The Parish of Saint Catherine & Saint James with Saint Audoen
Canon Mark Gardner (Editor) Tel: 01 454 2274 Mobile 087 266 0228
The Revd Martha Waller (Curate-Assistant) Tel: 01 868 1655
Email: markgardner300@gmail.com
Review Distribution: Doris Brooks Tel: 01 453 0887
Website: cja.dublin.anglican.org
Service times every Sunday
10.00 Eucharist, St Audoen, Cornmarket. (Parking in Francis Street is free on Sundays)
11.30 Eucharist, St Catherine & St James, Donore Avenue. (Service of the Word, or Family Service, Second and Fourth Sundays)
Wednesdays
11.00 Eucharist or (third Wednesdays) Service of Wholeness and Healing, with Laying-on of Hands and Anointing, and a cup of tea.
Diary Dates, St Catherine & St James’ Church
Sunday 14 December 11.30 Community Carols with Anthem Gospel Choir, followed by ‘Church Coffee’ and sandwiches.
Friday 19 December 10.30 Carol Service with the children of St Catherine’s National School.
Sunday 21 December 11.30 IX Lessons & Carols with the children of the Sunday School, followed by ‘Church Coffee’ and mince pies.
Christmas Eve 11.00 Eucharist.
Christmas Day 11.30 Festival Eucharist.
Diary Dates, St Audoen’s Church
Every Sunday and Christmas Day, 10.00 Eucharist.
Holy Baptism
Lewis Joshua Liam Waller, son of Orlane Robert and Keith Waller, and brother of Rachelle and Esther, was baptised at St Catherine & St James’ Church on Sunday 26 October 2014. Hilary Waller Palmer is Lewis’ Godmother. Rachelle read a lesson and carried the baptismal candle and Esther helped by pouring the water into the Font.
It was a special privilege for me to baptise a family member and to welcome many of the family circle to St Catherine & St James’ Church on the day. We wish Lewis every blessing as he begins his journey of faith.
Martha Waller
St Catherine’s NS
Enrolment: 183. We achieved our numbers on 30 September so the current teaching staff is seven class teachers, two support teachers and the Principal. Work is progressing on the prefabs at the moment and they should be ready for occupation soon. We need to extend the burglar alarm, the fire alarm and the broadband to the new buildings. The Department has provided new furniture for both classrooms and we have applied for the €5,000 ICT grant for the second classroom, having received the grant for the first classroom already.
We have signed a license agreement for extra space and work should start soon on converting the area into a viable playground for children. Due to the costs of the playground and the setting-up of the new classrooms, we need to put serious work into our Christmas Fair fund-raiser. On the positive side, we received a €500 donation from Donore Credit Union.
Ten children from St Catherine’s represented the School at this year’s Diocesan Service for Schools at Christ Church Cathedral. We were invited to take part in a drumming workshop and then performed the piece we had learned to great applause during the Service. It certainly woke everyone up!
April Cronin
Sung services at St Audoen’s
Stuart Kinsella’s youthful choir Peregryne has sung Compline in St Audoen’s Church on three evenings recently, and in other places in the city. With the aid of a little advertising, the congregation grew to thirty. For details see: www.facebook.com/peregryne. They were kind enough to ask me to sing the Office while they sang some wonderful, rare and challenging music before and after.
Hospital training
There was a time when clergy were expected to visit everyone who was in hospital. When I was a Curate in Belfast, the hospital chaplains visited the patients and then send a postcard to the parochial clergy to tell them who was in hospital from their parish. Recently, I was called to St James’ Hospital to visit a patient who was seriously ill. I asked the staff nurse how the patient was. You are not next of kin, she sniffed. I can give you no information. I wonder do people know how much things have changed? I have seen more than once in the ‘Review’ an appeal from clergy for people to inform them when someone is in hospital.
Two of the clergy who are skilled in chaplaincy work are conducting a series of training days for other clergy and lay people, at Taney Parish Centre. Martha and I attended and found it very beneficial. Many issues were raised and the changed culture of confidentiality, excluding hospital visitors, was discussed. Training exercises were discussed to remind everyone of the necessity of hand hygiene, and how to clean the hands. I learnt that the bug C DIFF can be removed by sop and warm water but not be the alcohol gel which removes so many germs hazardous to health. Avoiding shaking hands, covering coughs and sneezes and keeping a little distance are all recommended. What a long time ago it was when Hancock’s half-hour told the story of his efforts to be a blood donor. To the tune of ‘Glorious things of thee are spoken’ he sang, from the poster on the wall, ‘Coughs and sneezes spread diseases. Catch them in your handkerchief!’
Much of the training explores issues of grief and bereavement, and pastoral sensitivity to people who are suffering. Time needs to be taken to create a space and a trust which will allow people to tell their story and approach a place of healing.
Memorial services and commemorations in November
I would rather have attended St Patrick’s cathedral on Remembrance Sunday afternoon, but the Miscarriage Association of Ireland had its Annual service of Remembrance at that time in St Teresa’s Church Donore Avenue. It was a most moving event attended by crowds of mainly young people, addressed by the Revd Lorraine Kennedy Ritchie, Minister of Clontarf Presbyterian Church. A fine order of service was printed with Scripture readings and prayers. I counted 240 candles laid on the Altar steps.
The new Parish Priest Fr Cormac McNamara officiated, and on Sunday 16 November I attended the 12.30 Mass at St Teresa’s and his installation by the Vicar General.
Mark Gardner
