Dear Parishioners,
Harvest Services
This month the Harvest Service in Killucan will be held on Sunday 6th October at 11.30 a.m. and the preacher will be Rev. Trevor Holmes.
On Sunday 13th October the Harvest Service will be held in Almoritia at 11.00 a.m.
The Harvest Service in Mullingar will be held on Sunday 20th October at 11.00 a.m and the preacher will be Rev. Cathy Hallissey, Rector of Enniskerry in Co. Wicklow. We look forward to welcoming both Trevor and Cathy who have both spent time with us in the Parish.
The decoration of each of the churches will be held on the Saturday morning before the Service – Killucan Saturday 5th, Almoritia Saturday 12th and Mullingar Saturday 19th, from 10.00 a.m.
J.A.M.
On Sunday 6th October the All Saints’ J.A.M. (Sunday School) will be launched for this year at a special Children’s Service. I do hope that parents and children will come to join the Leaders on this important occasion. Christian formation is so important in the world in which we are living and the Christian Sunday School provides a wonderful opportunity for children to learn about the Christian faith. In Killucan, J.A.M. is held every Sunday and is of great value to the children.
Rock Solid Youth Club
The Youth Club will now meet every three weeks starting on Thursday 3rd October at 7.30 p.m. in All Saints’. Membership of the Youth Club is for young people at Secondary School.
Faith Raising Day – Saturday 5th October
The Diocesan Faith Raising Day will be held from 10.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. in the Mount St. Anne’s Retreat Centre in Killenard. Anyone who would like to come to the Day should contact me as soon as possible.
Lighten Our Darkness – Parish Conference – 2nd February 2020
I would like to invite the parishioners who have attended previous meetings to discuss the planning for the Conference, to a meeting in All Saints’ next Monday, 7th October at 8.00 p.m. I do hope we will have a good attendance as we have some important items to discuss.
Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Association
The new Session began on Tuesday 24th September but, for the moment, due to the unavailability of sufficient Leaders, the Company will only meet every fortnight. We sincerely hope we will be able to enlist a few more Leaders to enable the Company to resume its’ practice of meeting every week.
Confirmation – Sunday 27th October
The Confirmation will be held on Sunday 27th October at 11.00 a.m. in All Saints’. I would ask everyone to remember the candidates in prayer as they prepare for this important occasion in their lives. So please pray for – Aoife, Tori, David, Jasmine, Alex, Cian, Libby, Isabella, Diamond and Osasere as they prepare for their Confirmation.
Bishop’s Appeal
The focus of the Bishop’s project this year is creating an awareness of mental health. An event will be held on Thursday 17th October at 8.00 p.m. in All Saints’ and I would like to invite parishioners to show their support for this important initiative by attending the event. There will be beautiful singing, the oileann pipes and a special Talk. I know the Bishop will be delighted to meet members of the Parish.
Westmeath Protestant Orphans Society
The final event of the 175th Anniversary of the Society will take place on Thursday 7th November at the Coffee Morning in All Saints’. Ruth Illingworth will give a lecture on the historical situation of orphans in the county and this promises to be a very interesting talk which can be enjoyed over a nice cup of coffee. The Anniversary calendars, which have photos of each of the churches in Westmeath, will be on sale and I warmly invite the support of the Parish for this special occasion. The Anniversary Church Service was a wonderful occasion and was very well attended.
The All Saints’ Day Whist Drive
On All Saints’ Day there will be a special Whist Drive in the Parish Hall at 8.30 p.m. and we formally invite parishioners and their friends to come for a very enjoyable evening. If you would like to donate a prize please leave the prize in either the Church or the Rectory as soon as possible.
All Saints’ Day – Friday 1st November
There will be a special Service of Holy Communion at 11.00 a.m. to celebrate our Patronal Festival.
St. Luke’s Day – Friday 18th October :There will be a Service of Holy Communion at 11.00 a.m. with special prayers for Christian healing. This is always a very poignant occasion and everyone is more than welcome to attend.
Coffee on Thursdays
You will always be most welcome at Coffee between 10.30 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. every Thursday in All Saints’.
History of Mullingar
This month, on the RCB library website, the history of Mullingar is the archive of the month. It is entitled ‘Some account of the Parish of Molyngar’ (Mullingar). I would like to sincerely thank Harry Haskins for the enormous amount of work he has undertaken in conjunction with the RCB library to prepare this history for digitalisation. It will be an invaluable resource for parishioners, historians and the wider church. Thank you indeed, Harry.
Breakfast Communion
On the first Sunday of the month, commencing in November there will be a short Service of Holy Communion followed by breakfast in All Saints’ for young people who have been confirmed from 8.30a.m. to 9.30a.m. I will be sending all the young people in the Parish further details.
Bereavements
We offer our deepest sympathy to Hans and Anne Oosting following the death of Anne’s sister in Schull, Co. Cork after a long illness borne with great courage and dignity.
We also offer our deepest sympathy to Declan and Aisling Fry on the death of Aisling’s Grandmother, who had lived a very long life.
We also offer our deepest sympathy to Fiona Shaw on the sad passing of her mum, who also bore her illness with such courage and dignity.
For each of these families the passing of loved ones is naturally a very sad time, but we pray that they will be comforted by their memories of their loved one and in knowing that God’s promises are true. We pray that they are now at rest and will rise in glory. We will continue to support those who have been bereaved in our prayers.
Tiny Tots with Zoe Hales
10- 12 each Friday of school term time when hall is available – to sign up for alert texts as to what dates the group will run text Zoe at 085 2126188
This is a lovely Parent and baby / toddler group that has been meeting in the parish for over two years a lovely opportunity to meet new parents and allow you tot to play in a safe social environment..
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.
Rev. Alastair Graham, Rector,
