Tidings - Summer 2009

A Word from Niall . . .

We are all accustomed to hearing tales of woe about the state of ‘The Health Service’ in our country. Recently I visited a friend, who is currently a patient in Saint Luke’s Hospital in Rathgar. She went to great lengths to express her gratitude for the love and care that was being afforded to her. From the moment she had arrived in the reception area, she informed me, she found everyone to be so understanding and courteous. The calm and peace of the surroundings, particularly the gardens, received a special mention.

My friend was, however, somewhat incredulous, and understandably saddened, at the proposal to close that wonderful caring community and relocate the facilities to a major hospital complex. She readily realised that the completeness of the ‘care’ package could not be replicated elsewhere.

The words of the song ‘What you do with what you’ve got’ particularly come to mind:

What’s the use of two strong legs
    if you only run away?
What’s the use of the finest voice
    if you’ve nothing good to say?
What’s the use of strength and muscle
    if you only push and shove?
And what’s the use of two good ears
    if you can’t hear those you love?
It’s not what you’ve been given,
    it’s what you do
        with what you’ve got’

So much of that same great care and love, as experienced by my friend in hospital, has been experienced by myself (from the moment I arrived) in St Matthias: for this, I am indeed deeply grateful.

Sunday, June 21st 2009 in the Northern hemisphere is the day of the year with the longest hours of daylight and in the Southern hemisphere the day with the shortest. This day whilst being a long day is of course, for myself, a day of longing.

I am eagerly looking forward to my ordination as a deacon. Yes of course there will be many, many challenges ahead, but with the help of God and the prayerful support of all whom I know, I trust that I will meet them. The great commission to all of us is to ‘Go and make disciples of all nations’. Matthew Chapter 28 verse 19.

Niall Stratford

Ordination Service

Niall, together with three other candidates, will be ordained as a deacon at Christ Church Cathedral at 3.30 pm on Sunday, 21st June (they will be ordained priest next year). We hope that there will be a very good contingent from our parish to support him at this very special moment.

Four candidates means four sets of parishioners, families and friends, so the cathedral will be overflowing. If you hope to be present, do try to be at the cathedral not later than 3 o’clock. The nearest car park is at the back of the Jury’s Christ Church Hotel. (If you take the DART, it is about a 25 minute walk from Pearse, through the Lincoln Gate of Trinity College out to College Green, then up Dame Street, passing the City Hall, to reach the cathedral).

There will be an ordination tea back here in the parish hall, arriving after 6.30 pm (the ordination service lasts around two hours). Everyone is welcome.

 

Tidings Deadline

Tidings comes out ten times a year. This edition of Tidings covers the summer months, June July and August. Our next edition will be the September edition, it will be available on Sunday, 30th August.

Items should be with the Rector via email, or by hand to the Rectory by Thursday, 26th August. News from summer events would be very welcome!

Saint Matthias’ Indoor Bowling Club News

Thursday, 14th May being the feast day of Saint Matthias, the bowls club held their annual Saint Matthias' bowls festival on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th May in the parish centre.

This year we had an excellent reply to the flyers which we sent out to around 30 clubs, 26 teams of pairs took part ,the whole event ran without a hitch and was most exciting, the standard of bowls was wonderful.

We also put together a hamper (goods provided by our members) for a raffle, we ended up filling the hamper and having ten other prizes. Overall between entrance fee for the tournament, raffle tickets and a basket collection, we collected €800, this money goes to support the work of the Blackrock Hospice.

Our club shall be staying open during the Summer Months on Wednesday Nights and if you feel like coming along and trying your hand at bowls you are most welcome to do so, we still need new members for the coming season which starts in September. Love to see you there.   

Tony Quinn

Festival Winners

The seventh annual Saint Matthias’ Festival Tournament was won by Saint Brigid’s, Stillorgan duo Graham Scanlon and Jimmy Kenny who contested the final with a pair from Newtownpark. They took a strong early lead, before Newtwonpark came back to lead 9-8, but the Saint Brigid’s pair finished in dominant form, opening up a 16-9 margin and winning with an end to spare.

We are grateful to Tony Quinn for all his work in organising the tournament.

Cill Iníon Léinín Service

The annual service at the ancient Killiney Church on Marino Avenue takes place on Sunday, 14th June at 3.00. Everyone is welcome

A short historical talk precedes an act of worship within the walls of the Eleventh Century church that was built on a site that dates back to the Sixth Century. Weather permitting, tea and cakes are served in the churchyard.

The attendance is never more than a few dozens, but the occasion is enjoyed by those who come along year by year.

We are grateful to Mike Scott and the group who care for the church and its grounds and who organize the service each year.

Lectio Divina

Our final Lectio Divina exercise before the summer takes place on Sunday, 14th June at 7 pm. Lectio Divina is quiet reflection and meditation on a passage from the Bible and is perfect for those looking for some moments of peacefulness in their lives.

This will be the last evening service until September. On Sunday 21st June there is the ordination service in Christ Church Cathedral at 3.30 pm, followed by tea back in the parish hall; on Sunday, 28th June, the Rector will be in Africa; and it is not our practice to have evening services during July and August.

We are very grateful to those who support the evening services week by week

Niall’s First Service

Niall Stratford’s first service after his ordination will be at the Holy Communion service at Saint Matthias’ at 10.30 am on Sunday, 28th June. The summer is a very quiet time in the parish—the usual congregation of 80-100 reduces by half to 40-50—and the Rector is unable to be present for the occasion, being away in Africa. It would be very encouraging if as many people as possible could try to be present to support Niall on this special occasion. The school holidays will have begun, but hopefully not everyone will have gone away. Do pray for Niall, both at the time of the ordination on 21st June and at the time of the morning service on 28th June.

An Exam Prayer

As many young people approach examinations during the month of June, examinations that may shape the future course of their lives, so here is a prayer from the Jesuit website appropriate for the time:

Lord, calm my fear at exam time.
Let the work I have done
stand to me on the day.
Do not allow what remains undone
to undermine my courage.
And help me
to make the best of my knowledge.
You have a loving plan
for my whole life
and whatever the outcome.
exams are a part of this plan.
help me to see beyond this time
and relish the opportunity
to enjoy a refreshing break.  Amen.

47th Scout Group Uganda Trip

Twenty-four members of 47th (Ballybrack) Scout Group are heading for Uganda this summer to form a work party to assist in the building of a primary school. Living Hope Primary School in Masaka, Uganda is a project of the charity Fields of Life, whose director is Trevor Stevenson, a member of Crinken Church.

There will be a commissioning of the party at the 10.30 service on Sunday, 7th June. Sharon McKimm from Fields of Life will be our speaker; David Traynor, one of the group will give a presentation on the project; and the party will be commissioned by Group Scout Leader Sean Hayes.

Come early to hear about a summer journey with a difference.

Prayer Group

The projected dates for the meeting of our parish prayer group during the summer (subject to sudden and arbitrary change!) are as follows:

11th and 25th June

9th and 23rd July

6th and 20th August

The group meets at 8 pm at the Rectory on Thursdays, 11th June and 9th and 23rd July. Due to the Rector’s absence, the meetings on 25th June and 6th and 20th August will be at an alternative venue: please watch the notice sheet for details.

55 Club

The outing to Belvedere House in Co Westmeath, originally programmed for Friday, 12th June, will take place on Friday, 26th June.

