The Newsletter of St Matthias’ Church February 2012 TIDINGS 1835-2012 View online at www.stmatthias.ie Launch Sunday! 10.30 am on Sunday 19 th February The whole parish is warmly invited to a special service to launch our Parish Centre building work. There will be a short service of Holy Communion followed by a presentation on the new centre and how it is being funded! Refreshments will be served in the Church and there will be a Sunday Club for children aged 4-12.
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Feb 4th Holy Communion All Age Worship Holy Communion
SERVICES FOR FEBRUARY
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The Rector Writes...
Dear friends
A s we begin to think about Lent, and the celebrations beyond, it is interesting to note that economic considerations were an
important motivation in the plot to have Jesus killed (Mark 11: 15-18). Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God was
threatening the prosperity of the Temple economy in Jerusalem. When our money is threatened we can get quite stressed and we can start behaving in ways that are selfish and even de-humanising. However, sometimes it is when we are at our lowest point that God’s love can break into our lives in new ways. I had the privilege of seeing this dynamic in action as a prison chaplain. We might not be able to fix the euro or come up with a new
economic system for the 21st century but we can address the big
question for own finances: Will we allow God to be the Lord of our wallet? Will we look to honour him with the way we spend our money? Will we be open to sharing what we have with those we know are struggling? These tough questions are exactly what Lent should be all about! For your encouragement, the post-Easter city of Jerusalem saw the birth of a very different community. From the mob who demanded Jesus’ execution, we see the first church forming a new type of community in which generosity and sharing were an integral part of their daily lives. You can read through the accounts in Acts
(Acts 2: 44; 4: 32-35). Might God want to bring new things to our community? As we come to the end of this season of Epiphany I pray that St Matthias’ will increasingly reflect the light of Christ.
With every blessing Will iam
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
P.S. Please make contact with
me or with Niall or one of the
churchwardens if you have any
ideas of how we might better
serve our community or if you
would like to be involved in
making a difference.
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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:
Th is 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: Th is 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.
Sunday Reading Prayers
5th
Nicky Rice Scott McConnell 1 Cor 9: 16-23 Mark 1: 29-39
William Olhausen
12th
Ann Fleeton Bob Wallace Col 1: 15-20 John 1: 1-14
Jane Maxwell
19th
Caroline Murphy Mark 9: 2-9
William Olhausen
26th
Chris Stillman Adele Trapnell 1 Peter 3: 18-22 Mark 1: 9-15
Tony Quinn
SCRIPTURE READERS AND PRAYER LEADERS
FOR FEBRUARY
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A Word From The Curate
Approaching the end of last year I spent a wonderful evening (in another parish—but don’t tell anyone!) watching, and if the truth be told, very actively
participating in a pantomime entitled ‘Hoodwinked’. It is the classic story about none other than Robin Hood. The
words of many of the songs are quite thought provoking.
Robin, Robin Hood always doing good
Help us to follow your example Robin, Robin Hood
He tries to do his best to help the poor oppressed
Give everyone a chance to succeed.
Almost in some prophetic way – the following words
appeared;
Ask us are we happy—NO we’re not!
Ask us what’s the matter—QUITE a lot!
So many TAXES we have to pay!
Life isn’t fair at all!
Why are so many of us unhappy and discontent? Is it perhaps due to economic woes? Of course, life’s daily demands have a large part to play,
but is there perhaps a much deeper reason?
We know that we should help the needy
Why are we so very greedy
God forgive us here today
Help us change our selfish ways
Being selfish isn’t necessarily or even primarily about the use of money. In these recessionary and difficult times perhaps we are being challenged to use our time and talents differently, to examine our attitudes. Could it be
a case that we have ‘Hoodwinked’ ourselves ?
God forgive us here today, help us change our selfish ways.
Niall
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Olivia Downey—Currently on placement at St Matthias’
I am a 1st year Student Ordinand studying at
the Church of Ireland Theological Institute near
Rathfarnham.
I grew up on the border in County Fermanagh,
my parents were farmers.
Up until last year, I was a senior cardiology
staff nurse. I trained and worked in the South of
England before returning to nurse in Belfast.
Since last September, I am training for the full
-time Church of Ireland ministry. It is a full-time
Masters in Theology Degree. Most of our classes are
taught at the Theological College but we also go into
Trinity College for some.
An average day begins with breakfast usually
around 7.30-8am. Most students live in the Institute
during the week, so most return to the Institute on a
Sunday evening. It’s good to catch up on the news
over breakfast.
As we live as a community, most of us have
~ Olivia Downey ~
continued on next page…...
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various roles to play. One of my roles is
Sacristan. This means along with one of my
colleagues, we are responsible for anything
relating to the Institute Chapel, a little like a
churchwarden.
