Pew Sheet – 23rd March 2025

The Rector writes ‘The wonderful Mothers’ Union have organised a ‘Lenten Lunch’ in the Parish Hall

following the 11am Service today.

All monies raised will go to their Overseas Fund.

The MU Overseas Fund supports a wide variety of projects – wherever possible they are self-help / income-generating activities.

There are also paid Mothers’ Union workers overseas and the Overseas fund pays their salaries, and also the vital equipment they need for their essential work.

Please do come along if you can and support this worthy cause’

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ADVANCE NOTICE from our Link Diocese

If you’re free and able to join the Lichfield Diocesan 24 Hours of Prayer, that’d be great. The whole 24 hours, from 12noon on 2nd April – 12 noon on 3rd April, are on Zoom. Each half hour is led by a different deanery / ministry in the Diocese. Our Cork – Lichfield Link has half an hour from 6.30pm on 2nd April, and it’d be lovely to ’see’ you there if you can. The link for this is:

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89065110157?pwd=7LOy9bj0aDuidJ3OZ9hxIBVqgOyJyZ.1

Meeting ID: 890 6511 0157

Passcode: 142337

Music Notes 23-03-2025

Hymns at St Mary’s

576 I heard the voice of Jesus

557 Rock of ages

607 As pants the hart

668 God is our fortress

Our final hymn today was written by Martin Luther (1483-1546). He had a profound influence on the development of congregational music, and God is our fortress (Ein feste Burg) is perhaps his most famous hymn. Luther wrote both text and music for thirty-seven hymns in his lifetime.

Luther’s background as an Augustinian monk gave him a love of Gregorian chant and he was also a trained singer and lutenist. He was highly aware of the positive influence of music and its emotional power:

Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. She is a mistress and governess of the human emotions…..which control men or more often overwhelm them…Whether you wish to comfort the sad, to subdue frivolity, to encourage the despairing, to humble the proud, to calm the passionate, or to appease those full of hate…what more effective means than music can you find? (Martin Luther)

Luther adapted tunes from secular music for his hymns so that people would find the melodies attractive and familiar.

The tune of this hymn was taken from a popular march and spread rapidly throughout Germany becoming known as ‘the Marseillaise of the Reformation’.

Bébhinn 087 228 5965

bebhinnmuire@gmail.com

Random Notes CDLXXXVI

This morning the news of over 400 Palestinian deaths at the hands of the IDF was met in some quarters with barely a shrug. It is easy to be angry and upset at what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank. But someone once told me that despair is a sin.

A month ago, three of us in UCC were awarded a grant of approximately €4500 to investigate the use of technology as a tool of oppression in the West Bank and Gaza. Some of this has been documented in the book, “The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World,” by Anthony Lowenstein. In brief, Gaza has been and continues to be used as a testbed for military and police technologies that are bought and used by many Western nations. This continues a long and unsavoury history of modern technologies being built on the suffering of others.

However, when we presented our idea to Palestinian colleagues in Birzeit University, Ramallah, and the Lajee Centre, Jerusalem, they turned the project on its head. Their response was to ask why Palestinians cannot

benefit from some of that technology, rather than just dismiss it as a tool of oppression? Lajee and Birzeit together cover the education of

Palestinians from preschool to university level. However, that education is frequently disrupted by tactics such as delaying teachers travelling through checkpoints for up to ten hours. So, two challenges have been put to us:

Can we train our Palestinian counterparts on how to effectively teach online?

Are there subject specific teaching resources that we can provide, that are suitable for online delivery?

The cheerfulness and positivity of our Palestinian colleagues is humbling. They are matter of fact about the huge difficulties they face, but their main motivation is to figure out ways to get around these obstacles. There is no time for anger or recrimination. But there is a determination to make things work.

We can use our collective experience of teaching during COVID-19,

especially when we were thrown un at the deep end. Some of the problems are technological, others are pedagogical. We will do our best to help Birzeit and Lajee overcome them. You can expect further updates later in the year.

SJFW

PS: Anyone interested in a screening of the Oscar-winning Palestinian-Israeli documentary, “No Other Land?” I have a copy!

Email simonwoodworth@gmail.com

Dates for your Diary

March

26th Lenten Workshop on Prayer, 8pm St Mary’s Church

30th United Service 11am in St John’s Church, Monkstown

NO SERVICE IN ST MARY’S CHURCH

April

13th Palm Sunday:

9:30am Morning Prayer in St John’s. Palm & Passion Liturgies

11am Morning Prayer in St Mary’s including Palm Procession, with Palm Liturgy in the Rectory Grounds before returning for Passion Liturgy in the church.

14th – 16th Monday – Wednesday of Holy Week:

10.30am Holy Communion in St Mary’s

17th Maundy Thursday:

12 noon Diocesan Chrism Eucharist in St Factna’s Cathedral, Rosscarbery.

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

9pm until Dawn ‘Night/Gethsemane Watch’ , in St Mary’s Church, praying for the Environment ahead of Earth Day on 22nd April.

18th Good Friday:

10.30am St John’s – Morning Prayer with Litany

12 noon Stations of the Cross in St Mary’s Graveyard with our sister church of Our Lady & St John

7.30pm St Mary’s – Service of Tennebrae

19th Saturday of Holy Week:

9pm St Mary’s – Easter Vigil Service, Pascal candle lit from outside byre.

20th Easter Day:

9.30am St John’s – Easter Eucharist

11am St Mary’s – Easter Eucharist

May

1st Annual Vestry Meeting ‘Easter Vestry’ at 7:30pm in the Parish Hall

June

8th Confirmation Service 11am in St Mary’s Church

The Owenabue Garden and Flower Club, Carrigaline

welcomes Angela E. Heffron, AOIFA teacher,

who will give a teaching demonstration

for beginner flower arrangers.

Includes: Spring Show, Raffle and Refreshments.

Venue: St. Mary’s NS, Waterpark, Carrigaline, Co. Cork.

Date: Monday 24th March 2025 at 8pm.

All are welcome. Visitors €10.

On the 5th April from 10am-12pm, there will be a workshop on the Liloma Project in Sierra Leone to raise our ongoing awareness and support of the Diocesan Project as chosen by our Bishop. This will be held at St Nicholas House (T12 RP40)

The morning will include, firstly a presentation from Andrew Coleman on the work of Christian Aid, secondly Tony Murphy on the Liloma Project where we will link up with the Christian Aid office in Freetown, thirdly Clodagh Yambasu will speak of her experience of the Christian faith as someone who has lived in Freetown and is familiar with the context.

There will be an opportunity for discussions around the Liloma Project with time for questions and comments and how we can continue to support this important project.

All parishioners are welcome to attend but you must let the organisers know as numbers are limited.

Email the Diocesan Education Officer the Revd Terry Mitchell at terrym438@gmail.com if you would like to attend.