISITS
DOGGIE DAY CARE & HOLIDAYS
HOME FROM HOME
SOCIALISED HAPPY DOGS
TWO WALKS A DAY & LOTS OF TLC
LARGE GARDEN TO PLAY IN
ANY REQUESTS NOT A PROBEM
PLEASE CALL 0877655094
Rodney Evans
Services
Bunk Beds, Children’s Beds
Loft Beds, Mattresses and
Bean Bags
Small and Large Storage Units
for Rent
Farrankelly, Delgany
Co. Wicklow
Call Geoff on 086 600 9341
Christmas Carols
O ne of the potential joys of Christmas is the sound of carols – but it can become very wearisome when you are regaled by the fluting notes of
Mary’s Boy Child when you are in the supermarket wondering which wash-ing powder to buy. So, this year, how about a little retaliation? Why not come out singing with the Cecil Beare Ecumenical Carol Singers and shout out the tunes yourself while feeling ever so noble because it’s all in aid of local charities.
For those of you who are new to the area, Cecil Beare, a St. Patrick’s parish-ioner, was a great ecumenist way before his time, and someone who believed in helping those less fortunate. He set up a carol group over sixty years ago and each year they toured the streets, side roads and lanes of Greystones, the aim being to sing outside every house in the district, irrespective of the weather. He continued to come out until he was well into his eighties. We carry on as a group though I am afraid covering a less extensive territory than during Cecil’s regime.
We hope to sing for 7 nights this year, starting on Tuesday, 13th. December, meeting at Nature’s Gold Shop on Killincarrig Rd.at 7.30pm sharp with Mary Miles* of St. Patrick’s leading us.
The other nights are as follows:
Wednesday 14th at Fenton’s Shop to ‘do’ Heathervue;
Thursday 15th
at the entrance to Grattan Pk. (near Donnybrook Fair);
Monday 19th at the Vet’s Clinic in Blacklion (entrance to Applewood Hts);
Tuesday 20th New Road area, meeting at Brady’s Hardware;
Wednesday 21st Hillside, meeting at Fenton’s Shop (Leader Ruth Handy*) and finally
Thursday 22nd Rathdown/Redford meeting at the top of Rathdown Park (& Mark Felton*)
Remember—we start at 7.30 sharp each evening.
Each night is ‘led’ by a different individual representing the churches in the area so we hope that the nights assigned to St. Patrick’s members*
will be well supported.
Do come out and join us – good singing voices are NOT required. We just make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Collectors are even more important than
singers. All the proceeds go to local charities.
Come out one night at least and try it – it’s fun and a great way of getting ex-ercise. Just remember to wrap up warmly and bring a torch.
For further details contact Ruth Handy at 287 5161.
Should you have a concern, suspicion or allegation regarding child
welfare in the area of ministry to children in this parish please
contact a member of the parish Safeguarding Trust Panel listed below:
Canon David Mungavin 287 4077
Karen Crean 087 983 5266
Robin George 287 5723
Vivienne Adams 087 242 4536
The Rector and Select Vestry are committed to uphold good practice in our ministry with children and young people.
YOUTH MINISTRY (over 12 yrs)
AT ST PATRICK’S CHURCH
with our Intern Youth Worker
Stephen O’Neill
YOUTH GROUP meets during
the main service at 10.30am.
The teens will come to church as
usual, leave at the same time as
Sunday Seekers, and come back
for communion.
Every Sunday except the 4th
Sunday of the month.
