Pew Sheet – 15th March 2026

The Rector writes ‘As most of you are aware, our Bishop, the Right Revd Dr Paul Colton, is retiring and his final service takes place in St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, on Saturday 18th April at 4pm.

Following 27 years as our bishop, there will be a presentation to Bishop Paul and Susan on behalf of the Diocese on this occasion.

Each Parish has been asked to put in place an opportunity locally for parishioners to make donations to this fund over the next few weeks as we have to return it to the Diocesan Office by 27th March.   

To this end, there will be retiring baskets in both churches for the next two Sundays (15th and 22nd) and then we will forward the sum collected to the Diocese.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.’

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral Invitation

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral is our ‘Mother Church’ so it is very appropriate that this invitation comes today, on Mothering Sunday,   The Dean of Cork, the Very Revd Nigel Dunne,  has asked me to invite a number of people from this parish to join the Cathedral congregation for 

a Service which will be recorded by RTE next Sunday 22nd March and broadcast at a later date   There will be a light lunch available from about 12.30pm.  Rehearsal starts at 2pm and the actual recording will be at 3pm and we should be finished by 4pm.

I will need to know by Monday morning if you would like to be part of this broadcast.

so if you could text/whatsapp/email if you would like to be a part of the day. Please do specify if you want come along to the lunch and the service or just the service itself as the Cathedral obviously need the numbers for catering as soon as possible,  

  Thank you,

 Canon Elaine

MU Meeting Wednesday 18th March at 3pm in the Parish hall. 

Topic: Spring Skies with Frances McCarthy

formally of Blackrock Observatory, teaching us about the stars and the galaxy.

Refreshments as always All welcome!

The Owenabue Garden and Flower Club, Carrigaline

will host our Spring Show with a Floral

Demonstration “Easter Joy” by Sharon O’Sullivan, AOIFA

Venue: St. Mary’s NS, Waterpark,

Carrigaline P43 V243

Date: Monday 23rd March 2026 at 8pm

All Welcome – Visitors €10

Includes: Horticulture and Decorative Competitions, Plant Sales Table, Raffle, and Refreshments

Palm Sunday 29th March

United Service for Palm Sunday 11am St Mary’s Church plus Opening of Display of Crosses/Crucifixes in the Parish Hall (open 10am to 12noon and 2pm to 4pm Monday to Wednesday in Holy Week)

Monday 30th March 10.30am HC St Mary’s

Tuesday 31st March 10.30am HC St Mary’s

Wednesday 1st April 10.30am HC St Mary’s

Maundy Thursday 2nd April

12 noon Diocesan Chrism Eucharist in St Factna’s Cathedral, Roscarberry. All Welcome.

7:30pm   Maundy Thursday Eucharist in St Mary’s including washing of the feet.

Followed by Overnight Vigil in the church.

Good Friday 3rd April 

10.30am  St John’s – Morning Prayer with Litany

2pm Stations of the Cross in St Mary’s Church with our sister church of Our Lady & St John’s

7.30pm    St Mary’s – Tenebrae Service 

Saturday of Holy Week 4th April

9pm St Mary’s – Easter Vigil Service, with the new Pascal Candle lit from outside byre.

Easter Day 5th April

9.30am St John’s – Easter Eucharist 

11am   St Mary’s – Easter Eucharist

March 

Friday 10th

Children’s and Youth Whist training session from 7-9pm in the Parish Hall

Saturday 21st

· Children’s Reading Workshop  St Mary’s Church 10am

· Youth group in the Parish Hall from 7:30-9pm 

· Charity Whist Night 8pm  Canon McCrea Hall (for St John’s Church painting work, see opposite page for more details)

Sunday 29th United Service for Palm Sunday 11am St Mary’s Church plus Opening of Display of Crosses/Crucifixes in the Parish Hall (open 10am to 12noon and 2pm to 4pm Monday to Wednesday in Holy Week)

(see separate full Holy Week Schedule)

April  

Wednesday 1st 

8pm     Lenten Study ‘Come & See’   Parish Hall

(also by Zoom, link in Pewsheet Email)

Thursday 16th  

7:30pm  Easter Vestry Meeting in the Parish Hall

May  

Sunday 3rd 

· 9:30am     Dedication iof new Radio Mic n memory of  Vonla Good at the Service in St John’s Church

· 11am        Cork Choral Festival.  A 33 strong Male Voice Choir from Portadown will attend the Service in St Mary’s with refreshments afterwards in the Parish Hall.

Sunday 10th   Christian Aid All Age Service at 11am

June  

Saturday 20th  Parish Fete

Sunday 21st  Sanctuary Sunday 

July  

Sunday 12th  Choral Evensong in St John;s Church 7pm

Music Notes 15-03-2026

Hymns at St Mary’s

708    O praise ye the Lord

507     Put peace into each other’s hands

523    Help us to help each other

683    All people that on earth do dwell

Our second hymn today was written by Fred Kaan who was born in Haarlem, Holland, in 1929. His childhood was spent under German occupation when his family sheltered a young Jewish girl. He trained in theology at Utrecht and Bristol and was ordained in 1955. Is later became a minister of the United Reformed Church and wrote many of his best-known hymns while a minister in Plymouth.

He was active in promoting relationships between world churches and served in Geneva with the International Congregational Council. His hymns are popular world wide  and have been translated into 15 languages.

The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology has this to say about his hymns:

Kaan’s hymns explore the inner meaning of what Christians do when they gather to worship, and the implications of that worship for the activity of Christians outside the walls of the church at whatever level of society they may be. He challenges complacency and the failure of Christians to be as alert in their Christian lives as they are in other aspects of living.

His best-known hymn is ‘For the healing of the nations’ (496).

Don’t forget – hymn requests are always welcome!

Bébhinn 087 228 5965

bebhinnmuire@gmail.com

 Random Notes DXXI

Illustrated herewith is a cover, published by the National Trust for Scotland in 1980, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the evacuation of St. Kilda in 1930.  

The archipelago of St. Kilda lies in the north Atlantic, about a hundred miles to the north west of the Scottish mainland, and geographically is in the county of Inverness, with its nearest neighbour being the outer Hebridean island of north Uist.

Hirta, which boasts the highest sea cliffs in Europe, is the main island of the group, and the only one which supported a population, a population which at its height was, it is though never more than perhaps a couple of hundred at most, and appears to have existed for a very great length of time, certainly for at least two thousand years.

By 1930, the population having dropped to but thirty-six persons, it was, at the islanders’ request, decided to remove the remaining families, then consisting of thirteen men, ten women, an thirteen  children, to the mainland, the day of the final abandonment being fixed for Friday, 29th august 1930.

This cover marking the anniversary of the evacuation, bears the signatures of two of then then surviving former inhabitants, Lachlan (‘Lackie’) Mac Donald (1906-1991), and Norman John (‘Neil’) Gillies ( c.1925-2013).

                                                                                                                                              K.L.R.