September 2012

FROM THE RECTOR

On 24^th June we said farewell to parishioners Alroy and Liomia Hoffmeester and their children Leah and Lio as they returned to their native South Africa for employment reasons. I think they found the decision to leave Ireland a difficult one and Leah, according to reports, is missing her Irish friends. Hopefully by now she is settling into her new school. Alroy had just agreed to take on the role of Churchwarden for the second time. We are very grateful to Colin Ackrell who has agreed to take over from Alroy. Colin and his wife Rita, who sings in the Music Group, were married here in St. Maelruain’s in May this year.

We had the cutting of the hedges in the graveyard on 26^th June in preparation of the Dominican blessing of the graveyard on 1^st July. Thank you to Billy Gould, who rounded up members of the Bowls Club to help and to John Donoghue who organised for the Boy’s Brigade leaders to help along with myself and our respective sons. The graveyard looks in great shape now, many hands make light work. Thank you to everyone who turned out to help.

Welcome back to all the organisations as we look forward starting off the church calendar for another year.  William

FUNERALS

The funeral of Vic Saunders took place here in St. Maelruain’s on 8^th June and on 14^th June we had the funeral of Norah Quinn. We extend our condolences to the families of both these ladies.

WEDDING

On 27^th July we had the wedding of Natalie Ayres and Chris Raymond. Congratulations to you both and we wish you every happiness in your future lives.

BAPTISM

On 29^th July Paudie Rigley was baptised, he is the son of Mark and Hilary (nee O’Halloran) Please pray for Paudie as he begins his Christian life.

AMY’S TRIP TO UGANDA

On 3^rd August I headed out to Uganda with a team from Fields of Life. We spent our first 5 days in Nakasongola, which is in central Uganda. We stayed in a children’s shelter called New Beginnings and ran a camp for Leaving Cert age + students in the nearby Bethel Royal High School, which is a Fields of Life school. Eight other Fields of Life schools joined us. It was eye opening to see the faith these young people have in God.

We then travelled onto Lira, which is in Northern Uganda, seeing the very fast flowing Nile along the way. We stayed in Lira for a week while painting Truth Primary School which is also a Fields of Life school. We painted a lot more than was expected in the four days. On our last day in Lira we travelled even further north to Pador Palwo, where we saw areas where people had been moved to during the reign of Kony and the LRA 20 years ago.

Our last day in Uganda was in Kampala, the country’s capital, we had the opportunity to visit a slum which was just like you would see in a documentary.

I would like to thank everyone who supported me financially, by providing school or painting equipment or by remembering my team in prayer. On Sunday 26^th I presented two collection baskets to the church in thanks for this.

Amy.           ( Amy will be giving a talk on her trip at Mother’s Union on Monday 12^th November)

BOY’S BRIGADE

BB will re open on Friday 21st September in the parish centre at 7.30 pm for all sections. We hope everybody enjoyed the summer break and managed to get some sunshine at some stage! We are looking forward to seeing all our old members back and hopefully, some new faces too. All current members will receive notification by post along with their consent forms for the new session. Please be sure to bring the consent forms on the opening night. Subs for the coming year remain the same as last year and are due on the opening night also.
BB is open to boys between the ages of five and eighteen. Activities include drill, gymnastics, stories, drama, crafts, dodgeball, Christian Bible study, hiking and various outings throughout the year. Why not give BB a try and bring along a friend. For further information ring John at 4522930.

TABLE TENNIS

The table tennis club will re open on Thursday Sept 20th at 8pm. We are currently looking for new players of all standards for an informal game of table tennis followed by tea, biscuits and a chat! We also have teams in the United Churches Table Tennis League for the more serious players.

MOTHER’S UNION

I hope all our members and friends had an enjoyable break. Our agenda for the coming year will be launched following our opening service on Monday 10^th September at 8pm when once again Rev Avril Bennett will officiate.

If you care to join with  us – you will be assured of a warm welcome and friendship!

SAOIRSE would like antibacterial hand wash for our September donation.   TEA ROTA 10^th September: Mary Lucas / Hendrikja Mahon.

We will hold our celebration of “Mums in May” tea party on Sunday 23^rd September following 11am Morning Service.

