December 2011 Tidings

The Newsletter of St Matthias’ Church

December 2011

TIDINGS 1835-2011

View online at www.stmatthias.ie

From St Matth ia s ’

The first ever Alpha Course run jointly

by St Matthias’ and Johnstown Killiney

Parish completed on 14th

November with great

success! Join us for

an Alpha

Celebration

Meal on 28th November

7:45pm at the Church.

There will be pizza,

refreshments and yummy

desserts for all.

www.alphacourse.ie

Watch out for the

next Alpha Course

at Easter time!

2

Holy Communion at 10.30am Wednesdays 7th, 14th, 21st, & 28th.

St. Matthias’ is a welcoming Anglican church in

South County Dublin, with a vision to live life to the

full. We are committed to sharing the good news

about Jesus through building relationships and

engaging with our community.

SERVICES FOR DECEMBER

Sunday 9am 10:30am 7pm

4th Holy Communion Christingle Service Holy Communion

11th Holy Communion Nativity Service Lectio Divina

18th Holy Communion Carol Service Traditional Carol

Service (9 lessons and carols)

Sat 24th 11:30pm Midnight Communion

25th 10:30am Christmas Day Holy Communion

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 2012 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1st Jan 10:30am All Age Worship

3

The Rector Writes...

William Olhausen. Here are

my detai l s . Please get in

touch .

t . 0 1 2 8 5 2 2 2 8

m . 0 8 7 1 6 6 0 3 5 6

e . w o l h a u s e n @ g m a i l . c o m

Why, when apathy towards faith is rising, does Christmas

still fascinate and capture our imaginations? On a

recent trip to the Smithsonian Museum of Art I saw an

exhibition of Andy Warhol’s so-called ‘pop art’. It focused

on Warhol’s novel use of newspaper and magazine headlines to make art.

Memorable sources of inspiration included the assassination of J.F.K and the

intrigue surrounding the break-up of Elizabeth’s relationship with Eddie Fisher.

Ironically Warhol’s own close encounter with death became headlines on the

day that Bobby Kennedy was shot. Warhol asked questions like: What is news? Who does news belong to? What right do the media have to steal my news? Whilst

historical news retains an important place in our collective memories and helps

us to understand better our past, there is also a sense that it belongs to another

time and place.

Chr i s tmas must rank as one of the biggest stories in history—by anyone’s

calculation. What headline would you reach for if you had been a newspaper

editor? How would you best capture the reading public’s imagination? But

Christmas is not just a big story in history. I t ’ s the s tory by which we

begin to understand a l l other s tor ies — inc lud ing, fo r each one o f

us , the most urgent and important s tory —our own!

May we all reflect on and inhabit the greatest and most beautiful

story this Christmas.

Happy Christmas!

Wil l iam

4

If the date you have been

scheduled for is not

possible please feel free to

swap with someone else on

the rota. Please deal

directly with the person

concerned and remember

to make contact with them

in good time!

If you are reading from an

Epistle please conclude the

reading with the words:

This is the Word of the

Lord.

If you are reading from the

Gospel only use the

wording for a Communion

service if it is in fact a

communion service.

Otherwise please conclude

the reading with the words:

This is the word of the Lord.

The congregation need only

stand for a Gospel reading if

it is Communion.

Finally, whether you are reading or leading prayers please remember to speak slowly, clearly and loudly! Even with a mic’ the volume is not sufficient for all members of the congregation.

Many thanks for

your participation in

our worship.