The group will meet at the parish hall at 9 am and travel by car to Westmeath. We hope this new date suits most people.

If you would be interested in joining the trip to Belvedere House, even if you have not joined in any of the group’s activities before, do contact Bill Fleeton for details.

Book Club

“Birds Without Wings” by Louis de Bernieres is somewhat more lengthy than we may be used to reading, it was decided to delay our next meeting until mid-June. The club will meet on Friday 12th June. The July selection is “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga. Contact Stephanie Brownlee.

End of Year Service

Glenageary Killiney National School holds its end of year service at Saint Matthias’ Church on Friday 26th June at 11 am. Children will leave for home following the service.

Unlike last year, when the school was required to open on the Monday following the service on the Friday, this really is the very end of the school year. Holidays start at 12 Noon.

Shyogwe Visit

The Rector asks for your prayers for safety and guidance as he travels to Africa to visit our partner diocese of Shyogwe.

His itinerary is as follows:

Afternoon of 23rd June: fly to Heathrow.

Overnight flight to Nairobi, Kenya.

24th June: Lunchtime flight from Nairobi to Kigali, Rwanda. Travel by road to Shyogwe.

25th June: Shyogwe

26th June: Official opening of the water project at Gitarama, the nearest town to Shyogwe. The project has been funded by the Dublin YMCA.

27th June: early morning journey to Kigali. Travel by road to Bujumbura, Burundi, arriving there in the afternoon to stay with the Rev Clement Ninziza.

28th June: Church in Bujumbura then a two hour drive to Himbure in the community of Mugamba to visit a school being built by Fields of Life with support from the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal. Overnight in Bujumbura.

29th June: Travel by road from Bujumbura back to Kigali and thence to Shyogwe.

30th June-2nd July: work in Shyogwe

3rd July: afternoon flight from Kigali to Nairobi; overnight flight to Heathrow.

4th July: morning flight to Dublin

5th July: back in church

The trip is one with many potential problems and pitfalls. Our hosts have already decided that it is not safe for a stray clergyman to travel alone down to Burundi and are providing transport on both sides of the border.

Your prayers are asked for good health, safety from violence and wise words (and for the luggage to arrive where it is intended and for the flights to connect properly so as to be back in time for a baptism on 5th July).

€4,000 has been collected in the parish for the work in Shyogwe, a sum that will go a very long way in a country where average incomes are the equivalent of less than €200 a year.

Select Vestry

The Select Vestry meets on Tuesday, 16th June at 8.15 pm at the Rectory. This is our last meeting before the summer so it is hoped that all members will be able to be present. The vestry is currently considering plans for the redevelopment of the parish centre—it has served us very well for the past twenty-three years but is now in need of major renewal. Please pray for the vestry as it considers the options that are laid before it.

Annual Holidays

The Rector is taking annual holidays from Wednesday, 29th July until Wednesday, 25th August: visiting family in Herefordshire and Somerset; then going to the Western Front in northern France to pay respects to the Fallen from our parish; and then going to campsites at Maisons Lafitte in the suburbs of Paris and at Labenne, north of Biarritz in the south-western corner of France.

Operation Smile CD

Saint Matthias’ Junior Choir joined with the choir of Saint Killian’s German School and the Kilternan School of Music to make a CD on behalf of Operation Smile. Operation Smile volunteers travel to poor parts of the world on surgical missions to repair childhood facial deformities.

An average operation, which changes life completely for a child, costs €240. We still have some copies of the CD for sale. They are available at just €10 each, so for each two dozen sold, a child has a new future. CDs are available from church

New season resolutions

Our parish ticks over in a steady way, our books balance and the faithful come along Sunday by Sunday. September marks the beginning of a new season in church life and it would be encouraging if people were to make resolutions to be more committed in their church membership.

If you don’t attend, resolve to come to the all age service on the first Sunday of each month.

If you come along once a month, decide on setting aside a second Sunday morning to be present for worship.

If you are a weekly attender, what about coming along to our evening service each week?

Tidings - May 2009

 

The Rector writes . . .

Do you remember the days when you would cut figures out of cardboard, and hang accessories on them with tabs, and think that this was something great to have?

Perhaps it was much more a girl's thing, cutting out models from comics and dressing them in different outfits, but there must, at one time, have been a market amongst boys.

The makers of Kellogg's Corn Flakes obviously believed that there was interest amongst small boys in cutting things out of card, because in the late 1960s they ran a series of pictures of knights in armour on the backs of Corn Flakes packets.  The knight was besuited in his battle armour and dextrous fingers were meant to cut out weapons to be attached to the figure with folding tabs.  A shield for the left arm, a belt and sword for the waist, a lance to attach to the right hand; strips of card below the figure could be cut out and inserted at right angles into slits at the bottom of the figure so that he would stand up.

How many thousands of these boxes did they print?

Probably a large number.  Own brands would have been rare in those days and there was (and still is) only one brand of corn flakes that tasted like Kellogg's.

Despite the huge volumes of each figure that must have been printed; there seemed to be one of the knights that was very hard to find.  One could have any number of Black Princes, but one of the lesser known characters was very rare.

Staying with my grandparents on their farm was always a special treat.

Breakfast was a dietician's nightmare; cereal was immersed in milk scooped, still warm, from the top of the churn.  A number of Jersey cows added to the richness of the milk from the Friesians, and along with the warm fresh milk, there would have been a pink Tupperware bowl from which to spoon cream over the top of the plentiful sugar that had already been sprinkled on the corn flakes.

One summer's morning, having poured a mountain of corn flakes into the bowl, with the necessary amounts of milk, sugar and cream. I sat back on the wooden chair, the bright light of the August day coming through the kitchen window behind me. I turned the corn flakes box to read the back (do people still read cereal packets?) and there it was - the missing knight.

The delight of that moment still remains.  Who he was, I have no idea.  Greens and browns on his armour remain in the memory, but a search of the internet provided no clues.  Kellogg's seem not to have an archive of old corn flakes boxes, perhaps there would be little demand for such information.

There have been many times since when I would have wished to have recaptured such a moment - such an unalloyed innocent delight in something so commonplace and simple.

In the story of Jesus, I find a simple joy, a straightforward delight, that evokes memories of those childhood days. Where else is there such simple, straightforward good news?

Children’s Day and Family Barbecue

Our fourth annual Children’s Day service takes place at 10.30 am on Sunday, 24th May when we will have an all age service with lots of participation. The service will be followed by our FREE barbecue for all the family and children’s games.

There will be a flyer going out giving details .

Thank you

We had a very good Holy Week; an average of thirty people each evening. Sincere thanks to Dr Billy Marshall for his series of five reflections on Jesus’ words, “Come to me all ye who are weak and heavy laden.” We had a very good Easter: thank you to everyone who contributed to the beauty of the day.

Books!

Our bookstall will be running on one more Sunday prior to the fete, on Sunday 3rd May. There is always a frantic rush to sort books during the week before the fete—if you have books for the fete, it would be great if you could bring them on 3rd May, or some Sunday, so everything doesn’t arrive in one rush.

Shyogwe Project

April saw excellent support for the work in Shyogwe diocese in Rwanda.

