Issue
82 CSNL NEWS March/April, 2024.
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 ..
This will be the Easter issue and the key word and theme of Easter is
HOPE. I think it would be safe to say
that we live at a time when we need a lot of hope in our lives. The international situation is very worrying
and whether we think of what is happening in Gaza or in Ukraine both have the
potential to bring turmoil not just to those who happen to be at the epicentre
but to the whole world. It would be easy
to let despair drag us down.
The Cross which is at the centre of the Easter event is a place both of
despair and hope and the strange paradox of our faith is that those two can
coexist. We are probably at the despair
stage at the moment, firmly lodged in the bleakness of Good Friday but Sunday
(Easter) is coming and as Christians we believe despite our despair! That belief has a transformative power in
itself. Hope can change things for the
better. If we are hopeless we will never
see the opportunities that lie before us to change our world for the better but
if we decide to hope against all odds we will see a better way. Yes these are challenging times but this is
where Hope is born!
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
*Services will continue in Newcastle at 10 a.m., on
the 1st Sunday as a permanent change in the Sunday timetable.
On Going Events
Craft
& Chat: The Group continues each Tuesday afternoon
at 2.30 p.m., in the Slip Hall and is open to all for crafting, chatting and
refreshments. All welcome!
Wednesday Night Prayers: From 8p.m., to 9
p.m., sometimes they are held in the home of Dee Huddleston in
Straffan. At the moment they are held in
the home of Tony & Elizabeth Waldron in Newcastle. If anybody would like details they can phone Stephen
or Dee. Everyone is very welcome
to come along or to let us know if there is something they would like us to
pray about.
Whist Drives. The first two Whist Drives of 2024 (26th
January & 23rd February) were very well supported and as always
some lovely prizes on offer as well as the plentiful and tasty supper. The March whist drive is not on the last
Friday of the month as this is Good Friday and will instead take place on
Friday, 22nd March at the usual time of 8 p.m. New players always welcome. Thanks as always to Esther Lougheed &
Rebecca & James Taylor for organising the nights and to Val Denner for
helping with the raffle.
Saturday
Night Services - Christ Church Celbridge - 7 p.m.
The February service on Saturday, 10th February was on the theme of Nourishing Faith and the
reading was the feeding of the 5000. One
of the features of this service is a chance to try out some alternative music
and our organist James Pasley came up trumps with a song called 5000 +
Hungry Folk which was a numerical tongue twister and great fun. The service is generally quite informal and
we would be delighted to see some new faces - also if you play a musical
instrument feel free to bring it along.
The service is normally followed by refreshments and time for a chat
after the service.
Easter
General Vestries
The EGV for Newcastle-Lyons will be held in St. Finian’s Church on
Wednesday, 10th April, at 8 p.m.
Thursday, 11th April, will be the date for the EGV for
Celbridge & Straffan at 8 p.m., in Primrose Hill School. These are the meetings to hear the reports of
our Rector and Treasurers and also to elect the Select Vestry,
Churchwardens & Glebewardens.
Confirmation
Classes are now underway. There are 2 candidates this year, Poppy
Murphy & Marlena Quigley. They
are to be confirmed in Christ Church Cathedral on Pentecost Sunday, 19th
May at 3.30 p.m. Please keep them in
your prayers.
Sunday Services On
Line
Don’t forget that if
you can’t get to church on
Sunday, the service from Straffan is live-streamed.
https://www.churchmedia.tv/straffon-church-of-ireland and www.facebook.com/CSNLParish.
Ukrainian
Community In Straffan
It has been a great joy in these last few months to
welcome a number of members of the Ukrainian community to join us for worship
in Straffan. We now produce the
services, readings, prayers and sermon in translation each week which we hope
makes participation easier. A number of
our parishioners are also involved in the provision of language and
conversation classes which are essential in finding employment and settling
into this new environment. We are very
conscious that our new friends have loved ones still in Ukraine and are
obviously hugely concerned for their safety.
While we do enjoy the addition to our congregation we pray for a peace
that will eventually allow our Ukrainian friends to return to their homes and
begin the process of rebuilding.
Ash
Wednesday - 14th February
There were services at 11 a.m., in Christ Church,
Celbridge and in Straffan at 7 p.m. The
children from Primrose Hill National School took part in the service in Christ
Church, Celbridge.
