Pew Sheet – 21st December 2025

The Giving Tree

(Photo was taken last year at the end of Epiphany)

The Giving Tree is now up along with the Christmas Tree in St Mary’s Church and will remain up until the 2nd February, Candlemas Day, so if you have any unwanted gifts over this Christmas, please place them on the tree or give them to the Rector and we will pass them onto our three charities (Cork Simon/Penny Dinners/Cuan Lee Refuge)

Thank you!

December

Christmas Eve 24th

4pm Carols around the Crib St Mary’s

11pm First Eucharist of the Nativity St Mary’s

Christmas Day 25th

9:30 & 11am Services as normal

Sunday 28th

11am United Christingle Service St Mary’s Church

NO 9:30am Service

January

Tuesday 6th

10:30am Holy Communion for Epiphany

St Mary’s Church (no Wednesday HC this week)

February

Sunday 1st

3:30pm Confirmation Service

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral

Saturday 7th

7:30pm Cocktail Evening Fundraiser

Parish Hall

Monday 23rd

7:30 to 8pm Vestry Register Open

Parish Hall

Random Notes DXIII

I’m really looking forward to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols this evening in St John’s Church, Monkstown. We are so lucky to have this beautiful service in Monkstown and also in Crosshaven. Many churches have variations of this service but very often they are watered down carol services which just don’t have the same effect.

In Monkstown we even have our own robed choir who along with the clergy process in to the hymn “Once in Royal David’s city”. This hymn was written by Cecil Frances (Fanny) Alexander and is the traditional opening hymn for the Nine Lessons service.

In Kings College, Cambridge, where the service is broadcast on BBC2 every year, the first verse is always sung by a boy or girl soprano. Three or four soprano’s learn and practice the solo verse, but only one is chosen to perform on the day.

This makes sense, allowing for illness etc., but I always feel that it must be so disappointing for those who don’t get to sing! The hymn builds up to the wonderful descant in the last verse. This descant has been composed by many musicians over the years, but we choose the one traditionally sung by Sir David Wilcocks. We don’t have any children in Monkstown Chamber Choir but we are lucky to have local soprano Charlotte O’Connor to sing the first verse.

Three of the choir pieces being sung this evening were composed by Philip Stopford. I was lucky to attend a workshop that he gave in St Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh over ten years ago. His music is very special and I love the fact that he publishes his music himself instead of using the major musical publishers! He joined St Colman’s Choir when we were invited to sing at the 500th anniversary of the Vatican Choir in Rome in 2013.