May/June, 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 ..I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7). I am not one for using Biblical quotes out of context but the above seemed so apt to where we are today. We have been to hell and back and I think that is no exaggeration! We may not have crossed the finish line yet but it is in sight. By the end of next month the vast majority of us will have been vaccinated and please God we will begin to live more fully and more freely than we have for the past 14 months. As we come out the other side of this we are not the same people we were before. We have all been changed and some of that change has involved a lot of hurt and trauma. It will take time to adjust to our new reality and it will not just be a case of picking up where we left off and it is important we acknowledge that if we are to move on. As people of faith we know that to be true - Easter is only Easter and Resurrection is only real if we have acknowledged what happened on Good Friday on the Cross before that wonderful first Easter morning. In the same way we cannot just forget the past year because it is now a part of who we are. If we are to be healed in the days ahead then we must acknowledge that hurt and open ourselves to God’s healing Love. We can and will move on and that healing has already begun but let us be patient with ourselves and with each other and most of all let us be kind.
Yours Stephen
Chuckle Time - Parish Newsletter Blunder - For Post
Pandemic!
The church will host an evening of fine dining, superb
entertainment and gracious hostility.
Zoom
Coffee & WhatsApp Group
Our Bi-weekly informal Zoom chats continue (Sundays at
10.30 a.m & Wednesdays at 8 p.m.) numbers and participants vary but it has
provided an opportunity for fellowship in lonely times. It has been suggested that we may retain the
midweek Zoom as an ongoing part of our parish outreach, especially in winter
months. The WhatsApp group which has
just reached 100 members continues to be a very lively forum of the sacred and
the sublime with a good smattering of satire thrown in. Like the Zoom and for a wider body of
participants this has helped keep the lines of communication open in the parish
and indeed has allowed us all to get to know each other a lot better. On any one day the content can vary from
parish announcements, encouraging messages and videos, genealogy, history,
humour, shared photos, community information and just general chat and
banter. If anyone wants to join contact
our Rector on 087-2328172. Like
the Zoom chat this is a resource that will be maintained post Covid.
Morning
Ireland
Recently Cian McCormack of RTE Radio1
interviewed Straffan parishioner and churchwarden Dee Huddleston and our
Rector for a feature on the responses of various church communities to
the restrictions on public worship.
There was a general desire to return to in person worship. Dee articulated very clearly the
importance of gathering as people of faith.
Some interviewed felt that it was time to return to the church buildings. Our Rector cautioned against reopening
until the most vulnerable had been vaccinated.
The other churches in the feature were Roman Catholic & Russian
Orthodox.
Bereavements
We sympathise with the Beattie family, on the death of Alice
Beattie, who died on 8th April, and whose service took place on
line on 12th April, her brothers John & Ken, nephews,
nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, relatives and friends. Our sympathy to Carl Farrar on the
death of his wife, Sylvia, of Castledillon, Straffan. Sylvia died peacefully at Naas
Hospital after a long illness bravely borne. We also remember in prayer her
brother, George, sister Denise, sister-in-law Roisin,
brothers-in-law Billy & George, nephews, grandnephew, cousins,
relatives and friends.
Parish Lower Hall
Development Report By Jos Evertsen
As from 1st April, a new tenant has moved into the Lower
Hall. Keys were handed over to Paul
Carmody of P.A. Framing. Paul
has an expanding picture framing company which specialises in bespoke
picture-framing, contemporary and traditional frames for paintings,
photography, posters and memorabilia.
The entire refurbishment project, to renting out, took 14 months half of
which was due to delays caused by the Covid circumstances. In getting the premises advertised and
promoted in the rental market, we received great advice and support from Mr.
Eamon O’Flaherty, Sherry
Fitzgerald, Maynooth. In a generous
gesture to support our parish efforts to bring the Parish Hall buildings back
to life, Eamon waived all fees for his services. We thank Eamon and we very much
appreciate his generous contribution to our project. With this part of the project now completed,
we can hopefully look forward to further beneficial use of our parish
properties. We thank all who have been
active and supportive in realising this objective and achieving this
milestone.