We meet for either Morning Prayer or
Service of the Word in the Chapel at 8.30am.
We all take it in turns to lead.
Different days vary but generally, we
commence class then at 9am. Classes may
continue to 12 or 12.30. Then it’s lunch! We
are very well looked after by Kathleen our head cook, and once more, the whole
community stops and it’s a chance to catch up.
Afternoon classes run from 2-4.30pm. Some days we may have an
afternoon or morning off; it’s a good opportunity to catch-up on our reading.
5pm we meet once more in Chapel for either Evening Prayer, Service of the
Word or on Wednesday’s Holy Communion.
Dinner is then at 5.30pm. Following dinner is usually a good chance to
head out for a walk and clear one’s head, although one never has less than three
or four others joining along!
At 9.15pm we have our final service of the day in Chapel, this may take the
form of Compline or perhaps a more informal style of worship.
Then it’s a final cup of coffee and bed!!!!
When do I finish? We have two years in the Theological Institute.
This is a combination of taught studies and parish placement— hence why I am at St. Matthias’. At the end of the second year (all being well) we are ordained Deacons.
Our third year is spent in a parish three weeks out of four (fourth week
is back in the Institute). During this third year we are known as interns and as
well as living and working in a parish we need to complete our dissertations. At
the end of this year we will be ready to serve our curacy and our training at the
Institute will be officially complete.
Why give up nursing and train for ministry? The short answer is I believe God told me to! I loved nursing but I trust God enough to know that
whatever he has planned for me is even better, and I want to serve him to the very fullest of my ability and some more!
……continued from previous page About Olivia Downey
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Soon building work will commence on the new Parish
Centre and the children of Sunday Club will embark on a
very exciting project of preparing a TIME CAPSULE to be
placed somewhere in the new extension. This will be
something that each child can contribute to, to tell our
descendants about our faith in 2012.
Sunday Club
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56 GOATS!
Just after Christmas I received a very welcome email from Viateur—Head of the
Rural Development Team in Shyogwe Diocese (RDIS). It was a short report on the
56 Goats! they have managed to purchase with some the funds raised by St
Matthias’, Ballybrack last Christmas 2010—through the Sponsor an Animal Cards, etc... This is an extract from it:
D i s t r i b u t i o n o f G o a t s
"The poorest families have been given goats to increase both food diet and family income. As the country
depends on agriculture and animal husbandry, we all need to give our contribution to the farmers who are well involved in agriculture sector. The beneficiaries have been selected by
the local church leaders in Shyogwe Diocese closely with RDIS Technician.
A number of 56 households have got the goats; some are from Gahogo Parish (St Matthias), others from KAYENZI, NYARUNYINYA chapels. Those two chapels are located in the rural area where children under 5 and women after giving birth suffer from malnutrition.
The households which benefited are being taught about how to keep animals especially goats, the use of manure for harvest improvement is also a topic being shared within the group of beneficiaries."
NTARINDWA Viateur , Coordinator of RDIS.
I would like to thank everyone in St Matthias’ for their support in purchasing the Sponsor an Animal Cards once again this Christmas. This year we have raised €1,000 approx— which although less than last year is still great effort. And as you can see from Viateur's report—a little goes a long way! Also, thank you to Bev, Ann and Linda who helped sell the cards. Vanya
~ Vanya Kavanagh ~
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Alpha
Alpha Course at Johnstown Parish Church Wednesday 1st February at 8pm for eight
weeks.
Alpha is an excellent way to explore the Christian faith in a
low key and non-threatening environment.
It was very encouraging to host the Alpha Course here in St
Matthias’ last term. This next term, to coincide with Lent,
Johnstown Parish is hosting the next course.
Confirmation
Archbishop Michael Jackson will
conduct the confirmation service
in St Matthias’ church at 7pm on
Sunday 26th February. For all
those interested in being confirmed
Youth Alpha began on Sunday
15th January at 6-7pm in the
Parish Centre.
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We are pleased that a satisfactory agreement has been reached between our proposed Contractor, Collen Construction, and our professional team David Smith, Architect and Paul Ryan, Quantity Surveyor of O’Reilly Hyland Tierney. Our Engineer is David Moran. The contract for the project is made between
the Contractor and the Representative Church Body on our behalf. The p ro je c t w i l l b e f und ed by mo ni es re t ai ned b y t he
RCB fr om th e s al e o f the fo r me r r e ct ory s i t e and al so f r om our P ar ish f unds p r evi ou sly a l l oc at ed f or im pro ve m en ts t o
fabr ic and bu i ld in gs . We understand the Contractor can start about the 6th February and take some four months to complete. In the autumn when the new concrete floors have dried out completely, we hope to lay the final floor coverings. Arrangements are being made so that the main hall will be available for use during the construction work. Also, we thank the Scouts for making the toilet facilities in the Den available to us for this period. From 6th February, the existing keys to the Parish Hall door can be used at the escape door to the main Hall. Additional lights inside and outside the Hall have been fitted for safe access to the escape door and steps.
