Issue 173   “UNION NEWS”    September 2024

MULLINGAR UNION OF PARISHES

Dear Parishioners,
We hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer and had an opportunity for
some rest. School term will have commenced as we go to print and we send best
wishes to all Primary and Secondary School pupils, students, parents, teachers
and teaching support staff for the academic year ahead. We send special good
wishes to all Leaving Cert Students and wish them well with all their new
ventures.

 Thank You’s
Thank you to the team who have maintained the Rectory grounds over the
summer and plan to keep an eye on it over the autumn. Thanks also to those
who have attended to the maintenance tasks with the Rectory. A big thank you
to all who have conducted services across all four churches and provided
tea/coffee afterwards.

We will continue to have a variety of services over the
coming months and look forward to the first service to mark the Harvest
celebrations in Almoritia on the 15th September at 7pm. There will be further
Harvest services in September and October.

 Mullingar Famine Graveyard
The annual commemoration service at Mullingar’s Famine Graveyard took
place on 28thJune. The Famine Graveyard, in which hundreds are buried
without name or marker, was neglected for many years. This is now the venue
for this annual ecumenical service of prayer and music and a place now visited
by many.  The Church of Ireland was represented at this important event by
Canon Patrick Lawrence.

Coffee Morning for Hospice: Thursday 26 September 10.30am – 1.30pm in
All Saints’. This is in support of the national fundraiser taking place on this day.

Children/ Youth
Saturday Board Games 7th September 2pm- 3pm in All Saints’ Church. All
welcome.

Sunday School 15th September at 10am in All Saints’ Church.

The Hub, Mullingar Friday 20th September 7.30 -9pm for Secondary School
Children

Whist Drives
The Mullingar Whist Drives will commence on Friday 4th October at 8pm. If
you have any unwanted gifts or if you would like to donate a prize please give
to one of the Church Wardens. You can also contact Emma 087 6374131 or
Anna 086 8131132. There will also be Whist Drives in Mullingar on Friday 1st
November and 6 th December. All start at 8pm.

Whist Refresher: We are holding a social introduction/ refresher to Whist for
new/ lapsed players on Saturday 21st September from 7pm to 9pm. There will
be experienced players on hand to talk through the rules of Whist and play a
few practice games. Light refreshments served. All ages welcome, just pop in
over these 2 hours.

Bereavement
We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the Webster family on the death of David’s
mother in Wicklow in June. Enid was laid to rest following a funeral service of
thanksgiving in Nun’s Cross Church, Ashford, Co Wicklow.

 Baptism
In August, we welcomed into God’s family Isabel Grace Vaz through Holy
Baptism in All Saints’ Church.  Isabel currently resides with her Dad, Robert
and Mum, Emma and sister, Indie in Dubai. Isabel is the grand-daughter of
parishioners Michael and Grace Lynam. We remember Isabel, her parents,
sister, grandparents and godparents in our prayers.

Select Vestry meeting
A meeting of the Select Vestry will be held at 7.30pm in the Church Hall on
Tuesday 10th September.

Official Document Clerical Signature
If you have any application forms that require a Clerical signature Archdeacon
Stevenson will assist. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope with your
communication to him. Any queries on this matter please contact Richard
Williamson, Parish Secretary, 087 9587266, email secretary mullingarunionsecretary@gmail.com.

Emergency Pastoral Care
During the vacancy Canon Patrick Lawrence is available for emergency pastoral
care. His contact details are 0449222109 or 0860562944

Food for Thought by Canon Patrick Lawrence

I write on August 6th, the Feast of the Transfiguration, which happens to mark
the 79th  anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I
happened, by chance, to see last week, part of a B.B.C. 2 Television
documentary about these events.

Born just six years after these events, I am
shocked both by the horrific consequences of the bombings, then and
afterwards, but even more so by the fact that in my ‘growing up’ years little was
spoken about that day, August 6th, 1945.

It is so easy for a country, a continent or a world leading power to slip into war.
The Book Genesis in its first chapters tells of the first ‘war’ between Cain and
Abel; the alienation of a nation through the exclusion of Esau from the home of
his brother Jacob and father Isaac. Today, in those same countries of the ‘Near’
East, the beginnings of wars and the threat of a more universal fight among and
between nations was never more serious since 1945- with the possible exception
of the Cuban Crisis of the 1960s.

Mr. Elon Musk, multi-billion dollar entrepreneur and now aspiring ‘prophet’
declared in the past few days that ‘Civil War is inevitable’.

Regarding
discipleship, Jesus declared ‘I came not to bring peace but a sword.’[Matthew
10: 34].This teaching was not prescriptive: it was consequential, taking into
account both the personal demands of discipleship – many of which were going
to be contrary to human desires, and the divisive nature of humanity at
large.

Civil war is not inevitable in 2024, nor is a general conflagration of the
nations.
Followers of Jesus Christ have an obligation to speak peace by word and by
deed.  Canon P.Lawrence

Services For September 

Sunday 1st  September Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
All Saints’ 10am Morning Prayer
Killucan 11.30am Morning Prayer
Kilbixy 10am Holy Communion. Please join us for coffee afterwards

Sunday 8th September Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
All Saints 10am Holy Communion.
Killucan 11.30am Morning Prayer.

Sunday 15th September Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
All Saints 10am Morning Prayer
Killucan 11.30am Morning Prayer
Almoritia 7pm Harvest Evening Prayer followed by tea

Sunday 22nd September Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
All Saints’ 10am Morning Prayer
Killucan 11.30am Harvest Service
Kilbixy 11.30am Morning Prayer

Sunday 29th September Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
All Saints’ 10am Morning Prayer
Killucan 11.30 Morning Prayer

Sunday 6th October Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
All Saints’ 10am Holy Communion
Killucan 11.30 Holy Communion
Kilbixy 4pm Harvest Service Rev Marion Keating followed by tea.

Parish Website : www.mullingarunionofparishes.net