SCRIPTURE READERS AND PRAYER LEADERS FOR DECEMBER

Sunday Reading Prayers

4th

Christingle

Andrew Beck Isaiah 40: 1-11

Sunday Club Luke 1: 26-38

Barbara

Bates

11th

Nativity

Scott McConnell Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11

Sunday Club Luke 2: 1-7

Gillian

Keogh

18th

10:30am Carol Serv

Sandra Byrne James Malseed Isaiah 60: 1-6, 19 Matthew 1: 18-23

Nicky Rice Sarah McGloughlin Luke 2: 8-16 Matthew 2: 1-11

Olivia

Downey 18th

7pm Trad Carol Serv

Chris Stillman Ann Cuppage Genesis 3: 8-14 Genesis 22: 15-18

Adele Trapnell Gillian Keogh Isaiah 9: 2,6,7 Micah 5: 2-4

Ann Fleeton Tommy Tormey Luke 1: 26-38 Matthew 1: 18-23

Hilary McBain Caroline Murphy Luke 2: 8-16 Matthew 2: 1-11

Sarah Grace John 1: 1-14

Sat 24th

Midnight Comm

Les Grant Isaiah 9: 2-7

Philip Salter Luke 2: 1-14

Jeanne

Salter

25th

Xmas Day

Stuart McBain Isaiah 62: 6-12

Audrey Tormey Luke 2: 8-20

Jane

Maxwell

1st Jan

NY’s Day

Rachel Olhausen Bob Wallace Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Luke 2: 15-21

Tony

Quinn

5

A Word From The Curate

As we journey through the season of Advent, we do so in the knowledge that we

are preparing for something wonderful. The media sources at this time appear to

have a never ending supply of bad-news. Whatever happened to all the

positive everyday stories? Surely there must be an opportunity for a group of

people to broadcast ‘Good—News’!

The one word which brings a ray of winter sun into our lives is scarcely mentioned.

That word is of course—HOPE. But what does Hope mean? Well, two

definitions I came across are, as follows;

To cherish a desire with anticipation, and

To desire with expectation of obtainment.

Hope is a precious gift—difficult to wrap, but can easily be transported all

around the world—whether by post or phone, email or Skype. But best of all,

Hope really flourishes when it is delivered in person ! It is freely available,

but is often hard to find. Sometimes we need a helping hand or a guiding Star!

Bearing in mind the challenging times facing us, wouldn’t it be terrific if all of us

were to wrap us some Hope, add a dash of Christmas cheer and top it all off with

some ‘Good News’?

Christmas for many can and will be a time of hardship, worry and pain which is

why we all should try to

share the gift of Hope.

Wishing you a very happy and

Blessed Christmas!

Nial l

6 continued on p20…...

MF PA ~ MFPA ~

The Mouth and Foot Painting Artists MFPA is a self-help,

rather than charity, organisation. It is run by mouth and foot

painting artists in Ireland who do not want pity but a chance to

earn a living. Its members have learned to draw and paint with the

brush held in the mouth or with the toes and have been deprived

of the use of their hands by illness, accident or birth defect.

The formation of the Association in 1957 gave all members the

opportunity to completely support themselves through sales of their paintings,

reproduced as cards, calendars and other items. The artists themselves elect a

Management Board from the member artists to manage their organisation.

Their work is offered to subscribers on artistic merit and value for money from the

Association’s office only. Subscriber support keeps them productively employed.

7

W i l l i a m ’ s T r i p t o t h e U S

Some of you will know that William had a 12-day trip to the States in

November. Was it a holiday?! No—although he thoroughly enjoyed

his time away. Here’s a brief summary of what he got up to.

I had three dest inat ions . The first was to Harrisonburg in Virginia

(Shenandoah Valley) to visit with the Rev Dr Aubrey Spears. Aubrey and I met whilst we were doing our PhDs and, with our fellow doctoral colleagues, have become good friends. Aubrey is now a minister at a recently established Anglican Church in

Harrisonburg. The Church of the Incarnation draws on a wide age range and

includes people from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Over three days I met with members of the congregation and preached at their Sunday morning service. Aubrey and his family looked after me very well.

Aubrey and I then drove up to Washington DC where I preached at an evening service in another recently planted Anglican congregation just off the Dupont

Circle. The congregation were mainly young professionals in their twenties. This was a different context and I enjoyed meeting with several DC clergy to chat and

pray. We stayed with a church member living on M Street in George Town (a lovely

district of Washington).