Daphne Whelan’s coffee morning raised on 1st April raised almost €800; Wednesday evening collections during Lent raised €770, added to which was over €500 from retiring collections during Holy Week.

We now have €4,000 for the Rector to take to Shyogwe when he travels Rwanda on June 23rd.

Healing Services

We have two more healing services before evening services stop for the summer—Sundays 3rd May and 7th June at 7 pm.

Saint Matthias’ Indoor Bowling Club

On the 9th and 10th  April we took part in the Champion of Champions Tournament which was hosted this year by Kill o' the Grange. Each club enters the winner of a singles competition, this year Tony Quinn represented Saint Matthias'. The winner was Clonkeen, second Kill o' the Grange and Tony took third place in a very tough competition.

Our St' Matthias' Bowls Festival will take place this year on the 13th & 14th May in the Parish Centre, we hope to have at least 18 clubs taking part, last years was a great success. All proceeds will go as usual to Blackrock Hospice. Why not come along and support this very good cause, enjoy the entertainment and refreshments.

We miss Dougie on Wednesdays at our bowls and hope he will be back and well again soon.  

T. A. Q.

Killiney Lions Club Dream Auction

For the past thirty years, Killiney Lions Club, in conjunction with Lions Clubs throughout> Ireland have arranged holidays for Senior Citizens who would not otherwise get a break.. This year again eight hundred and fifty people will be taken on a much-needed break they could not provide for themselves.

In order to defray some of the considerable cost involved Killiney Lions Club are holding a “Dream Auction” on the 28th May in the Horse & Hound, Cabinteely.

Do come along and support us that evening.

Jim Bradfield

Coffee Morning Thanks

Sincere thanks to Daphne Whelan and to all who supported Daphne’s coffee morning to raise funds for the development work in Shogwe diocese in Rwanda.

The morning raised almost €800, a very big total for an event organised at short notice; an even bigger total when put into a Rwandan context. €800 is US$1,040 and the US State Department says that income per person in Rwanda in 2008 was only $370—that puts things into perspective!

Fête 2009

This year’s fête will be on Saturday, 6th June, 10 am-2 pm.

Last year, we again fell a couple of hundred Euro short of a profit of €20,000. The past two years’ totals have been achieved with good weather and huge effort—we must be thankful for whatever the Lord sends us.

Peter Fisher has very generously agreed to return from his holiday in the West to oversee the business of the day.

Book Club

The Book Club meeting was filled with much laughter as we discussed Dylan Thomas’ play Under Milkwood.

At our May meeting, on Friday 1st May, Sebastian Barry’s The Secret Scripture will be discussed and during May, the club will read Louis de Bernieres’ Birds Without Wings.

Prayer Group

The Prayer Group meets on Thursdays, 14th and 28th May. The group meets at the Rectory at 8 pm. we spend an hour in reflection on a Bible passage and praying together and then drink tea and eat biscuits—nothing scary!

We would be glad to welcome more people along, simply being present is an encouragement.

Fête Plea

Please do not donate large items of furniture to the fete, we cannot sell them!

Suites of furniture, mattresses, etc should only be resold with fire certificates and big old wardrobes are very rarely wanted.

If there are big things you want to be rid of, then why not try Jumbletown.ie—the slogan for which is ‘someone, somewhere, wants it!

Thank you

A sincere word of thanks to those who contributed to the parish Emergency Fund.. The speed at which the country has gone from boom to bust has been startling and there are many people now under severe strain.

All church members need to keep our nation in their daily prayers. The apprehension and fear about what might lie ahead is making the situation worse: frightening people into not spending money they might have and so worsening the situation for those who have lost jobs or whose jobs are in danger. We need prayers for calmness and guidance.

Niall’s Ordination

Niall Stratford will be ordained deacon to serve as non-stipendiary curate in our parish on Sunday, 21st June at 3.30 pm in Christ Church Cathedral. This will be the first time since the Nineteenth Century that someone will have been ordained to serve in the parish and we hope for a large representation from the parish at the cathedral that afternoon.

The Rector is preaching at the service, at which four people will be ordained, so will be able to see from the pulpit who is present!

A Symphony of Smiles

A CD launched on Saturday, 25th April 2009, featuring the children’s choirs of Kilternan Music School, St. Killian’s Deutsche Schule and Saint Mattthias Church.

In spite of the ’potential doom and gloom’ of this Irish new year, some 45 vibrant young singers from the above mentioned choirs managed to come together with their trainers on several busy Saturday afternoons and make the first ever music CD for Operation Smile Ireland.

Volunteering their sweet young voices, and with a repertoire of well known songs from world music and the great musicals, they embrace Operation Smile volunteers’ mission of repairing childhood facial deformities around the world. It is an operation of ‘symphonic proportions’ because singing is one of mankind’s most noble arts and can touch the hearts of everyone all over the world. Through the making of this CD, the children have found the perfect medium to bring awareness and practical help to this cause which benefits less fortunate world communities.

It is a tribute to so many people involved that Anne Thielemans, CD Project Coordinator, could one day realise her vision and ambition to create such a CD.

The CD is available for purchase at a cost of €10.00 from Saint Matthias’ Church and all proceeds go towards Operation Smile missions - see

www.operationsmile.ie

Coins for Shyogwe

We are using your small change to make a big difference in people’s lives. There is a “Shyogwe Change” jar at the back of the church for you to get rid of all those small coins. Stephanie Brownlee kindly counts and lodges the coins—a typical jarful of coins raises around €100 for the work in Rwanda.

We are still welcoming your old Irish coins. Adele Trapnell takes these to the Central Bank at College Green, the only place they may still be changed. There is a jar for punts and pence—notes also welcome!

Lectio Divina

The Lectio Divina exercise this month will be on Sunday, 10th May at 7.00 pm. A chance to be still and to be quiet.

Global Day of Prayer

Pentecost, 31st May 2009

In the past two years, a group of Christians have hosted a national day of prayer in Clonmacnois, Co.Offaly. This year they will be hosting the same event, in Clonmacnois, but taking it to a new level, by producing resources to facilitate prayer in churches and groups across Ireland, to link with us on the 31st May 2009. This day of prayer is linked to the Global Day of Prayer which mobilises millions of Christians to pray for our world.

Check their website for full details:

www.globaldayofprayer.com/

 

 

Church of Ireland General Synod

Armagh, 8-10 May 2009

The General Synod of the Church of Ireland will take place from Friday 8th May to Sunday 10th May at the Armagh City Hotel. The Synod is scheduled to commence in the hotel at 10am on Friday 8th and to finish at 4.30pm on Sunday 10th. The Synod Service will be held in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh on Sunday 10th at 11am.

The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper, said: 'General Synod 2009, meeting in Armagh over a weekend for the first time, occurs at a time of great challenge and great opportunity for the Church of Ireland. I urge all Synod members to participate fully in debating the issues, determining the priorities and making the decisions that will shape church life in the new global environment emerging from the meltdown of the world’s economic and financial systems.'

The Rector and Niall Stratford from our parish will be attending synod.

Twittering away

Facebook, Twitter and blogging websites are now even more popular than email, according to recent figures. It seems that social networking on the internet is soaring in popularity.

Online, a research company which monitors internet usage worldwide, has found that blogging and social-networking are no longer restricted to young people and technophiles.

For many older people, it has become a great way of keeping in touch with friends.

