Issue
81 CSNL NEWS January/February, 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 ..
Happy New Year - Why do we say that?
Is it a description of what we feel or is it an aspiration towards the
goal of happiness which we don’t always
reach? Perhaps a bit of both and that is
probably a fairly accurate reflection of what it is to be human. Up and down, happy and sad, on the
mountaintop or in the valley, we all fluctuate between these poles.
Christmas which for the most part is a happy time is now over and we
face into Lent which is a somewhat more sombre time and so the church’s year reflects the pattern of our lives. To make it even more confusing this year Ash
Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is also St. Valentine’s Day and so even as we contemplate our mortality and
frailty we are reminded of the most wonderful gift of Love. But I think while obviously a coincidence in
terms of the calendar, I think this strange juxtaposition points towards an
important truth that can help us through the valleys of our lives and that is
that Love is always present to us.
Why? Because God is Love and God
is the one constant in a life of ups and downs, or as the great Irish
theologian CS Lewis put it: ‘The great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go God’s love for us does not.’
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. The group will meet back
again after the Christmas break on Tuesday, 16th January.
Whist Drives. Friday, 24th November was the
Christmas Whist Drive and was a very enjoyable night with some seasonal prizes
on offer. Thanks as always to Esther
Lougheed & Rebecca & James Taylor for organising the nights and to Val
Denner for helping with the raffle.
The next Whist Drives will be held on Friday, 26th January
and on Friday, 23rd February at 8 p.m., in the Slip Hall. All welcome!
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.
Saturday
Night Services - Christ Church Celbridge - 7 p.m.
The theme for the service on Saturday, 11th
November was “Healed
by Love, Healed for Love”. The next
service will be on Saturday, 10th February and all are welcome for
this. Refreshments afterwards.
Dublin &
Glendalough Magazine - The Church Review
Subscriptions were due on 1st January - thanks to Elizabeth
Waldron (Newcastle-Lyons), Debbie Kelly (Straffan) & Ken
Denner (Celbridge) for distributing and to whom subscriptions should be
paid. If you do not already receive the bumper packed magazine and would like
to do so, please contact the above.
Remembrance Sunday
- 12th November - Poppy Appeal
The Rite of Remembrance was observed in all churches. Thanks to all who
supported the Poppy Appeal.
Confirmation
Classes will be
starting shortly. Anyone wishing to be
confirmed should contact our Rector.
Provisionally the Confirmation is in Christ Church Cathedral on
Pentecost Sunday afternoon (19th May).
Register Of Vestry
Persons - Note To All Parishioners!
These will be reviewed at the next meetings of the Select Vestries of
Celbridge./Straffan and of Newcastle-Lyons.
If you wish your name to go on this register there will be forms in the
churches which can be filled out and given to the churchwardens. Only those who are registered can vote at an
Easter General Vestry meeting and thus determine the membership of the Select
Vestry for the next year.
Christmas fair - 11th
November
Well done to June Galligan & Lucy Jones and their team for
organising a great event in the revived Christmas Fair. Like many regular events on the calendar it
had fallen victim to the Covid Effect and it was a big job of work to re-launch
it. It was lovely to see so many of the
younger school families in attendance and their contributions to the artwork
competition covered the walls of the hall.
There was a great atmosphere and while a financial success, it was also
a very enjoyable social occasion. Well
done everyone!
Concerts In
Celbridge & Straffan
Both Celbridge and Straffan hosted a number of
concerts during the month of December and early January. Among those who performed in Christ Church
were the New York Tenors & Deirdre Masterson, the Celbridge
Concert Orchestra, The Voices of Spring, Connor McKeown and the Maynooth
Gospel Choir and most recently Rebecca Storm. Each was very different but all most
enjoyable.
Straffan Church was the venue for Misneach
which was a stunning orchestral and vocal presentation with a strong
traditional Irish element which left the audience spellbound.
More to come this year including The Irish Peace
Choir, Red Hurley, The UK Drifters, John Spillane, Brian Kennedy (returning
by popular demand) and also Sean Keane (again returning by popular
demand). Most concerts are available on
Eventbrite or details from 087-9630719 (Breda Konstantine).
St. Brigid
The first Public Holiday to honour St. Brigid, whose day is celebrated
on 1st February, will be on Monday, 5th February.
Thanks
Thanks to Dee Huddleston for taking the Service of the Word in
Straffan on 3rd December and 7th January and to Dee
Huddleston & Geoffrey McMaster for taking the United Service in
Straffan Church on New Year‘s Eve. Also to all who decorated all three churches
for the Christmas services and concerts and tidied up afterwards, all who
provided the music and all who read at the carol services.
Team Hope Shoeboxes
Thanks also to those who brought shoeboxes/items for shoeboxes, who
brought them to the centre and helped pack.
176,465 children received shoeboxes in 12 countries in Africa and
Eastern Europe. Amelia (3),
Albania, received her shoebox 1 day after she got home from hospital with a bad
flu. Isaac (10) Rwanda, loved the
photo of the family in Ireland, who donated their box on line. Daniel (5), Burundi, always wanted a
watch and couldn’t stop showing it
to people and telling them the time and felt very cool. Kuzma (4), Ukraine, was very happy in
his treasure trove to find a toy football.
He loves football.
Sunday Services On
Line
Don’t forget that if
you can’t get to church on
Sunday, the service from Straffan is live-streamed. The Editor has enjoyed this facility,
when she was unable to get to church and joined in with the congregation.
https://www.churchmedia.tv/straffon-church-of-ireland and www.facebook.com/CSNLParish.
