The Rector writes……
This month sees the start of Lent. The theme we are adopting as a parish this year is ‘PILGRIMAGE’. We will be focusing on it is two specific ways. Firstly, each Friday morning we will be meeting upstairs in the Canon Packham Hall at 11.00am to explore the 2016 Lent Course on Pilgrimage prepared by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI). Each participant will be given an attractive pack containing a booklet which outlines each of the weekly session and some discussion starters. We will think through how the very ancient idea of pilgrimage has something fresh to say to us today. There will be time for coffee/tea and each week we will end with a brief reflective service. I hope by moving the time to the morning, it may facilitate those who do not like to drive in the dark winter evenings. All are welcome to come to some or all of these sessions.
On Saturday 20 February we are going on a pilgrimage as a parish to Gougane Barra! I am delighted that one of our parishioners, Dr. Richard Scriven, has agreed to lead our day in West Cork. He recently co-authored a book entitled “Graves, Wells & Statues: Exploring the heritage and culture of pilgrimage in medieval and modern Cork”. The trip will bring history, landscape and devotion together and should appeal to many. Elsewhere in this issue of Parish Matters, you will see a short article by Richard which outlines the format of the day. It is flexible and so people can chose to opt for whatever suits them best. I very much hope that you will join me and the other clergy on the day. We may be joined by some of our friends from the Methodist and Roman Catholic Church locally. I take this opportunity to thank Richard of giving his time and expertise in this way.
Elsewhere in this issue you will see a short article by Revd. David Compton who is currently serving in the diocese as a deacon. He is requesting help with the final stages of his academic dissertation. I would appeal to parishioners to contact him as he requests. His questions will not be difficult, but wants to draw on your different experiences of worship and reflections on how our Book of Common Prayer meets your pastoral needs. Hopefully David will be ordained a priest to serve somewhere in Ireland as a full time curate once he completes this final academic hurdle. We all have a vested interest in insuring we have clergy to serve in our parish so please help if you can.
This month we also look forward to hosting visitors from the Lutheran Church in Sweden for the weekend of 14th February. The Dean of Strängnäs, Very Rev Christofer Lundgren will be our guest preacher in St. Luke’s Church that day. He and two other members of their Diocesan Council will be at the earlier service in Frankfield too. Please give our visitors a very warm welcome.
Yours in Christ, Adrian.
New Organist We are delighted to announce the appointment of a new organist who will play at services in St. Luke’s Church. Mark Slade BA (MIT), ARCO, LTCL is well known to us in this parish. He currently plays the organ most Sundays in Holy Trinity Church in Frankfield as well as once a month in St. Mary’s, Marmullane. Mark has studied the organ under Colin Nichols at the Cork School of Music and has attended organ masterclasses with Gillian Weir, Carlo Curley and Colin Walsh.As a qualified airline pilot, he combines a busy musical life with his profession as a multi-pilot manager and ground-school instructor. We look forward to Mark’s continued input into the music and worshipping life of our parish.
The Boys’ Brigade The annual enrolment service for the 1st Cork Company of the Boys’ Brigade takes place on Sunday 7th February at 11.15 in St. Luke’s Church, Douglas. We look forward to the involvement of the members of the BB in our service that day.
Lunch The monthly lunches in Blackrock Old Schoolhouse are open to all. For only seven euro a nourishing three-course meal is served from 12.30 on the last Wednesday of the month. A Lenten Lunch (on Wednesday February 24th) will be a meatless meal, with profits going to a cause of the Rector’s choice. This year he has chosen the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Hopefully Alison Flack, who is a parishioner and works as a volunteer with this charity, will be able to attend and talk about its activities and bring along one of her dogs for all to see.
St. Luke’s National School School Notes In December we had 2 School Carol Services in which we raised over €1000 for Enable Ireland, our School Choir went to sing at St Luke’s Home, we collected non-perishable items for St Vincent de Paul, our Parents association raised €1635 bag packing in Super Valu for school funds and we all enjoyed a very entertaining Talent Show on the last day of term. We have some “New Faces” in St Luke’s this year. We welcome Ms Dermody as our 4th Class teacher and we welcome Matilde Freire into 6th Class. Clyde Buttimer, a student from the University of Limerick also spent a week with us observing teaching methods as part of his training for becoming a woodwork teacher.
Lent We enter the season of Lent this month. On Ash Wednesday there will be celebrations of Holy Communion in St. Michael’s Church, Blackrock and St. Luke’s Church, Douglas at 11.00am and an evening Penitential Service in Holy Trinity Church, Frankfield at 8pm. Our traditional pattern of additional mid-week services throughout Lent will continue and be advertised locally.
Service & Sausages: It is a fact of life that Sunday mornings can be a time when there may be other activities on. Children play hockey, rugby and many other sports and have various hobbies which take place at this time. This is an unfortunate fact of life, but one nevertheless. To provide another option, we are going to hold a monthly service and sausages on the first Sunday of the month in St Luke’s Church, Douglas at 6pm. It will comprise of a short service with a couple of well-known hymns, some prayers and a very short address. It will be aimed at primary school children and will be no more than 30 minutes long. This won’t be possible without the help and support of parents both to encourage and bring their children and help to cook and serve the food afterwards. The first service will be held at 6pm on Sunday 7th February. We thank Reverend David Bowles who is heading up this initiative.
