Parish Notices Sunday 13th September 2015
The Rector writes ‘ By the time you are reading this we will have had a Prayer Vigil for the Refugees and hopefully many of you will have come along to St Mary’s to pray and perhaps to drop off items for the Cork Calais Solidarity Group.
Today and next Sunday there will be a retiring collection in both of the Churches for Bishops’ Appeal who are organising some emergency funds to be sent to agencies helping those refugees most in need . There is also an Afternoon Tea event tomorrow in the Parish Hall from 3pm to 5pm (instead of the Monday Club) which is being organised by Mary Murphy and Hazel Fleury and all are very welcome to come along and help raise money for the Refugees. As I said last Sunday, I have no idea where the long term solution lies but to do nothing is no longer an option. Please help in any way you can. Thank you.’
Sunday School in St Mary’s resumes today. All children of age four or older are welcome. The dates until the end of the year are: 13&20 Sept; 4&18 Oct; 1,8,15&22 Nov; 6,13 & 20 Dec.
Some of the Gravestones behind St Mary’s Church have been deemed unstable by our Health & Safety team and are marked with red and white Hazard Tape while the County Council address the problem. Please do not let your children play near these gravestones. Thank you.
Monkstown Chamber Choir has returned to practice on Thursdays in St John’s Church at 8pm. New members welcome, and no need for an audition! Contact Roger Ellis on 087 053 9416.
Flowerpots needed! Hazel Fleury is looking for Flowerpots. If you have any spare ones lying around, especially 5 inch and larger then please let her know! 086-8157821
Do you need support with parenting? Parenting plus support programme commencing the week Monday 21st Sept -Evenings 7.30 to 9.30 for parents of 0-6 , 6-12, adolescent and for parents who are separated/divorced. If interested please contact Carrigaline Family Support Centre on 021 – 4919299.
Life after Separation/Divorce; A course for those coming through troubled relationships who have either separated or divorced in the recent past will take place in a private but friendly setting in the Carrigaline Court Hotel. This course will be run in Dublin also by two other relationship counsellors, who are on the C. of I. Marriage Council, based in Church of Ireland House, Dublin. The course will start in early October and be run over 4 Thursday evenings. Please contact Deirdre Whitley (M.R.C.S. Cert. H.Dip. Couns.)If you have any queries, or would like to meet to discuss contact her on 0862612442 or email deirdrewhitley01@gmail.com
Grow It Yourself Passage, Glenbrook & Monkstown present ‘Tasty Treats From The Garden’ a night of sharing with friends your fruit and veg growing year Thursday, 17 September at 7pm in the Church Of Ireland Hall, Passage West. All welcome. New members sought.
NEXT WEEK
Sept 14th Toddler Plus One 10am Parish Hall
Fund raising Afternoon tea for Refugee Crisis 3-5pm Parish Hall
FORWARD PLANNER
Oct 10th Harvest Supper 7.30pm Canon McCrea Hall
Oct 11th Harvest Eucharist 11am St Mary’s
Harvest Evensong 7pm St John’s
Random Notes CXLXIII
This year Masjid Negara, the Malaysian National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, celebrates its 40th birthday. With a capacity of 15,000, it was designed and built by a three man team from the Malaysian Department of Public Works. The mosque stands on the site of a church, which was appropriated in 1965 by the Malaysian government.
The author visited the mosque on Monday August 31st. Visitors are welcome provided normal etiquette is observed. That is, no shoes and modest dress. Robes with hoods are provided for female visitors. The mosque is across the road from Kuala Lumpur’s grandiose but rather unkempt central railway station. In contrast Masjid Negara has a minimalist design but is spotlessly clean with highly polished marble floors. Much of the building is open to the elements, which isn’t a problem when the daytime temperature frequently runs to 35C.
The mosque is surrounded by tiled water pools with fountains. The fountains fall silent when it is time for prayer. The main prayer hall is closed to non – Muslims, though photographs are freely permitted. There is no iconography and there are no pictures – except for the art gallery in an annexe next to the mosque.
Outside the prayer hall there is a beautiful arched area, with slender pillars supporting a high roof. As the floor is so clean, this turns out to be a nice place to sit and think quietly. Copies of the Noble Qur’an are available in multiple languages, as well as numerous explanatory leaflets covering all aspects of Islam and its relationship to Judaism and Christianity. Questions are encouraged and there is always a guide present to explain everything.
In the centre of a hot smoggy city, Masjid Negara provides an oasis of calm and a chance to sit, think and pray quietly. Ironically, it also provides free Wi-Fi.
(This is the first of several Random Notes on Kuala Lumpur.)
SJFW
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