Twitter, the latest internet craze, is so popular that 71 per cent of its users are over the age of 35, with more than a quarter of its users over the age of 50.

If you use Twitter, the Rector is around under his own name, and a number of other parishioners are to be found, both on Twitter and Facebook.

Simon Community

Do remember the homeless. We can help them in a small way. Tea coffee and sugar, items that can always be used, can be left at the back of the church in the corner beside the churchwardens’ seat.

We are very grateful to Adele Trapnell, who has resumed the run to the city centre hostel, after Caroline Murphy very kindly took responsibility for it during Adele's time in Canada

Tidings - April 2009

The Rector writes . . .

I have a used one day travel ticket for the London Underground in my wallet—I don’t know why.

Well, when I think about it, I do know why.

It goes back to being a child deep in the English West Country. London was a place that you rarely, if ever visited, it was the land of success and dreams. I remember wealthy people who would talk about “going up to ‘town’”, as if the 120 mile journey to London was as simple as going to the local shops. Going to London was something special; it was to see the same places and to walk the same streets as the rich and the powerful. Never mind that you were a yokel up from the country on a day trip, for that day you could imagine.

When I grew up and spent three years there as a student, London did not turn out to be a place of dreams or success; it proved to be a very lonely place. Yet as the years have passed, the sense of magic has returned. Going there for a day at the end of November and walking through the Christmas fair in Hyde Park; meeting friends for lunch in Mayfair; taking a black London cab across the river; browsing the open air bookstalls on the South Bank; sitting on the Embankment talking before going our separate ways at six o’clock; there was a recapturing of a childhood sense of delight.

Of course, I should throw out the silly ticket (along with one from the Paris Metro from some years previously), but it conjures up thoughts of places and sights and sounds and memories.

The Easter story, for me, also brings back a childhood sense of delight. Each year Good Friday 1968 comes vividly to mind. A friend of my mother’s came and took my sister and I for a walk - there were only two of us at the time, our younger sister would be born later that month.

We walked a long way for children of seven and three, two or three miles to local woods. I think my sister may have had the assistance of a pushchair.

We gathered flowers in the woods. In my memory they are bluebells, but it would probably have been too early in the year; maybe pale yellow primroses, the sort of flowers that would grace an Easter garden.

I made a frieze when we got home - a series of white pieces of paper on which I drew the Good Friday story that we had been told at High Ham Church of England Primary School. The only thing I remember from what I drew is my attempt at Pontius Pilate - a figure, drawn badly, of a man seated behind a bowl of water. For some strange reason, I coloured him bright yellow.

Yellow is the only colour I remember from those drawings. Maybe there has been filtering in the memory; yellow, white and gold being the colours of Easter celebration in more recent times.

Why that single afternoon remains so vivid in my memory, I am not sure. There must have been many other moments of more significance, many moments more exciting.

The railway ticket and the Easter story, both evoking memories of childhood; yet while one belongs very firmly to the past, the other looks forward to a bright new future.

Join with us this Easter, as once more we celebrate the story that has endured all through the years.

Ian Poulton

 

Come unto me, all ye who are weak and heavy laden

Five Holy Week Reflections from Dr Billy Marshall inspired by the east Window at Saint Matthias’

Palm Sunday, 5th April

9 am Holy Communion

10.30 The Liturgy of the Palms and the Dramatised Reading of the Passion

7 pm Holy Communion and the First Holy Week Address:

‘Come unto me . . .

Monday in Holy Week

7.30 am Morning Prayer

8.15pm Late Evening Office and Second Holy Week Address

‘Come unto me . . . all who are bound.’

Tuesday in Holy Week

7.30 am Morning Prayer

8.15 pm Compline and Third Holy Week Address

‘Come unto me .  . .all who labour.’

Wednesday in Holy Week

7.30 am Morning Prayer

10.30 am Holy Communion

8.15 pm Evening Prayer and Fourth Holy Week Address

‘Come unto me . . .all who are heavily laden.’

Maundy Thursday

7.30 am Morning Prayer

8.15 pm Holy Communion with Anointing for Healing and Final Holy Week Address ‘Come unto me… all who are sick, all who mourn.’

Good Friday, 10th April

7.30 am Morning Prayer

2 pm The Last Hour - quiet reflection on Christ’s Passion in words and music

8.15 pm The Story of Calvary - in words and music

Easter Eve, 11th April

8 pm The Easter Vigil

with Junior Choir and Young People’s Participation

(Parents will receive a flyer about this service)

Easter Day, 12th April

6.32 am Sonrise Service at Killiney Hill

9 am Holy Communion

10.30 am Holy Communion

7 pm Lectio Divina

 

Book Club

Having read Welshman Dylan Thomas’ play Under Milkwood in March, the Book Club returns to Ireland for its thoughts in April when Sebastian Barry’s The Secret Scripture will be discussed. In May, the club will read Louis de Bernieres’ Birds Without Wings

Should a particular book be of interest, do come along and join us for the evening. We have about a dozen of us when we are all present and the conversation is always good.

 

55 Club

Members of the 55 Club have enjoyed three events in recent weeks. Two dozen or so people enjoyed an excellent talk from Chris Stillman on South America. Chris reflected on the cities and places visited on a recent cruise on which he had been a lecturer.

55 Club and Book Club members attended a production of Samuel Beckett’s bleak but thought-provoking play Endgame at the Pavilion Theatre. A good number meeting for a meal at Hartley’s prior to the performance.

On 20th March, a group of eight people went to visit the Chester Beatty library (a marvellous place and completely free). The Silk Road, the café at the library provides a very good lunch at very reasonable prices (a pot of tea at €1.75 must be one of the cheapest in the city centre).

this month, on Friday, 24th April we have a visit to Helen Dillon’s garden. Leave from the church at 10 am. Contact Jean Paul.

A Word from Niall . . .

So much uncertainty and so many troubles abound in all our lives at this time. Is, or will our job be secure? Will we be able to cope and manage to pay all the bills that have to be paid? How can we look after our health and our children? The list is seemingly endless.

Our prayers, thoughts and questions are with the families of the soldiers and the PSNI constable who were recently killed in Northern Ireland. They were doing their jobs when they were attacked by the forces of terrorism. Tragically our own city continues to witness ongoing violence in the guise of ‘gangland style’ and other shootings.

Behind all our daily tasks, behind all the atrocities, the economic turmoil and chaos lies the question; Why? There are many questions for which we can provide an answer, many questions that I consider we probably incorrectly or inadequately answer and myriads of questions for which we simply have no answer whatsoever.

Thankfully however, there is one question for which there is a very clear answer. The reason we joyfully proclaim ‘Jesus Christ is Risen- Hallelujah’. We are often referred to as being; ‘ The Easter People’ and indeed this is who we are. The gospel music arrangement of the song ‘ Oh Happy Day’ captures this sense of joy in the lyrics; ‘Jesus taught me how to live rejoicing. Yes he did’.

As we journey through the challenges of Holy Week towards Easter Day, may we declare; ‘ The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy’ (Psalm 126 v 3)

Niall Stratford

Fête 2009

Preparations for the fête are beginning. The book and cake stalls have been running on the first Sunday of the month after church and sweet peas were being sold by the plant stall at the end of March. Peter Fisher has again very kindly agreed to act as co-ordinator and we are well into our countdown. As usual, the fête is on the Saturday after the June bank holiday, which, this year, is Saturday, 6th June—a very early date because the holiday weekend this year falls at the end of May, with 1st June being the bank holiday Monday.