YOUTH CLUB is held on Saturdays from 7 - 9 pm
in the Swann Hall
Bugle Club
S o Bugle Club kicked off again for another year in September. As always our first item of business was to
welcome our new members. This year we had 10 children from St Patrick’s National School join our Club from 3rd Class, 4th Class and 5th Class. We have managed to retain our small contingent from 6th Class which is great as it keeps a nice balance. We also had some significant changes in leadership team for Bugle Club. Firstly, Des Fox decided it was time to pass on the baton (or bugle perhaps) and call it a day after a number of years of service to the cause. Des co-founded the club, gave it the name Bugle Club and designed the logo. Quite simply, the club would not be here today if it was not for Des. Des put huge effort into our club and his arts and crafts projects were a big part of our calendar, particularly in the winter months. The children really enjoyed them and Des worked wonders putting them at their ease and giving them the confi-dence to create some beautiful pieces of art – some of which hangs on the wall in the corridor of the Parish Centre. I hope he will come back to us from time to time when he gets one of his ingenious ideas for some artistic endeavour. We owe him a great deal of gratitude. Thank you Des. We have been fortunate to have some new eminently capable and talented people to step up and join our team. Janet Caffery, a former Brownie leader and Mum to one of our members answered the bugle call and has joined our team. This year we are very lucky to also have the added help of the Parish’s new intern youth worker, Stephen as well as Robyn, an animation student. After a brief settling-in period our attention was quickly turned to preparation for the Parish Fayre. For the last 3 years we have run a Bugle Club Stall. We sell popcorn, homemade lemonade, sweets and tray bakes. The fun bit is that the members of Bugle Club run the stall themselves (under close supervi-sion by the leaders!). This year our kids were easily identified as they were wearing their new bugle club t-shirts. We had some white t-shirts printed with the Bugle Club logo and the children spent an evening adding their own touch-es to the t-shirt with some fabric markers. The t-shirts will be used on the vari-ous outings during the year, particularly in the spring and early summer. On our last evening before we finish up for Christmas we have our private Christmas concert. This is where our members can perform in front of the other members and leaders in a relaxed, no pressure environment. This can include singing, piano playing, Irish dancing and even some riddles.
The Bugle Club Team Our abiding aim is for a mix of fun, games and fellowship. The club is for boys and girls in 3rd to 6th Class. We meet on Wednesdays at 6.30pm in the Swann
Hall during term time. Enrolment for the year is in September. Email us at [email protected] or call one of the leaders:
Tony Goodwin 086 8799 742; Claire Evans 086 1500 125; Genevieve Harden-O’Connor 086 3676 274; Janet Caffery 087 657 4128.
That magnificent man in his flying machine—Ken Townsend soars over the Wicklow
countryside in his self-built aircraft
Members of the Mothers’ Union celebrate Christ-mas in style at
Bochelli’s
Members of St Patrick’s Hill-walkers set off on the Moonlight Challenge on 12 November in aid of Wicklow Mountain Rescue
Ruth Bell, Rodney Evans & Mary Miles at a concert in
Hillside Church
Lesley Kemp models Christmas fashions at the MU night out.
Garrett Fennell, Chairman of the Board of Management of Temple Carrig School with David & Stephen Flynn at the Parish Fayre
Niamh O’Mahony explains the game of the Bottle Stall at the Parish Fayre. Flo Fennell makes a new friend at the
official opening of Temple Carrig School on 7th October 28th Co. Girls’ Brigade and their leaders
FOR ALL OF YOUR RECRUITMENT NEEDS
We offer a personal, consultative approach to source your ideal candidate or find you, your perfect job.
Contact: Caroline Greenlee Tel: 01 908 1312 Email: [email protected]
Need a Mediator? Save Time, Money and Avoid the Stress
of protracted court proceedings.
We are a local accredited mediation service specialising in separating couples and family mediation.
To arrange a FREE first consultation visit www.milesmediation.ie or call us on 087 431 8356.
St Patrick’s Church Greystones
Mothers’ Union Audrey and Rodney Evans came to our October meeting. They told us about their involvement with Tiglin and their trips into Dublin on the Tig-lin bus every Thursday evening. It is very hard to believe in this day and age that there are young people sleeping in doorways and under bridges because they have nowhere to stay. Tiglin is a wonderful charity, helping young men and women to overcome their addictions and sets them on the road to a better life. Well done Audrey and Rodney for all your love and help for Tiglin.
Members and friends met in Bochellis in November for our annual Christ-mas Dinner. The restaurant was beautifully decorated for Chr istmas and the food was delicious – low calorie! We had great fun pulling crack-ers and answering silly puzzles… fun and fellowship were rife. A great night, enjoyed by all.
16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) towards women and girls campaign started on 25 November until 10 December. On 26 November Members and friends attended the All-Ireland Prayer Vigil in St Brigid’s Parish, Stillorgan, Vigils will be held in Diocese all over Ireland during the 16 days. This 16 Days campaign is our opportuni-ty each year to show solidarity against gender-based violence. It provides a platform for individuals and organisations to highlight their work and speak out against violence against women and girls. Please pray for vic-tims of GBV and let’s spread the message “IT IS NOT OK”.
