Issue
76 CSNL NEWS March/April, 2023.
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 ..
Just
last Sunday we had the inaugural event for the Castletown Wanderers
which is mentioned elsewhere in this issue. It was as an opportunity
to connect and reconnect with the wonder and beauty of Creation of
which we are a part. Sometimes despite all our modern technologies,
devices and apps while we are connected to people throughout the
world we are often disconnected from our immediate surroundings and
are not truly present to one another and the deeper reality of God
which underpins our lives. This Lent can I suggest you try and put
your phone/tablet/laptop aside for a moment and be truly present to
the beauty of the ordinary and everyday. I say this as one of the
worst offenders who is regularly horrified when my phone gives me the
weekly stats on my screen time! How much better could I have used
that time and how much better would I feel if I had just turned it
off? I know the answer - I think we all do - We find it hard because
ironically we fear disconnection when what is on offer is the
greatest connection possible. Just do it.
Yours.
Stephen
Church
Services
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
5th
(30/04/23) United Service. 11 a.m. Straffan.
*Services
are continuing in Newcastle at 10 a.m., on the 1st
Sunday until April when it will re-assessed.
Select
Vestry & Easter General Vestries
After
recent illnesses we wish John
Lougheed of
Celbridge/Straffan Select Vestry and Sandra
Doble of
Newcastle-Lyons Select Vestry health and recovery. We also will miss
Bill
Nicholson (following
his move to Carlow) from Celbridge/Straffan Select Vestry where he
has served for many years.
The
Easter General Vestries, which elect officers for the coming year and
hear the reports from our Rector and Treasurer can be attended by
parishioners, but only those on the Register of Vestrypersons can be
elected or can vote. The Register is revised each January. The
Easter General Vestry for Celbridge/Straffan will take place on
Thursday, 20th
April at 8 p.m. The venue is to be confirmed. Newcastle-Lyons EGV
will be held on Tuesday, 25th
April at 8 p.m., in St. Finian‘s
Church.
On
Going Events
Craft
& Chat: On
Tuesday, 10th
January, the group met and had a very enjoyable Afternoon Tea. All
are welcome to the Slip Hall on Tuesdays at 2.30 p.m.
Whist
Drives:
Friday, 31st
March, at 8 p.m., will mark the return of our parish whist drives
after a long break due to Covid. Hopefully we will see many friends
returning for this enjoyable and sociable event.
Time
Of Prayer For Healing:
The Wednesday morning services in Christ Church, Celbridge are not
resuming at the present.
St.
Patrick’s
Day
There
will be a service of Holy Communion in Christ Church, Celbridge at 11
a.m. The Service will also be live streamed) on the parish Facebook
page.
Chuckle
Time
A
newspaper error - His mother died when he was seven, while his father
lived to be nearly a centurion.
Confirmation
Classes
commence on Tuesday, 7th
March and Confirmation will be in Christ Church Cathedral on
Pentecost Sunday afternoon.
Calendar
Of Events
March
Tue
7 Confirmation classes commence.
Sat 11 Winter
Madness. Holy Trinity, Rathmines. 7.30 p.m.
Fri 17 St.
Patrick’s
Day. 11 a.m. Christ Church, Celbridge.
Holy
Communion. Also Live-streamed.
Sun
19 Mothering Sunday.
Wed 29 Car
Boot meeting. Straffan Hall. 8.30 p.m.
Fri 31 Whist
Drive. Slip Hall. 8 p.m.
April
Wed
5 Compline. St. Finian’s
Church, Newcastle-Lyons.
8
p.m.
Thu
6 Maundy Thursday. 8 p.m. Straffan. Holy
Communion
& Stripping of the Altar.
Fri
7 Good Friday. Way of the Cross walks. All
3
churches. Times to be confirmed.
Sat
8 Holy Saturday. 8.30 p.m. Straffan. Lighting of
Easter
Fire & 1st
Eucharist of Easter.
Sun
9 Easter Sunday. 6.30 a.m. Castletown Gates/Slip
Hall.
Dawn Ecumenical Sunrise Service.
Holy
Communion in all 3 churches at usual times.
Thu 20 Easter
General Vestry. Celbridge/Straffan 8 p.m.
