Parish Notices 1st July 2012

The Rector writes…  ‘Something I read during the week struck me,  “availability of good things and success in life can increase greed. False gods can take over and direction is lost. Being better off does not mean being better in what really matters. We need good values and time to reflect, so that good decisions about God’s bounty may be arrived at”. This, I thought, was just what I needed to read at this time in our country’s travails. After all, while we are having to get used to less and less financially, it feels to me that we as a nation are beginning to appreciate and value the non-tangible wealth that we already have. During the 10 years when we lived in Holland, I used to think nostalgically about Ireland and when we came home in 1996, the Celtic tiger was beginning to roar and I was quite taken aback by some of the less edifying aspects of the prevailing culture we had returned to. A lot of our friends seemed to talk non-stop about money for one thing, especially in relation to how much their house would sell for or what they would buy with their SSIAs! I’m not saying that it is a good thing that we are in this financial mess, but our lack of money seems to be leaving room for other valuable aspects of our lives to come to the fore and that at least is something to be thankful for’

HOLY COMMUNION every Wednesday in St Mary’s Church at 10.30am. All welcome.

TEA & COFFEE this morning in the church hall after service.

PARISH FETE Sincere thanks to all parishioners for making this year’s Summer Fete another great success. We were lucky with the weather as the rain poured down later in the day. The event was a wonderfully social , community occasion.

PRAYER REQUEST SHEETS are at the back of both churches. There has been a request made for people to pray for our sisters and brothers in the nation of Nigeria.  As you will have heard on the news,  suicide bomb attacks recently took place on three churches in Kaduna. Please hold them in your prayers as they struggle to exist under extremely difficult conditions.  As was pointed out, and those of you familiar with the Mothers’ Union in Cork will know,  the diocese of Kaduna is linked with our own diocese here in Cork, which brings these difficulties closer to home for many of us.

INTERCESSIONS If anyone is interest in leading these, please contact the rector.

THEOLOGICAL BOOK CIRCLE At the last meeting, the book ‘The Year of Living Biblically’ by A.J. Jacobs was chosen for our next gathering. A great summer read and we will chat about it in the Rectory at 8pm on 29th August.

YOUTH MATTERS! If  you are a  young person going to Secondary School and would like to help out with the younger children at our Champions Fun Day on 4th July please contact the Rector.  Also CYDC are heading back to Cape Clear for their 6th annual trip on 6th – 8th July and Summer Madness Festival is on in the Glenarm Castle from 29th June – 3rd July.  Please contact Peter Coughlan for more details on either of these trips.

PARISH CUP HOLDERS If you have borrowed any of the brown cup holders from the Parish Office and they are still at home, could you bring them back into the Parish Office please. We find ourselves very low and obviously don’t want to go to the expense of ordering more if they are knocking around somewhere. Thank you!

READING ROTAS for July to September are available at the back of the church. If you unable to read on an allocated Sunday please arrange to swop with someone else or contact the parish administrator.

INVITATION  TO WEST CORK The Revd Trevor and Oriel Lester have kindly invited the parish to join them in their Rectory in Altar,  Toormore for a Barbeque at 6pm on 22nd July and then join with their parish to attend an Evensong in St Brendan’s Church Crookhaven where Elaine will be preaching the Epilogue. We will be hiring a bus so we need to know how many people are interested. Please contact the Rector.

THE SEXTONS COTTAGE in St John’s, Monkstown is being renovated during the summer months.  While works are being carried out, the entire church site will be locked between 6pm and 8am weekdays and over the weekend.  Access may be arranged by contacting the parish office or calling Jonathon Fleury.

TEA-TIME TREATS Mothers Union 125th anniversary recipe booklet available at the back of the church  – €4.

CHAMPIONS! Children’s Holiday Club, a joint venture between Carrigaline and Crosshaven Church of Ireland parishes, will be held in St Mary’s Church Hall, Carrigaline from 10am until 2pm on Wednesday 4th July. It will cost €10 per primary school child. The club will use the analogy of the Olympic Games to explore how Jesus ‘ran the race’ for God. Spaces are limited so please contact the rector, the Revd Elaine Murray to secure a place.

CHRISTIAN AID ENVELOPES can be returned to the rector, John Sweeney or any member of the select vestry.

GERMAN STUDENT, male, 19 yrs, seeks family to stay with for 3-4 weeks in August in order to learn English. Good practical worker, willing to help out wherever he stays. Contact Hilary Dring.

JARS WANTED! If you have some clean jars with lids (Coffee jars are particularly welcomed) please drop them in to the parish office or the rectory and the rector will make sure they are passed on to people in the parish who make jam, chutneys etc for charity events.

FORWARD PLANNER

July 4th            ‘Champions!’ children’s day of fun.

July 21st        Open House at Patrick & Anna O’Hara’s Studio & Garden, Currabinny, in aid of St Finbarr’s Cathedral.

July 22nd      Barbeque at Altar, Toormore/Evensong in Crookhaven

July 29th       United Service: Choral Eucharist 10 am celebrating 180th anniversary of St John’s Church, Monkstown.

Sept 9th          Planting and Dedication of trees

Sept 30th       United Service Blessing of Animals 11 am in St Mary’s. Healing Service 7pm in St John’s.

Oct 7th           Parish Harvest Thanksgiving.

United Eucharist Service in St Mary’s 11am

United Evensong Service in St John’s 7pm

Oct 14th          Parish Confirmation Service, 11am in St Mary’s

Nov 25th        Gift Day in the Rectory

 

2013 dates for your diary

May 17th –19th Pentecost Flower Festival in St Mary’s Church

with the theme  ‘Fruits of the Spirit’

Random Notes XVIII

Lewis’s Topographical Directory of Ireland, 1837 refers to St John’s Church, Monkstown and includes “…It contains a fine organ and gallery…”. This had always puzzled me, as the Forster and Andrews organ is dated 1872 so what was the story with the 1837 organ?

At a meeting of the Select Vestry on Friday 15th March 1872, it was “ …Proposed by A. L. Newman and seconded by Captain Howe that a new organ be got from Messrs Forster & Andrews of Hull, price £160 as per specification in Mr Perrot’’s hands and same to be erected in small transcept where Captain Howe’s pew is situated…”. On 4th November1872, the select vestry resolved that “ …The select vestry of Farahy be requested to remove the old organ and agree to repairing the Gallery….”. So there was an old organ originally situated in the gallery of St John’s which was transferred to Farahy Parish, in 1872. St Coleman’s Church, Farahy forms part of the estate of Bowen’s Court in north Cork famous as the ancestral home of writer and socialite Elizabeth Bowen. This church is now closed but a remembrance service is held every year for the popular novelist. The organ is still in situ but alas, not in working order.

The Forster and Andrews organ was originally located in “…the small transcept where Captain Howe’s pew is situated…”. This is the east transcept, to the left of the church as you face the altar.

On 25th May, 1905 the select vestry resolved “…Mr Samuel Hill to have authority to cut away stone outside vestry room for use in building organ chamber…” So the organ was transferred from the transcept to it’s newly built chamber (and current location) in 1905. On 26th June 1905 the select vestry again resolved “…to appoint a committee for the purpose of arranging a committee for the purpose of arranging and carrying out a hydraulic installation for blowing the organ…”. The old hydraulic pump is still located behind the organ and the redundant pipes are outside.

The original Forster & Andrews organ had just one manual (choir) and it is possible that the second manual (swell) was added when the organ was transferred in to it’s new chamber in 1905.

A comprehensive history of music in St John’s will soon be available. In the meantime, the good news is that our new 2ft Piccolo pipes will be brought from Belfast next week and installation will begin.