Also on 23^rd September at 3.30pm in Christchurch Cathedral one member will represent our branch at Choral Evensong of Thanksgiving to celebrate 125 years of Mothers’ Union in Ireland.

Mothers Union Anniversary dinner on Friday 28^th September in the Springfield Hotel, Leixlip – there are still places available, details from Valerie or Miriam.

On Saturday 13^th October we plan to visit Rathfarnham Castle to view the Berkeley Costume and Toy Collection, a collection of 18^th and 19^th century toys, dolls and costumes.

Finally, please note date 1^st November for 11.15am service in Christchurch Cathedral when our branch will be included along with Malahide and Finglas.

PARISH REUNION COFFEE MORNING

 Drop in for a cuppa and a chat.  Ladies and Gents are invited to bring along old photographs of our Parish groups and events from yesteryear for our Memory Table.  Were you one of Ninty’s playgroup mums?  Did you stroll with the Strollers? Do you remember the Knit-ins, or the Mens’ Group, and those halcyon pre-fab days?  Join us on Friday morning 28^th September in the Old Hall, 10.00am – 12.00 noon, refreshments €3.00, proceeds will go towards parish funds.

BOWLS CLUB

Our Bowling Club reopens on Tues. 11th. Sept. 2012 for the new season. Our annual summer barbeque had to be cancelled due to poor weather. Instead we had a meal at the Spawell Templeogue on 17th. August, attended by most
members.  New members are always welcome at our Club, join us on Tuesday and Saturday nights in the Parish Hall.

BADMINTON CLUB

The badminton club will start back on Monday 3^rd September at 7.30pm. Come down and have a game of badminton and a cuppa. New members welcome.

WHIST

Our Whist Drives which successfully continued over the summer months carry on as usual. Our next Drive is on Monday 17^th September in the small hall at 8.00pm. All welcome.

THE CRAFTY CHATTERS

A craft group have been meeting over the summer months in the small hall. We are going to continue on over the coming session on the 1^st Tuesday of each month from 2pm – 4.30pm. starting on 4^th September. Come along with whatever craft you are working on, all welcome!

GOOD BOOK CLUB

The Good Book Club will continue to meet on Wednesday evenings in the Parish Centre where we study the gospel for the following Sunday. All welcome!

NOW AND THEN

Joe, who sings in our Music Group is looking for secondary school age kids + for the musical drama group ‘Now and Then’ for a production of ‘Joseph and his Technicolour Dream Coat’. If interested, contact William on 086 803 0239.

Rector's Letter

A word from William...

On 10th October as part of the national architects ‘open house’, a opportunity for free access to buildings that are not normally open to the public on Saturdays, the church was open and also as part of a new Iwalk of Tallaght. The local Iwalk is an initiative by South Dublin County Council allowing you to download onto your Ipod a walking tour of Tallaght.

On the same day the Indian congregation who use our Church on Saturdays were filming a programme to be broadcast on Christmas Day on Indian TV. They asked me to record a Christmas message.

On the 11th October Martin O’Connor came to talk to us at our 11am service on the work of the Bishop’s Appeal. Bishops' Appeal does not engage directly in development work itself, but channels funds through development agencies and partner churches who are already in place in areas of need.

Bishops' Appeal contributes to relief of suffering in time of emergencies whether natural or man-made. However, their main concern is to support ongoing development in the fields of sustainable agriculture, health, including HIV/AIDS, and education in many parts of the world. They aim to enable people to have more control over their own lives and futures so that they are less dependent on others than they are today.

On October 16th we were delighted to welcome Rev Adrienne Galligan, Rector of Crumlin and Chaplelizod, who preached at our Friday evening Harvest service. Thank you to the ladies who so beautifully decorated the Church for Harvest and to those who provided the Harvest supper.

On the following Sunday the 18th we had our Girl’s Brigade Enrolment Service and Children’s Harvest. I would like to thank the GB captain Carol Fox and her group of leader for all the hard work they do with the girls and also for providing the refreshments after the service.

We are looking forward to our annual Christmas Sing Along on Friday 4th December which although a fundraiser also proves to be a good parish social evening. Come along and get into the festive spirit!

God bless,
William.

Rector's Letter June 2009

A Word from William...