Mission Link
In December, the Rev. Keith Scott and his wife Lyn, said
farewell to their friends and colleagues at the Anglican seminary of St. John
the Evangelist in Kitwe and returned to Northern Ireland. They had been there since 2015, though had
spent 10 of the last 19 years living and working in Zambia. As well as teaching Old Testament doctrine,
Church & Society, he was Parish Priest in Kwacha Parish, taking services
every Sunday. The couple say their timing of their departure was right for the
seminary. “It needs to stand on its own two feet. The seminary has benefited from boreholes and
electricity supplies.” Keith believes that
there is still a role for a missionary/mission partner. “There is a big need for training and delivering training is an expensive
exercise. I know Zambians as capable as
me who could teach in the seminary but they are now teaching in the United
States because that is where they qualified and have settled.”
Wedding
Barbara Lett & Andrew Jackson are to be married in St.
Finian’s Church,
Newcastle-Lyons on Saturday, 15th May. We wish Barbara & Andrew every
blessing in their married life together.
Ecumenical Bible
Week - Unlocking Faith Today: Responding To New Realities - 24th -
30th May
This is now in its 8th year.
The opening event is organised by Holy Trinity, Rathmines on 24th. The closing prayer event will be on 30th
organised by St. Finian’s Lutheran
Church. There will be a Young Adult
Forum on Wednesday, 26th from 5 - 7 p.m. The following afternoon there will be
Theological Symposium and will include Sam McConkey as presenter. That evening faith leaders will discuss “What is your personal dream of
faith into the future?” Further details on www.facebook.com/bibleweek.ie.
Organisation Focus
- Dublin Bereavement Support Service
While the DBSS is being run under the auspices of Clontarf Church of
Ireland parish, and is rooted in the Christian calling to show love and
compassion to all, the service is open to everyone and offered in an impartial,
non-judgemental way which does not seek to impose religious beliefs on others
and acknowledges that people’s experiences of
grief may differ, but all are equally valid.
Initially, this is being offered via zoom on a one to one basis. The support service is being offered free of
charge although donations can be given if
desired. www.bereavementsupport.ie
Services
- (all services until further notice on line only)
Sunday Newcastle
9 a.m. Straffan 10.15 a.m. Celbridge 11.30 a.m.
1st Holy
Communion Service of Word Holy Communion
2nd Service
of Word Holy Communion Service of Word
3rd Holy
Communion Morning Prayer Holy Communion
4th Morning
Prayer
Holy Communion Morning Prayer
On line services can be accessed via links on the
parish website or Facebook page.
Pentecost &
Trinity Sundays
It is likely that we will be returning to public worship soon and
Pentecost (23rd May this year), often considered the Birthday of the
Church will have added significance if so in that it will be a rebirth of our
public life of worship and fellowship.
Caution will still be required but there is every indication that the
levels of vaccination by then will support a safe return to in person worship.
Easter General
Vestry - Celbridge & Straffan - 22nd April, 2021
This was held via Zoom with those attending from both ends of the
parish. The meeting opened in
prayer. The minutes were circulated
before hand and duly adopted. The Rector
began his report by saying that one thing had changed since the last EGV in
August, we now have hope, in this Easter period, with the vaccine
roll-out. He especially remembered all
who had lost loved ones or who had been unable to visit those in hospitals and
nursing homes. He thanked John
Lougheed for his oversight of the administration, which was more difficult
and Gordon Bass for the very challenging time he had as Hon.
Treasurer. Liam Gately was
thanked for his generosity of time and expertise. The church and glebe wardens were thanked - Paula
Howard, Bill Nicholson, Shirley Dunlop, Dee Huddleston, Ken Denner & Tony
Kelly. Rev. Stephen thanked Jos
Evertsen for the transformation of the church building complex in Celbridge
- so
much achieved in such a short length of time, assisted by Ken Denner and
now being taken over by Bill Nicholson, whom he thanked along with Ann,
for also tidying the grounds when on their walks. He thanked the members of the Select Vestry
and wider parish and all who participated in the on line worship with readings
and prayers. He thanked Jackie Taylor
for her support throughout the years.
