Pew Sheet – 29th October 2023

The Rector writes ‘ Today is our United Service which is held on each 5th Sunday of the year (there are four ‘5th’ Sundays per year) and it’s always really lovely for us to come together as a parish community in one or other of our two churches. It shakes it up a bit!

I thank the people of St John’s for being willing to have the Service at the later time of 11:15am so as to allow the St Mary’s People to get to the wrong church first! Today we are using the ‘Bible Sunday’ Readings which is always a choice in the Lectionary for this 5th Sunday before Advent. I find it is an annual opportunity to promote Bible Reading in general but this year I am going to be talking in particular about how you can interest the little ones in reading their Bibles (and who knows, the adults might learn something too!)

Even if you don’t have young children yourself, you might have grandchildren or friends with young children. Last Saturday some of us attended a very interesting Children and Family Ministry Workshop run by the Diocese and there were some great resources suggested. In particular a ‘Bible Buddy  Reading Scheme’ caught my attention where on a specific day the children are invited to adopt a soft toy (a Bible Buddy) and are encouraged to ‘feed’ this Buddy by reading to them from the Bible!  How clever is that! Who remembers ‘Furbies’!   Anyway, I’ll tell you more about it at the Service ‘

 Random Notes  CDXXXVII

Illustrated herewith is a recently acquired most interesting memento of a significant event in the history of air travel.

On  the afternoon of Saturday, 14th June, 1919 at about 1.45, Captain John William Alcock, and Flight-Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, in pursuance of a substantial prize of 10,000 offered by the Daily Mail newspaper of London for the first crossing of the Atlantic ocean by aeroplane ‘in less than seventy-two consecutive hours’, set off in their converted Vickers Vimy aeroplane from Lester’s field, nr. St, Johns, Newfoundland. 

After a harrowing flight of just short of sixteen flying hours during which, amongst other misfortunes, were encountered freezing conditions, and a bank of thick fog, and a heavy snow storm, both of which rendered navigation to next to nigh impossible, the west coast of county Galway was sighted, and at 8.40 in the morning of the following day, Sunday, 15th June, the aeroplane made a rough landing, slightly nose diving in the process on to what had first appeared from the air to be some flat ground, but in fact was soft bog land at Derrygimlagh , near Errislannan, south of Clifden.   Much followed from the historic flight, with Alcock and Brown being feted as  heroes, both being knighted, receiving the Daily Mail reward, and the recipients of accolades wherever they went.  

As a postscript, and the point of penning this little note, it may be added that on the morning of the landing many people came out from Clifden and elsewhere to see the aeroplane, with some, before the sight was secured, tearing off pieces of the linen fabric which over a timber frame formed the aeroplane, as souvenirs, and it is two of these small fragments that were recently acquired and are now in Carrigaline!

                                   K.L.R.

 

Dates for your Diary

November

12th   Remembrance Services 9:30/11am

18th   Youth Group Games Night 7:30pm till 9pm Parish Hall

19th   ‘A Celebration of Lay Ministry’ 7pm

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral

· Hilary Dring will be licenced as a Diocesan Lay Reader

· Clodagh King will be commissioned as a Lay Local Minister (Pastoral)

24th   Pageant/Drama 7:30pm in St Mary’s Church

26th   Parish Gift Day 9:30/11am

Also two Speakers on Gender Based Violence (from

Cuanlee Refuge & OSS Cork Support Services) will be at the 11am Service to launch the exhibition ‘Souls of our Shoes’ which will run until Wednesday 29th. 

There will be a Bring & Share Lunch in the Parish Hall.  More details nearer the time.

29th   Advent Zoom Bible Study 8pm  ‘Song of Zechariah’

December

3rd   Tractor Run

5th    Movie Night ‘The Scarlet and the Black’

7:30pm Parish Hall

6th Advent Zoom Bible Study 8pm ‘Song of Mary’

13th Advent Zoom Bible Study 8pm ‘Song of the Angels’

15th   Community Carols in St Marys Church 7:30pm

15th to 17th   Nativity Display in Parish Hall

(please contact the Rector if you would like your set to be part of the Display)

17th   Nine Lessons & Carols 4pm  St John’s Monkstown

20th Advent Zoom Bible Study 8pm ‘’Song of Simeon’

24th   Carols around the Crib  4pm  St Mary’s Carrigaline

Posada

This Advent we will again be having our lovely ’Posada’, the tradition of the wooden figures of Joseph, Mary and the Donkey travelling from home to home in the parish throughout the four weeks of the Advent Season. Heading out to the first house after the Advent Sunday Service on 3rd December and finally arriving back to the Carols around the Crib Service at 11am on 24th December, Christmas Eve (which is a Sunday this year).

If you would like to welcome the Posada to your home during this time, the signup sheet is at the back of St Mary’s Church. It’s very easy, the person before you will ring you up and arrange to drop the figures to you and so on. Just talk to the Rector if you’d like any more details about the tradition.