Parish of Celbridge & Straffan with Newcastle-Lyons: March 2021

Thanks to our Editor Lilian Webb here is latest copy of parish magazine:

Issue 64 CSNL NEWS March/April, 2021

Parish Of Celbridge & Straffan with Newcastle-Lyons

Church of Ireland United Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough

By the parishioners - for the parishioners

From Our Rector - Dear Friends ..

We are approaching another Easter in lockdown but this time the Hope of a new beginning is much closer - there is no denying we have lost much over this past year but perhaps we have also gained something? A new perspective on life and what is truly important. As a Church we look forward to the Resurrection which is not just about coming back to life and resuming where we left off but rather being transformed and renewed and changed, hopefully for the better. As things slowly resume let us not simply seek to ‘get back to normal’ because we can do better than that - we can be more ambitious than that! Let us try to be a church that brings out of this time of suffering and challenge the awareness that we gained during the various lockdowns of our need for each other of our dependence on each other. And if we do we will make this world a better place for more and more of those people who have lived for so long on the precarious margins of society. Suffering is never desired nor welcome but we can use our experiences to give meaning and purpose to what we have endured together and transform our new normal. May I wish you a very happy and hope-filled Easter.

Yours Stephen

HeavEn

PeAce

Soul

SpiriT

BlEssings

Renewal

Services - (all services until further notice on line only)

Sunday Newcastle 9 a.m. Straffan 10.15 a.m. Celbridge 11.30 a.m.

1^st Holy Communion Service of Word Holy Communion

2^nd Service of Word Holy Communion Service of Word

3^rd Holy Communion Morning Prayer Holy Communion

4^th Morning Prayer Holy Communion Morning Prayer

On line services: In accordance with government guidelines and until our Rector and Select Vestries are happy that in person worship can resume all services remain on line and can be accessed via links on the parish website or Facebook page.

St. Patrick’s Day: Service will be released on line on the day and will be a service of Holy Communion. Mothering Sunday - 14^th March: Again service will be on line and will be a Holy Communion from Christ Church, Celbridge. Holy Week: There will be on line services from Tuesday of Holy Week through to Easter day. Easter: The service will be a service of Holy Communion and will come from one of the three churches.

Zoom Coffee Events - Sunday Mornings & Wednesday Evenings

Thanks to our Rector for hosting these over the last few months. They are very informal and an opportunity to see each other and talk face to face in these challenging times. All are welcome. Contact Rev. Stephen for details if you are not already getting the links.

Ash Wednesday & Zoom Lenten Reflections

Ash Wednesday service was on line. Reflections started on Thursday, 25^th February at 8 p.m., when the evening starts and ends in prayer and discusses the Lenten Midweek service. All are welcome. Sign up details on the parish WhatsApp or contact our Rector.

Thanks

Thanks to all who participate in the services - reading, leading prayers and especially to our Rector for the services for the past year, which are greatly appreciated. Each service takes a large amount of time to put together with readers and prayers and lovely images and graphics as well as the service and sermon.

Bereavements

The parish was very saddened to hear of the death of Betty Beattie of Newcastle and organist of the church for 58 years. Betty was the life and soul of the parish and gave generously of her time and talents to support the work and witness of our church. Her funeral in St. Finian’s Church was subject to Covid guidelines but those who stood in the graveyard and those who watched on line were able to participate with the family in giving thanks for her life and commending her to God’s eternal care. Betty was buried in Esker Graveyard, Lucan alongside her beloved husband Alfie and her precious young son Stephen, who had predeceased her. We pray for all the family especially her loving children, Yvonne, Elaine, Wendy, Alfred, Devon, Adele & David, her 12 devoted grandchildren, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces and extended family.

Condolences to Willie Harris of Newcastle on the death of his brother Jimmy Harris of Sandymount and formerly Clondalkin. Jimmy was predeceased by his wife Iris and siblings George, Emma, Gay, Irene, Neville & Ronnie. We think especially of his children Jennifer, Linda, Suzanne, Gail & Rachel and sons-in-law Billy, Thomas, Richard, Rupert & Eamonn & grandchildren Zoe, Amy & Alex, Andrew & Jessica, Oscar, Emily, Ben & Sam.