We then flew on to San Francisco for the annual gathering of the Society for

Biblical Literature (SBL) where our organisation (Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar—

see www.pa ideiacent re .ca/sahs for more details) hosted an event in the Old St Mary’s Cathedral. We had about 300 delegates to hear, amongst others, Bishop

Tom Wright speak on ‘Mission, Worldview and the People of God’. Our session

was followed by a meal at a nearby restaurant. It is a distinctive of our approach to

scholarship that we worship together and continue to build community through

table fellowship!

During the conference there was time to meet up with a number of friends, colleagues and scholars to discuss matters of faith and church. I had one very memorable evening with a small group of delegates that included Thomas L. Brodie

from the Dominican Biblical Institute of Limerick. He shared some intriguing

theories about the compilation of the New Testament from his many years as a

biblical scholar.

Thank you to all those who remembered me in their prayers. The trip could not have gone better and I am very encouraged to see how God is at work

in different parts of the world. I am also very excited about the opportunities we

have here in Killiney, Ballybrack to build community and to grow more deeply in

our faith together.

8 Maria Waters (087) 785 1735 Roisin McCabe (087) 054 1995

Sunday Club met three times in November. On the 13th we heard Jesus’ story “The Parable of the

Talents”. The message Jesus was trying to convey was not to bury your talent, however small and unworthy you may feel, everybody is good at something and we should be proud of that and use our ‘God-given gifts’. The children displayed some of their gifts and talents to each other, we had an hour of varied hobbies to watch and hear about from singing and football skills to a beautiful piece played on the piano by Amy Stratford. Some of the children told us about their swimming lessons and how much fun they had learning to swim, and others told us about their flair for acting and how enjoyable it is to perform on a stage.

The children also got the first chance to hear about the Nativity that we are hoping to perform for the parents on December 11th. This year we have decided to try a new idea and rather than telling the story of Jesus’ birth we will be telling the story of a modern day Christmas—told through the eyes of the Christmas Trees! It’s not all pine needles and tinsel you know…. These Christmas Trees have a very special message to share!

St Matthias Sunday Club News

The True Gifts of Christmas. Starr ing…

If your Child would like to be included in the Nativity on

December 11th—Please observe the following Rehearsal Dates:

Sunday Nov 27th Parts in the play will be selected at Sunday Club on this day.

If you cannot attend and your child/ren would like a part,

please text Maria Waters on 087 785 1735.

Saturday Dec 3rd Rehearsal from 3-5pm in the Parish Centre.

Saturday Dec10th Dress Rehearsal from 3-5pm in the Church.

Sunday Dec 11th 10:30am The Nativity Performance.

Susie

Spruce

Eric

Evergreen

Polly

Poplar

Jenny

Juniper

Peter

Pine

~ Maria Waters ~

9

~ Vanya Kavanagh ~

This Christmas give a living, working gift and change someone's life.......

T his Christmas we continue to support families in Rwanda through our

own SPONSOR AN ANIMAL/BOOKS AND SCHOOL UNIFORMS GIFT CARDS. This has been a very successful way to help provide basic nutrition

and income to families who desperately need it. Every penny you give goes directly to this program. From the money we raised last year we have helped

m a n y f a m i l i e s in our sister parish of St Matthias, Gahogo.

So please give a gift of a Goat, Chickens, a Cow or School

Uniforms and Books to your family and friends and help

change another families’ life for the better. (From only 10 euro.)

The cards will be available for sale after services in December or

Contact Vanya @ 087 931 8933.

This wonderful gift of a Goat (only 15 euro) will provide a family with the addition of

daily milk, to supplement a poor diet and it will also generate income from k ids .

We will also be selling some basketwork handcrafted by the Youth

at Risk projects in Shyogwe which support teenagers who are now heads of their households due to Aids or the genocide.

10

World Music Workshops—All Welcome!

As part of St Matthias’ special celebrations for the Christmas season, we

have practice workshops 3-5pm on 4th

(for Christingle service on the 5th

) and

17th (for Carol Service on the18

th) at the Church with a 10 min snack ‘n’

juice break. It is a fun and different way of singing, the more the merrier!