Our December meeting on Monday 19th will be crafts with Marie, mulled wine and mince pies.
The Big Sing celebrating 130 years of MU in Ireland is in September 2017. Tickets have been purchased and we asked everyone who reserved a seat, at our October meeting, to pay €20 to Yvonne or Daphne as soon as possible please.
Daphne Townsend
“Celebration of Faith”
Girls’ Brigade opened for a new session on September 10th and have had a busy fun-filled few months. Our numbers have grown steadily, particularly in the Explorer section.
The Juniors and Brigaders have been involved in a number of worthwhile ac-tivities. In October they packed bags in Tesco to raise funds for “Habitat for Humanity Ireland”. Lucy, one of our Brigaders, is making her second trip to Romania next April to help build houses for families in need. The girls helped to raise a total of €2000 for this great cause .
We were honoured and delighted again to play our part in the Parish Fayre. It was exciting to see the Fayre in its new venue at Temple Carrig School. We organised the games room and made candy floss, which was a big hit with the young and not-so-young alike.
Mr Jonathan O’Neill, one of our GB dads, is a volunteer with the Irish Red Cross and gave demonstrations to children in basic First Aid and Life Support at the Fayre.’
After a well-earned break at half-term we had a Halloween Party with plenty of fun and games.
In early November two of our leaders, Alison Norman and Joyce Ferns took their Lieutenants exam and underwent interviews. They passed with flying col-ours and will be commissioned at our display on April 8th.
We send congratulations to them both, and thank them for their commitment to our company. Wishing them many more happy years in GB!
We held our annual enrolment during the Family Service on November 20th and would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and good wishes.
On November 25th and 26th five of our girls took part in the Girls’ Brigade National Feis. They represented our company very well. We would like to send congratulations to Ruth Ferns-Kelly who was highly commended in the Junior Category.
At the end of November, Michelle, Isobel and Zoë had a most enjoyable even-ing at Brigader Night in Tallaght. They made festive table pieces, and chatted with other Brigaders in our district over a delicious supper.
The Explorers took part in the national speaking competition on December 3rd. Despite having their numbers bring reduced by illness, the girls delivered the
poem “Midnight Fun” very clearly and beautifully. We are so proud of them all. We are looking forward to our Christmas Outing to the Mermaid Arts Cen-tre. The Tiny Tots and Explorers will do their best Elsa and Anna impersona-tions at a singalong showing of “Frozen”. Later that day the Juniors and Bri-gaders will have a bowling and pizza evening in Bray. We will reopen on Saturday 7 January 2017. Happy Christmas and a wonderful 2017 from all the girls of the 28th Co.
“Seek, serve and follow Christ”
GB meets in the Swann Hall from 4 to 6 pm on Saturdays. New members are always welcome!
For more information please contact: Anne Fitzsimmons (Captain) 086 826 9630
All I need to know...
I learnt from Noah’s Ark!
1. Don’t miss the boat
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat
3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark
4. Stay fit. When you are 600 years old someone may want you to do something big.
5. Don’t listen to critics, just get on with it
6. Build your future on high ground
7. For safety’s sake, travel in pairs
8. Speed is not always an advantage
9. When you’re stressed, float awhile
10. Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals
11. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there is always a rainbow waiting
Submitted by Audrey Warnock
“I can knit a rainbow…” Noah and his Ark full of animals—Marie Haigh’s latest knitted creation!
News from the Gallery…
Members of our choir recently took part in a video
recording session along with members of other
parish choirs. The videos will form part of the
educational resources page on the Church Music
Dublin website.
Mark Duley led the session and took participants through a series of vocal
warm ups before dealing with aspects of the well-loved anthem ‘God so
loved the world’ from The Crucifixion by John Stainer. This was another
opportunity for the choir to be part of a larger group of singers. Two years
ago the choir joined with other choirs for the recording of some items
from the new Thanks & Praise supplement. These recordings, on CD, are
now available to assist the worship in churches with no ‘live’ music.
Members of the choir also attended the Come and sing Evensong event in
Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday 20 November. This was an oppor-
tunity to join with the cathedral choir and sing larger works outside the
resources of the parish church.