Rev. Stephen concluded by announcing his churchwardens are - Paula
Howard, (Celbridge) & Dee Huddleston (Straffan) and his
glebewarden is Ken Denner.
Gordon Bass had circulated the 2020 Audited Accounts prior to the
meeting and he explained the income and expenditure headings in some
detail. He reported that considering the
severe impact of the Covid lockdowns, we ended the year in a somewhat better
position than we might have hoped. The
Gift Day brought in almost €16,000 which was a
major boost. We also received an
extremely generous donation of €30,000 to be used
specifically for the benefit, maintenance and restoration of Strafffan
Church. Generous loan facilities of €30,00 were received for the Lower Hall Development
Fund, which the Parish are committed to repaying by the end of 2021. One consequence of the pandemic restrictions
was that practically no fundraising was possible in 2020 (compared to over €13,000 being raised in the previous year). Rental income remained robust, bringing in
almost €33,000. Gordon stressed that the long-term
financial importance to the Parish of the re-development of the Parish Halls
complex in Celbridge cannot be over-stated.
On the expenditure side, our regular recurring costs are approximately €7,000 per month and this varies very little
whether or not the Churches are open or closed.
Gordon thanked all who had continued to financially support the
Parish despite the fact that our Churches remained closed for several extended periods. He added that Parish finances will remain
very challenging throughout 2021 and the continuing support of all Parishioners
will be gratefully appreciated. He
reminded everyone who transfers money directly to the Parish Bank account to
make sure they key-in their name as the “receiver reference” with their payment as without this, the Parish has no
way of knowing who it came from. The very comprehensive report was duly adopted
and Gordon was thanked for the enormous amount of work involved.
The following were duly elected
People’s Church Wardens: Celbridge Bill Nicholson
Straffan Shirley Dunlop
People’s Glebe
Warden: Celbridge & Straffan To be confirmed
The remaining members of the Select Vestry are:-
Gordon Bass Caroline
Cummins Linda Daly
Tom Hardy John
Lougheed Liam Gately
There are still a couple of vacancies on the Select Vestry.
Jos Evertsen has stepped down from the Select Vestry and he was
thanked for his 12 years of service. Jos
thanked all for their support and thanked our Rector for keeping
worship going through the Pandemic, through what’s app, Zoom etc., and providing cohesiveness, while
having his own domestic pressures and wished him a lot of strength. Stephen thanked all for their prayers
and support. The meeting concluded at 9
o’clock prior to a meeting of
the newly elected Select Vestry. John
& Gordon retained their seats!
Newcastle-Lyons
Easter General Vestry Meeting - 21st April, 2021 via Zoom
Rev. Stephen opened the meeting by thanking the Vestry for their
part in steering us though a real roller coaster of a year. Although we find ourselves in a very familiar
place again this year, we have hope of better times as many of us have been
vaccinated and as more of us receive the vaccine there is hope of returning to
life as we once knew it - our freedom, our relationships, our family life, our
social lives and of course very importantly our worshipping life as a community
of faith. The last year has also brought
pain to a lot of families, with the death of loved ones, we remember Betty
Beattie who was such a large part of our weekly church service. It is hard to think that she is no longer
with us. Rev. Stephen thanked
everyone for their support throughout the year.
