Issue 190 “UNION NEWS” June 2026
Issue 190 “UNION NEWS” June 2026
Devoted
‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.’ Acts 2:42
The Church’s focus in 2026 should be in the very same place as it was in the early Church. Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, the apostle Peter declared that God had made Jesus both Saviour and Lord — the one who could forgive sins. Peter urged the people to turn to Jesus and be baptised in his name. On that day, 3,000 people came to faith in the Lord Jesus. As these new believers gathered together, they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, prayer, fellowship, and caring for one another. The early Church in Jerusalem became an attractive and growing community, shaped both by faithful teaching and by the love shared among its members. Their focus was in the right place. The same should be true for us in the Mullingar Union today. Our focus should remain on the Bible, prayer, meeting together for worship, and caring for one another, so that we may grow deeper in our relationships with the Lord and with each other, and so that others may also come to know Christ.
Confirmation
Please pray for Tom, Eve, Sam, Scott, Lily and Cecily as they prepare to make their confirmation vows in St Etchen’s Church, Killucan on Sunday 7th June 2026 at 11:30am. Congratulations to Erica Duggan who made her confirmation in Wilson’s Hospital on Thursday 14th May, and to Olivia Campbell who made her confirmation at St Columba’s College in May. And congratulations to Thomas Denniston who was part of our confirmation classes and made his confirmation in Longford on Sunday 24th May.
May Sale
A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who supported this year’s May sale in any way. The drizzle and rain were no match for the enthusiasm of our set up team, stallholders, catering teams and event managers! We were delighted that so many overlooked the rain on the day to participate in our inaugural Dog Show, support our stalls and children’s competitions. Over €8,000 has been raised, which is a terrific sum, reflecting a terrific effort by everyone. Thank you to everyone in the parish and to the wider community for their support.
Sunday School Service
Sunday school will wrap up for the summer with a celebratory service at the 10am Family Service in All Saints’ on Sunday 21st June. It’s been a great year for Sunday school so do come along to give thanks to God for all he has done.
Louise Murray
The Union of Parishes was saddened to hear of the passing of Louise Murray on 7th May. The family were joined by friends and neighbours from far and wide as Louise was laid to rest at Kilbixy on 14th May. We continue to pray for God’s comfort for Frederick, Evelyn, Philip, Rosemary, Anna and the wider family as they mourn the loss of Louise.
Coffee Mornings
Join us at All Saints’ on Thursdays from 10:30am–12 noon for our Coffee Morning. During June, donations will support Paw Patrol Westmeath. It’s a lovely opportunity to meet others and support a much-loved service in the community.
Jane’s Tanzania Trip
Jane Duggan will be going out to Tanzania at the end of June with the charity Heavenly Homes. Tanzanian Heavenly Homes is a nonprofit charity setup and run by John McCauley, a photographer from Mullingar. He and his team travel to Tanzania every year to help the forgotten elders and the poor. We will be holding a tea party in the Rectory garden on Saturday the 13th of June to help raise funds for this brilliant cause. Please do join us – all are welcome. You can park in the church grounds and come in through the back gate!
Choral Society
It was lovely to host the Mullingar Choral Society’s spring concert in All Saints on 16th May. A full house was treated to pieces by Mendelssohn,
Haydn, Chilcott and Faure.
Grounded Youth
Grounded Youth finished up for the summer on 15th May with a BBQ at the rectory. With over 30 in attendance, the weather was kind to us and we could spend the evening in the garden. After a few games we enjoyed food together and took a close look at John 3:16.
All in all, we had a wonderful year with the young people. We met most Fridays in All Saints’ or Mullingar Presbyterian for hangout time, group games, food, and most importantly to learn about God from the Bible and to explore our faith together through the talks and discussion times. We had outings during the year to Winter Madness in Rathmines, and to the ice rink at Christmas time. We also had a games and worship night in the band hall, where Mullingar Christian Fellowship now meets for church. A recent highlight was an evening with Colin Creighton from soulstory.ie who spoke brilliantly to us about wisdom and technology – pointing out the opportunities and dangers of our smartphones in particular. Many thanks to Silver, Luke, Caoimhe, Naomi, Luke, Jane, Wallace and Simon for their commitment to Grounded during the year. Grounded will restart in September for everyone in 6th class-6th year. Keep an eye out for details.
Diocesan Schools Service
The Meath and Kildare Diocesan Schools Service took place in St Catherine’s Tullamore on Monday 18th May. Rang a Sé from All Saints were in attendance. The pupils were involved in leading part of the service and represented our school really well. Pete Graham from Habitat for Humanity spoke about the work of the organisation and reminded us that we are to build our lives on Jesus as our solid foundation.
Pentecost Sunday
On Pentecost Sunday in Killucan we had our lesson from Acts 2 read in seven different languages – English, Dutch, Spanish, Irish, Telugu, Afrikaans and Finnish. It was a joy to hear all the languages from our congregation spoken aloud. Maybe next year we can manage 8 or 9!
Many thanks also to the choir in All Saints’ for singing Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire at the Pentecost service in Mullingar. As usual, they contributed greatly to our worship, and the beauty of the hymn was appreciated by all.
Teaching Communion in Almoritia
On the evening of Sunday 17th May the confirmation candidates and their families joined the regulars at Almoritia for a special teaching communion service. During the service we walked through the sections of the liturgy bit by bit to remind ourselves of the meaning of Holy Communion and why we take communion together. Many thanks to all who took part, and to those who provided the tea and goodies afterwards!
Service Times For June
Sunday 7th June
All Saints’ 10am Morning Prayer
Killucan 11:30am Confirmation
Sunday 14th June
All Saints’ 10am – Morning Prayer
Killucan 11:30am – Morning Prayer
Kilbixy 11:30am Holy Communion
Sunday 21st June
All Saints’ 10am Sunday School Thanksgiving
Killucan 11:30am Family Service
Sunday 28th June
All Saints’ 10am Holy Communion
Killucan 11:30am Holy Communion
Almoritia 7pm Holy Communion
Sunday 5th July
All Saints’ 10am Holy Communion
Killucan 11:30am Holy Communion