On Sunday the 10th May, during Christian Aid Week, we were delighted to welcome Tendai Mondondo as the speaker on behalf of Christian Aid. She spoke of her experiences working in various locations around the world particularly on gender- based violence and how important the work of Christian Aid is as it improves the quality of life for so many.

In the following week the Refugee Drop in Centre who use our Small Hall on a weekly basis held a coffee morning in aid of Christian Aid Week. The women of the centre provided the refreshments which was more of a feast that a coffee morning! Tendai also came to speak to those attending reiterating the subject matter of her Sunday morning visit.

On the Sunday 24th May we were visited by some of the crew members of the Logos Ship. The ship is a converted car ferry and it now functions as a floating bargain book - fare with a crew of 400 self supporting volunteer crew members from 45 different nations. They sell all sorts of books from general - interest, reference, careers, family life to bibles and Christian books. Perhaps the next time the ship is moored in Dublin you might consider visiting.

At this time of year when all the parish organisations are winding down for the year I have been attending the various AGM’s. I enjoyed both the Boy’s Brigade and Girl’s Brigade displays, it was great to see the culmination of the children’s hard work throughout the year. Congratulations to the leaders on all that they do for the children. I also attended the table tennis dinner in Joel’s and I am looking forward to the bowls bar- b –que in a few weeks time.

I hope that all the readers of the Losset have a lovely summer while remembering those doing exams and that this glorious weather continues.

Rector's Letter May 2009

A Word from William

We continued with our Lenten services using the Church’s Ministry of Healing Lenten course ‘Soul Spark’and began Holy Week on Palm Sunday with pampas grass at the end of each pew, instead of palm leaves, to remind us that Jesus was a King with the people for little more that a day. A service followed each night of Holy Week concluding with Easter Sunday.

Thank you to the ladies who so beautifully decorated the church for Easter.

On the evening of Easter Sunday there was a Concert in the Church featuring young traditional Swedish musicians ‘FIKA’ along with ‘LONNRA’ who are young traditional Irish musicians. It was a very enjoyable evening.

The Boy’s Brigade Display took place on 25th April, which was very enjoyable. I am very grateful to the three Dads who have volunteered to come on board as leaders.

Following Lent and Easter I was delighted to be able to continue with our joint Alpha course, which at this time is being run in St. Dominic’s. This is my third time to take part in an Alpha course and I am enjoying the experience.

At this time of year second level students are preparing for state exams and third level are in the midst of exams. May I take this opportunity to wish all those parishioners who are sitting exams the very best with their studies and hope that they are not too stressed or overwhelmed by the work involved.

God Bless William

Rector's Letter April 2009

A word from William……

Ash Wednesday was the beginning of our Lenten Services. We have been using the Churches Ministry of Healing’s “Soul Spark’s” course whose aim is to aid the development of one’s own spirituality and prayer life.

The Tallaght Women’s World Day of Prayer service took place in St. Mark’s, Springfield. It was an enjoyable service and evening.

Mark Patton, a young parishioner who had only been married in St. Maelruain's a couple of years ago sadly died on St. Patrick’s night last year. It was lovely to see all his family at our St. Patrick’s day service and hope that it was some comfort to them.

On the afternoon of St. Patrick’s day I attended the “naming ceremony’”(an African tradition) of James and Precious Osingua’s baby daughter, Anna. You may recall that James was Church Warden a few years ago.

At 8pm that evening there was an enjoyable concert in the Church featuring the Irish Variety Ensemble, a brass and reed musical evening in aid of the Church roof. The concert was followed by refreshments in the small hall.

On 20th March there was a lunch in the Davenport Hotel for Nicky Gumble, co-author of the Alpha Course. He reported how attendance at his own course was up by 30% reflecting peoples changing attitudes in the current financial crisis. He said to was not a time for the church to withdraw but a time for the church to step up.

On Sunday 22nd our Good News Club hosted the tea and coffee after Church in aid of the Sunday School Societies 200th Anniversary Project “Sightsavers” and €400 was raised. Thank you to all who donated.

I would like to wish all readers of the Losset a very Happy Easter.

God Bless

William

Rector's Letter

A Word from William...

On the afternoon of 25th January the local Christian Unity Week service took place in St. Dominic’s, Old Bawn. It was a lovely service and it was followed by leisurely fellowship at the tea / coffee afterwards.