He paid a particular thanks to Geoffrey McMaster as a valuable
colleague in ministry. Thanks, were also
given to our Hon. Secretary, Maggie Harris, Church Wardens - Elizabeth
Waldron & Vivien Bond. He also
thanked the Glebe Wardens - Willie Harris & Michael Spillane. A special thanks to our Hon. Treasurer, Sandra
Doble, who has an increasing demanding job in overseeing our parish
finances and for the considerable work involved in the preparation of the
annual accounts. Finally, to all vestry members and parishioners for the help
and time everyone has contributed to the smooth running of the Parish. The following are the results of the annual
elections:-
Rector’s Church Warden: Vivien Bond
People’s Church Warden: Elizabeth
Waldron
Rector’s Glebe Warden: Willie
Harris
People’s Glebe Warden: Tony Waldron
The remaining members of the Select Vestry are:
Devon Beattie Claire
Burke Sandra
Doble
Willie Doble Mervyn
Eager Maggie
Harris
Peter Hildebrand Andrew
Jordan Avril Kerr
Michael Spillane
Subsequently, Sandra Doble & Maggie Harris were elected as
Treasurer & Secretary respectively.
From The Editor
The closing date for the next issue of CSNL NEWS will be Monday, 14th
June, as there is usually an issue prior to Primrose Hill National School
closing for the summer holidays.
Holy Week &
Easter
Thanks to Rev. Stephen for continuing to produce services on the
world wide web for those who can access them.
There was a short act of worship for Holy Thursday ending in silence -
with the words “He humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross” - Philippians 2:8 on the
screen. On Good Friday the service was
recorded from Straffan Church between 2 p.m., and 3 p.m., the traditional hour,
with the cross laid out on the bare communion table - the reading of St. John’s Passion, hymns - “When I survey” and “There is a green
hill” and prayers and
intercessions - “Is it nothing to
you all ye that pass by?” A service of Holy Communion was conducted by Rev.
Stephen from Christ Church, Celbridge on Easter Sunday and included
readings, prayers and the reading of the Easter Anthem by various members of
the congregation. The Editor for
one, belted out the hymns! Rev.
Stephen in his sermon noted that after Christmas, Easter was the most
popular festival, but for Christians, Easter is the most important. An image was shown of the stone rolled away
with the words “Lockdown never
really worked around Easter”. However, God is always present
and available for us and resurrection is a natural consequence for God’s love for his creation. The service included the renewal of baptismal
vows. The hymns included “Jesus Christ is risen today”, “This joyful Eastertide” and “Christ triumphant”. This
is the second year that the churches have been closed for Easter - and Easter
Sunday morning shone bright and it would have been lovely for a dawn sunrise
service.
On the Second Sunday after Easter, Rev. Stephen brought the
recording of the Service of the Word outside, with bird-song and planes in the
background, (though the Editor hears that our Rector had to do “take 2” when the neighbour started using a chainsaw during the Creed!). The sermon was preached by Geoffrey
McMaster on “Doubting Thomas” and the fact that Thomas missed out on
the important event of seeing Jesus after his resurrection, and like Victor
Meldrew - his reaction was that “I don’t believe it!” Geoffrey went on to say
that all Christians have doubts and have struggles in life - but that
unbelievers have struggles to exist.
Jesus cannot be stopped by our locked doors. He keeps turning up. Very fittingly the final hymn was “No more we doubt thee”.
The service of Morning Prayer was recorded in the Rectory garden for the
Third Sunday after Easter with contributions from members of each church taking
part in readings and prayers. Rev.
Stephen commenced his sermon by telling about a chaplain visiting a wounded
soldier and asking him if he would like a reading from the Bible. He didn’t. He said that
he was thirsty and he was given some water.
He asked again and the soldier said that he was cold and he was given
the chaplain’s coat. The chaplain didn’t ask again.
When he was about to go the soldier said that if what you did for
another, you have done for me, I want to hear it. The gospel is about action. Are we witnesses when we live our lives? If we are changed/transformed then it should
be clear for all to see that we are.
On 25th April, the theme was the Good Shepherd, and without
the aid of sheep for the Service of the Word, filmed in the Rectory garden, we
had Patch, the Rectory sheep dog!
Although the service was centred on the Good Shepherd, the sermon began
with the tale of a Professor and his students of ornithology who gave them 40
days to learn all about birds for a test.