Removal of Asbestos from Boiler House
The asbestos pipe lagging was f ina l ly removed f rom the
Church Boi ler House on 7th
to 9th
January .
The regulations for removal are complex. For example, It was necessary to build two temporary
air chambers at the boiler house entrance. Workers wear two sets of special overalls and masks that are discarded and bagged after each
visit to the boiler house. The asbestos lagging is dampened, removed,
double bagged, labelled and sent to Germany. Workers must discard all overalls in the dirty section of the portable
caravan and then shower in the clean section of the caravan. When the asbestos is fully removed, air is pumped into the Boiler House and then
passed through filters. The filters are examined under a microscope before the ‘all clear’ is given. Ireland is fined annually by the EU for not having its own
asbestos dump.
Parish Centre Redevelopment ~ Bill Fleeton ~
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Where do you live?
I am currently living off Loughlinstown Drive, not far from where I
grew up in Ballybrack.
How long have you been coming to St Matthias’?
I have been going to Saint Matthias for as long as I can recall -
since childhood.
Where do you sit in Church?
I sit in the transcept, opposite the choir, and I suppose
traditionally, this is where we sat as a family when we worshipped
on Sundays.
What do you most like about St Matthias’?
I like the memories most of all! there are many memories I
associate with Saint Matthias, and the spiritual dimension of my
life. I have both happy, and not so happy memories, but all of these
have spiritually nourished me as a person.
If you were the Rector, what is the one thing you would like to change?
Being honest, I'm not sure I could choose one thing to change!
Since I've learnt from experience, it is difficult to change only one
thing in one's life, or in the life of others, there's usually several
things that require alteration if change is implemented, and the
About the Interviewee
A u d r e y T o r m e y is married to Jim Dunleavy who is her husband, soul-mate, mentor, technical adviser and friend. She met Jim water-skiing and they both enjoy reading, skiing, and music. Audrey has many interests—books, tandem cycling, outdoor activities, spending time with friends and family, and the companionship of animals! She works as a tutor in a Training Centre in north Dublin, and her background is in second-level teaching of French and Spanish, and she has also trained as a counsellor as part of her work.
continued on next page…...
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most difficult and most challenging thing I would possibly
encounter, is attitudinal change. As human beings, we can
become creatures of habit, and this type of change can be met with
resistance, when thrust upon others. I therefore like to get the
perspectives of others, weigh up the pros and cons, and hopefully
then, facilitate change.
Do you ever feel close to God? When do you feel close to God? What do you do
to feel close to God?
I feel close to God during every minute of every day. Feeling that
special closeness has carried me through life, through many
challenges, sorrow, and difficult situations. I feel both at one with
him, and sustained by my knowing he is with me, guiding me, and
lavishing me with his unconditional love and protection. I can't
give one example of when I feel closest to God, I experience that
closeness when I take time out of an otherwise hectic day, in the
quietness - free from distraction, and reflecting on God's goodness
to me in so many ways.
Normally, I go about my daily tasks, or if I really want to focus my
mind on prayer, I find a quiet spot, sometimes outdoors in my back
garden - I sit, listen, and simply allow myself "to be". Naturally I
am a communicator, I enjoy the company of others, talking, and
sitting and being silent for me is something I had to work on! I
think, thankfully, I have mastered the control and discipline to set
aside at least half an hour a day to think, be still and bring my
thoughts to God.
What is your favourite Gospel story and why?
I think there are so many beautifully illustrated stories in all the
Gospels, which have so much to teach us. I think the story of The
Widow's Offering from Saint Mark's Gospel chapter 12 verses 41-44 are very
poignant, and particularly verse 44. I find it difficult to engage
with people who are "mean-minded" and I find, I have to excuse
myself from the company of "mean" people. However, I draw
strength and solace from this Gospel story, and I suppose this is how
I "deal with" people who don't like to give of themselves, or indeed
their riches.
……continued from previous page Under the Spotlight
continued on page 16 …...
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www.alphacourse.ie
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This is a Group Photo from the 47th Ballybrack Scouts Family Hike on Sunday 8th January in Glendalough. Over 100 participants
enjoyed a great outing.
~ Sean Hayes ~
Name one great blessing you got this year so far.
I see even the little things in life as blessings from God, being
honest, his blessings are too numerous to mention!
