Pew Sheet – 21st January 2024

The Rector writes ‘ I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the thing called ‘Virtue Signalling’ which in our modern world often consists of posting opinions that you do not share on social media in order to gain popularity and reputation. Another example would be jumping on a trend in order to look better to your peers, no matter what your opinion on the trend is. One definition I found was that ‘Virtue signalling is the expression of a conspicuous, self-righteous moral viewpoint with the intent of communicating good character. It doesn’t actually have to be virtuous, it only needs to signal virtue to others’

We knew all about this, long before the advent of Social Media. We used to say things like ’He talks the talk but does he walk the walk’ People say ‘Nelson Mandela said this’ and ‘Dr Martin Luther King Jr. said this’ … I came across this wonderful photo posted recently on the internet.

‘Don’t just share my quotes, live my words’ I suppose it appeared because Martin Luther King Day was celebrated in the US on 15th January. As Christians, we are called to be disciples of Christ and that means trying to be Christ-like… thinking and most importantly of all DOING as Christ would have done ……. do you remember the WWJD bracelets popular 20 years ago? What Would Jesus Do indeed. A question we need to daily ask ourselves’

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an ecumenical
Christian observance in the Christian calendar that is
celebrated internationally. It is kept annually between 18 January and 25 January in the Northern Hemisphere.
It is an octave, that is, an observance lasting eight days.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is annually co-ordinated by the World Council of Churches, with
participation by its member Churches, which include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Old Catholic Church, the Moravian Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, the Mennonite Churches, the Methodist Churches and the Reformed Churches, as well as the Baptist Churches and the Pentecostal Churches. 
The Roman Catholic Church, which is an observer in the World Council of Churches, also celebrates the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

For 2024, materials were prepared by an ecumenical team from Burkina Faso facilitated by the local Chemin Neuf Community (CCN).

The Good Samaritan, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

The chosen theme is ‘You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbour as yourself’ (Lk 10:27). Brothers and sisters from the Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou, Protestant Churches, ecumenical bodies and the CCN in Burkina Faso collaborated generously in drafting the prayers and
reflections. They experienced their work together as a real path of ecumenical conversion

Random Notes CDXLV

Many years ago, Desmond and Elizabeth Cragoe exchanged a suburban lifestyle for a farm in Wales.

In her book ’Buttercups and Daisy’, Elizabeth tells the story of how they gradually learnt how to run a farm, with the help of neighbours they learned how to milk, plough and make hay, bought cattle, sheep and horses and pondered the mysteries of tractors and machinery. Along the way, they inherited
Ambrose, a particularly stroppy rooster who came to a sticky end.

In Elizabeth’s own words ’Ambrose’s fame as the most horrible cockerel ever to crack an egg had spread throughout the district. A farmer from the Llanelli area offered to take him off our hands. Catching him wasn’t easy as he had a peck like the hammer of God, but we took him unexpectedly after he had gone to roost. Our last view of him was as he lay, legs bound, eyes glaring, in the back seat of the car. There was some anxiety lest he should attack the farmer’s eighty year old mother, but the sheep dog kept him away from the house and for some months all was well, until, sadly, the dog was killed by a car, leaving Ambrose to claim more and more of the yard as his territory. Within a few weeks, the poor old lady dared not set foot outside her own kitchen door for fear of his sharp disapproval. So in the end, he had to be executed, and made, I believe, quite a tasty meal, after long boiling.’

‘Buttercups and Daisy’
was published in 1976

MMPC

A vigil of thanksgiving with prayers for ministry and vocations in Cork, Cloyne and Ross Saturday,
27th January 2024 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cathedral Church of Saint Colman, Cloyne, P25KC93
Stay for the duration or drop in/out and stay for awhile to join the Bishop in prayer

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DIOCESAN MAGAZINE
subscriptions now due. €30 for 2024 
You may hand your subscription to one of the churchwardens, you may post your subscription to Rowland Newenham, Cooleens, Church Road, Carrigaline P43 FR88,
you may pay by Revolut @rowlandnewenham,
or you may  pay online to Rowland Newenham.
IBAN IE14 BOFI 9029 7916 8630 62
BIC: BOFIIE2D
 PLEASE PLACE YOUR NAME IN THE REFERENCE LINE OF THE PAYMENT

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Whist evening in aid of St John’s Church Window Repair Fund

8pm Canon McCrea Hall 10th February
All Welcome

Donations/Spot Prizes much appreciated,

Please talk to the organisers
Barney Deane 087-2185197
Henry Forbes 087-203500

Dates for your Diary

January  

27th   Prayers for Ministry and Vocation, Cloyne Cathedral 11am to 1pm.

February  

7th Closing Service of St Mary’s Bicentennial Year 7:30pm

The Bishop will dedicate the renovated Reredos, the new Credence Table and the Bicentennial Quilt. The Archbishop of Armagh will preach. St Fin Barre’s Choir  will sing the Choral Evensong.

10th Charity Whist evening in Canon McCrea Hall 8pm

12th  Mens’ Coffee 10am Carrigaline Court Hotel

14th  Ash Wednesday

10:30am & 7:30pm Holy Communion and Impostition of Ashes Services in St Mary’s Church

28th  Lenten Study begins  – Reading the Apocrypha over 4 weeks. 8pm each Wednesday by Zoom beginning Wednesday 28th February