Jacqueline Mullen
Soup & Sandwich Lunches As I’m sure you all know, we host a soup and sandwich lunch in the
Swann Hall every third Tuesday in the month from September to May, this
year excluding December. They are very pleasant sociable events with a
lovely mix of diners from all of the Greystones churches.
People are asked to donate €5 and as a result of your generosity we have
been able to send €600 to Merchant’s Quay Ireland, a char ity which
provides beds for the homeless, counselling, medical attention, clothing,
washing facilities and addiction treatment for as many as possible. At this
time of year they have an open all night cafe for people who haven’t been
able to source a bed for the night and they provide blankets to allow them
to sleep in safety and warmth. It’s a really heart-warming charity so we
would like to thank all our ‘lunchers’ for
your generosity.
Our next lunch is from 12.30—2pm
on Tuesday 17th. January 2017.
On behalf of the S & S Team,
Ruth Handy
F our little words. Four little words that, to a parent in a car, can come to have the same
effect as fingernails on a chalkboard. Four little words that many of us are guilty of say-ing in years past and that many of us can hear ringing in our ears. As we enter into Advent, in my best, most fatherly voice I proclaim this truth to you: “No, we’re not there yet!” No. We’re not there yet.
This season of Advent that we are in is a time when we often talk about waiting. Of course, what most of us are thinking about is waiting
for Christmas. Marking off the shopping days left. And even in a religious sense, Advent can mostly feel like the time that we are waiting for Christmas. And that’s true, at least partially. But Advent has a feel all its own. Every year, the Scripture texts for this first Sunday of Advent push us not toward the coming of a baby in a manger, but toward the coming of Christ in glory and in judgment, bringing history to a close.
As I mentioned, we often think in terms of waiting during this season. But I want to suggest a slightly different word, the word “anticipation.” Anticipation is a more than simply waiting. It’s waiting for something that will be worth waiting for. Think, for instance, about the difference between two trips you might take. If you’re driving to the beach, even the adults have a little of that “are we there yet?” feeling. You’re looking forward to getting there and having a good time. On the other hand, if you’re driving to the dentist, you’re probably not in a big hurry to get there. Anticipation is wait-ing eagerly for something that is worth waiting for.
In Advent we have heard two passages of Scripture, one from Isaiah and one from Matthew. The Isaiah text is a vision of the future, a vision of peace and harmony among all people, when weapons of mass destruc-tion are turned into tools of mass production. Turning swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks.
Are we there yet? No, we’re not. And some-times it can seem we’re so far away from that vision that it is simply naïve; it’s just unrealistic. And so we basically dismiss it. After all, if it isn’t going to happen tomorrow, what’s the point? I think that’s a mistake.
The older I get and the more I reflect on this life of faith, the more I am convinced that following Jesus really does ask us to take the long view of things. We are part of a story that is much bigger than just our own individu-al piece of that story. We may well go through trials and tribulations.
But God’s purposes will ultimately be fulfilled. This vision of peace, this vision of shalom is not just a pipe dream. It will become reality. Are we there yet? No. But we’ll get there someday.
The Matthew text is all about being ready, because we don’t know when that “someday” will come. Matthew, too, looks toward the future, looking to the day of the final coming of the Son of Man, a coming which speaks both of salvation and of judgment. But in Matthew, Jesus’ concern is that we be ready, that we not be caught napping. It’s important to say that Jesus’ concern is not that we figure out when this day is coming. Jesus in essence says, “I don’t even know that,” a statement so shocking that scribes who were making later copies of the New Testament took that line out. But the date is not the issue. What is critical is that we live every day in readiness. So what does that mean? Does it mean we sell everything and head for the hills? Does it mean it’s wrong to go about our everyday lives? The short answer, of course, is no. But beyond that, we need to back up and see something very basic about the Christian faith.
One of the most fundamental realities of our Christian experience is that we live in the tension between the “already” and the “not yet.” Our salva-tion is already assured, but it is not yet fulfilled. The ultimate direction of history is already set, but it has not yet reached its end. We live in hope now but the fulfilment of that hope is still in the future. We live between the already and the not yet. The question, then, is how we are to live in this position. Do we focus all of our attention on what has already been done? If we do that, we risk saying essentially, “Christ has died for us. We’re saved. It’s a done deal. That’s all that matters. Now we’re just hanging around here for a few years or a few decades until we die and go to heaven. We have our boarding pass, and this life is just one long period of sitting at the gate waiting for our flight to be called. Not a healthy or helpful option.