Parish Prayer Meetings

All welcome. We will meet on Thursdays 8th

and 22nd

at 8pm in the

Rectory.

Advent Sundays

Season of Advent continues Sundays 4th

, 11th

and 18th

.

Historical Talk—Killiney & Ballybrack HS

Open to all. 14th

December 8pm at “The Graduate” Lounge (upstairs),

Rochestown Ave, Killiney. Topic: ‘Faces from the Past’—Kingstown

Seamen 1914-1921 by David Snook. Small fee applicable.

ESSENTIAL

AT

Christ Church Cathedral ON Friday 2nd DECEMBER 2011 @ 7.30pm

A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION WITH A

DIFFERENCE.

This is an experience for all secondary school

students organised by 3ROCK YOUTH.

Admission; FREE!

Come and be amazed. Niall

11

Parish Centre Redevelopment ~ Bill Fleeton ~

We have now obtained planning approval from the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Co Council.

The necessary Fire and Disabled Access Certificates were also obtained.

The existing and proposed kitchen and its equipment were reviewed by Anne Hegarty, Beverly Grant, Adrienne Bedell and Eddie Kinlan. Their suggestions have been included in our plans.

A preliminary budget estimate was received from our Quantity Surveyor and a quotation for the work is presently being prepared. When all this is to hand, we can establish how much of our wish list is possible while still keeping within our overall budget.

It would be greatly appreciated if those parishioners who still have forms to

sign and return would now do so by sending or handing them to Victor

Freeman or Bob Wallace immediately.

The added income from this source adds considerably to Parish funds

and again if those who have used the scheme to obtain a refund, they

might consider that benefit also for the Parish.

Please do it now remembering to sign so that we can commence reclaim

from Revenue Authorities on behalf of the Parish. The scheme is still

available to Churches under Charitable status. If any parishioner not

currently in recorded weekly-giving through weekly envelope or standing

order would consider this a tax effective way of contributing to the

financial running of the Parish, please contact either our Rector,

Bob Wallace or Victor Freeman.

Announcement—TAX FORMS 2010 ~ Bob Wallace ~

ESSENTIAL

AT

Christ Church Cathedral ON Friday 2nd DECEMBER 2011 @ 7.30pm

A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION WITH A

DIFFERENCE.

This is an experience for all secondary school

students organised by 3ROCK YOUTH.

Admission; FREE!

Come and be amazed.

12

Where do you live?

I live in Granville Road in Cabinteely for the last 44 years.

How long have you been coming to St Matthias?

Since 1979 when I was invited to become the Organist for

the Church and the odd occasions before that.

Where do you sit in Church?

Being the Organist, I have my own seat at the Organ.

What do you most like about St Matthias’?

The friendly atmosphere, that we can count most of the

Congregation as friends, and our dignified form of worship

in a relaxed and informal style.

If you were the Rector, what is the one thing you would like to change?

That’s a difficult one. I suppose, in a nutshell, concentrate

more on the youth and leave the adults. Also, sing more

hymns as most people remember something of what they

sing but don’t always retain what they hear.

Do you ever feel close to God? When do you feel close to God? What

do you do to feel close to God?

As Christians we are supposed to feel close to God at all

times and even if we are not conscious of His presence He is

still there.

About the Interviewee

D o n a l d M a x w e l l is the Parish’s organist and choir master for 32 years now. He is a member of the Parish’s Bowls Club. He is also involved with the Diocesan Church Music Committee. He has 4 adult children with Jane; and 9 grandchildren all of whom many a Sundays would be present at the 10:30am service and attend the Sunday Club.

continued on next page…...

13

What is your favourite Gospel story and why?

The Parable of the Good Samaritan. I like it because while

it is easier to help out friends but more difficult to do it

with strangers, this Parable teaches us that we should be

prepared to help out strangers.

Name one great blessing you got this year so far.

As a family, a great blessing was that our son-in-law John

Paul who has been working away in Abu Dhabi for the past

15 months has now got a job back home in Dublin and he

will be taking his new appointment in December.

Do you pray? Do you have a favourite time to pray and when?

