December
2020
Fortunately,
during the eleven weeks in the summer that we were back to Church after the
initial lockdown we kept our Church services going on Facebook live. We have a
faithful group of African mums and some cocooners who have formed a little
community on Sunday mornings who recognise each other. Our African ladies post
their greetings and enthusiastic religious comments and our cocooners posting
their greetings and supportive messages during our Facebook live services. It
was lovely to have this online community when we were forced to close the
church doors again for the second time. We now have 66 services saved on the
website. We are delighted to be back to public worship in December with
socially distancing measures in place. Please wear a mask while attending
Church.
We
celebrated Harvest on 11th October, I deliberated on the date,
hoping that we could have a congregation but, in the end, decided as the month
was moving on to have our Harvest on Sunday 11th on Facebook Live.
Our ukelelist sang the three Harvest hymns, ‘Come ye Thankful People, come’,
Holy is the Seed Time’ and we finished with the quintessential harvest hymn,
‘We Plough the Fields and Scatter’. We
decorated the Pulpit and Communion rails with apples and oranges and for props
used a couple of paintings with harvest scenes that two parishioners had
created in previous years. I think the church looked well but a very different
Harvest this year, our Flower Guild normally do such an amazing job decorating
our Church for Harvest, hopefully next year we will be back to church.
Friday 16th
October was World Developmental
Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day. One in every fourteen children and adults has a Developmental Language
Disorder, which causes significant issues with speaking and comprehension for
those affected. In a bid to raise awareness of the hidden condition, which is
very poorly identified in Ireland, an International DLD Awareness Day was held
on October 16th.
Emma, who is our local
newspaper ‘The Echo’s’ office manager, has a son with DLD and came to me to ask
if we would light up the Church in yellow and purple on October 16th
to help raise awareness of DLD. We were
delighted to be of assistance for DLD day especially as the Echo have be so
supportive to our Parish over the years so St. Maelruain’s was lit up in purple
(portable spot lights) and yellow (our flood lights are already yellow sodium
light). Other public buildings across the city were likewise lit up such as
City Hall / Dublin Castle, the Red Cow Inn and City West. Let’s hope DLD Awareness
Day brought this condition to the attention it deserves.
I
returned to my bike during the weekdays as I was not getting as much exercise
as I normally would, similarly a couple of parishioners came to church by bike
for the same reason. We had a surplice bike rack beside the parish hall which
we brought over to the Church and I asked a parishioner, who is a qualified
painter and decorator, David Gibson, if he would give it a coat of paint and he
very kindly offered to paint it along with the two church benches, the
downpipes of the church and the Sexton’s cottage gates. I took it as another
vote of confidence in the future after the voluntary painting of both halls
which I reported on previously.
Christmas is going to
be very different this year because of COVID19 and so it is with this year’s
Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal. We had our appeal on our Facebook Live on Sunday
25th October, our Family Service, which is the Sunday in the
calendar that I normally launch our appeal, just before Halloween. It always
amuses me the reaction of parents in the lead up to my talk to the children
about the launch when I ask the children in the congregation ‘What would they
like for Christmas?’ Imagine the reaction of the children when I ask them about
receiving the four W’s.
Washing: Would they
like to receive items for Washing? Such as facecloth, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush…
Perhaps a child who has no means of personal care? Writing: Would they like to receive items
for Writing? Such as pens, pencils, copy books….. Perhaps the child who can’t
afford to go to school? Wear: Would
they like to receive items to Wear? Such as hats, gloves, scarves, socks
…. Perhaps a child who has little
clothing and suffers in the cold winter?
WOW: Would they like to receive items to WOW? Such as a doll, toy car or
a soft toy …. Perhaps a child who has no possessions or toys and receives no
present at Christmas? The children in
the congregation usually only show excitement about the contents of the boxes
when they see sweets! My hope is the simplicity of the Shoebox puts the needs
rather than the wants of our western overly commercial Christmas in
perspective.
