Dear Parishioners,
St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Sunday 11th August
On Sunday 11th August the Senior Parish Choir, under the direction of Bill McConnell, will sing Evensong at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin at 3.15 p.m. This follows on from a very successful visit to Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin last August. It is heartening to see the growing appreciation for the talent and musical ability of the Choir that is being recognised in church musical centres. I would like to wish them every success with the forthcoming engagement and I would also like to warmly invite parishioners to go to the Cathedral on that day so that we can show Bill, the Organist and Choir members our very full support.
Heritage Week
This year Heritage Week will run from Saturday 17th to Saturday 24th August. The churches will be open during that week to welcome visitors. The special Civic Service for Heritage Week will be held on Wednesday 21st August at 1.00 p.m. in All Saints. Brigid Geoghegan will conduct the Service and the special preacher will be Mr. Pat Gallagher, Chief Executive, Westmeath County Council. Last year this was a most uplifting occasion and a warm invitation goes out to everyone to attend.
Lunchtime Organ Recital
On Saturday 17th August at 1.00 p.m. in All Saints’ there will be a special Organ Recital by one of the finest organists in Austria and, indeed, in Europe Leon Tscholl. The distinguished visitors who come to Mullingar always appreciate the acoustics in All Saints’ and their visits also provide us with the opportunity to hear some of the finest musicians in the world. If you would like to attend and invite friends and neighbours, I can assure you that you will have no regrets after attending this Recital.
Rev. Sarah Marry
Rev. Sarah Marry, the new Rector of Edenderry Parish, will be instituted on Thursday 15th August at 8.00 p.m. in Edenderry Church. We warmly welcome Sarah, her husband Declan and their children to the Diocese and I know that Sarah’s ministry will bring a special blessing to the parishioners of Edenderry. I invite to remember Sarah in your prayers.
Rev. Ruth O’Kelly
We were delighted to hear of the appointment of Ruth O’Kelly as Bishop’s Curate to Clane Parish in Co. Kildare. Many of you will remember Ruth who served her internship in our Parish. We wish her well with her new ministry in Clane. I invite you to remember Ruth in your prayers as she prepares for her installation on Thursday 19th September.
All Saints’ School
At the end of August All Saints’ School will re-open for the start of the new school year. We remember in prayer the Principal, teachers and staff and all the pupils, remembering especially all the young children who will be starting school for the first time. We are so blessed with the standards of education in our Parish school and we would again like to thank the Principal, teachers and staff for their dedicated commitment and hard work.
Holy Baptisms
In recent weeks the following children were baptised in the Parish Jack, Arthur, Ella, James, Alexander and Eliza.
We pray for each one of them, their parents and godparents, as each child begins their journey in faith. On Sunday 25th August the twin boys of Christopher and Mona Lisa Manzira, Mark and Philip, will be baptised in All Saints’ at 10.00 a.m. This will be a very special occasion for them. Mona Lisa’s mother, Anna, who lives in Zimbabwe, will be present for the baptism.
Young People’s Lunch
A number of young people from the Parish organised a wonderful lunch on Tuesday 30th July for a number of parishioners in the Parish. The purpose of the lunch was for the young people to meet older parishioners and have an interesting conversation with them about life and faith. It was a most enjoyable and uplifting occasion and I certainly think a precedent has been set for similar occasions in the future. I would like to thank all the young people for their tremendous work and participation and the parishioners who participated with such a lovely and encouraging spirit.
Parish Conference and Parish Dinner
Preparations are well in hand for a very important and interesting Parish Conference on Sunday 2nd February 2020 which will be held in All Saints’ Church. At the Conference we will be discussing plans for the future of the Parish, and an initial 5-Year Plan, which we hope will give the whole project wonderful impetus. The participants at the Conference will represent parishioners of all ages and it is very encouraging to see so many young people going to be involved. I hope this will act as a great incentive for older parishioners to come and participate. There is often much comment about the lack of youth support within parishes. We are very blessed in the Mullingar Union that a number of younger people wish to be involved. I know that all parishioners committed to seeing the Parish build a strong community into the future will want to support them at the Parish Conference. On the previous evening, Saturday 1st February 2020, we will have the Parish Dinner in the Greville Arms Hotel at 8.00 p.m. This is always a most enjoyable occasion.
Holidays
Unfortunately Olive and myself were unable to avail of the holiday we had planned last month and we now hope to be on holidays from Friday 23rd to Friday 30th August.
The Farming Community
I am very conscious of the pressures that all farmers are currently experiencing and it is very important that they know they have the prayerful and practical support of all of us in the Parish at this difficult time. The challenges facing farming come from a number of difficult angles and each of these provides not only a challenge but also very natural stress and anxiety. I do hope that you will remember all the farmers and their families in your prayers and I have also pledged my own support to them to help in whatever way I can to represent their issues and concerns.
Grandparents and Grandchildren Sunday – 15th September
Last year you may remember that we had a wonderful occasion when grandparents accompanied their grandchildren to church. This year we will be holding another Service on Sunday 15th September at 11.00 a.m. in All Saints’. I would like to again invite grandparents to invite their grandchildren to come with them to church on that day – grandchildren can be of any age, as can the grandparents! Let us again make it a very special celebration of the valued relationship that grandparents and grandchildren love and share.
Parish Website Address – www.mullingarunionofparishes.net.
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.
I hope you will have a very enjoyable time if you are going on holidays this month and I hope that those who have recently returned from holidays feel the benefit of their break.
Rev. Alastair Graham