Archbishop of
Dublin Issues A Statement & Appeals For Support
This was issued following reports of a fire in Dublin at a premises
rumoured to have been identified for accommodation of people seeking
asylum. “Nothing wholesome is achieved by such activity. It contributes nothing to our
self-understanding as a society of kindness and respect. Everyone loses out,
most of all the vulnerable and those who are struggling. We have just celebrated Christmas when we
mark as a national community the coming of the Child of Bethlehem in a state of
homelessness and in an arena of oppression.
We are into a new year which always holds unexpected opportunities for
good. My appeal is that we rally round
those without food and shelter, whatever their place of origin, in these dark
days of winter.”
Sympathy
Deepest sympathy to the family of Thomas Nelson of Courtown Road,
Kilcock and late of Collinstown, Leixlip and Moyglare, Maynooth. Thomas died on 31st October
peacefully in the loving care of the staff of Moyglare Nursing Home, Maynooth,
in his 96th year. His funeral
took place in St. Mary’s Church, Leixlip
and burial was in Moyglare Cemetery, Maynooth.
Our prayers go out to his daughters in Celbridge parish, Esther &
Una and the rest of the family circle at this sad time. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
We pray for Ken & Valerie Denner and the entire family in the
recent loss of Ken’s brother Philip
from Raheny after a long illness. Philip
died peacefully in Beaumont Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Philip was predeceased by his much
loved wife Christine. His funeral
took place at Trinity Church, Gardiner Street and was a great celebration of
his life, featuring a presentation on his lifelong commitment to the Boys
Brigade, uniformed members of which led his coffin from the church. He was buried at Shanganagh Cemetery. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
World Day of Prayer
- Friday, 1st March
The Christian women of Palestine are calling 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 are sharing with love a reminder that they
are there, and they want to give hope to everyone. The theme of the service is “I beg you, bear with one
another in love”. The Day of Prayer is celebrated in over 146
countries beginning in Samoa before finishing 38 hours later in many native
languages. It is open to men and women
and will be held in St. Patrick’s Church,
Celbridge.
Primrose
Hill National School Christmas Market & Carol Service
December was a busy month for the school with the very
successful Christmas Market in the school. Thanks to all who attended,
contributed and organised the Market on Saturday, 9th December. The end of year carol service was held in
Christ Church, Celbridge on 22nd December. As always the dramatised readings were
excellent and the children even taught us a new carol for our repertoire!
The Week Of Prayer
For Christian Unity
This takes place from January, 18th to 25th and
the theme is “You shall love the
Lord your God .. and your neighbour as yourself”. Luke
10:27. It was prepared by an ecumenical
team from Burkina Faso. Christian Aid
has provided Go and Do action points for each of the daily reflections linking
into the important work of Christian Aid in the relief of poverty and advocacy
of justice.
Baptism
On Wednesday, 27th December, Lola Diaz Burke, daughter
of Lauren Burke & Ivan Diaz was baptised in St. Finian’s Church, Newcastle-Lyons. The Godparents were Aimee Tobin, Daniel
Burke & Domingo Diaz Perez. We
wish Lola every blessing in her journey in faith and life.
Christmas Carol
Services & Christmas Day
It was very heartening to see a considerable rise in church attendance
throughout the Christmas season. The
carol services in Newcastle-Lyons, (Sunday 17th December) Straffan
and Celbridge (Christmas Eve) were all very well supported and a special thanks
to organists Jenny Shaw (Straffan) and James Pasley (Celbridge
& Newcastle-Lyons) and the choirs and lesson readers who participated in
the services. The collections at these
services went to the ’Shine a Light’ Diocesan appeal which is administered by the
Diocese of Jerusalem and its focus especially on the ongoing tragedy in Gaza.
Likewise the Christmas Eve & Christmas Day services were very well
attended and it was lovely to see family members from afar coming back to
visit. A special thanks to our parish
lay Ministers, Dee Huddleston & Geoffrey McMaster for their
considerable contributions to our parish worship at this most special time and
indeed ro our church wardens and those who decorated our churches during the
Christmas season.
Ash
Wednesday - 14th February
There will be services at 11 a.m., in Christ Church,
Celbridge and in Straffan at 7 p.m. The
children from Primrose Hill National School will be taking part in the service
in Christ Church, Celbridge.
Calendar Of Events
January
Thu 18 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins.
Tue 23 Craft
& Chat resumes. Slip Hall,
Celbridge.
2.30 p.m.
Thu 25 Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity ends.
Fri 26 Whist Drive. Slip Hall.
8 p.m.
February
Thu 1 St. Brigid’s Day.
Mon 5 Public Holiday. St.
Brigid’s Day.
Sat 10 Saturday Night Service.
Christ Church, Celbridge.
7 p.m.
Wed 14 Ash Wednesday. 11
am. Christ Church, Celbridge.
7 p.m. Straffan.
Fri 23 Whist Drive. Slip Hall.
8 p.m.
Thu 29 Closing date for next issue of CSNL NEWS.
March
Fri 1 World Day of Prayer. St. Patrick’s Church, Celbridge.
Sun 10 Mothering Sunday
Next Issue
of CSNL NEWS out.
Sun 17 St. Patrick’s Day.
Doubt sees the
obstacles,
faith sees the
way.
Doubt sees the
darkest night,
faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to
take a step,
faith soars on
high.
Doubt whispers, ‘Who
believes?’
Faith answers, ‘I’.
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
Chuckle
Time
The bride was given away by her father who wore a white ballerina length
dress of rose-patterned lace and carried a bouquet of red roses.
Anxiety weighs down a heart,
but a kind word cheers it up. Proverbs.
12:25.