Jane and I have formed a habit since we got married to

pray each evening. And there are always the emergency

arrow prayers during the day especially when looking for a

parking space!

……continued from previous page Under the Spotlight

Notes.

On 18th November the 55 Club went to see St Patricks Dramatic Society's production of Same Old Moon at the Pavilion Theatre. This was a very ambitious production for the Dramatic Society to celebrate their 50th Anniversary—congratulations to them all. Prior to this some of us enjoyed an Early Bird meal in Alexis Restaurant.

Coming up fast is our Annual Christmas Lunch in the Glenview Hotel. This takes place on Wednesday 7th December at 1 o'clock and if you have not already booked contact Terry immediately at 086 828 8022. The cost is approx 25 euro per person.

In January we are going to have a talk with slides about Billy Marshall's train journey across Canada and in February we hope to visit Dublin Castle. Precise dates and details will be in January Tidings and will also be sent by email. If you are not on our email list please contact Jean [email protected].

Happy Christmas to all our members! Jean Paul

14

~ Jeanne Salter ~

tremendous care for the lives of her family,

friends and all who she met.

Born in Co. Monaghan, Maud was the

fourth of five children. She lived at Lough

Cutra Estate near Gort where her father was

the estate gardener. Maud remembered

Lady Gregory attending her national school.

Maud subsequently attended Preston School

in Abbeyleix and Bertrand and Russell School

in Dublin.

Maud’s career included time as

secretary for the C of I Diocese of Clogher.

She later lived and worked in London. During

the 1950’s she came to Dun Laoghaire and

held a secretarial position in Sallynoggin

followed by many years with Tudorose on

York Road. When her sister Florence married

Rev. Aubrey Kennedy in 1960 Maud lived

with them in the rectory in Mounttown. She

became an integral part of their family there

with their daughter Lyn and Rev. Aubrey’s

elder daughter Mary. She moved with them

to Killiney in 1982 and retired in 1988. Sadly

her brother-in-law died in 1985 and her sister

Florence passed away ten years after that.

Maud was cherished and respected

by all who had the privilege of

knowing her. She will be missed by

many but we know that she is now

in her heavenly home. We extend

our deepest sympathy to her

family.

It was with great sadness that

parishioners of St. Matthias’ Church

learned of the passing of Maud Magee at

the end of October. Maud was known

to many of us as a regular worshipper and

truly a fine lady. Maud was a keen

participant in the life of the church. She

relished the opportunity to advise on

plants and their care as she served on the

garden stall at our annual Fete. She was

a highly valued and active member of

the Bowls Club for many years. During the

Nineties she had regularly attended the

House Groups for Bible study and she had

recently participated in the Alpha Course

which she enjoyed.

Though Maud was quiet in her

ways it was clear that she enjoyed

stimulating conversation. She was highly

knowledgeable in matters of history,

natural history and current affairs

including sport. She derived great

pleasure from doing the Irish Times

crossword. Maud lived an active life and

had a particular love of nature. She had

a deep appreciation for the beauty of

flowers and also cultivated her own

vegetables. In the week before she died

she had travelled to Dun Laoghaire by

bus, cooked dinner for a niece from

Wales and had spoken on the phone to

many family members on the occasion of

her 88th birthday. She showed

In Memory of Maud Magee (1923-2011)

15

Forthcoming Club Activities

Wednesday, 7th December—Christmas

Lunch at Glenview Hotel, Glen of the Downs.

Telephone Terry at (01) 285 8461.

If you would like to be included in our list of

email addresses (25 already), please would you

send it to Jean at [email protected].

Social Clubs

Our November meeting has

been postponed to

Friday 5th December

8pm at 7 Shanganagh

Terrace to discuss

Jodi Picoult’s “Change of Heart”.

Our next book is by John Irving “A Prayer

for Owen Meany” and we shall

meet to discuss this in the new

year. If you would like to find out

more about the Book Club, please

contact Bill Fleeton at (01) 282 4247.

Open to all. Meets monthly 8pm every second Wednesday at “The

Graduate” Lounge (Upstairs), Rochestown Ave, Killiney.