Concerts In Christ
Church, Celbridge - Future Events
Thursday, 18th April. The UK Drifters
Saturday, 22nd June. John Spillane
Saturday, 7th September. Brian Kennedy
Saturday, 5th October. Sean Keane
All tickets are now up on Eventbrite and also
available from Breda - 087-9630719.
All €25
except UK Drifters - €30.
Solidarity
To Palestinian Ambassador
Archbishop Michael Jackson has had
a meeting with the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Jilian Wahba
Abdalmajid. The meeting took place
in the Embassy at the invitation of the Ambassador. They spoke about what is happening in
Palestine and the Ambassador said that her family was still living in
Gaza. The Archbishop highlighted
the link between the Diocese of Jerusalem and the United Dioceses of Dublin
& Glendalough as well as his travels to Gaza and the Westbank, the friendly
and welcoming people he met there and the appeal to help with the
reconstruction of Al Ahli Hospital. Dr.
Abdalmajid said that two of her three children were born in Al Ahli. Archbishop Jackson said after the
meeting, “We
offered our solidarity and our friendship.
And we will both continue to keep and build this friendship”. You can donate to the Shine A Light for the
Diocese of Jerusalem appeal online at Diocesan Funds Current Account, Bank of
Ireland, 2 College Green, Dublin 2.
IBAN: IE50. BOFI: 9000 1769 3548
78. BIC: BOFIIE2D.
World Day of Prayer
- Friday, 1st March 
Our ecumenical World Day of Prayer 2024 was co-ordinated by the Roman
Catholic Celbridge ladies and held in the Slip Hall. The beautiful service of worship was written
by the Christian women of Palestine, during the covid19 pandemic, and was very
well attended. Rev. Stephen gave
a special welcome to the group of Ukrainian ladies who are living in Straffan,
and extra prayers were added at the end of the worship, for peace in Palestine
and the Ukraine. Father Joe &
Rev. Stephen gave the final blessing.
Tea and biscuits and chat followed and it was a great opportunity to
catch-up with our new neighbours and old friends. We raised €388, which is lodged with WDP Ireland for various
charities at home and abroad. WDP 2025
will be held in St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic
Church, Straffan. The Christian women of
Palestine called us to connect with the land from where Jesus came, was born,
ministered and died and from where our faith began and is rooted. Despite living in an area of the world where
there is ongoing conflict and the future is uncertain, the women of Palestine
shared with love a reminder that they are there, and they want to give hope to
everyone. The theme of the service was “I beg you, bear with one
another in love”.
Newcastle-Lyons
300
Next year St. Finian’s Church, Newcastle-Lyons
celebrates 300 years in its current form.
Reputed to be the oldest parish church in the diocese it has seen so
much of the history of the Church of Ireland and indeed long before that. There is a standing cross in the graveyard
that is likely 7th century!
It seems a good excuse therefore for a celebration and there are a
number of events being planned at this time.
More details to follow. Claire
Burke organised a quiz in aid of the anniversary - all answers being well
known bands! Thanks to everyone who
entered. Almost €700 was made. Prizes went to Cavan, Straffan and
Newcastle. The answers:
The Rolling Stones, Spice Girls, Abba, The Cure, Four
Tops, The Who, Cranberries, Genesis, Simple Minds, Boomtown Rats, The Doors,
The Grateful Dead, The Police, Def Leppard, Red Hot Chili Peppers, AHA,
Madness, The Dubliners, Green Day, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Hot Chocolate,
Wings, The Carpenters & U2.
Thanks
..to Dee Huddleston for taking the services on
the first Sundays of the month in February & March in Straffan.
Holy Week &
Easter Services 
Wednesday, 27th Compline. St. Finian’s Church, Newcastle-Lyons. 8 p.m.
Thursday, 28th Maundy
Thursday. Holy Communion & Stripping
of the Altar. 8 p.m. Straffan Church.
Friday, 29th Good
Friday, Way of the Cross Walks. All starting from the Church of Ireland churches this year.
10
a.m., in Straffan. 12 noon in Celbridge and 12 noon in St. Finian’s.
Saturday, 30th Holy
Saturday. Lighting of the Easter Fire
& 1st Eucharist of Easter.
