The Rector writes……
As many of you are aware, I have an interest in history. We are currently in the middle of a period when our country will mark some important centenaries. I take this opportunity to inform you about one event which may be of particular interest to you.
A public lecture on Friday, 22nd January – 1916: New Perspectives; Old Rows – by Professor Diarmaid Ferriter, Professor of Modern Irish History at University College, Dublin, will be the first of a series of events planned by the Church of Ireland in the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross to mark 2016, the centenary year of events in 1916.
By kind permission of University College Cork, this Diocesan event will be held in the Aula Maxima at UCC at 7.30 p.m. on Friday, 22nd January, and is open to the public. Bishop Paul Colton will chair the event which will be introduced by the President of UCC, Dr Michael Murphy. In addition to Professor Ferriter, other speakers will be Dr John Borgonovo and
Professor John A. Murphy.
Our history as a nation and as a church is a complex one. Many strands run together to make us who we are today and it is important that we take time to appreciate this. The Bishop, in a recent public statement has stated ‘many (probably most) members of the Church of Ireland in 1916 greeted the events of that Easter with dismay. Equally, I know Church of Ireland families today who can point to their ancestors’ involvement on the Irish side, so to speak, of the Easter Rising and the subsequent journey towards Irish independence. Many Church of Ireland families have ancestors who were caught up in the other significant events of that year, in the First World War and notably, the Battle of the Somme. Today, of course, there are numerous Irish people who are more recently arrived on these shores and they are not caught up in the question of ‘which side were my people on?’ at all.’
I very much hope to be at the public lecture in UCC on 22nd January and it would be good to see many parishioners there on the night too.
Yours in Christ, Adrian.
St. Luke’s National School
December is always a hive of activity in St. Luke’s and this year is no exception. The PA ran a very successful Christmas Fair and raised over €5,000 for school funds. They also organised a Gold Run when children collected €639 worth of gold coins. Many thanks to all concerned.
We recently received our National Flag and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation from three members of the Defence Forces in preparation for Proclamation Day next March.
Mr Jim Quelly very kindly donated a beautiful crib which he made himself to the school at our weekly assembly. We also had a visit from Maeve Cahalane , a member of the victorious Cork Camogie team with the O’Duffy cup.
We saw a change in our Board of Management. We are extremely grateful to the outgoing Board for all their hard work and commitment to the school during the past four years. They are Mr Roger Flack, Archdeacon Wilkinson, Ms Olwen Anderson, Dr Ann Caird, Mr Shane Treacy, Mr Gordon Jermyn, Ms Sarah Jones and Ms Elaine Guinane. We welcome our new Board members: Mr Roger Flack, Archdeacon Wilkinson, Ms Olwen Anderson, Ms Helen Wilson, Mr Shane Treacy, Ms Anne O’Driscoll, Mr Gordon Jermyn and Ms Jenny Miller.
Congratulations to Lucy McManus, Cian Dorgan, Jack Kingston, Luke Barry, Amy Donovan, Georgia Curtin, Fuchsia Sutton and Aidan Figueredo who were elected on to our Student Council.
The Lifetime Lab came to visit us and Children learned more about caring for the environment.
We wish Ms Phelan well as she finishes in St. Luke’s and moves to her new post in Kilworth.
RECENT FLOODS We are all very aware of the plight of so many people around the country who are suffering because the persistent rainfall over recent weeks has resulted in flooding in a number of areas. Homes have been destroyed, farms affected as livestock have to be moved to higher ground and business owners in towns such as Bandon and Midleton have had to vacate their premises yet again.
As many of you may know, special collections have been taken at all services in the Diocese on 3rd and 10th January in aid of a fund which is available to help people who are in need as a result of the floods. If you, or any parishioner you know, has had property damaged, please contact me as soon as possible so that I can help get financial aid to them. A. Wilkinson
CPR training takes place each on the second Tuesday of each month at Canon Packham Hall, Douglas at 7.00pm. This class teaches basic techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for adults, children and infants. An AED is a computerised defibrillator which analyses the heart rhythm of a person in cardiac arrest and uses voice prompts to advise you if a shock is needed.
Participants may elect to learn the above skills and to practice them in order to be able to make a difference should you encounter a situation where you are needed. You may also elect to qualify as a Community First Responder accredited by the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council in order to be available as a voluntary part of the emergency services in your local area.
Please contact John Clifford on 087-246-2629 or you are very welcome to simply turn up on the night.
New School Boards of Management: In December the new Boards of Management, which are responsible for the two primary schools in our parish, came into being. Their membership is as follows:
St. Luke’s School, Douglas: Mr. Roger Flack – Chairperson, the Venerable Adrian Wilkinson (Patron’s nominee), Ms. Olwen Anderson (Principal), Ms. Wilson (Teacher Representative), Mrs Anne O’Driscoll (Parent Representative), Mr. Shane Treacy (Parent Representative) Mrs. Jenny Miller (Community Representative) and Mr. Gordon Jermyn (Community Representative)
St. Michael’s School, Blackrock: Mr. Bertie Smith – Chairperson, the Venerable Adrian Wilkinson (Patron’s nominee), Ms. Anne Marie O’Donovan (Acting Principal), Ms. Gill Mythen (Teacher Representative), Mrs Claire Gavin (Parent Representative), Mr. Jim O’Mahony (Parent Representative) the Reverend David Bowles (Community Representative) and Dr. Richard Scriven (Community Representative).
We are grateful to those who have agreed to serve in this capacity for the next four years. A successful training evening for all the new Boards was held on Monday 7 December when the Bishop, as Patron, outlined the role and responsibilities of these important management groups.
In January we always mark The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year we hope to have the traditional pulpit exchanges on Sunday 24 January between the churches that make our‘Douglas Churches Together’.
Eircode: We would be obliged if all Parishioners could forward their new post Eircode to the Parish Office at their convenience in order that the Parish Database can be updated accordingly.