At the other extreme, we can focus heavily on the “not yet” side of things. We can get wrapped up in trying to figure out when Christ will come again. We can buy all the books and memorise all the charts and go to all the sem-inars. And we risk saying essentially, “This world doesn’t matter. It’s all going to end anyway, and probably really soon, so why worry about changing anything here.” And as someone has said, we become so heavenly minded that we’re no earth-ly good. We live in the tension be-tween the already and the not yet. But if we grab only one of those and for-get the other, we can get into trouble.
I want to go back to the Isaiah passage for just a minute. If you opened your Bible to Micah 4 and started reading, you would discover that the first few verses of Micah 4 and Isaiah 2 are absolutely identical. Word for word up through the part about swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. It seems that this text may have been a well-known piece of poetic worship material. What’s interesting is that in both Isaiah and Micah, this beautiful vision is followed by another kind of statement. Micah says, “For
all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.” Isaiah says, “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! And of course, that word “walk” always refers to how we live our lives. It’s as if, for both Micah and Isaiah, this beautiful vision forced the question, “so what now?”
And the answer is to live in character with the God of this vision. Not just to generally try to be nice folks until this vision happens someday. And not just to say, “Well, isn’t it nice how God delivered us from Egypt” or “Isn’t it nice how God gave us salvation through Jesus.” No, the answer for here and now is to be shaped and moulded by the vision of the world and humanity as God intends it to be.
If that isn’t clear enough, let me make it as plain as I can. We who claim to follow Jesus are here to be a living, breathing demonstration of the kind of humanity, the kind of community God wants for all people. A part of that is individual.
A large part of that has to do with our life together. We are called to give people a glimpse of what God’s dream for the future will look like. Are we there yet? No, we’re not. We’re not at the point where this dream is fulfilled. But we’re also not there yet in living out our calling. In a sense, of course, we’ll never be “there yet” in this life. We’ll never fully live up to God’s dream for us as individuals or us as people in community.
But we have a two-part task. The first part is to keep God’s dream, God’s vision, God’s way in front of us. Not to dismiss it or minimise it. It is the vision of what Jesus called “the kingdom of God,” and it was the vision that
drove Jesus throughout his ministry. Being clear about that vision and keep-ing it in front of our eyes is the first task. And the second task is to begin making that vision a reality, in our lives, in community with each other, in the way we treat everyone around us, in the way we see the world. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s kingdom, God’s way comes wherev-er God’s will is being done. Wherever we are reflecting the character of this God of shalom, of peace, of reconciliation, we are doing the work of the kingdom. So, during Advent, we have much to anticipate. God’s dream has not yet become the reality that it will one day. But as we anticipate that glo-rious future, let us do so by giving others a glimpse of what it’s all about. Let us live the words of the hymn:
We are called to be God’s people, Showing by our lives his grace, One in heart and one in spirit, Sign of hope for all the race.
(Hymn by Thomas A. Jackson)
As we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ, may we indeed now be a sign of hope to those around us. God grant that it may be so.
Frank Connolly
St Andrew’s College is an independent, interdenominational,
co-educational preparatory and secondary school, catering for
students of all nationalities.
For further information please contact the Admissions Office, St Andrew’s
College, Booterstown Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Telephone: 01 288 2785 Fax: 283 1627
Email: [email protected]
FELTON McKNIGHT
SOLICITORS ‘Thorough & expert service; courteous & confidential.’
Wills and estate planning
Enduring Powers of Attorney
Wards of Court applications
Transfer of Property
Mental Health Law
Re-mortgages
Property sales and purchases
Call us on 01 2874341
or visit us at
www.feltonmcknight.ie
a tradition of legal excellence
ACTION ARTS GREYSTONES Building confidence through
Drama, Song & Dance.
Activities include Musical Theatre, Drama, Songs, Modern dance,
Theatre Games, Speech & Drama Exams.
Venue: Swann Hall, St Patrick’s Church, Greystones.
Day: Wednesday afternoon.