When the students turned up, there were 5 birds in cages - all covered
apart from their feet and legs. One
student had enough and walked out and told him what he thought of this dreaded
Professor - and before he got to the door, the Professor asked him his name,
whereby the student turned up his trouser legs and said “you tell me”. As Rev. Stephen went on to say that
the Good Shepherd knows all about each one of us as in Luke 12:7 - “even the hairs of our head are
numbered” and that’s something to think about when salons/barbers
have been closed for such a long time!
Our Rector’s vision for 20/20 -
was “a Fresh Vision” - and we have had a year to
reflect and pray on this theme - more being and less doing.
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.
Calendar Of Events
May
Sun 23 Pentecost.
Mon 24 Start of Ecumenical Bible Week.
Wed 26 Young Adult Forum - Ecumenical Bible Week.
Sun 30 Trinity Sunday.
Closing
service for Ecumenical Bible Week.
June
Mon 14 Closing date for material for next issue.
Sun 20 Father’s Day.
Prayers
We pray for all those who are sick at home, in
hospital or nursing homes especially during the pandemic, 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.
Update
- Newborn Knitting
Newbornknitting continues its efforts to meet the
needs of refugee babies and their mothers in Greece, with the free shops eager
to receive our donations. 3 boxes full
of goodies like blankets, hats, toys, clothes and care items arrived safely
including a box of aid to the camp in Samos despite all difficulties facing
them at the moment. As the weather gets
warmer, summer baby clothes are much in demand.
If your children or grandchildren have grown out of summer clothes,
please consider donating them. Those
knitting blankets and winter clothes, please don’t stop! All will be stored. Teddies and baby comforters are needed all
year, as are dignity items for mothers and other young refugee women. They have also recently received a request
for glasses to recycle. Frames are
needed, preferably without the lenses and glasses case.
If you would like to help with their efforts but are
not a knitter, please consider sponsoring a parcel to Greece. Without financial support, boxes would not be
able to leave Dublin. Further details
from newbornknitting@gmail.com
Bible
Cake (Version King James)
½ lb.
Judges 5, verse 25b.
½ lb.
Jeremiah 6, verse 20a.
1½ tablespoons 1st
Samuel 14, verse 25.
4 - Jeremiah 17, verse 11a.
10 ozs. 1st Samuel 30, verse 12a.
½ lb.
Nahum 3, verse 12a chopped.
2 ozs. Numbers 17, verse 8b - blanched and chopped.
1 lb. 1st Kings 4, verse 22.
1 teaspoon 2nd Chronicles 9, verse 9a.
A pinch of Leviticus 2, verse 13 a.
2 teaspoons Amos 4, verse 5.
8 tablespoons Judges 4, verse 19b.
Cream first three ingredients together until soft and
fluffy. Add fourth. One at a time, still beating, then fifth,
sixth and seventh ingredients together and beat again. Sift together eighth,
ninth, tenth and eleventh, then add to creamed mixture and mix well with
twelfth ingredient.
Divide between 2 x 2lb. greased and lined loaf tins.
Bake in moderate oven 160C, Gas 3 for 1¼ - 1½
hours in centre of oven.
Answers to Bible Cake
½ lb.
butter.
½ lb.
soft brown sugar.
1½ tablespoons honey.
4 eggs.
10 ozs. raisins.
½ lb.
figs.
2 ozs. almonds.
1 lb. plain flour.
1 teaspoon mixed spices.
Pinch of salt.
2 teaspoons baking powder.
¼ pint
of milk.
Who’s Who
In The Parish
www.cs-nl.org celbridgestraffannewcastlelyns@gmail.com
Rector: Rev.
Stephen Neill 01-6288231 087-2328172
www.paddyanglican.com stephen.neill@gmail.com
Keep up to date on
www.cs-nl.org
&
https://www.facebook.com/CSNLParish & www.Dublin.anglican.org
NON
Going Events!
Craft & Chat/ Time Of Prayer For Healing &
Whist Drives will not resume until the Pandemic is considerably
less of a threat.
Come to me, all of
you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.
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