Dear Parishioner(s)
Parish Sale – Saturday 13th May – 10.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m.
The Annual Parish Sale will be held in All Saints’ on Saturday 13th May from 10.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. There will be the usual stalls with excellent bargains. The Cake Stall and the Plant Stall are always stocked with the finest of produce. This year the Sale will be further expanded to include other stalls of interest including Refreshments and Beef Burgers. The Sale is a wonderful Parish occasion. I hope it will be very well supported again this year and that you will invite family and friends to come along. Olive will be organising the Cake Stall and if you would like to donate cakes she would be delighted to hear from you on 044-9348376. Arie and Jean Gorissen will be organising the Plant Stall and they would be delighted to receive plants. They can be contacted on 044-9375496. This year, Emma Corburn has kindly agreed to oversee the organisation of the Sale. If you can assist Emma in any way, she can be contacted on 087-6374131.
Easter General Vestry
The Easter General Vestry will be held next Wednesday evening, 3rd May at 8.00 p.m. in All Saints’ Church. This is the Annual General Meeting of the Parish and a very important occasion. I would like to invite parishioners to attend and I hope you will be able to support the Parish by attending the meeting. This year, in addition to the elections for the Select Vestry, there will be the Triennial Elections for the Diocese.So please mark this meeting in your diary. I look forward to meeting you next Wednesday.
All Saints’ School Concert
The All Saints’ School Concert will take place on Thursday 11th May at 7.00 p.m. in the Arts Centre, Mount Street. This is always a wonderful Concert which is held every other year. This year we will be entertained to a production of the musical “Oliver”. It will be lovely to see all the children and young people in the School taking part. We would like to thank the Principal, teachers and staff who have put so much hard work in to the preparation for the Concert.
All Saints’ Children’s Orchestra
The first concert of the new Parish Orchestra will take place in All Saints’ church at 5.00 p.m. next Saturday, 29th April. Everyone is warmly invited to come along to support the young people and their conductor, Mr. Vincent Hunt.
African Celebration of Faith – Saturday 3rd June @ 3p.m. in All Saints’
As you know, our Parish community has been blessed in recent years with the involvement of African families who have come to reside and make their home in Mullingar. While they have been so very loyal in supporting the Parish, we have not had the opportunity to experience their celebration of faith in their own culture. On Saturday 3rd June I warmly invite everyone in the Parish to come to All Saints’ to enjoy and experience a truly authentic expression of African Faith. This will be a very special occasion and I would like to thank all those families who are taking part and putting so much work in to the organisation.
Christian Voices Together – Sunday 28th May
Last year my brother, Rev. Prof. Gordon Graham, of Princeton USA, gave a lecture on ‘Being Christian in a Secular Culture’. Many people found his talk very inspiring and, as a result, the churches in the Mullingar area have invited Gordon to come to give a further lecture on ‘From Faith to Hope”. Gordon’s lecture will take place on Sunday evening 28th May at 8.00 p.m. Everyone will be most welcome. You might like to also invite your friends and family to the lecture.
Faithies Awards
We were delighted to hear that the Parish was a joint winner of the category “Faith Community of the Year” for 2016/2017. There were 13 finalists in this category and it is a wonderful achievement for the Parish to be a joint winner and to have won an award. I would like to thank Lorraine Hales for all her good work in making the application and, of course, to everyone in the Parish whose good work made a lasting impression on the Judges. The Parish website has been a wonderful success and we thank Lorraine for all the good work she does in maintaining it for the Parish.
School Admission – Minister for Education and Skills Proposals
As you are aware, the Minister for Education, Mr. Richard Bruton TD, has made a proposal to repeal the Equal Status Act, Section 7, which would remove “Faith” as a criteria for admission to the School. His proposal is to create catchment areas for each school and introduce the Nearest School Policy which, of course, will deny parents the opportunity to choose a faith-based school for their children’s education. If the Minister’s proposals become legislation, we will see the end of faith-based schools for minority religions in Ireland. I would like to thank everyone who has supported our petition which opposes these proposals. I hope that the opposition that these proposals are encountering will encourage the Minister to rethink the proposal and enable parents to continue to choose a faith-based school while, at the same time, providing opportunities for parents of no religion to choose a secular school for their children’s education. You can sign the online petition here
Holy Baptisms
We recently welcomed in to God’s family through baptism, Charlie Connolly and Ivan Johnston-Molloy. We pray for both Charlie and Ivan as they begin their journey of faith, and also pray for their parents and godparents.
Bereavement
We offer our deepest sympathy to a number of families who have recently been bereaved. We offer our sympathy to Mignone and John Duggan following the death of Mignone’s aunt. We also offer our deepest sympathy to Justin and Audrey Gunning following the death of Justin’s father, who passed away very suddenly. David and Pamela Webster were also saddened by the sudden passing of David’s father, who died as he returned from inspecting sheep on the land in Ashford where he lived.
Mignone’s aunt, Justin’s father and David’s father were all highly respected and admired in the communities where they lived and memories of them will live on for a long time in the hearts and minds of those who knew them well. They will also, of course, be sadly missed by their families and we pray that they, now in the fuller presence of God, may rest in peace. We pray that Mignone and John, Justin and Audrey, David and Pamela, and their families will be comforted by their warm memories of their loved one and that their faith will be a strength to them.
In the Parish we had the sad death of Baroness Irene von Prodnzynski who passed away peacefully in Newbrook Nursing Home on Tuesday 4th April. The Baroness and her husband had come to live in Knockdrin in the early 1960s. The Baroness was fondly loved and highly respected by everyone who had the privilege and pleasure of knowing her. She had a remarkable capacity for quiet kindnesses and many people benefited by her kindness, for which she took no credit. She was a person of inspiring faith with a deep compassion for people. She upheld honesty and integrity and the best values of human living to the full. She will be sadly missed and we extend our deepest sympathy to Isabelle, Ferdinand, Alayah and Pia, and all members of the family. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
Christians, of course, have the comfort and assurance of knowing that God’s promises are true and that those who have died in faith continue to be in God’s care where they are safe and at peace. We hope they will feel surrounded by God’s presence and love and comforted by His grace. May they each rest in peace.
Coffee Morning every Thursday from 10.30a.m – 1.30p.m in All Saints’
We warmly invite parishioners and friends to call in for a coffee and a chat in the very friendly atmosphere of All Saints’
Arthur and Marion O’ Toole provide delightful refreshments and Each month a charity is chosen for donations.
Tiny Tots
The Tiny Tots continue to meet on Friday mornings 10am – 12 pm in All Saints’ during term time. It is lovely to meet the babies, small children and parents. Zoe Hales organises a most interesting programme. Do call in – you will be most welcome text Zoe on 0866052292
You may like to keep in touch with the Parish through the website and your family and friends may also like to have the web address. The address is www.mullingarunionofparishes.net. I encourage you to continue to look at the website and to also advise your family and friends about it.
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/mullingarunionofparishes.net Keep up to date
on our Parish Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @MullingarUP
I do hope you will take the opportunity for prayerful devotion during Holy Week and I would like to wish you and your family a very happy and enjoyable Easter.
With God’s blessings,
Rev. Alastair Graham, Rector
The Rectory, Gaol’s Hill, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.
Telephone No. 044-934 8376