Annual Parish Raffle

We still need a few more prizes.

If you would like

to sponsor a prize,

big or small,

contact Philip Salter

as soon as possible

A sponsor to cover

the cost of printing

the tickets

is also required.

Simon Community

Our Simon Community box has been well filled over recent weeks. Our continuing thanks to Caroline Murphy, who has been taking the box to the shelter in the city centre

Easter General Vestry

The Easter Vestry, the annual general meeting of our parish, takes place on Sunday, 26th April at 11.45 am—straight after the morning service. We usually have 30-40 people at the meeting which is completed in an hour.

Sunday School News

Sunday School is on a countdown towards the end of the year, now. we hope all our young people will come along for our Easter Eve service at 8 pm on Saturday, 11th April. Junior Choir are singing and young people are asked to bring with them flowers for decorating the cross.

There is no Sunday School on the Sunday after Easter. The remaining dates in our calendar are:

April 26 Sunday School

May 3 All Age Service

10 Sunday School

17 Sunday School

24 Children’s Day

Saint Matthias’ Indoor Bowling Club

On Saturday 21st March 2009, our Ladies Team: Georgina, Joan, Peggy and Mabel took part in the Final of the Hope Cup. The Hope Cup is a knockout competition for Ladies and our girls came through winning all their matches and getting through to the Final. What do you think? We won the Cup beating St. Thomas's of Stillorgan. The match was played in Tallaght and was an nailbiting event right to the end. Well done Ladies

The Price Cup Team got through to the semi-final but unfortunately were beaten by only a couple of points.

We are still open to new members, so why not come along any Wednesday evening and join us for a game.

Tony Quinn

Scripture and Prayer

Our April Lectio Divina exercise will be on Sunday, 12th April at 7 pm. what better way of rounding off the celebration of Easter than in quiet contemplation of the wonderful Good News of that morning in Jerusalem?

Prayer Group

The Prayer Group will not on Thursday, 8th April—it being Maundy Thursday but will meet on Thursdays 15th and 29th April.

We are very grateful to those who support our parish through their prayers, both at the group and day by day.

Ballybrack Guides

A hall was filled by Guides past and present as Ballybrack Guides marked two major anniversaries on Sunday, 22nd February: it is forty years since Guiding began in Ballybrack in 1969, and twenty years since the foundation of the Ladybirds, the youngest section in Guiding. Ballybrack Ladybirds were the first in the country.

The occasion took the form of a “Guides Own” in which songs were sung and pieces read.

Sitting in a large circle, many former members and leaders shared thoughts of what Guiding had meant to them over the years. The ever young Hazel Newman remembered Guiding before the war. There were many happy memories of the friendships and the experiences people had found through Guiding as well as memories of camping in all sorts of places and in all sort of conditions. A web was created by passing a ball of yarn from leader to leader—criss-crossing the circle as the story of Ballybrack Guides over the past forty years was told. One person not in that web meant that the whole web would fall apart.

The gathering was attended by Mr Barry Andrews TD, the Minister for Children, and special thanks was extended to Mrs Lynda Harvey, who has been vital to Guiding in Ballybrack for more than a decade.

An excellent tea was served by current Guides at the end of the celebration.

Shyogwe

Our collections for the work of Shyogwe Diocese in Rwanda have been going well. At our Lent services we have collected €508 on the first four Wednesday evenings and will be having retiring collections at our services during Holy Week.

We carry on collecting copper coins copper coins and old Irish coins each Sunday. (we can get old Irish coins changed into Euro at the Central Bank of Ireland in Dame Street). Our last jar of coins raised €120, in a country where earnings are tiny, those one, two and five cent coins make a difference.

Every cent raised will go directly to Shyogwe when the Rector visits there in June.

Emergency Fund

If anyone else would like to support the parish emergency fund, contributions would be most welcome. As you can imagine, there are a lot of people going through difficult times. Contributions can be given to the Rector, in confidence

Blogging away!

Thank you to those who responded to the Rector’s appeal for a few more readers for his blog—on Ash Wednesday, Google Analytics said there were ninety-eight unique visitors and the number since then has touched fifty or sixty on some days. (There were problems around Saint Patrick’s Day when the site was hacked leading to a sharp fall in traffic).

Building up traffic builds up the advertising revenue, which currently stands at about $15. If you want to trace the progress in attempting to build up a readership, add an Alexa Toolbar to your Internet Explorer or Firefox browser. The blog has risen some 30,000 places from a ranking of 377,000 to one of 347,000 in the past month.

If you haven’t read it, check:

www.forthefainthearted.com

Last Lent Service

The last of our Lent series of services, “Sense Making Faith” takes place on Wednesday, 1st April, beginning at 7.30 pm and ending at 8.00.

The series has been looking at how our senses are important to developing our faith and came from the website of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and from the BBC. We had an average attendance of twenty-eight people at the first four services, so if you haven’t made it along yet, do come and join us.. Our theme on 1st April is “Journey into Hearing”.

Sermon for Saint Patrick's Day

Sermon at Saint Matthias' Church on 17th March 2009 at:

www.forthefainthearted.com

For the Fainthearted

The Rector writes a daily blog:

Click here to reach it: www.forthefainthearted.com

Tidings - March 2009

A Word from…….

2009 marks the bi-centenary of the birth of Charles Darwin. His studies and research have led to some of the most profound and thought provoking questions not only of the 19th century but also of our time. Even the title of his most famous work; The Origin of the Species, should be enough to evoke a series of questions.

But no matter how interesting or otherwise Darwin’s theories may be, they pale into insignificance in comparison to THE REALLY BIG QUESTION. A young person recently challenged me with the following - ‘Does God go to school?

As I pondered a response, it became clear that the question had nothing to do with God’s presence with us everywhere we are, his omnipresence, but rather it meant exactly what it said. If everyone else has to go to school, does God go and if not why?

With the benefit of hindsight, I should have been quick witted enough to simply have answered by saying; ‘That is a question for the RECTOR !’ I will be more prepared next time!

Questions make us all think. We are now in the season of Lent and I have reflected upon what it might mean;

L is for Listening.

Listen for God in quietness, listen for God is near, listen for God in stillness, and listen for God is here.

E is for Examining.

Raising questions about our faith, questions such as the relevance of our faith in today’s society.

N is for Nurturing.

Committing to being active in our faith, to praying, to reading the Bible, rather than letting life run our lives and in some cases ruin our lives.

T is for Thinking.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all could ‘take the time to think’, if we could all find the time to think. To reflect on God our creator. To reflect on the vows made at our baptism, the commitment we made at our confirmation.

I am looking forward to making sense of faith in St Matthias’ this Lent.

Niall Stratford

Lent Services

“Sense making faith” our series of Lent services began on Ash Wednesday, 25th February and continues each Wednesday evening through Lent. Services are just half an hour long, beginning at 7.30 pm and ending at 8.00, so we hope lots of people will make the effort to attend.