Our sympathy also to Martha Howard on the death of her brother Joshua Rose of Donadea. Joshua is also mourned by his other sister, Margaret and Jeffrey, Jane, Sally, Joy, Helen, Fred, Charlotte & Graeme his nephews and nieces and was predeceased by his sister Jean. His funeral took place in St. Peter’s Church, Donadea.

Christopher Noonan who died suddenly on 18^th February, was a member of the Tidy Towns group and often tidied the grounds of Christ Church on his rounds - a man who loved his town and community and served us all and made this place a better one - may he rest in peace. May God comfort all who mourn.

Easter General Vestries - Via Zoom

Dates and links will be published on the website and social media.

Lasting Legacies - Bishops’ Appeal

Like many, Bishops’ Appeal saw a sharp drop in donations and in its ability to fund vital supports for struggling communities around the world since the beginning of the Pandemic and the closing of church buildings. However, due to the continued generosity of parishes and individuals combined with the receipt of two generous legacies, the Committee was recently able to fund multiple transformative projects. Added to these our Mother and Child Advent Appeal was also partially funded by these legacies, which is supporting:

· emergency food for lactating mothers and malnourished children in Nepal,

· adequate shelter for families fleeing conflict in DR Congo,

· training supports for emergency foster parents for children with trauma or disabilities in Cambodia and

· rehabilitation of health clinics for pregnant women in Sierra Leone.

One such legacy donation was from a lifelong advocate of education so it was our privilege and our honour to direct those funds to support quality education for vulnerable children in Uganda; access to education and inclusive extra-curricular activities for children with disabilities in Kenya; and to Literacy Circles in Burundi for women who never before had the opportunity to access education.

Anyone gifting a donation in their Will can direct their giving based on their life’s passions. Bishops’ Appeal will identify carefully vetted projects to ensure they not only meet with best practises, are sustainable and are properly monitored, but that the people who are most in need are targeted to access the supports. Your legacy could fund vocational training for Self Help Group members who learn basic numeracy, accountancy and business skills to help them grow their small enterprises. Your legacy could support ante-natal and post-natal care in countries where it is dangerous to have a baby or to refurbish health clinics that currently have no water or electricity. Your legacy could fund emergency responses after natural disasters as well as the longer term response of rebuilding the communities again. Your legacy could support access to drought resistant seeds and training in conservation farming methods for entire communities where erratic weather patterns are causing hunger, desperation and migration. Your legacy could support the provision of a clean water source, the protection of people being trafficked, access to sanitary protects for young women, the safeguarding of creation through the protection of a tribal group or forests and soil. Through our global partners we have the capacity to direct legacies to the causes closest to your heart and for those funds to reach the people who need it most.

Our legacies can be extraordinary. Our life’s passion can have an impact on the world’s poorest people. Thank you for your support and consideration of the work of the Bishops’ Appeal.

Diocesan Representative for Bishops’ Appeal - Geoffrey McMaster

World Day Of Prayer 2021 From Vanuatu

Unfortunately, this had to be deferred. The service was due to be held on Friday, 5^th March. We hope to get together later in the year to worship in spirit with them. The host church this year will be St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church in Straffan. We will keep you informed when a date is decided. The Republic of Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and west of Fiji. The South Pacific Ocean is prone to earthquakes, cyclones, volcanic eruptions and rising sea levels and the theme the women chose for their service is ‘Build on a strong foundation’. In Mathew’s Gospel, chapter 7: 24-37 Jesus tells a story of the wisdom of the builder of the house that comes from hearing and acting on the word of God, which is the word of love. This is the foundation on which our sisters call us to build our homes, our nations and the world. A call of faith to be earnestly considered when responding to the prayer of commitment: “What is the house that you would build?“ The symbol for World Day of Prayer was developed by the women of Ireland and adopted as the international logo in 1982. Its design is made up of arrows converging from the four points of the compass, persons kneeling in prayer, the Celtic cross, and the circle, representing the world and our unity through all our diversity. RTE broadcast the service on 28^th February, with representatives from several churches taking part.

