Issue 190\u00a0 \u201cUNION NEWS\u201d\u00a0June 2026<\/b><\/p>\n
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Devoted<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2018They devoted themselves to the apostles\u2019 teaching\u00a0and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread\u00a0and to prayer.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/i> Acts 2:42<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Church\u2019s focus in 2026 should be in the very same place as it was in the early Church. Fifty days after Jesus\u2019 resurrection, the apostle Peter declared that God had made Jesus both Saviour and Lord \u2014 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\u2019 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.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Confirmation<\/b><\/p>\n Please pray for Tom, Eve, Sam, Scott, Lily and Cecily as they prepare to make their confirmation vows in St Etchen\u2019s Church, Killucan on Sunday 7<\/span>th<\/span> June 2026 at 11:30am.\u00a0 Congratulations to Erica Duggan who made her confirmation in Wilson\u2019s Hospital on Thursday 14<\/span>th<\/span> May, and to Olivia Campbell who made her confirmation at St Columba\u2019s College in May.\u00a0 And congratulations to Thomas Denniston who was part of our confirmation classes and made his confirmation in Longford on Sunday 24<\/span>th<\/span> May.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n May Sale<\/b><\/p>\n A big \u2018thank you\u2019 to everyone who supported this year’s May sale in any way. The drizzle and rain were no match for the enthusiasm\u00a0of 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\u2019s competitions. Over \u20ac8,000 has been raised, which is a terrific sum, reflecting a terrific effort by everyone.\u00a0 Thank you to everyone in the parish and to the wider community for their support.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sunday School Service<\/b><\/p>\n Sunday school will wrap up for the summer with a celebratory service at the 10am Family Service in All Saints\u2019 on Sunday 21<\/span>st<\/span> June.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a great year for Sunday school so do come along to give thanks to God for all he has done.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Louise Murray\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The Union of Parishes was saddened to hear of the passing of Louise Murray on 7<\/span>th<\/span> May.\u00a0 The family were joined by friends and neighbours from far and wide as Louise was laid to rest at Kilbixy on 14<\/span>th<\/span> May.\u00a0 We continue to pray for God\u2019s comfort for Frederick, Evelyn, Philip, Rosemary, Anna and the wider family as they mourn the loss of Louise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Coffee Mornings<\/b><\/p>\n Join us at All Saints\u2019 on Thursdays from 10:30am\u201312 noon for our Coffee Morning. During June, donations will support Paw Patrol Westmeath. It\u2019s a lovely opportunity to meet others and support a much-loved service in the community.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jane\u2019s Tanzania Trip<\/b><\/p>\n 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!<\/span><\/p>\n Choral Society<\/b><\/p>\n It was lovely to host the Mullingar Choral Society\u2019s spring concert in All Saints on 16<\/span>th<\/span> May.\u00a0 A full house was treated to pieces by Mendelssohn,<\/span><\/p>\n Haydn, Chilcott and Faure.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Grounded Youth<\/b><\/p>\n Grounded Youth finished up for the summer on 15<\/span>th<\/span> May with a BBQ at the rectory.\u00a0 With over 30 in attendance, the weather was kind to us and we could spend the evening in the garden.\u00a0 After a few games we enjoyed food together and took a close look at John 3:16.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0All in all, we had a wonderful year with the young people.\u00a0 We met most Fridays in All Saints\u2019 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.\u00a0 We had outings during the year to Winter Madness in Rathmines, and to the ice rink at Christmas time.\u00a0 We also had a games and worship night in the band hall, where Mullingar Christian Fellowship now meets for church.\u00a0 A recent highlight was an evening with Colin Creighton from soulstory.ie who spoke brilliantly to us about wisdom and technology \u2013 pointing out the opportunities and dangers of our smartphones in particular.\u00a0 Many thanks to Silver, Luke, Caoimhe, Naomi, Luke, Jane, Wallace and Simon for their commitment to Grounded during the year.\u00a0 Grounded will restart in September for everyone in 6<\/span>th<\/span> class-6<\/span>th<\/span> year.\u00a0 Keep an eye out for details.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Diocesan Schools Service<\/b><\/p>\n The Meath and Kildare Diocesan Schools Service took place in St Catherine\u2019s Tullamore on Monday 18<\/span>th<\/span> May.\u00a0 Rang a S\u00e9 from All Saints were in attendance.\u00a0 The pupils were involved in leading part of the service and represented our school really well.\u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pentecost Sunday<\/b><\/p>\n On Pentecost Sunday in Killucan we had our lesson from Acts 2 read in seven different languages \u2013 English, Dutch, Spanish, Irish, Telugu, Afrikaans and Finnish.\u00a0 It was a joy to hear all the languages from our congregation spoken aloud. Maybe next year we can manage 8 or 9!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Many thanks also to the choir in All Saints\u2019 for singing <\/span>Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire<\/span><\/i> at the Pentecost service in Mullingar.\u00a0 As usual, they contributed greatly to our worship, and the beauty of the hymn was appreciated by all.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Teaching Communion in Almoritia<\/b><\/p>\n On the evening of Sunday 17<\/span>th<\/span> May the confirmation candidates and their families joined the regulars at Almoritia for a special teaching communion service.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Many thanks to all who took part, and to those who provided the tea and goodies afterwards!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Service Times For June<\/b><\/p>\n Sunday 7<\/b>th<\/b> June<\/b><\/p>\n
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