Children aged 4 – 12 welcome. Come along and try it out or secure
your child a place by calling Hazel Lowry A.I.B.S.D
on 087 686 9329
End of year show will be held at the Mermaid Theatre, Bray
OPUS II The music shops with
the personal touch
4 High St, GALWAY
Phone: (091) 500300
Email:
131 Oliver Plunkett St, CORK
Phone (021) 427 9611.
Email:
www.opusii.ie
Yamaha Instrument Specialist
NATIONWIDE MAIL ORDER
St. Patrick’s Indoor Bowling Club
Hello All
First and foremost on behalf of every
member of the Bowling Club may I cor-
dially wish you a very Merry Christmas
and a happy and prosperous New Year.
On the bowling front, we are now into
our league programme and, so far so good. Our domestic competitions begin
after the Xmas break so time flies as the saying goes. We close 2016 with a
fun night at bowls where you could win a chocolate Santa, so if you would
like to come along and try bowling this is the perfect introduction, where you
can also learn what goes on at the club, and I assure you we would be delight-
ed to see you. The Fun Night is on Thursday 15th December commencing at
7.30pm and all you will require is a flat pair of shoes.
If you would like more details of this night or how the bowling club operates
please do not hesitate to contact me, Dougie Thomson, 085 272 5142.
St Patrick’s Table Tennis Club
The Table Tennis Club is a very friendly club with members of all standards.
We meet in the Swann Hall on Wednesday evenings at 8.30 pm We do not
play league matches so one can guarantee that there will be play every week.
This season we have had our tournament between ourselves and intend to have
another next week with a Christmas theme.
On Monday 5th December we have been
invited to Monkstown for their Christmas
Tournament. This is an annual event en-
joyed by everyone.
We will recommence play on 18 January
after our New Year’s party on 11th January
and we will be delighted if anyone would
like to join us.
Contact Audrey Warnock on 087 2053838
or 287 5068.
Barbara Donnelly School
of Dance Greystones Ballet school for students from Tiny Tots to Adults.
Established for 25 years.
Annual Show in professional
theatre.
Royal Academy of Dance exams
For enquiries or bookings:
Contact Barbara 087 240 8589
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.donnellydance.com
Big Red Box Media
produces quality videos
to demonstrate and promote
your products and services.
We’ll bring your website to life.
www.bigredbox.ie 087 951 3490
William J. Harte Building Contractor
HEATING &
PLUMBING
SPECIALISTS
For Personal Attention Call:
Billy - Mobile : 086 2702892
David - Mobile : 086 8386513
Email : [email protected]
PADDY FITZPATRICK & SONS
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS
JOHN 087 6846520 BRIAN 086 8188139
15 La Touche Close, Greystones, Co Wicklow
Phone: 287 4247
Don’t just contact any electrical contractor. Make sure you select
a contractor who is RECI registered for safety’s sake.
Your local RECI Registered Electrical Contractor is:
Paddy Fitzpatrick & Sons
DALY’S SuperValu
Real Food, Real People
CHURCH ROAD GREYSTONES
OPEN
MON-SAT : 7am-10pm SUN: 8am-8pm
PHONE: 287 3900
Services at
St. Patrick’s
Church,
Greystones
1st Sunday in the month
8.30am Holy Communion
10.30am Parish Eucharist
5.00pm Evening Prayer
2nd Sunday in the month
8.30am Holy Communion
10.30am Morning Prayer
5.00pm Holy Communion
3rd Sunday in the month
8.30am Holy Communion
10.30am Parish Eucharist
5.00pm Evening Prayer
4th Sunday in the month
8.30am Holy Communion
10.30am Family Service
5.00pm Holy Communion
5th Sunday in the month
8.30am Holy Communion