The series looks at how our senses are important to developing our faith and comes from the website of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and from the BBC. We only have time to use part of the material each week, so do look it up at:

www.ctbi.org.uk/355

Our service themes are:

4th March: Journey into Imagination

11th March: Journey into Smell

18th March: Journey into Touching

25th March: Journey into Taste

1st April: Journey into Hearing

Day of Prayer for Our Nation

Reports are saying that our country could be heading into times as difficult as the 1930s. Already, there is a huge amount of pain and distress and there is no sign that things are likely to improve in the near future.

There is not much that a tiny Church of Ireland parish can do, we have no resources to change anything. But we must do what we can do, and what we can do is to pray. On Sunday, 15th March, we are going to have a Day of Prayer for Our Nation. From 9 am until 8 pm, we are going to focus our thoughts and prayers on our national life.

Services will take place at the usual time, but we will have a rota to ensure that there is someone in the church all through the day. Hopefully other people will come and go, even if only calling in for 5-10 minutes.

There will be a leaflet of suggested topics of prayer and suggested Bible readings to go with each topic, so even if you feel that spending half an hour silently praying is not your strong point, there will be the option of reading over the Bible passages and thinking about what God might be saying.

Perhaps in the big scheme of things, the prayers of a small group of people are not going to change very much, but at the very least it will be a sign that we care about what is happening and that we care about people who are going through very troubled times.

Saint Matthias’ Indoor Bowling Club

‘Go On, Go On, Go On’, as Mrs Doyle has said in Father Ted asking people to have a nice cup of tea. I am not asking you to have tea, I am only asking you to come along any Wednesday at 8 o'clock to the bowling club, see what it’s all about and become a member.

We are still looking for new members to join us or may be past members who had to take time off due to other commitments to rejoin the club. After last month's bowling notice we have had a new chap join us, who is with us three weeks and enjoying the bowls very much. Rory you are most welcome to our club.

Our trip to Wexford was very successful, two of our members were on the winning team and eight of our members are coming again to Wexford for another tournament at the end of April. Any members of the parish, or their friends, are most welcome to join us for the week you do not have to be a bowler, just come and enjoy yourselves.

Please do not forget that we are in the Parish Centre every Wednesday and would love to have you.

Tony Quinn

Book Club

After visiting South Africa for The Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee the Book Club moves closer to home in March to read Dylan Thomas’ classic play Under Milkwood. The play is available It is available in both audio and print and can be listened to on the Internet with Richard Burton as narrator.

Anyone is welcome to join us. We have about a dozen of us when we are all present and the conversation is always good. Contact Stephanie for details

Scripture and Prayer

The February Lectio Divina exercise will be on Sunday, 8th March at 7 pm

We broke into double figures at one evening service in February. Sunday evening services are a time to be still amid all the busyness and hassle of everyday life.

Ballybrack and Killiney Historical Society

Saints Alphonsus & Columba

Church Hall

Church Avenue

March 11th 2009

The History of Bray

Marie Davis

ALL TALKS at 8:00 PM.

55 Club

Our spring programme is as follows:

Friday, 6th March

“Endgame” in the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, preceded by a meal in Don Giovanni’s in Dalkey. Contact Stephanie Brownlee

Friday, 20th March

Visit to Russborough House. Leave from the church at 10 am. Contact Chris Stillman.

Friday, 24th April

Visit to Helen Dillon’s Garden. Leave from the church at 10 am. Contact Jean Paul.

Friday, 23rd May

Visit to Kilruddery followed by lunch in Powerscourt. Contact Terry Bates.

Friday, 12th June

Visit to Belvedere House and Gardens, Co Westmeath. Leave from the church at 9.30 am. Contact Bill Fleeton

The club is very flexible, if something interests you, then come along. Sometimes a handful of people will attend an event, sometimes a couple of dozen, it is the enjoyment of the occasion that is important!

Please let the contact person know if you plan to attend.. If you would like a copy of the programme, please email Jean Paul

Lent Collections

There will be retiring collections at our Lent and Holy Week services towards our support for Shyogwe Diocese in Rwanda

Vestry Meeting

The Select Vestry meets at the Rectory on Monday, 23rd March at 8.15 pm

Sunday School News

There are just six Sunday School sessions left over the next three months. Do try to come along each Sunday.

Mar 1 All Age Service

8 Sunday School

15 Sunday School

22 Sunday School

29 Sunday School

Apr 5 All Age Service

12 Easter Day

19 Easter break

26 Sunday School

May 3 All Age Service

10 Sunday School

17 Sunday School

24 Children’s Day

Our audit by the diocesan child protection officer takes place on Monday, 30th March. We shall have to be sure to have every ‘t’ crossed and every ‘i’ dotted.

Prayer Group

The Prayer Group meets on Thursday, 12th March and Thursday, 26th March.

We are very grateful to those who support our parish through their prayers, both at the group and day by day.

Saint Patrick’s Day

On Saint Patrick’s Day, Tuesday 17th March, there will be a celebration of Holy Communion with hymns at 10.30. There are usually between a dozen and twenty people at this service. It would be a great encouragement to see a few more—it is hard to believe that the whole parish has gone to watch the parade!

Mothering Sunday

The Fourth Sunday in Lent, Sunday 22nd March, is Mothering Sunday, a day when the church traditionally thinks about mothers and family life. Our 10.30 Holy Communion service will reflect on home and family and Sunday School will have crafts activities to go with the day.

Annual Parish Raffle

If you would like

to sponsor a prize,

big or small,

contact Philip Salter

as soon as possible

A sponsor to cover

the cost of printing

the tickets

is also required.

Simon Community

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting our Simon Community box over recent weeks. Caroline Murphy, who has been taking the box into the city centre while Adele Trapnell is in Canada, was able to take a good amount of stuff into the shelter.

Fête 2009

The countdown to our annual parish fête has started. As usual, it’s the Saturday after the June bank holiday, which, this year, is Saturday, 6th June.

Stewardship

Saint Paul urges that everyone should give to the church as the Lord has prospered them. Saint Paul’s words are important to our parish at this time.

The economic slump affecting the country is likely to affect the parish in a number of ways:

· Many parishioners are coping with reduced incomes and will not have the income to be able to continue to give to the parish at the levels they have done in the past.

· A reduction in giving by working people brings with it a reduction in the amount of tax the parish can claim back from the Revenue Commissioners. The tax refund has been an important part of our income in recent years.

· Less money in people’s pockets means that there is less for people to spend at our parish fete, which raises about 20% of our annual parish income.

The downturn has not affected everyone equally; while some people have suffered sharp falls in income, others have not been so affected. Saint Paul’s words that each person should give as the Lord has prospered them are important in such circumstances; if we have found ourselves better off than those around us, we might wish to increase what we give back to God.

Giving in our parish is completely confidential—only the freewill offering treasurer knows what anyone gives—if there were twenty people giving €50 a week we would have covered our budget for the year.

The Rector is looking for a digout!

I have a friend who is a priest in Africa who earns the local equivalent of $30 a month. That’s not a misprint, he earns thirty United States dollars a month, or one dollar a day (and he is well off compared to some people). I lose track of exchange rates, they seem to go up and down so much, but I think that’s the Euro equivalent of 80 cent a day, or €5.60 a week. He has a family to support, as well as himself.

I wanted to be able to do something to support him without him feeling he was receiving ‘charity’. Drinking coffee with a friend in Dublin one morning, he was telling me how someone whose blog gets a similar amount of visitors to my own was picking up around $50 a month in advertising revenue.