Location
to be confirmed.
Tue 25 Easter
General Vestry. Newcastle-Lyons. 8 p.m.
St.
Finian’s
Church.
Closing
date for next issue of CSNL NEWS.
Sun 30 United
Service. Straffan. 11 a.m.
May
Sat 20 First
Car Boot Sale. Straffan Church grounds.
Homeless
Outreach Collection For The Month Of February
In
response to our Rector’s
request for ideas as to how we could reach out to the homeless
community, Judith
Gleeson got
in touch with local Celbridge Hidden homeless activist Pat
Grant and
with his guidance drew up a list of items that would be useful for
the homeless community. 5 drop off points were set up including the
3 churches, the school and the rectory and in less than a week so
much had been collected that we had to deliver it for distribution to
allow space for more items. Warm clothing, bedding, toiletries,
chocolate and vouchers were the main items needed and there was no
shortage of generous donations. At the time of writing we are
preparing for a second drop off. Thanks to all who donated and all
who came together to sort in Christ Church, Celbridge on Sunday, 12th
February.
‘Lord,
when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked
or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’
Then He will answer them, ‘Truly
I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these,
you did not do it to me.’
Matthew 25:44-45. Lord help us to respond to the strangers in our
midst - May we be aware that everyone matters and is loved by you and
so may we be agents of that love in action. We ask you to bless our
efforts to reach out to our sisters and brothers and help us to
recognise that we are all one in you and when one hurts we all hurt.
May we serve you by serving one another. Amen.
Castletown
Wanderers - A New Initiative - Sunday, 26th
February
Join
the Castletown Wanderers as we learn to slow down and connect with
ourselves and with something bigger than ourselves - nature;
community; and for those who have faith, God.
What?
Who? Why?
This
is a wander for the whole community and offers gentle grounding and
meditative exercises and supports to move from ‘doing’
to ‘being’
to help us be in the moment and enjoy what is around us. It is a
collaboration between Christ Church, the Anglican church on the
grounds of Castletown and the Church’s
Ministry of Healing, Ireland (CMH:I) which uses nature connection to
support people’s
mental health, spiritual health and whole health. And of course the
biggest partner is Nature and the beautiful grounds of Castletown
House. Did you know that just 2 hours per week in nature boosts your
immune system, resets your nervous system, reduces your feelings of
loneliness and increases your sense of wellbeing? What a gift!
Let’s
accept it.
Who
is it for?
This
is a welcoming space for everybody. Nature is free, we simply want
to provide some nature connection opportunities. Young and old are
welcome - noisy people are welcome, quiet people are welcome, tired
people are welcome, energetic people are welcome, people who love
getting muddy are welcome, people who have dirt aversions are
welcome, people with a faith, with no faith, with a strong sense of
spirituality, with a desire to build community, all welcome. We
won’t
pretend to be anything other than who we are, but we also won’t
impose anything or expect anyone to come as anyone but who they are
and as they are.
An
example of what you can expect:
We’ll
meet on the grounds of Christ Church and do some simple grounding
exercises - noticing the sounds around you and becoming present.
Then we’ll
walk to Castletown House together - some with mobility passes may
drive there. Anyone who needs bathroom breaks and coffee stops can
head into the café. Then we’ll
head to the woods just beyond the House and invite people to engage
with nature in whatever way suits them. This is completely
participant led, once a few health and safety measures have been put
in place. Here are some examples of options:
1.
Free play.
2.
Nature art and mandalas.
3.
Sit spots under trees with ideas for breath work (we may even have a
hammock!)
4.
Working with clay and loose nature parts to explore process and
creativity.
5.
Mindful wander prompts - these include postcards of things to spot
or journey sticks that you can add to as you wander.
6.
Blind fold walk (along ropes!).
Thanks
to everyone who despite the very cold weather came along on Sunday,
26th
February to our first event. It began in the church grounds at 12.30
p.m., with a short time of grounding meditation to quieten ourselves
and to become present to Creation and each other and then a walk up
the avenue of Castletown House and into the forest for lunch and some
activities which were designed to help us connect with the beauty and
diversity of Creation. These included journey sticks, bug frames
(thank you Linda)
and a nature mandala (thank you Lucy).