10.30am Family Eucharist
(followed by coffee and scones in aid of Bishops’ Appeal)
5.00pm Healing Service
WEEKDAY SERVICES:
Holy Communion every Wednesday morning at 10.30 am followed by coffee
Morning Prayer on Tuesday Thur sday and Friday mornings 9 – 9.10 am
CONTACT US:
Rector: Canon David Mungavin 01 287 4077
Curate: Rev. Alan Breen 086 805 4818
Deacon Intern: Rev. Ross Styles 087 989 2941
Deacon Intern: Rev Stuar t Moles 083 882 9385
Lay Minister: Frank Connolly 087 1211 575
Youth Worker: Stephen O’Neill 085 869 4201
To volunteer, please contact:
Sunday Flowers: Flo Fennell 087 872 7510
Sunday Readers: Ruth Handy 01 287 5161
Sunday Coffee: Nicola Crean 087 624 0955
Many thanks to all our contributors and advertisers. If you wish to place an advertise-ment or an article in this magazine, please contact Joanne Douglas in the
Parish Office at 201 0648 or by email at stpatr ickspar [email protected]. See our website at www.stpatricksgreystones.ie or see us on Facebook
Jack Smith
Clubs & Classes taking place in St. Patrick’s Parish Centre
*Choir 9.30am Sundays in church: Jacqueline Mullen 087 232 9269
*Sunday Seekers 10.30am, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Suns: Rev. David Mungavin
*Sunday Crèche 10.30am, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Suns: Melanie Chipperfield 087 283 2373
*Parent & Toddler Grp Mon. 10.30am – 12noon Swann Hall: Parish Office 201 0648
*Mothers’ Union 3rd Mon 8pm Garden Rm: Daphne Townsend 086 891 7710
*Bible Study Group Weds. 8pm Quiet Room: David Evans 287 4256
*Healer Prayer Group 2nd Weds/month 3.30pm Quiet Room: Lesley Kemp 287 5155
*Bugle Club Wednesday 6.30—7.45 pm Swann Hall: Tony Goodwin
*Soup & Sandwiches 3rd Tues/month 12.30 – 2pm: Ruth Handy 287 5161
*Select Vestry Meeting 4th Mon/month 8pm Quiet Room
*Girls’ Brigade Sat. 4 – 6 pm: Anne Fitzsimmons 086 826 9630
*Social Badminton Club Weds. & Fri. morns Swann Hall: Lucy Mulcahy 086 8322 570
*Table Tennis Club Weds. 8.30pm Swann Hall: Alberta Kemp 287 5332
*Bowls Club (play in the National School) Dougie Thomson 085 272 5142
*Tennis Club (play in the National School) Audrey Warnock 087 205 3838
*Hillwalking Group Contact Billy Markham 086 6837169 for details of next walk.
Irish Childbirth Trust Playgroup, Tues. am Swann Hall: Orla Anderson 086 373 2795
Meals on Wheels Delivery, Tues. & Thurs.: Geraldine Mooney 287 4741
Brownies & Guides Mon. 6 – 7.30 pm Swann Hall:
Delgany ICA 1st Mon./month 8pm Swann Hall: Maureen Beirne 287 1227
Greystones Montessori Mon. – Fri. 9 am – 12.30pm: Lucy Jones 087 963 9679
Speech & Drama Weds. 3 – 7 pm Upper Room: Theresa Casey 087 908 3157
Action Arts Weds. 3 – 6 pm Swann Hall: Hazel Lowry 087 686 9329
Creative Performers Acad. Sat. 9 am – 12 pm: Karen Dunne 086 774 2080
Adult & Children’s Ballet Thurs. eve & Fri. 2 – 6 pm: Barbara Donnelly 087 240 8589
Yoga Tues. Weds. & Thurs. eves Upper Rm: A. Renger 087 217 6068
Pilates Mon. eves: Jean Taylor 087 233 1962
Gymboree Fri. 10 am – 12 pm: Gervaise Landy 087 205 7194
Artzone Mon. 4.30 – 5.30pm Swann Hall: 01 4990614 www.artzone.ie
French & Spanish Classes Georgia Gallagher 087 232 4664
Kung Fu Wednesday eve: Gregory Chiesa 083 189 7736
Happy Feet Football Monday 1.30 pm: Anne Marie Ashmore 087 6100 465
Reading classes Sat. 11 – 12 noon Sarah Watchorn [email protected]
Tai Chi for Arthritis Thursday 10.45 – 11.45 am Sue O’Sullivan 087 967 3318
Tai Chi Saturday 8.45 – 9.45 am Laurence Reddin 085 1466 981
Weight Watchers Friday 10 – 12 noon Martina Keohane 086 806 9592
Mindfulness Thursday 7 – 9 pm Cormac Lynch 086 367 9288
* denotes parish organisation