In February we said a sad farewell to our longstanding parishioners Stuart and Eileen Whitten. They have sold their home in Templeogue and have moved to Nenagh, Co Tipperary to be closer to their daughter Lynn and family. Stuart and Eileen were faithful worshipers here in St. Maelruain's all their married lives and founded the parish Bowling Club. Eileen organised the Flower Guild until just a few years ago as well as always being gladly on hand for any parish event. Stuart and Eileen were always very supportive to the Boy’s Brigade, Stuart being a former Captain. I will miss them and wish them every future happiness in their new home.

We welcomed back to the parish Lettie Morrow in February. She is now resident in Kiltipper Woods nursing home. We hope that she will be happy there and trust that parishioners will visit her.

At the beginning of February, Valerie and myself were invited to the Tallaght District Credit Union’s 40th annual dinner in the Maldron Hotel.

Our joint Alpha course started in the contact centre in St. Dominic’s on Wednesday 11th February with a meal.

Sunday 22nd was family service and was followed as usual by refreshments in the main hall which were hosted by John and Annama Samuel to celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary and to give thanks for John’s recovery from his illness. Thanks to John and Annama for the lovely spread and to the other Indian Parishioners who helped them.

God Bless William

Rector's Letter - February 2009

December was a busy month, as usual. On 15th December we had our annual ‘Turkey Drive’ in the main hall. We are very grateful to the ‘Whist Drive’ who presented the parish with a cheque for €1500.00. Thank you to George Furney who runs the drives each month and to all his helpers.

On Tuesday 16th the Irish Variety Ensemble Concert Brass Band had their Christmas concert which was followed on Saturday 20th by the Leinster Singers Christmas Concert. Both these events were delightful and were followed by refreshments in the small hall.

On the morning of the 20th the church was decorated for Christmas. Thank you to Janet Edgely and her helpers, the church looked lovely for the festive season. On the same day the Indian Marthoma Church had a Christmas Service in the Church with their Bishop present (they use our church for services on a fortnightly basis) and we had a group of people from Zimbabwe praying for their country in the small hall.

Sunday 21st saw our Primary School Carol Service along with our Sunday School nativity ‘sketch’. That evening we had our Nine Lessons and Carols. Thank you to all involved in providing the refreshments following both these services.

On the Sunday immediately after Christmas we had the baptism of Daniel Ademola Osho. His granny, Victoria is one of our longest standing African parishioners. We had a full church with the family’s relatives and friends dressed in colourful traditional African dress. Thank you to Victoria and her friends who provided the meal after the service.

On New Year’s Eve we had a memorial service for Arthur Gwynne who had died in Australia having lived there for many years. His Australian relatives wanted to have the service for his Irish relatives who include our parishioner Caitriona McCoy, daughter of past parishioner and artist, Oisin Kelly. It was nice to meet all the Kelly and Gwynne family who have all had a connection with St. Maelruain's.

The Christmas services were followed on New Year’s Eve by our midnight multicultural service to welcome in the New Year. Thank you to Rev Obinna Ulogwara for all his work in organising it. Tendai Madando of Christian Aid (and is also running as a councillor in South Dublin County Council elections in June) preached.

I attended a talk on the ever current issue of Palestine by Dr. Susan Hood, archivist and publications officers at the RCB library, which was thought provoking and informative and it inspired me to give a sermon on Palestine on Sunday 11th January.

On the afternoon of Sunday 18th January I was asked to take part in an interview on Radio Tallaght along with other local clergy on the subject of religion today.

I was delighted to attend a thanksgiving service in the home of our former Indian Churchwarden John Thomas on the anniversary of his illness. When John was struck down by his sickness his family and friends prayed continuously for his recovery. It was great to see him walking, although aided, and talking again.


God bless William

Rector's Letter - A Word From William

The church was the venue for the I.T.T. business prize giving on 4th November. Local businesses who donate the prizes award them to the students in the pleasant surroundings of the church. It is lovely to see the church filled with local young people and their families. The ceremony was followed by a reception in the college.