The way to be able to send my friend something to assist him and his work without him feeling that I was being charitable seemed to be to take advertising on my blog, which I have started to do from this month. Of course, the more readers there are, the more advertising revenue there is. This is where you come in and it costs you nothing!

My blog is:

www.forthefainthearted.com

There is a new post each day (usually!).

I’m hoping to be able to reach the point where I can send my friend $30 a month and to have some money for our parish emergency fund which is under great pressure at the moment. All in return for a click on a mouse!

Thanks.

Ian Poulton

Ministry of Healing Quiet Day

in Christ Church Bray

A Quiet Day organised by the Ministry of Healing will take place in Christ Church, Bray on Saturday, 7th March 2009, starting from 10:30am. The theme will be "Illness as an opportunity" led by the Revd Baden Stanley.

Please bring sandwiches - soup, tea/coffee will be provided. Voluntary contributions may be given to defray expenses and further the work of CMH.

Ash Wednesday Prayers for Zimbabwe

The leaders of the Anglican churches around the world have asked that Zimbabwe be remembered in prayers on Ash Wednesday and have circulated a prayer for use in churches:

We pray for the suffering people of Zimbabwe forced to live amid deterioration, disease and despair.

We raise our voices on their behalf,
As truth-tellers we want to proclaim 'This is not good', It is not how God desires our world to be.

Loving Father, look after the people of that sad but beautiful land:care for the little ones, comfort the dying ones, and into this hour of darkness may the light of your new dawn begin to shine.
Amen

Shyogwe

Our collection for the work of Shyogwe Diocese in Rwanda continues each Sunday. We invite people to bring along their copper coins and any old Irish coins they may have lying around the house (we can get old Irish coins changed into Euro at the Central Bank of Ireland in Dame Street). In a country where earnings are tiny, those one, two and five cent coins make a difference.

Emergency Fund

Thank you to those who support the parish emergency fund at the collection at the Holy Communion service on the first Wednesday of each month—as you can imagine, there are a lot of people going through difficult times. If anyone else would like to contribute, contributions can be given to the Rector.

Tidings - February 2009

 

The Rector writes . . .

Miriam, our daughter attended a week long course based at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland on Saint Stephen's Green during January. The College is an improbable setting for part of the drama of Easter 1916.  It is said that after the rebels had surrendered, Constance Gore-Booth, the Countess Markievicz, was offered a lift in his motor car by the commander of the British soldiers.  The Countess declined; preferring to walk alongside the remnant of her makeshift army.  The odd episode points up the fact that, even in a crisis, inequalities persist.

One of the most surprising moments in A level history was the tutor quoting statistics that, despite the French Revolution claiming the slogans of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity", it was not the aristocracy who suffered the most deaths - the popular perception - but the ordinary French peasants.

Crises seem invariably to favour the strong to the disadvantage of the weak.  The culture of the spivs and the black market in Britain during the Second World War didn't do much to benefit Tommy Atkins and his family; it existed to serve the demands of those with wads of cash who could afford to pay whatever might be asked for the goods they wanted.

Food, fuel and currency crises in Africa do impact upon the rich and powerful, but nearly as much as they do upon those living at subsistence level.  The strongest elites will have their money safely converted into foreign currency and lodged in some overseas account where no questions are asked from whence it might have come.

So what of the "credit crunch", a term that seems something of an understatement for the widespread collapse of financial systems?

It is not the rich and powerful who took to the streets in Latvia and Lithuania in protest at the dire economic conditions in their countries, and it will not be the rich and powerful who will suffer as Ireland's economy contracts at a record rate.

It is working people who will be most affected as the funds holding their occupational pensions are devastated.  It will be working people who face the repossession of their homes if the recession means they lose their jobs and fail to keep up their mortgage payments.  It will be working people, without private health insurance, who will face the prospect of an already weak health service being further depleted.  It will be working people for whom state benefits are important who will be most affected when the Government starts squeezing those benefits.

History and economics have never been fair processes.

Ireland, with its great devotion to Mary might do well to remember the words of the Magnificat, Mary's song of praise to the Lord, the words we used to sing each Sunday from the old Prayer Book service of Evening Prayer, from the first chapter of Saint Luke's Gospel:

He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.

When everyone else has failed us, we have a Lord in whom we can trust.

 

A Word from…….

One of the Bible readings during Epiphany has been from the Book of Samuel, wherein we heard again those thought provoking words; ‘Here I am, you called me’. These words are equally alive for us today and of course should be so. The rector’s recent sermon on this quotation reminded us all of the meaning of the sense of expectation.

The 20th January 2009 is likely to be indelibly entered into the conscience and minds of billions of people on this planet, who will remember this date as being a watershed, the start of a new era and a real opportunity to return to true values. Barack Obama carries on his shoulders the fulfilment of dreams past, in addition to those yet to come. Many column inches will be written with regard to the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America. It is a momentous occasion and is indeed a new era.

President Obama has become a symbol of hope. Yet let it not be forgotten that he is but one man, one person. He cannot achieve even a fraction of his own ambitious aims without the co-operation and support of individual citizens. It is to be hoped that the sense of expectation that prevails, is for the betterment of human kind as a whole and not in any way a selfish ‘ fix the world’ attitude in order that ‘I am all right’.

As Christians we are called to serve, to answer The Call. We live in a world full of challenges. In a recent political campaign, the response to the words; “Don’t tell me we can’t change “ was a resounding ‘‘Yes, we can ’’.

Niall Stratford

 

Confirmation

We welcome Archbishop Neill to Saint Matthias' for our confirmation service on Sunday, 15th February at 10.30 am, at which he will confirm eight young people from our parish.

Please pray for:

Alexandria Harney-Rintoul

Richard Harvey

Matthew Hill

Christine McKee

Alyson Malseed

Megan Rankin

Lucy Swift

Peter Unger

Saint Matthias’

Indoor Bowling Club

Here I am again!

We are still looking for new members for our Bowls Club. Why not give it a try?

Our teams are doing exceptionally well this year. The ladies are in the quarter finals of the Hope Cup, the Price Cup teams have reached the semi-finals. The McIlwaine are doing really well and have three more games to play. Eight of our members are heading off to White’s Hotel in Wexford on Sunday, 25th January for a bowls week of fun and competitions and great food. This will be our fourth time in White’s and some of us will be also in Westport in March. These weeks are a great way to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

Why not think again about giving us a try and joining the Bowls Club 

Tony Quinn

 

Book Club

The Life and Times of Michael K by South African writer J.M. Coetzee is our choice for February. It is available in both audio and print from Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown libraries”.

Anyone is welcome to join us. We have about a dozen of us when we are all present and the conversation is always good. Contact Stephanie for details

Scripture and Prayer

The February Lectio Divina exercise will be on Sunday, 8th February at 7pm

Sunday evening services are a time to be still amid all the busyness and hassle of everyday life. Each Sunday evening, we have something different. Why not make some time to come along? Services never last for more than 30-40 minutes and it would encourage those who are there each week.

Ballybrack and Killiney

Historical Society

Saints Alphonsus & Columba

Church Hall

Church Avenue

February 11th 2009

The Killiney Scandal

ALL TALKS at 8:00 PM.

