Pew Sheet – 13th July 2025

The Rector writes ‘Those of you who subscribe to the Diocesan Magazine will have read what the Bishop had to say about the ‘Charting a future with Confidence’ journey. The program/process was initiated about 5 years ago and involved a process of listening to people from all over the diocese about how to deal with the challenges of our time and into the future. This process generated a report (There are copies in both churches but you can see a full copy on www.cork.anglican.org in the ’Welcome’ section).  Now, after an enforced ‘break’ during Covid times, the Charting a Future Steering group and the Ministry Advisory Group recently met the Diocesan Council for a planning session. Following this, the Clergy met last week to plan four Diocesan Roadshows which will update parishes and engage with us on the  matters identified in the consultation process under headings of finance, ministry, worship, buildings and vision.  Carrigaline Union will be hosting one of these Diocesan Roadshows on Thursday 18th September and we are asked to have a total of just eight representatives at this meeting (only 3 of these may be Select Vestry members). My question to you is  ’Are you interested in attending this meeting?’ Do have a read of the Report online and if you would like to be one of the 8 people attending from our parish, please let me know before the  end of July as I plan on doing the list of names before I disappear on Hols in August!’ 

The Good Samaritan …. in Art

On May 8, 1889, exhausted, ill, and out of control, Vincent Van Gogh committed himself to St. Paul’s psychiatric asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, a small hamlet in the south of France. A former monastery, the sanitarium was located in an area of cornfields, vineyards and olive trees. There Van Gogh was allowed two small adjoining cells with barred windows.

One room he used as his bedroom, and the other was his tiny studio. While there, Van Gogh not only painted the surrounding area and the interior of the asylum, he also copied paintings and drawings by other artists, making those paintings his own through modifications he made to the painting’s composition, the colours and, of course, the brush strokes.

One of the artists whose works Van Gogh copied and modified was the Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt. 

The Good Samaritan drew Van Gogh’s attention: in which a Samaritan man hoists a wounded man with a bandaged head onto a horse to be taken to an inn for recovery.

  Rembrandt 1633                                                                                                          

Vincent van Gogh 1890

When we look at the two paintings –  Rembrandt’s and Van Gogh’s side by side – something that might strike us is the light in Van Gogh’s painting and the darkness in Rembrandt’s

www.vincentvangogh.org

July

Monday 14th  

          Men’s Coffee 10am Carrigaline Court Hotel

August

Sunday 31st

          United Service 11am St Mary’s Church , followed by Parish BBQ

September

Sunday 7th

Sunday Club resumes 11am Parish Hall

Thursday 18th

Charting a Future with Confidence Diocesan Roadshow  8pm Parish Hall 

(If you would like to attend this event, please speak to the Rector as the parish has only 8 places))

Saturday 27th

Diocesan Synod Bandon Grammar School

Sunday 28th

Animal Blessing Service 11am St Mary’s

October

Saturday 4th

Harvest Supper  8pm  Canon McCrea Hall

Sunday 5th

Harvest Thanksgiving Services 9:30/11am

Random Notes CDXCVII

One of the beauties of the Forster and Andrews organ in St John’s is the lovely deep tones that the 16ft Bourdon pipes provide. These pipes are all wooden, the longest being 16ft (hence the name!).

While tuning the organ recently and replacing a Trumpet pipe which had snapped, Padraig O’Donovan took the below photographs of the stenciling on some of the Bourdon pipes.

Originally these images would have been visible, but at some stage, the window in front of these pipes was boarded-up.

Although they will need a bit of a wipe-down, the Vestry have given permission for this lightweight board to be removed.   The craftsman-ship from 153 years ago will then be revealed again.

The other benefits of removing this board will be that the air will flow more freely in the organ casing, allowing the organ to breathe better and also the sound will be less muffled.

The top of the pipes are already visible so this move just makes sense.

The other thing that Padraig mentioned is that the original Victorian pump from when the organ bellows was run by water diverted from the stream down the Glen, is still in situ behind the organ. Some church’s have removed this equipment, cleaned it up and have it on display for parishioners and the public to see.    But that’s for another day!! 

RCE