On Sunday the 11th November we had our Confirmation Service preceded by act of Remembrance. We were delighted to welcome the Archbishop this year for confirmation as last year we had only one candidate who joined the candidates in Whitechurch. This year we had two candidates and as one of them has special needs the Archbishop was willing to come to St. Maelruain's despite the small number. It was a pleasure for me to prepare Megan McKim and Sarah McAllister almost on a one on one basis and it was also a pleasure for the bishop to confirm them especially as he was able to spend time with the families after the service when we were over in the hall for tea / coffee.

On Monday 20th in my role as part time chaplain to the I. T.T. I was invited by the Dublin Institute of Technology to a discussion with the Church of Ireland chaplains of Trinity College and UCD in DIT Merrion Square, along with the RC Chaplains, on how to ‘reach’ students. It was interesting to hear the viewpoints of other chaplains.

On Friday 21st I attended the ‘Tallaght Person of the Year’. This year the recipient was Gerry Bates. Gerry is a R.E. teacher in Old Bawn Community College. He was awarded this honour for his work in the community and as chairperson of the board of the drug rehabilitation programme in St. Dominic’s contact food.

At the end of the month I was interviewed by three groups of Our Lady’s Templeogue secondary school transition year students on the differences between the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church. As I told them, in my opinion the differences are more on how the churches are run by their respective higher archery that in what we believe.

May I take this opportunity to wish all the readers of the Losset a very joyous Christmas and in this time of recession maybe, a more reflective one, and a healthy and happy New Year.

God Bless
William

Rector's Letter

Developing Children’s Ministry……….

Our curate Rev Obinna Ulogwara has been busy organising the Diocesan Multicultural Harvest in his role as Diocesan Chaplain to International Community. The service take place in St. Bridget’s in Castleknock on Sunday 12th October at 3pm.

He has been trying to get together a praise band and with the children, what he calls, a Choreographic Group (what I would describe as children doing actions to Christian songs with dance). They have been rehearsing in our hall on Saturdays and took part in our recent family service and were a great success. They will be meeting in the Hall on an on going basis

While rehearsing for the hour or so on Saturday afternoons the parents had to stay due to safeguarding trust / child protection policies. As the conversation flowed among the parents it came up that the current Sunday School teachers Thomas and Sourena Matthew are taking a break due to the birth of their first child, Nevin. service.. A couple of the mothers present volunteered to fill the vacancy. Chika, Obinna’s wife has very kindly offered to take these mother’s for Sunday School preparation on Saturday afternoons before the Choreographic Group meet.

We have two candidates for confirmation on Sunday 9th November at 11am following our remembrance service. The candidates are Sarah McAllister and Megan McKimm. Last year we had only one candidate who was confirmed in Whitechurch. This year the Archbishop will be coming as Megan has special needs.

It is heartening to see the evolvement of Children’s ministry in the parish . I would like to thank Obinna and Chika for all that they are doing to encourage the children and their parents.

God Bless. William

Rector's Letter - June 2008

A Word from William…..
On the May bank holiday Monday, Obinna and I were asked to bless the house of one of our Indian parishioners as they moved into their new home. It is an Indian tradition that they put a pan of milk on to boil and let it boil over to symbolise that there would always be plenty in the home. It occurred to me as we waited for the milk to boil that my Mother lived in fear of the milk boiling over!

For Pentecost Sunday I borrowed the fluttering ‘flame’ from The Metro café / bar opposite the church which I placed in front of the Holy Table. Being Christian Aid week we watched a video clip on rising sea levels due to global warming and what affect it was having on countries like Bangladesh. We had a retiring collection for the tragedy in Burma with the funds raised going to Christian Aid, who were an established presence working in Burma prior to the cyclone.

We are looking forward to our Summer Sale on 7th June. As we still have an outstanding debt from the re-slating of the Church roof last Summer we are hoping to have as much support as possible to make this year’s sale a big success and help put the parish ‘back in the black’.

In recent weeks I gave 5 school tours of the Church and grounds. I recently attended the graduation ceremonies in St. MacDara’s School, Spawell and Jobstown Community School. It is encouraging to see the enthusiasm of young people. May I take this opportunity to wish those sitting both State and College exams all the very best with their studies.

I hope all our Losset readers have an enjoyable summer and let’s pray that we don’t have similar weather to last year’s!

God bless William.

Rector's Letter - April 2008

A Word from William

On Friday 7th the Women’s World day of Prayer Service was held in St. Aongus. Thank you to Valerie for helping to organising the local area service. Mary Hendrick of St. Aongus parish gave the address on the story of ‘Mary and Martha’ and made the point that we should all take time to pause in our busy lives.