Remaining talks for 2011-12 season

Wed 14th December—‘Faces from the Past’—Kingstown Seamen 1914-1921

by David Snook

Wed 11th January—Maps before ‘Sat-Nav’—History of Land Survey by Brian

White

Wed 8th February—Living in Dublin and Ballybrack in 1911 by Jim Scannell

Wed 14th March—The real story of the “Kerlouge” by Pat Sweeney

Wed 11th April—The finding of the Great Deer at Ballybeta Bog, Glencullen by

Padraig Lappin

Wed 9th May—The Irish Cottage by Tom Moran

There is a small admission fee of €3 per talk (students/unwaged €2) or; opt

for a season subscription €15 (couples/family €20) admittance to all talks.

Killiney & Ballybrack Historical Society

P l e a s e c o n t a c t : Richard Dolan 087 618 1212

Anna O’Connor 01 285 2817 Tom Moran 01 284 0524.

ADVERTISEMENT

16

continued on next page…...

Hobbies & interests

C HRIS STILLMAN sings in the choir on

Sundays, and is very keen on music.

He is actually foremost a scientist.

(Lots of scientists are interested in

music, arts and literature; they are

not just geeks). HE TELLS US:

I am a geologist and taught for

many years in Trinity College. Unlike

school teachers, we university lecturers and

professors don't teach from a syllabus with all

the information already written in books—we

have to spend at least half our time doing

research - finding out new things and writing

the books which school teachers could use. My geological research took me to many places around the world where volcanic

rocks were to be found: Africa, Atlantic

Islands like the Canaries, Cape Verdes, Iceland, Norway and Newfoundland,

and in the Mediterranean—Italy, Greece, Sinai, Turkey. Sounds exciting, but I

think of my poor wife who had to stay at home and look after the family.

Anyway, in all this travels I became very interested in the

people who lived in all these countries, and because geologists work on

things which occurred a very long time ago, I was fascinated by the archaeology

which told of their ancient history.

Are you fascinated by the stories told in the Bible's Old

Testament? I am! These books, especially Genesis, tells us about events

which affected the ancient Hebrews and their neighbours, events in which, the

Bible tells us, God makes clear his approval or disapproval by seemingly

miraculous events. Quite a lot of people think these accounts are just made up

to convince the Hebrews of the power and majesty of God, but some scientists believe there is a core of truth in some of the stories, the events did happen, and can be explained as actual geological processes.

I will give you an example: Genesis 6-9 tells of how God became

displeased with humankind and decided to wipe them from the face of the

earth. This was done by a great Flood over all the Earth which killed everybody

except Noah and his family, who floated away in the Ark. According to the Bible

rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights covering all the world's mountains. If this had

happened the whole dry land of the Earth must have been covered by more

fresh water than the volume of today's oceans! A flood like this would leave

clear evidence for geologists. What we know there is no evidence yet of such a

world-wide fresh-water flood, however...

17

……continued from previous page Hobbies & Interests—On The Great Flood

In the 1960s geologists

discovered that there had been a

very real gigantic flood about 5500

BC, which created the Black Sea as it is

today. Before that flood the Sea had

been a much smaller freshwater lake,

around which large numbers of people

had been farming the land. The flood

waters covered thousands of miles of

land and remains of their abandoned

buildings have been found under the

Black Sea. Was this Noah's Flood? And

if it was, how did this story get into the Bible?

This fascinated me, but I

began to think I could understand

when I visited the countries round the Black Sea and discovered that

archaeologists had found evidence some distance away from the Sea of people

being invaded by foreigners at this time. It seems probable that these were the

people migrating from their homeland around the lake. And so it seems, not

everybody had been wiped out. But still, the question remains, how did the

Hebrews get hold of the story? The Black Sea is a long way north of Israel, and

there are the mountains of Anatolia in between.

