Parish Notices Sunday 29th September 2019
The Rector writes ‘Last year, our diocese was visited by a team of two clergy from Lichfield Diocese in the UK who were here in Cork exploring creating links between the two dioceses. Arising from this, a Parish called ‘The Church at Perton’ asked that they might try and develop closer ties with us here in Carrigaline Union. Their Team Vicar, the Revd Julia Cody and I had gotten on very well during their visit and we found we had many things in common. Amongst other things, they are also a Fair Trade Parish and would like to explore what it means to be an Eco Congregation. Julia and I have chatted on the phone and emailed each other and the first thing we have planned to do is that I will be their ‘Guest Speaker’ at a Service on 27th October but it will be a virtual appearance via Skype or Facetime so if you are at the normal 11am Sunday Service in St Mary’s on 27th October, you will hear me speak to the good people at their Service in Perton (which is near the city of Wolverhampton) and their Vicar will hopefully speak to us! I think it will prove to be an exciting venture in the coming years and you can look the parish up on their website www.churchatperton.net I feel that these kind of links are the perfect antidote to the toxicity of Brexit. ’
Harvest Supper Please contact Millie Kingston on 086-8091443 and let her know if you are bringing a Salad or a Dessert. Tickets @ 20 euro are still available from Henry Forbes 087-2035000. The Supper is at 7:30pm next Saturday 5th October in the Canon McCrea Hall, St Mary’s School, Waterpark. Always a great night!
Christian Aid 2020 Calendars now available from John Sweeney in Monkstown. 10 euro each. A great way to support this worthy organisation!
Positive Ageing Week 2019 runs from Mon 30th Sept to Sun 6th Oct. This is an Age Action Ireland initiative and the focus is on community based events throughout Ireland organised by Age Action and its partners.
In Carrigaline library there are events throughout the week: On Wed 2nd Oct at 2.30pm there is a play “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing”. The show was especially created for libraries and tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship and the subject of dementia. All are welcome.
On Wed 2nd at 11am-Getting Started with Computers classes. These classes are held in the library every week. If you are interested in taking part please contact the library on 021-4371888.
On Thurs 3rd Oct from 12 to 12.45 -Chair Yoga with Shantie. This will be a relaxing introduction to some gentle seated yoga sequences with the guidance of an experienced instructor. If you are interested in taking part please register in advance with the library on 021-4371888.
Come and Sing Saturday October 5th in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral Cork. Join us for this day of singing with Adrian Lucas, Head of Choral Studies at the RSCM. The event is open to all singers, individuals and choirs alike, affiliates and non affiliates. The day will end with a service using music rehearsed during the day.
10:30: Registration and welcome
11am onwards: Rehearsal (including lunch break)
16:30: Service & 17:30: Finish and depart
Cost (price incudes festival book and light lunch): Adults: €20 and Choristers (up to the age of 18): €10For further details please contact Thérèse Gaughan secretary@rscmireland.com or call +353 (0)87 762 4380.
Annual Service of Remembrance for Cork University Maternity Hospital takes place on Friday 11 October at 7:30pm at the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork.
Anam Cara Cork the organisation that supports bereaved parents, is holding a Parent Evening on 2nd October at 7:20pm in The Clayton Hotel, Cork City . This is a free event and open to all bereaved parents.
The Owenabue Garden and Flower club, Carrigaline, will hold their annual decorative show on Monday 21 October at 8 pm in St Mary’s school hall. “Autumn Glam” demonstration will be given by Melanie Harris AOIFA. Visitors welcome. Enquiries to 086 3222615.
30th Sept Littlies + One 10-12 Parish Hall
Theological Book Circle 8pm Rectory
2nd Oct Holy Communion 10:30am St Mary’s Church
3rd Oct Select Vestry Meeting 8pm Rectory
5th Oct Harvest Supper 7:30pm Canon McCrea Hall
6th Oct United Harvest Thanksgiving Service 11:30am in St John’s Church, Preacher : The Revd Elizabeth Hanna
13th Nov Faith in Action Information Evening 7:30pm Parish Hall
Random Notes CCCXVI
During the summer I had the pleasure of attending the World Science Fiction Convention, which was held for the first time ever in Dublin. Part of the reason I was there was to conduct a workshop on using science fiction to teach ethics to students, more of which in a future Random Notes. While a lot of the convention activities were rather geeky (including a costume ball), there was also a wealth of panels on a diverse range of subjects from gender equality to space travel to writing.
I attended several panels relating to global disaster scenarios and then a panel on speculative biology. This was a fascinating panel made up of three scientists and two authors. One of the authors was Adrian Tchaikovsky, who has written several entertaining novels with a strong emphasis on future biology.
Tchaikovsky’s presented a scenario where, in the event of Earth being environmentally devastated, one might build a spaceship and travel to another planet to start again. On that spaceship would be a gene bank with the DNA of every plant and animal in existence. Think of the Svalbard global seed vault on steroids. After a few decades, the intrepid astronauts would reach a suitable planet and start to seed it with Earth’s flora and fauna. After a few hundred years, you would have a new Earth.
It won’t work. Even if all the technological hurdles were overcome, it still won’t work. Tchaikovsky’s point was that our current planetary ecosystem is a delicate balance which has emerged from hundreds of thousands of years of development and competition amongst species. Where we are today is a product of those countless unique interactions and dependencies. It won’t work on a new planet. For example, suppose you decide to grow two new humpback whales on Earth Mk 2. You will end up with two very lonely whales who possibly won’t thrive because you can’t possibly revive all the other plants and animals they depend on at the same time.
The school strike for climate last Friday and Greta Thunberg’s speech to the UN bring all of this into sharp focus. Species and habitat loss in particular is evident and measurable. Species loss is running at 1,000 – 10,000 times the natural rate and by 2050 the Earth will have lost 30% – 50% of its species. Habitat loss is evident in the burning of the Amazon and Arctic forests and, closer to home, the destruction of a valuable wetland in Dublin last week. This week, it was announced that air pollution causes 1,180 excess deaths in Ireland per year.
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s message was simple and clear: We can imagine all the sci-fi escape plans we like but what we have, and what we are losing, cannot be regained. The damage being done to our planet is irreversible. Preventing further damage is essential.
There is no Planet B.
SJFW
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