8
p.m., in Straffan.
Sunday, 31st Easter
Sunday. (NB. Clocks go forward at 1a.m.)
Dawn
Ecumenical Sunrise Service. 6.15
a.m.
Holy
Communion in all 3 churches at usual times.
Organisation Focus
- Royal National Lifeboat Institution
This week, the RNLI celebrates its Bicentenary and two stamps were
issued to honour the amazing role played by the RNLI in providing a lifesaving
rescue service at sea and also in inshore lakes. It was founded in 1824 by Sir William
Hillary. There are approximately
1,121 lifeboat crew members with 675 shore crew in Ireland. Over the past 20 years the RNLI has responded
to 20,899 incidents, saved 724 lives and come to the aid of 25,120 people in
Ireland. This voluntary organisation
relies on donations and 6 in 10 launches are only possible thanks to gifts in
wills.
Chuckle
Time 
An African bishop arriving for a Lambeth Conference was asked “Have you anything o declare?” The
bishop took his Bible from his pocket, opened it, and loudly declared, “We preach Jesus Christ, who was crucified, died
and is risen again.”
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.
Bereavements
It was a great sadness to hear of the death of Willie
Doble who died peacefully on Monday, 26th February. Our sympathy and prayers go especially to his
daughters Sandra & Claire, grandchildren Lauren, Aimee, Daniel
& Davey, his great granddaughter Lola, sons-in-law Liam &
Declan and his wider family and many friends. Willie was over 80 years a parishioner
of St. Finian’s,
Newcastle-Lyons and always had a welcome and a smile for the visitor or new
parishioner. His funeral took place in
his beloved St. Finian’s on Thursday, 29th February and the very
large congregation spilled out well into the graveyard. The burial followed in Donacomper Cemetery in
Celbridge where Willie was laid to rest with his late and beloved wife Essie.
Deepest sympathy to William (Willie) Roche and
his wife Janet (sister of Valerie Denner) of Celbridge on
the death of Willie’s mum, Carmel
Roche. God bless all who mourn the
loss of loved ones.
Suicide Awareness
Training At CITI
This will take place at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in
Baemor Park, Churchtown on Saturday, 25th May. The session will offer an evidence based
training course to equip attendees with the necessary skills and confidence to
support individuals who may be considering suicide. The course will run from 9.30 a.m., to 1
p.m. The cost is €25.
Register at: https://forms.gle/bgkraF7rpTFc64c66
Come & Sing
Stainer’s Crucifixion -
St.Bartholomew’s Church,
Dublin. Saturday, 23rd March.
Registration and rehearsal will begin at 2.30 p.m., with a break at 4.30
p.m, for which tea and coffee will be provided.
The performance will begin at 5 p.m and open to all.
Calendar Of Events
March
Sun 10 Mothering Sunday
Sun 17 St. Patrick’s Day. Services as usual.
Fri 22 Whist Drive. Slip Hall, Celbridge. 8 p.m.
Sat 23 Stainer‘s Crucifixion. St. Bartholomew‘s Church..
Sun 24 Palm Sunday.
Wed 27 St. Finian’s Church,
Newcastle-Lyons. 8 p.m.
Thu 28 Maundy Thursday.
Straffan. 8 p.m.
Fri 29 Good Friday Way of the Cross walks.
10
a.m. Straffan. Noon.
Celbridge & Newcastle.
Sat 30 Holy Saturday.
Straffan Church. 8 p.m.
Sun 31 Easter Sunday. Sunrise
service. 6.15 a.m.
Castletown
Gates/Slip Hall.
Clocks
go forward at 1 a.m!
Holy
Communion in all 3 churches.
April
Wed 10 EGV.
St. Finian’s
Church, Newcastle-Lyons. 8 p.m.
Thu 11 EGV.
Primrose Hill School, Celbridge.
8 p.m.
Thu 18 The UK Drifters. Christ Church, Celbridge.
May
Tue 7 Closing date for next issue of CSNL
NEWS.
Sun` 19 Pentecost. Confirmation.
Christ Church Cathedral,
Dublin. 3.30 p.m.
Sat 25 Suicide Awareness Training. CITI.
9.30 a.m.
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
Anxiety weighs down a heart,
but a kind word cheers it up. Proverbs.
12:25.