The Archbishop moved his usual Maundy Thursday service for clergy to Tuesday 18th . The commissioning of lay readers including Daphne Harvey, from Blessington parish, who has been with us in Tallaght also took place.

We concluded our Lenten worship in Holy Week and unfortunately the funeral of Mark Patton took place on Good Friday, a young man who I married just a few years ago. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

We celebrated Easter with a full church and thank you to Janet Edgely and the ladies who decorated the church so beautifully, as they do on a continuous basis throughout the year.

On our family service on the 30th it happened to be ‘Doubting Thomas Sunday’. Our Indian Parishioners have a special affection for St. Thomas. He is reputed to have brought Christianity to India and they have the same feelings that we in Ireland would have towards St. Patrick. The story goes that St. Thomas went to India as an architect to build a palace for a prince. However, St. Thomas out of pity, gave away the money to the poor and could not build the palace. He was put in the prison. That night, the King’s brother died and he was told the beautiful palace beside the river in the heavens was his brothers. He came back from the dead and told the story to the King. They were later converted to Christianity.

The Boy’s Brigade organised tea / coffee after Church in aid of the Laura Lynn Foundation (children’s hospice) after the family service in March. It’s the BB Ireland’s chosen charity of the year. They managed to raise the sum of 500 which will be sent to BB Ireland to forward to the Foundation.

God Bless William

Rector's Letter - March 2008

A word from William……

The 6th February saw Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent. We have been having weekly Lenten services on Wednesday evenings where we have been looking at the ‘Hard Gospel’. So far, we have covered the subject of Faith and Ethnicity, Faith and Sexuality, Faith and Tradition and Faith and Patriotism and as this goes to print we still have to cover the subjects of Faith and Class, Faith and Young People, Faith and Gender and Faith and Age.

At our family service on 24th February we were delighted to welcome Blessington parishioner Daphne Harvey who is training as a lay reader. She will be with us for three Sundays. Daphne led the service while I preached the sermon. Many of you may be familiar with Daphne, her daughter is St. Maelruain's Parishioner Jenny Devine. Daphne and her family often come to St. Maelruain’s on special occasions like Harvest and Carol services. Thanks to Valerie for working with the Sunday school children in preparation for the song they sang at the service

The family service was followed by tea / coffee provided by our Sunday School in aid of their Lenten project CMS in Kenya. They raised €576.75. Thank you to Sunday School Superintendent Douglas Bailey for organising the event and to Amy who stepped in to help due to the absence of our other Sunday school leaders Thomas and Sourena who were on holiday in India.

Mothering Sunday was on 2nd March, although many may think of it as a ‘Hallmark Holiday’ it is a reminder to give thanks for our Mothers and all that they do. Thank you to Regina Donoghue and Janet Edgely for the lovely posies they made, which were given to the ladies in the congregation.

Normally on Mothering Sunday, in recent years, we have had a Discovery Service here in St. Maelruain's as Mothering Sunday is a big day of celebration in Africa. This year, the African ladies felt it would be insensitive to Annama, one of our leading Indian ladies, as her husband John, our Churchwarden, has been in ICU in hospital since 25th January. So the decision was made to hold a healing Mothers Day service in the Chapel of Tallaght Hospital. It was lovely to see Donald Seale at the service along with his wife Theresa and their neighbours. Donald who for so many years was a faithful worshiper here in Tallaght has unfortunately been in and out of Tallaght Hospital over the last few years.

At the service we also prayed for John. He has been back in Tallaght Hospital following surgery in Beaumont for a couple of weeks and he has now moved out of ICU to the William Stokes Unit. While there has been a weekly improvement in his health, he still has a long way to go. Please remember John, Annama and their children Sharon and Sybil in your prayers. Thank you to Rev Obinna Ulogwara for organising the service, to Valerie for playing the organ and to Amy and Patricia for the refreshments after the service.

While on the subject of healing, as a member of the Diocesan Healing Committee I have been asked to take the lunch-time healing service in St. Anne’s, Dawson Street on the 3rd Tuesday of each month.