Creation Sunday - 7^th February, 2021

Thanks to our Rector for putting together an excellent service on the theme of creation. He had asked parishioners and school children for any paintings, drawings, photographs, poems, ideas for hymns etc., and he got these in abundance from all corners of the parish as well as a video clip from Geoffrey McMaster. Thanks to all who sent in fabulous paintings and drawings from the school children - amazing talent - and for those who sent in photographs of all creatures great and small and landscapes, for those who read and did the prayers session. The finale was the “Hallelujah Chorus”!

Knitting/Crochet Opportunities!

Knitting for the Mendicity Institution - providing services for the homeless. Plain subdued coloured warm woolly hats are required. Further information from Rev. Abigail Sines, The Dean’s Vicar, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Update on Newborn knitting - 4 boxes of donations were sent to Greece. They received a very generous financial contribution from a sponsor in the USA and numerous people have been in touch to arrange drop-offs of their knitted items. With the arrival of the vaccine, they anticipate being able to resume sending donations to the refugee camp on the island of Samos when lockdown is lifted

Primrose Hill School

Congratulations to Caroline Flood and her husband Richard on the birth of baby Holly, a sister for Charlie. While Caroline is on leave Ms. Niamh Manning is the Acting Principal and we thank her for stepping up to this role. At this time the children are gradually returning to school and hopefully will remain there until the summer holidays without further interruption.

Prayers

We pray for all those who are sick at home, in hospital or nursing homes especially during restricted visiting hours, those who care for them, those who have lost their livelihood due to Covid-19, those isolated in their homes not able to see/visit friends and loved ones, those bereaved, all front line staff, all those in government and the HSE who have decisions to make and those producing a vaccine.

Taking Up The Cross

This was the theme of our Rector’s Lenten service on 28^th February, with appropriate hymns and the silhouette of a cross being carried at the opening of the service. Rev. Stephen spoke about the late Billy Graham saying that when Jesus said “take up your cross and follow me”, it was the same as saying take up your electric chair - Jesus didn’t mean a gold cross, a cross on a prayer book, or at the top of the church but Jesus had in mind a place of execution. Also in a sermon in Oxford in 1970, Lent was described as being a time to bridge the gap between what we are and what we should be - making the surface match the deep.

English friends of the Editor, had a very interesting story in connection with a cross. Colin is mad into train journeys and has done many. He, his wife and another couple were in China and went on a train that left them in the middle of nowhere with hours to spare before the next train would come. As they wandered around, lo and behold, they spotted a cross. They found Chinese women at the building. Neither Colin nor his friends had any Chinese and the Chinese had no English - but these women got more folk and made a meal for them. Colin had his recorder with him and asked them to sing - and they sang “Jesus loves me” and Colin, his wife and friends joined in in English and he recorded all singing - very happily. When the meal was ready, they just about had enough time to eat it before the train came. A story of following the cross with a very unusual ending.

Calendar Of Events

March

Sun 14 Mothering Sunday.

Wed 17 St. Patrick’s Day.

Sun 28 Palm Sunday

April

Thu 1 Maundy Thursday

Fri 2 Good Friday

Sun 4 Easter Sunday

Mon 26 Closing date for inclusion in Issue 65.

Chuckle Time

Billboard sign - “I wanted to be a Monk, but I never got the chants”!

NON Going Events!

Craft & Chat/ Time Of Prayer For Healing & Whist Drives will not resume until the Pandemic is considerably less of a threat.

Who’s Who In The Parish

www.cs-nl.org celbridgestraffannewcastlelyns@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CSNLParish

Rector: Rev. Stephen Neill 01-6288231 087-2328172

www.paddyanglican.com stephen.neill@gmail.com

Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.

Parish of Celbridge & Straffan with Newcastle-Lyons

Site Index

Saturday, 27 March 2021

CSNL - Palm Sunday

Saturday, 20 March 2021

CSNL: Service for Lent 5

Saturday, 13 March 2021

Mothering Sunday Service 2021

Wednesday, 10 March 2021

Lent Reflection 4

CSNL NEWS - March April 2021

Saturday, 6 March 2021

CSNL - Lent 3 - 7th March 2021

Thursday, 4 March 2021

Midweek Lent Reflection 3