PARISH INFORMATION NEWS SHEET
Parish of Newcastle and Newtownmountkennedy
with Calary
Rector:
Rev William Bennett
087-9480317
Layreader:
Caroline Tindal
Parish Administrator:
Karen Reynolds
087-2866889
Parish Office:
Open Mon - Fri 1.15 - 6.15pm
01-2819300
Email: [email protected]
Parish Websites:
www.newcastleparish.org
www.newtownmountkennedyparish.org
www.calaryparish.org
From the Rector
By the time you read this letter it will be more than two months
since the Every Decade Service and launch of the Five Year Parish
Plan. I do hope you have read the booklet and I sincerely urge all
parishioners to invest in this plan in whatever way you can. By
invest, I don't just mean in financial terms but in thought, prayer,
time, talent and involvement wherever and whenever possible.
Long thought, communication and prayer have gone into devising
the plan which we believe is both realistic and possible as well as
being visionary. If we all, as parishioners, take this seriously then
these parishes will undoubtedly be positioned positively to serve the
community, and that means our children and grand children, as well
as all of us in whatever decade we were born, for many years to
come. Please have a look at the vision for year one in the booklet
and see if you can help to make the vision a reality. The big
concern for most families is in the area of our children and young
people. We now have the facility to cater well for these people in a
safe, secure environment, but leaders are essential.
We are forced into needing to employ an overall leader who will
head up the youth department but this means financial outlay. If
you feel this is an important part of our ministry to the youth within
our care we would very much appreciate any help you can give.
The first item we engage in, which is listed for year one, is the
forum on the future of St Matthews in Newtownmountkennedy. A
meeting of all interested parties has been called for Wednesday
22nd February at 7.30pm in the McLean Room. The purpose of this
forum is to have discussion, hear views and plan for the future in
the areas of pastoral ministry and outreach.
Newtownmountkennedy is a very rapidly growing area and we need
to be proactive in planning if we are to be in any way positioned to
meet the growing need of the area.
The Alpha Course, which it was hoped would run between
Christmas and Easter, has been postponed until the Autumn. This
was due in some measure to lots of sickness which also added to the
lack of time to plan properly for this excellent course. Watch this
space - we would love if a good group from our community attends.
Do please look at the weekly calendar in PINS and see if you can be
involved in any of the events - your presence is always valued!
William
THANKS!
Huge thanks to everyone for the good
wishes and offers of help while I was sick.
Particularly special thanks to Pauline
OSullivan and Maurice Madden who
manned the office. You were life-savers.
Karen
Jess, the parish cat, doing her bit to help out in the office
Forum
on the future of
St Matthews Church
Wednesday 22nd February
at 7.30pm
in the McLean Room
Come along and join the discussion
on the future of pastoral ministry
and outreach in the area
Baptisms at Newcastle
11th December 2016
Kai Murphy Grant son of Niamh
Murphy and Alan Grant, 39 Druids
Brook, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow
Victoria Bobbi Stringer daughter
of Emma and Peter Stringer,
Tooman Farm, Tooman Road,
Kilpedder, Co Wicklow
We send our heartiest
congratulations to Niamh, Alan,
Emma and Peter and wish them
God's blessing as they bring up
their little children. We pray that
they will grow to honour the
promises made for them at
baptism.
Coffee
Everyone is welcome to drop in to
the sitting room at the Parish
Centre on a Tuesday morning from
10.30am for coffee/tea, toast and
treats. Good company, lots of chat
and a warm room - what more
could you want?
Lunch
The February lunch will take place
on Thursday 16th at the Parish
Centre. The cost as usual is 10
per head for main course, dessert
and tea/coffee. Please book ahead
with Karen.
Flower and Cleaning Rotas
Please lend a hand by volunteering
to take on cleaning in Newcastle
Church or doing the flowers for a
month. The rotas are on the notice
board at the back of the church
with a very convenient pen to sign
your name.
Next Meeting of Select Vestry
The next meeting of the Select
Vestry for Newcastle and
Newtownmountkennedy will take
place in the Parish Centre on
Friday 10th February at 8pm.
Car Park at the Parish Centre
Many of you will have seen that
the car park at the centre has been
lined for parking spaces and traffic
direction. The layout was planned
by an expert in the area of traffic
management and health and safety,
with the object of minimising the
risk of accidents.
Church Review Notes
Lynn Stringer has sent in the
monthly parish notes to the Church
Review for a number of years. She
would now like to take a break and
so we are looking for someone new
to take over the task. Many thanks
to Lynn for her years of collating
our news for the diocese.
Creche for Newcastle
One of the things which we hope to achieve
in the parish this year is to re-open the crche
for pre-Sundayschoolers during morning
service at Newcastle Church. All thats
needed is a list of parents willing to take a
turn at supervising in pairs on a Sunday
morning and someone to organise the rota.
We have plenty of space and lots of toys and
equipment at the Parish Centre. If you would
be willing to organise the rota or take a turn at supervising now and then
please contact Karen at the Parish Office.
St Francis School
Parents Association
PUB QUIZ
in
The Castle Inn
on
Friday 3rd February
at 7.30pm
5 per head
With Quizmaster Brian Harris
SHEILA DOES IT AGAIN!
Well done to Sheila Cleary on raising 600
in aid of Fields of Life at her annual
Christmas Flower Demonstration
As usual it was a morning of fun,
flowers and festive frivolity
Thanks Sheila!