Pilgrimage: Pilgrimage has always been part of Christian spirituality focusing on the themes of journeying, renewal, and hopefulness. Today pilgrimage is witnessing a revival as it becomes more ecumenical and flexible. It is not only about walking the Camino de Santiago or travelling to the Holy Land, it is about following historic routes, journeying with our neighbours, and, most significantly, purposefully making time for reflection and prayer.
As part of the Douglas Union of Parishes Lenten Pilgrimage Theme, we are organising a short day pilgrimage to Gougane Barra in west Cork on Saturday 20th February. In the sixth century, St Fin Barre is believed to have established a monastic foundation in this secluded valley, which is also the primary source of the River Lee. This pilgrimage presents us with an opportunity to take some time during Lent for prayer and fellowship in a spiritually, culturally, and naturally rich space. We can connect with our faith and its heritage in a fresh way by travelling to one of the main places linked with the diocesan saintly patron.
For those who feel up to it, the day will begin with a walk around the forest park with time for reflection along the way. There will also be an opportunity to stroll by the lakeside for those who prefer a gentler excursion. The whole group will then have a short tour of the site and a service of readings and prayers encompassing the pilgrimage theme. Afterwards, we will stop for refreshments in Macroom on the way home.
Saturday 20th February
11.00 Arrive Gougane Barra for longer walk
12.00 Arrive Gougane Barra for everyone else
12.30 Talk and tour of site
13.00 Prayers and Reflection
14.00 Refreshments in Macroom Dr. Richard Scriven
Cathedral Evensong While on the theme of pilgrimage, another suggestion for parishioners to consider is to attend evensong at St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral on Mothering Sunday 6th March at the new service time there of 3.30. That day is a traditional one when people made an effort to attend their ‘mother church’. The parish clergy will be attending the service in the cathedral that day and we hope to be joined by many parishioners from Douglas Union with Frankfield.
Coffee Morning in St. Mary’s Church Hall, Marmullane at 10-12 noon on Saturday, 27th February. Admission €3 to include tea/coffee plus scone. Sales table and raffle. In aid of restoration fund.
Bring and Buy Early notice is given of Blackrock’s Spring Sale which will take place on Saturday March 12 from 10am to 12noon. This pre-Easter event will offer a variety of attractions, including cakes, plants, crafts, books as well as refreshments. The event, in the Old Schoolhouse, is in aid of parish funds.
Heritage Churches in County Cork A new book on this theme was published recently by the Heritage Unit of Cork County Council. It includes pictures and some fascinating historical details and information about churches of different denominations in the county. A very interesting article on St. Luke’s Church in Douglas by churchwarden and historian Dr. Aoife Bhreathnach, was included in this publication. We thank her for her research and work on this. It is good that St. Luke’s is profiled in this way.
Reverend David Compton, a theological student studying for ordination at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, is working on a master’s dissertation at Trinity College Dublin as part of his post-graduate degree programme. He is studying the topic of pastoral care in parishes and is interested in spending a few minutes with anyone who would like to speak with him about this subject. (All conversations are, of course, confidential and information anonymous.) He would find it very helpful to speak with parishioners to give him some more ‘real world’ input to go along with all the necessary ‘book learning’ that has gone into his dissertation. He has already spoken with people in a West Cork parish about this topic. He is engaged in an internship this academic year as an ordained deacon in the Kilmocomogue Parish Union, serving Bantry, Durrus, and Castletownbere. He regularly leads services in those parishes and has an active ministry of pastoral care. David also teaches the juniors at the two national schools in the parishes and regularly visits patients in Bantry Community Hospital. He anticipates – God willing! — being ordained a priest later this year. You do not need to have had any particular experience with pastoral care – David would love to speak with you about the general topic. Would you be able to spent a few minutes with David sometime during the week of February 15-19? You may reach him on his mobile at 087.752.8448, or on his email at revdavidcompton@gmail.com
The Bishop has asked that your attention is drawn to the information below.
‘Please convey my thanks to the people of the parishes for their generous support for my local diocesan appeal in response to the floods in our Diocese. An incredible €65,000 has been donated by the people of this Diocese, of which €24,000 came from the retiring collections on the first two Sundays of January, and €41,000 in direct donations from individuals within the Diocese. I am hugely grateful and, on behalf of those affected by the floods, I say a very warm ‘thank you’. The fund is still open for the receipt of donations. Quite a number of donors have indicated also that they wish their donation to assist in building up a fund to support those in need when future need arises also. Meanwhile current needs are being met in consultation with local clergy and other agencies in the communities affected.’
Visit from the Church of Sweden
Our Diocese will be host, under the auspices of the Porvoo Agreement, to a visiting group from the Church of Sweden during the weekend of 12th to 16th February next. The Bishop of Strängnäs together with the Bishop’s Council and the Chapter of the Diocese of Strängnäs will hold one of their own Diocesan Meetings in our Diocese and will tour parts of our Diocese and visit a number of parishes. Clergy, readers and parishioners of this Diocese are invited to come to St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork on Sunday, 14th February for Evensong at 3.30 p.m. to join our Swedish guests in worship.
Earlier that day, Very Revd. Christofer Lundgren will be the guest preacher at our service in St. Luke’s Church. He will also be attending the service in Holy Trinity Church in Frankfield. We also welcome Mrs Agneta Gustavsson and Mrs Marianne Thor, who are both members of the Bishop’s Council in the Diocese of Strängnäs, to our parish that weekend.
The Bishop with Bishop Johan Dalman, Bishop of Strängnäs after his consecration in Sweden last year.
The International World Day of Prayer Service will be hosted in St. Luke’s Church this year on Friday, 4th March at 11am. All are welcome