This year,
unfortunately with the Corona Virus, we can’t ship our donated Shoeboxes as we
normally do to Eastern Europe and Africa but Team Hope have invited us to send
€20 so that they can make up the boxes and distribute them to the children in
need, who so excitedly receive them. If you go onto their website www.teamhope.ie you can choose items from
the four W’s to be put in your box or if you prefer just simply donate €20, you
can donate up until 23rd December. Team Hope can also be contacted
on 01 294 0222.
On 12th
November we recorded the TUD Tallaght Campus’ Annual Remembrance Service in the
Church for deceased staff and students, I was asked to preach and I chose to
speak on the Beatitudes, the eight blessings recounted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.
We
had our annual Gift Day on 22nd November and as we go to print
approximately € 5,000 has been donated, a big thank you to those who have given
so far. As mentioned in the Gift Day letter and reported by our Hon Treasurer
at our Easter Vestry we were €8000 in deficit at the end of 2019 so I am
dreading to see what the end of year accounts will show for 2020. If you have
not already given please consider doing so, every bit helps to ensure the
future of our Parish. As you prepare to open your purses to support
businesses in your local area, as we are all being encouraged to do, we urge
you to support your parish too. Traditional methods of fundraising could not
take place this year, so please put your parish on your 2020 Christmas present
list.
I was sad to learn of the death of (Archbishop for
North America and Europe) Metropolitan Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma of our Indian sister
church that have used St. Maelruain’s as a place of worship for a long number
of years. Dr. Joseph visited St. Maelruain’s in 2018. We extend our condolences
to the Mar Thoma community in Ireland on his sad passing. Unfortunately, with
the Covid19 pandemic they have been unable to use our Church since March but we
hope to accommodate them again in the future.
May I take this opportunity to wish all the
readers of the parish Newsletter a very happy Christmas, I pray that at some
stage in 2021 our lives will have returned to some sort of normality with our
health intact and I look forward to the doors of our church remaining fully
open to welcome back parishioners.
God Bless William
FUNERAL
The funeral of Eileen Williams took place in St.
Maelruain’s on Monday 19th October, we extend our deepest sympathies
to her husband Michael.
ENVELOPES
Church giving envelopes will be available in the Church
Porch by Christmas. If anybody would like to join the envelope scheme, keeping
in mind the tax rebate available to the parish, please ask the Rector or
contact the Parish Office 462 6006 or email tallaghtparish@gmail.com
THE CHURH OF IRELAND GAZETTE If you would like to subscribe
to the Church of Ireland all Ireland monthly magazine please contact the Parish
office 462 6006 or email tallaghtparish@gmail.com
CHURCH REVIEW Subscription of €40 will be due in January on orders of the Dublin and
Glendalough Diocesan Church Review Magazine, please send payment to Parish
Office (cheques make payable to Tallaght Parish Church). If you do not wish to
continue with you subscription or if you would like start receiving the
magazine please let the parish office know 462 6006 or email tallaghtparish@gmail.com.
Christmas in
St. Maelruain’s
Sun
20th Dec 11.00am The Nine (short) Lessons (but no
sermon!) on FACEBOOK live & parish website
Thurs 24th Dec Christmas Eve
11.30pm Christmas Eve
Midnight Holy Communion in the MAIN HALL To keep the church sterile
for the 11am Not on Facebook live
Fri
25th Dec
8.30am Christmas Early Morning Holy Communion
Service in the Small Hall to keep the
church sterile for the 11am Service not on Facebook live
11.00am
Christmas
Holy Communion Service with overflow speaker in Church car park or watching via
FACEBOOK
live saved
on parish website
Sun
27th Dec Sunday after
Christmas - No service for congregation for either 8.30am or 11am services as
the buildings will not be sterile following Christmas.
11am
Family Service on FACEBOOK live only
Thurs 31st New Year’s Eve
11.30pm New Year’s Eve service in the Main Hall so that church will be sterile Sunday Service.
Sunday
Services
8.30am
Service Holy Communion each Sunday. 11.00am Service
Holy Communion: 1st and 3rd Sundays of each
month. Morning Prayer: 2nd
and 5th Sundays of each month.
Family
Service: 4th Sun of each month. 1st Wed of the month Holy
Communion with prayers for the sick 10.00am
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