I would like to wish all the readers of the Losset a very happy Easter. We look forward to this time of year of renewal with the trees budding, spring flowers blooming and the sound of birds nesting. May Easter also be a time to remind us of our spiritual growth and renewal.

God Bless, William.

Rector's Letter - February 2008

A Word from William
On Saturday 15th Dec. the Church was the venue for the fourth Christmas Concert by Anne Featherstone, teacher in the Leinster School of Music, and her students the Leinster Singers. It always proves to be an enjoyable evening and was followed by refreshments in the Parish Hall.

On the same evening our bowling club had their Christmas dinner which Valerie and I attended. It was nice to have the opportunity to congratulate the teams on their competition successes of last year.

On Sunday 16th at our 11am service our Primary School Carol Service along with their principal Iris McMenamin who accompanied the children on the piano. There was a larger than ever attendance of parents which was great to see.

That night we had our Nine Lessons and Carols service which traditionally has become an evening that we are joined by people from the wider community and by friends of the parish. As always, the service was enjoyed by all. Thank you to those who decorated the church and provided refreshments after the service.

I attended the Indian Marthoma congregation’s Carol Service, which was conducted in St. Maelruain's. After the service they showed a film, which aired in Indian TV on Christmas Day, about Indians in Ireland and featured shots taken of St. Maelruain's and various other locations around Dublin and Wicklow.

In addition to our Christmas services, we had our second New Year’s Eve service at 11pm. Traditionally we Irish get together with our family and friends on New Year’s Eve, but for those who may be thousands of miles from home New Year’s Eve can be a lonely experience. It was an enjoyable service. Thanks to Rev. Obinna Ulogwara who led the African singing and to Rev. Horace McKinley, who very aptly reminded the Indians that the ‘wise men’ came for the East

On 23rd January during Christian Unity Week we had a service in the Church with approximately 100 local secondary school children along with 30 or so of our own primary school students

It was great to see the Christian Unity service in St. Mark’s for the 1st time in recent years on Sunday 27th January.

Rector's Letter - December 2007

A Word from William
I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land from Monday 5th - 12th November. It was a study tour rather than a pilgrimage. The idea was to learn as much about the Holy Land as possible to encourage others to visit in the future. It was a privilege to visit the sights. I was struck by the sheer scale of Herod’s temple in Jerusalem, it would make the pyramids pale by comparison.

While the sights were terrific maybe it is a mistake to look for God among the stones but in reality he is present among your travelling companions many of who had coped with crosses in their own lives and in people that we all meet in our everyday lives.

On 16th I preached for Rev Stella Durand of St. Peter’s, Kiltegan at their annual healing service. I spoke in general about healing and tried to answer the most frequently asked questions, ‘What is healing?’ ‘Is it more than just physical healing?’ Obviously I don’t have all the answers and there are many questions which have no answers but faith can be a source of great comfort.

On 18th November we had the Girl’s Brigade and Boy’s Brigade enrolment service at our 11.00am service. It was a delight to see the church packed to capacity. We are lucky to have so many dedicated leaders and I thank them for the great job that they do. As it was my first Sunday back after my trip to the Holy Land I explained to the young people where I had been and gave them a talk illustrated by maps and pictures.

The Select Vestry have decided to change the time of our Midnight Christmas Eve service this year from 12.00am to 11.30pm – so please take note. The details of our other festive services are in the ‘News’ section of this newsletter.

May I take this opportunity to wish all the Losset readers a very happy Christmas and healthy New Year!

With all of God’s blessings for the season,
William

Rector's Letter - Nov '07

A Word from William
At our Harvest service on Friday 12th October we were delighted to welcome the new chaplain to Trinity College Rev Darren McCallig as our preacher. He used the story of the Lepers as an example of how often people forget to give thanks and that Harvest is an opportunity for us to give thanks for the everyday miracles of life.

Thank you to Janet Edgely and the ladies who so beautifully decorated the Church for harvest. We are grateful to Janette Wilson for running a flower arranging class in the Small Hall on Wednesday evenings. Thanks also go to the ladies who provided the tea following the service.