Sister Mary Killeen visits Calary
Sister Mary Killen paid us a visit
on Sunday, 15th January. A large
congregation was there to greet her
and catch up on her work. It is
amazing how much can get done by
this dynamic lady with such limited
resources in the Mukuru slums of
Nairobi. It was very humbling to
hear all that she manages to do
against such odds, including now
the threat of jail
Boys from Sr. Marys school in
Mukuru say thank you to Calary.
Matt Taylor
It is with great sadness that we
record the death of Matt Taylor,
who died on 22 January, just over a
year after the death of his beloved
wife, Ann. Both of them had been
in St Colmans Hospital, Rathdrum
for a number of years but, prior to
that had lived in a cottage in
Mullinaveigh. Matt was a
wonderful gardener and did
tremendous work maintaining and
planting shrubs in Calary
graveyard.
Christmas Communion Lunch
Our pre-Christmas communion
followed by lunch is now a
tradition in Calary. The service is
appreciated all who attend,
especially by those in the area with
reduced mobility who have
difficulty coming to our 9.30
Sunday services. We would like to
thank everyone who came and
made it such a joyous occasion.
Carol Service
The church looked fabulous for the
annual candlelit Carol service on
21st December. Young and old
joined in the well-known favourite
carols. It is good to have the
rafters raised for good causes. The
collection was divided between the
Dublin Simon community and
Tiglin Ashford. Cheques for 400
were dispatched to each.
Calary ladies prepare the
refreshments after the
Carol Service.
Sunday School
Sunday School continues in the Church Room during Sunday Service,
except when there is Family Service.
Table Tennis
Table tennis takes place on Thursdays at 8 pm in the Church Room.
New members are always welcome.
Sunday School
There will be Sunday School on
the 12th February. All children of
primary school age welcome.
Parents and Toddlers
We would love to see some new
faces at the group. Theres always
room for more! We meet every
Monday from 10.30am in the main
hall at the Parish Centre. Tea,
coffee, toast, chat and play.
Time Out
The prayer group will meet on
Tuesdays 7th and 21st February.
Junior Choir
The Junior Choir meets to practise
every Wednesday after school and
sings at the Family Service and
special services.
Bowls
Two matches have been played
already this year. The first against
Aughrim which we won
handsomely and the second against
Wicklow, over the result of which
we will draw a veil!
The next excitement will be the
return match against Annamoe on
Wed, 1st. at home closely followed
by a League Trio Competition on
Saturday, 4th.
This involves teams of three
players from each Club and will
commence at 12 noon and
continue until the winning Club
has been decided. This takes place
in the Parish Centre so it will be a
busy week for our Catering
committee.
Table Tennis
The Table Tennis Club meets
every Monday at 8pm in the main
hall at the Parish Centre. The team
is doing very well in the league at
the moment. New members
always welcome.
Prayer Space
Prayer Space is 15 minutes of
prayer every Monday morning in
the sitting room at the Parish
Centre. The format is simple,
following a set of prayers with a
little time to bless the week ahead.
Everyone welcome to pop in.
Christmas Outing
Twelve of us set out by minibus for the annual mystery Christmas Outing
on Thursday 8th December. First stop was the Frascati Shopping Centre
in Blackrock for a spot of Christmas shopping and morning coffee for
those who didnt want to browse.
Then we headed for the city centre, with William assuring everyone that
they would need lots of warm clothes for ice skating! The minibus
brought us as far as City Hall where we joined the Vintage Tea Tours
double decker bus. The bus, Pauline, is a vintage bus from the late
1960s and has been adapted for its current use. We had booked the
lower deck and were settled at tables for afternoon tea.
The tea was delicious and, as we ate, we were treated to an hours tour of
the city ranging from Phoenix Park to Stephens Green, by way of the
cathedrals, Trinity College and OConnell Street. A charming young man
explained the history and told anecdotes of the various attractions.
However he most definitely had several more to add to his collection by
the time we leftit seems that some of our number knew more about the
city than he did!
A lovely nostalgic afternoon.
DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
Parish Dinner
Saturday 29th April
10
11
DATE
Sunday
5th
5th Sunday
after
Epiphany
Sunday
12th
3rd Sunday
before
Lent
Sunday
19th
2nd Sunday
before
Lent
Sunday
26th
1st Sunday
before
Lent
CHURCH
TIME
SERVICE
READING
Calary SS
9.30
WB
HC
Is. 58:1-12
St Matthews
10.45
WB
MP
1 Cor. 2:1-12
Newcastle
12.00
WB
HC
Matt. 5:13-20
Calary SS
9.30
CT
MP
Deut. 30:15-20
St Matthews
10.45
CT
MP
1 Cor. 3:1-9
Newcastle SS
12.00
CT
MP
Matt. 5:21-37
Calary SS
9.30
WB
MP
Gen. 1:1-2:3
St Matthews
10.45
WB
MP
Rom. 8:18-25
Newcastle
12.00
WB
MP
Matt. 6:25-34
Calary
9.30
WB
FS
St Matthews
10.45
WB
HC
Newcastle
12.00
WB
FS
2 Peter 1:16-21
Holy Communion is celebrated every
Wednesday, with prayer for the sick,
at 10.30am in St Matthews,
followed by a cup of tea / coffee in the McLean Room.
All welcome!
Please send any items for inclusion in March PINS to:
[email protected]Items must be received by MONDAY 20th February for publication
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