Pew Sheet – 9th March 2025

The Rector writes ‘Many of us find it difficult at times to pray. Prayer is something we feel we should be able to do ’with our eyes shut’ – pun intended! But sometimes at the end of a busy day, when we lay our heads down, and begin to recite the Lord’s Prayer, the next thing we know is the morning alarm is going off and it’s time to get up and begin again. And yet, deep down, we know that prayer is essential for our life of faith. Like breath to the human body, prayer makes the spirit live, without it, faith can become dry and lifeless. On the other hand , when we pray, we grow in spirit and life. At the Prayer Workshops over the next three Wednesday nights (see flyer for details) we will be exploring different ways we can pray… creatively with drawing , bubbles, beads etc; contemplatively with silence, candles, water…. and communally with set prayers like the Lord’s Prayer, or the Creed, or the Prayer Book. Each of the three Wednesdays will have the same material and format so you can dip in on one night and take away a couple of ideas or you come to two or even three nights and sample everything on offer.

All materials will be there on the night, you just have to bring yourself and your desire to learn how to pray in perhaps a way you haven’t encountered before. The Parish Healer Prayer team will be on hand to demonstrate and help so do come along if you can. A reminder that the team consists of myself, Revd Richard, Joy Keefe, Peter Coughlan, Hilary Warren-Perry, Simon Woodworth, Hilary Dring and Clodagh King.’

Dates for your Diary

March

10th Mens’ Coffee 10am Carrigaline Court Hotel

12th Lenten Workshop on Prayer, 8pm St Mary’s Church

19th MU Meeting 3pm Parish Hall

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

23rd MU Lenten Lunch in Parish Hall after 11am Service ,

Donations to the MU Overseas Fund.

26th Lenten Workshop on Prayer, 8pm 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

This year’s Confirmation Service

will be at 11am in St Mary’s Church

on the Day of Pentecost 8th June

Random Notes CDLXXXIV

About two months ago, staff in the garden centre started to notice two little robins coming up close to us, especially if we were doing something that involved digging or tidying up plants. They would be particularly interested if any jobs involved exposing any little bugs, insects or worms. Not so much slugs and snails. We also noticed a magpie coming to the perimeter of the garden centre – on the fence but not so much inside.

Then, more recently, the robins began to gather bits of dried grass and other material and left them on the top layer of a plant trolley display between pots. About a fortnight ago, one of my colleagues declared “they’re making a nest!!”. Slowly but surely the bits of debris started to look like an actual nest. We thought this was a little weird as it is in a very noisy part of the entrance, with people passing very close and shopping trolleys being gathered and collected right beside the display. Also right under the speaker playing the horrendous piped music. We wondered why they had chosen such a public, noisy area when there are lots of other places that would be more tranquil.

Last week, one of the robins was spending a lot of time just sitting on the nest. We are assuming that this is the female (very sexist, I know!!) Lo and behold, when this robin would occasionally move out of the nest we saw five tiny eggs.

The second robin then brings her food every so often, and she would then fly back in to the nest to keep the eggs warm. We have taped-off the area and put up a sign asking people not to disturb our little robin family.

It was only last weekend when Peter Coughlan mentioned that the robins were actually quite clever making the nest in a public, busy area. It allows them a warm, south facing, dry home but most importantly away from predators like jays and magpies. I’ve also noticed that the robin in the nest stays very still and quiet. She is hardly visible unless you know exactly where to stand. You can just about make out her little black eyes, beak and red breast.

Such a lovely, living series of events to experience.

Pure Easter in Cork!!