An opportunity has arisen for me to go on a Holy Land tour leaders week. We will be squeezing what should be a ten day holiday into a week. I have never been to the Holy Land before and I am looking forward to seeing the sights. They say if you saw the vertical road to Jericho you might be more compassionate on those who didn’t stop to help a stranger, as the good Samaritan did, as you would be leaving your self open to being mugged. Many who have taken this trip speak of how it helped bring the bible alive for them and subsequently brought more life to their sermons. I will be away from Monday 5th November until Monday 12th but as usual will be available on my mobile phone!

Preparations are under way for our Christmas Sing Along on 30th November in the Parish Centre at 7pm and I look forward to seeing many of you there.

God bless. William

Rector's Letter - Oct 07

A Word from William..

When I arrived in Tallaght two diocesan priests took over St. Martin De Porres, Aylesbury, from the Dominicans. The curate, Fr. Derek Farrell who is a gifted musician, had helped with many Christian unity services left last year to work as a ‘parish priest’ among the travelling community. Now Fr Liam Lacy PP will be moving to Kilmacud. During his time in St. Martins he was also given responsibility for Bohernabreena and Holy Rosary although he had a curate in each of the three parishes. I attended his leaving mass on Sunday 30th and then went into town to the service to see the first woman to be ordained in the Church of Ireland, Rev Katherine Poulton of St. George and St. Thomas (next to the Gresham Hotel, O’Connell Street) being made a canon of Christchurch Cathedral along with our own parishioner Rev. Patrick Comerford of the Church of Ireland Theological College.

We recently had Hard Gospel Sunday. Some people nowadays ask “Has the Gospel gone soft with all the talk of love?” but there is nothing soft with loving God with all your heart, soul and mind and loving your neighbour as yourself. The Hard Gospel came out of the Drumcree situation ten years ago when the Church of Ireland was seen, unfairly, as aligned with sectarianism. As time has moved on it is still relevant in modern Ireland as it addresses the issues of racism and helps us to deal with areas of difference that we are called to deal with.

We are looking forward to Harvest and to welcoming our visiting preacher Rev. Darren McCallig. Darren is the new Chaplain to Trinity College and is originally from Claremorris in Co. Mayo. He became involved in the church while a student at Trinity so it should be interesting to hear how he makes Christianity relevant to young people. He spent his curacy in my home parish of Monkstown and I am looking forward to his visit to St. Maelruain's.

God bless. William.

Rector's Letter - Sep 07

A word from William…
Since the last Losset we have endured the wettest summer that most of us can recall but despite the climate most events went ahead as planned.

Our Summer Sale was on Sat 9th June and we were blessed with the weather. It was even more crowed than usual. A big thank you to Ronnie Scott and Noelle Lewis for co-ordinating the sale and to all those who helped in any way, we are very grateful to you. The funds raised will go to the expense of the re-slating of the church roof at an estimated cost of €110, 000. Please click here for further details of the sale.

The Mayor of Tallaght, Eamon Maloney instigated the “Tallaght and Proud” week in June. The events included a large exhibition of work by local artists in the Square and concluded with a concert in the Civic Theatre. As part of the week St. Maelruain's Church was the venue for a poetry reading evening on Wed 20th June. The poets were all published local poets and the evening was rounded off with a reception in the parish centre.

On 24th June our annual end of year Primary School Service took place. We had a packed Church with more pupils and parent in attendance than we have had for years. It was an opportunity for parishioners to witness the enthusiasm that our principal exudes as she accompanied the children on the piano

On July 1st we had the Dominican blessing of the graveyard and we were also blessed with the weather as it managed to stay dry. The new Prior of St. Mary’s Priory in Tallaght Village, Fr Gerard Norton, came over to bless our graveyard.

Sunday 1st July was National Day of Commemoration when we remembered those who have died in the service of our country or as peacekeepers. It also happened to be one of our African Ladies, Victoria Oso’s 50th birthday, She had invited friends who all arrived in their very colourful African traditional dress. After Holy Communion Victoria came up to the front of the Church with her friends for a blessing from our shared Curate Rev. Obinna Ulogwara.

Things have been fairly quiet in parish life since the beginning of August although the contractors have been working hard on the Church roof. We had Sunday services in the parish hall for a couple of weeks as the interior of the church was ‘under cover’. Thanks to those who volunteered to clean the Church for the weddings, the church really did look it’s best following all your hard work. We look forward to the new session and seeing all the organisations swing back to life with renewed vigour.

God Bless... William.