Contact Tom Moran for details

 

Junior Choir

Junior Choir make their first 2009 appearance at our all age worship on Sunday, 1st February. Junior Choir enjoyed an excellent Christmas outing to see 'A Christmas Carol' at the National Concert Hall. As ever, we are grateful to Anne Theilemans for all her work.

Nearly Reverend

Niall Stratford will be one of those ordained deacon at Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday, 21st June at 3.30.

This will be a very special day in the life of our parish—it is over 140 years since there were two clergy in Saint Matthias’— and we hope that there will be a strong representation of our parishioners at the service. The Rector is very pleased at being asked to preach at the occasion.

Do put it into your diaries now.

Prayer Group

The Prayer Group meets on Thursday, 5th February and Thursday, 19th February.

We are very grateful to those who support our parish through their prayers, both at the group and day by day.

Ash Wednesday

Lent begins on Wednesday, 25th February. There will be Holy Communion at 10.30 am and at 7.30 pm

Lent Collections

There will be retiring collections at our Lent and Holy Week services towards our support for Shyogwe Diocese in Rwanda.

 

Sunday School News

A very disappointing start to the new year—just 8 (eight) children at Sunday School on 11th January—only about one-fifth of those on our roll. What about some commitment from parents? Dates from now until the year’s end are:

Feb 1 All Age Service

8 Sunday School

15 Sunday School

22 Sunday School

Mar 1 All Age Service

8 Sunday School

15 Sunday School

22 Sunday School

29 Sunday School

Apr 5 All Age Service

12 Easter Day

19 Easter break

26 Sunday School

May 3 All Age Service

10 Sunday School

17 Sunday School

24 Children’s Day

We hope for considerably better attendances in the coming weeks.

 

55 Club

We are at present organizing an exciting new programme for the coming months. Please watch the Sunday noticeboard for details or if you would like a copy e-mail Jean Paul.

Jean Paul

Terry Bates

Bill Fleeton

Vestry Meeting

The Select Vestry meets at the Rectory on Monday, 16th February at 8.15pm

Bookstall

Our bookstall, on the first Sunday of the month, got a good amount of new stock after Christmas—come and browse.

Lent 2009 at Saint Matthias’

Lent starts on Wednesday, 25th February. We shall be following “Sense making faith”, the Lent programme of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Lent services are 7.30-8.00 pm each Wednesday evening through Lent. Do join us.

 

Khayelitsha Township

Cape Town

253 houses built in 7 days

www.irishtownship.com

I am writing an account of my recent trip to KHAYELITSHA with 2000 Irish, 23 English, 10 American, 2 Welsh and many from other countries, to build 250 houses in one week. The trip was organised by the Mellon Township Trust which was formed by Niall Mellon to replace tin shacks with no facilities with new two bedroom bungalows fully plumbed in with bath, wash hand basin and toilet, Electricity for cooking and lighting was also installed.

During the past year a friend of mine got me interested in the project which has been running for the last 6 years. On November the 28th. 2000 Irish and others started migrating to Cape Town via England (BA & Virgin Airways) Holland (KLM) Germany (Lufthansa) on regular flights fed from Ireland by Aer Lingus. This is the largest migration of Irish aid workers to leave together for any overseas aid project.

There were 21 individual working sites with a central stores and field hospital manned with a minimum of 3 Doctors, 3 Nurses, 3 Paramedics & 2 Ambulances. Each site had a 20ft. and a 40ft container for materials and tools. A previously completed house was used as our base for all our belongings. It also was our base for the Irish tea break and lunch.

My team was the DARK GREY TEAM which was the last to leave Dublin at 0600hrs on Saturday 29th. November. Our flight to Amsterdam connected with the KLM flight to Cape Town arriving on time at 2220hrs local time. We had special customs and immigration clearance and were met by Niall Mellon who shook hands with each and everyone.

The 2000 people were dispersed around 7 hotels with a tented village set up in the middle of Cape Town for night recreation on land lent by Archbishop Desmond Tutu who welcomed us all to Cape Town. The tented village had a large 15ft. X 15ft. TV screen for Football matches and Karaoke. Food, Drink and Souvenir Stalls were also set up.

Rise and shine was at 6am (Irish Time 4am) Full Irish Builders Breakfast was eaten, with the last bus leaving for KHAYELITSHA at 0715hrs which is 20km.from Cape Town. It took 50 coaches to get us all to the sites. This year they are building houses between shacks which means we were amongst the 1 Million population in this town ship. It is great to see the children all around as we work, we buy sweets and lollypops in the hotel before leaving and give them to the children during the day.

The weather was great, 35 degrees with a cloud less sky, sun cream factor 50 was applied by the lovely nurses. There were Plumbers, Electricians, Painters, Brick Layers, Plasterers, Nurses, Foremen, Team leaders and a bevy of non skilled people like my self. I got a great job as store man for the site which meant I was by the cool water and the tea station. On one day 30,000 bottles of water were delivered to the sub sites by a team whose sole purpose was keeping de- hydration at bay.

Each site had a teleporter (sophisticated fork lift truck) and a Bakkie (open backed truck) which enabled the materials to be moved from the sub stores to the sites. A main store held all the back up materials, housed in 25 X 40ft containers together with heavy items in the compound.

The highlight of the trip was the saddest. We went on a trip to the local primary school and a shack. The school has 1200 pupils with classes of 50+. We arrived by coach to be met by cheering school kids full of joy. We were told not give the children anything but to hand our presents over to the school principal as there could be a riot amongst the children. I brought pens, pencils, blue tack and a range of markers which were well received.

A shack tour is heart breaking. The galvanised sheeting is well past it’s sell by date which means when it rains the house gets wet. I got my photograph taken in a shack with a 73 year old lady who has Alzheimer’s. There are no toilets or running water in the shacks which could house 8 to 10 people.

The week’s reward came at 1100hrs on the Friday when the team moved a family of 8 from a shack to their new home with a shamrock painted on the outside of it. There were tears all round seeing a completed house being handed over.

I had two days free in Cape Town and saw Table Mountain, Penguins free on a beach, The Cape of Good Hope, but I missed a helicopter ride due to high wind.

Would I do it again----------YES

Jeff Brownlee

Jeff is a member of our 10.30 am congregation at Saint Matthias (and at the 7.30 am services during Holy Week!)

 

Recipe for the Month

from Caroline Murphy

Curried Parsnip Soup

2 ounces butter/margarine

3 large parsnips

4 ounces onion

1 clove of garlic

1 teaspoon of flour

1 teaspoon of curry powder

2 pints of stock

Put peeled and chopped onion, garlic and parsnips in the melted butter and cook for approximately ten minutes. Add the flour, curry powder and stock and simmer until soft.

Liquidise and season if necessary.

Serve with a blob of cream.

Crèche

Following a review with parents of preschool children in the parish we agreed, for the time being, that there is no demand for church crèche. A minimum of two carers are required to supervise the crèche each week and sometimes only one or two children came along.

Pre-schoolers continue to be welcome to all services and there is space at the entrance to the church where they can spread out a bit with their parents. There are books and colouring pencils as well. We plan to make 'activity bags' for young children to use during the services. The crèche is well set up and ready to recommence as required. I have really appreciated support from everyone on the rota especially as many no longer have children of an age that would use the crèche, many thanks.'

Jean Maxwell