Well, the founding father of the Hebrews was Abraham, who

lived with his family in Ur in Mesopotamia—the land between the rivers

Tigris and Euphrates which flow down from Anatolia—the land which is today

Iraq. They were Sumerians. These people had oral legends of ancestors who

came from a distant northern homeland. The Sumerian view of their own

ancestry is expressed in their "Poem of the Supersage" in which a Great

Flood marked the end of mythological time and the inauguration of historical

time. The story is essentially that of the hero Gilgamesh who travelled north

over mountains and across a great sea to find the secret of eternal life. On his

journey he learned of a great flood and the survival of ancestors by boat. You can see that this is almost exactly the same story as Noah's flood.

So it seems quite possible that Noah's Flood did occur,

though limited only to the Black Sea; and, the story of God's wiping out of the

whole population of the Earth though may not exactly be historically accurate

but rather served a greater purpose of warning to the Hebrews to obey

God's laws.

18

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Remember the Christmas cleaning of the Parish Hall this Saturday

We need lots volunteers to join the work crew. There is a long list of items to be cleaned. The widows will need extra attention.

Father O'Malley and the Clever Christmas Beggars It's just before Christmas and two beggars are sitting on a park bench in Ireland. One

is holding a cross and the other a Star of David there is a steady stream of shoppers. Father O'Malley, the priest observes that both are holding hats to collect contributions. People walk by, lift their noses at the man with the Star of David and

drop money into the hat of the man with the cross. Soon, the hat of the man with the cross is filled and the hat of the man with the Star of David is empty.

Father O'Malley, having watched for a while, approaches the beggars. He says to the man with the Star of David, 'Don't you realize that this is a Catholic country? You'll

never get any contributions holding a Star of David.'

The man turns to the one with the cross and says, 'Moishe, can you imagine, this goy is trying to tell us how to run our business!'

19

http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/christmas/christmas_carols_12.htm

The Hidden Meaning of '12 Days of Christmas'? according to one (modern) speculation…..

..… There is one particular Christmas Carol that has always baffled Will and Guy. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,

swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

So the speculation goes..… From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember:

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four colly birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of

the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching,

Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness,

Gentleness, and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the

eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the

twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

CHECK IT OUT! SEE HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/THE_TWELVE_DAYS_OF_CHRISTMAS_%28SONG%29

20

……continued from p6 Support MFPA

Every purchase and additional orders are really appreciated by each and everyone of

them. “You make us proud to earn our own living.” St Matthias’ could greatly support

their noble endeavour by subscribing to their world-class products. And, if you would like to find out more about their work and services, please call them at (01) 493 7138 or write to MFPA, Pineview House, Pineview, Firhouse Road, Dublin 16.

ORDER FORM—pls cut out

(Pls put your name and address here.)

NOTE: Do have a look at the MFPA book Artists for All, which features the various artists

and their fantastic work of art, displayed at the back of the Church.

21

ROTAS December Sundays 10.30am

4th 11th 18th 25th Jan 1st

Welcome

Team

Duty

Philip & Jeanne

Salter

Stephen &

Pamela McKee

Richard & Mary

Hill

Jack & Barbara

Rankin

Bob & Sheelagh

Wallace

Bell

Ringing Sam Farrar Alan Doherty Eddie Kinlan Les Grant Bob Wallace

Flower Week ending 3rd

Anne Doherty

Week ending 10th

Anne Doherty

Week ending 17th

Christmas

Week ending 24th

Christmas

Week ending 31st

New Year

Cleaning

Week ending 3rd

Vanya Kavanagh

& Adrienne Bedell

Week ending 10th

Becky Breach &

Sally Anderson

Week ending 17th

Beverly Grant &

Cathy Malseed

Week ending 24th

Aileen Unger &

Orla Perren

Week ending 31st

Mary Hill &

Georgina Farrar

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24

Contacts

Parish

Rector Rev Dr William Olhausen 285 2228

Parish

Curate Rev Niall Stratford 493 7535

Select Vestry

Hon Secretary Jackie Hayes 285 6034

Parish Centre

Coordinator Lynda Harvey 282 6129

Tidings

Administrator Susie Tyler 087 679 7589