Thanks to Lydia
Monds
of CMH:I who led us and gave us a taste of some of the possibilities
of engaging more intimately with the natural world and in that
discovering beauty, peace, healing and even a sense of the Divine.
Watch this space for news of our next event!
United
Service - 29th
January - Christ Church, Celbridge.
It
was wonderful to see a large congregation at the above with James
Pasley at
the organ, a choir and some lovely hymns, which I believe were chosen
by Bill
Nicholson!
At the end of the service of Holy Communion, led by our Rector,
Paula Howard and
our Rector
made a presentation to Bill
on behalf of the parish with flowers for Anne,
who was visiting her mother. The service was live streamed. Rev.
Stephen
thanked Bill
for
all he had done for the parish, vestry, current Churchwarden, school
chair, Board of Primrose Hill School, on Car Boot committee, Slip
Hall management etc., and to him and Anne
for spending such a wonderful amount of time keeping the grounds of
the church clean, which was by no means an easy task. Last, but not
least, our Rector
said we would all miss him in being such a good friend. Bill
thanked
everybody and said it was hard to believe they were 40 years in the
parish, coming when Clive
was
4! We wish Bill
& Anne
every happiness in their new home in Carlow and hope to see them from
time to time. There was a wonderful spread of refreshments served in
the Slip Hall afterwards and thanks to all who contributed.
At
the service, saw the launch of the parish’s
Homeless Outreach Collection, which was initiated after our Rector’s
words in CSNL NEWS. For the month of February, there were reception
areas in all three churches, the Rectory and the school opening
hours. In consultation with Pat
Grant of
‘Support
the Hidden Homeless Group’,
a plea was made for various items of clothing, sanitary items,
vouchers etc.
From
The Editor
The
closing date for the May/June issue will be Tuesday, 25th
April, and it will be available at the United Service on Sunday, 30th
in Straffan.
Prayers
We
remember all those who are sick at home, in hospital or nursing
homes, those who care for them, the bereaved, for the citizens of
Ukraine both here and in their own country, for the homeless and all
others in need of our prayers as a result of war, famine and other
disasters.
World
Day Of Prayer 2023
The
service is being held in the Slip Hall, beside Christ Church,
Celbridge on Friday, 3rd
March. This year the service is compiled by the women of Taiwan and
the theme is “I
have heard about your faith”, based
on Ephesians 1: 15-19. There will be a report in the next issue.
Holy
Week & Easter
Wed
5th
April Compline. 8 p.m. St. Finian’s,
Newcastle-Lyons.
Thu
6th
April. Holy Communion & Stripping of the Altar. 8 p.m.
Straffan
Church.
Fri
7th
April Good Friday. Way of Cross in all 3 churches. Details
to
be confirmed.
Sat
8th
April Holy Saturday. 8.30 p.m. Straffan. Lighting of
Easter
Fire & 1st
Eucharist of Easter.
Sun
9th
April Easter Sunday. 6.30 a.m. Castletown Gates/Slip
Hall
Dawn Ecumenical Sunrise Service.
Holy
Communion in all 3 churches at usual times.
Car
Boot Returns
We
are starting on the 20th
May. This is somewhat later this year as we have a wedding in
Straffan Church on Saturday, 29th
April. On 6th
May, there will be two Holy Communion events. The added traffic that
our event does bring, would make traffic management in the village
near impossible. We will have a total of 10 events, the same number
as last year. On Wednesday, 29th
March at 8.30 p.m., we will have a Volunteers Team Meeting in
Straffan Hall. Last year’s
meeting proved to be of great help in running the events last year.
Details will follow at a later stage. We will be looking to add some
new volunteers as we were sparse on the ground last year. Some of
the younger generations and newcomers to Straffan would be very
welcome. Looking forward to seeing you all again. The dates for
your diary are:-
May,
20th.
June 3rd
& 17th.
July 1st,
15th
& 29th.
August 12th
& 26th.
September, 9th
& 23rd. Jos
Evertsen
WhatsApp
Groups
WhatsApp group
continues to be very active. There are also groups specifically for
Newcastle and another for Straffan notices –
together they provide a very effective means of contact in the
parish.
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
iPod?
iPad? Try iPray ….
God is listening!