Do you pray? Do you have a favourite time to pray and when?
Yes, I do pray. I think it important to me to find time each day to
pray. I say a little prayer when I get up in the morning, when stuck
in traffic going to work, and then whenever I grab a few moments
during the day before I finish my day.
……continued from page 13 Under the Spotlight
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Worshipping Together at St Matth ias’
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Open to all. Meets monthly 8pm every second Wednesday at “The Graduate”
Lounge (Upstairs), Rochestown Ave, Killiney.
Remaining talks for 2011-12 season
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
Nollaig na mBan (Little Women’s
Christmas) Night Out, 6th Jan at
Milano’s Dun Laoghaire. Organised
by Maria Waters, 15 women from St
Matthias’ and Wyvern School mums
came to enjoy a social get-together
evening, pizzas and wine.
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Social Clubs
We meet on Friday 2nd March 8pm at
9 Bayview Close, Killiney to discuss American
writer Anita Diamant’s New York Times
bestseller “The Red Tent”. It is a first-person
narrative that tells the story of Dinah,
daughter of Jacob and sister of Joseph; she is
a minor character in the Bible, but the author
has broadened her story (wikipedia).
If you would like to find out more about the Book Club,
please contact Bill Fleeton at (01) 282 4247.
Church Cleaning
A very big thank you to all those ladies who quietly week after week come and clean the church.
Recently Mary Hill and Georgina Farrar have retired after many years. Thank you to them and welcome
to Jeanne Salter and Irish Swift who are taking their places. We also welcome Aileen Unger and Orlagh Perm who joined us last year.
Finally, thank you to Jackie Hayes, Gillian Keogh and Sandra Lowther who do not appear on the rotas but clean the brass plaques from time
to time.
Beverley Grant is taking over from me as co-ordinator so if you have any problems please
contact her at 087 236 5676.
Jean Paul.
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Winter Club Activities
23rd February—Visit to Dublin Castle. Meet
at Church car park 10:45am for the drive to
Cherrywood LUAS. Lunch at the Castle. It may
be possible to also visit the City Hall. Some may prefer to drive to Jurys car park.
had around 65 builders ranging in age from 16 to 75. We also had a team of local
plasterers join us. Our team leaders, foremen and nurse were the same people as
last year so I knew we were in safe hands.
The site at Witsand was a virgin building site beside an existing Township. The full
team were to work on 160 new houses which will be finished off by the local South
African Mellon Trust builders. It is expected that 600 people will move into the new
Hobbies & interests
~ Jeff Brownlee ~
continued on next page…...
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houses before Christmas. Over the nine years the Mellon Trust has been in existence, over 18,500 houses have been built and it is expected that the 100,000th person will be housed in a Mellon Trust house by next year.
On the roof of each house a heat exchanger water system is installed for hot water.
No electricity is required to operate it as it works on a gravity feed system. On a hot
South African day the water temperature can get up to 80OC. A mixer valve is used to
reduce the water temperature to 50OC.
The weather picked up from the rainy Sunday morning to 35OC on the Friday. On the
last day at 1400 we had the pleasure in handing over our first house to the new
owners. The house was decked out with flags and the gardening team put in a small
front garden with a tree. The owners would not have seen their new houses before the
hand over. This is a very moving time for the whole team realising that they have
made a new life for the family.
This year my job was on the painting team and I was the Pollyfiller King whose job is
to fill all those cracks and wall blemishes thus allowing the painting team get to work.
If you like team work this is the place to be each November. Each house is 42 sq
meters and has two bedrooms, a bathroom and a good size kitchen/living room.
Each room has a light, but no power sockets which are confined to the fuse board.
In the evenings we had some organised outings such as a karaoke away from the
hotel. Our team leaders also organised a team night out which is great way to get to
know everybody off site.
While in Cape Town I arranged to call on the Mission to Seafarers. I am a volunteer
here in Dublin. The mission gives seafarers somewhere to go while in port enabling
them to contact their loved ones and families. With modern communications, most
sailors now have laptops with Skype and the mission in Dublin has free Wi Fi and ten
telephones. Cape Town Mission is large by Dublin standards with a computer/library
room, canteen, games room, shop, and a chapel.
Our wrap up party was held on the Friday night in a large marquee. We were
greeted by an African band complete with spears and shields’ dancing as the sun was
disappearing behind Table Mountain. There were speeches and dancing till the early
hours of the morning, some of the group did not go to bed as the first coach to the
airport was at 0400 Saturday morning.
Should you or any of your friends feel like joining the next
(10th
Anniversary) Mellon Building Blitz,
please give me a call on 087 257 4997 as the Mellon Trust is offering
a bounty on newly introduced builders (no experience required!)
which will be taken off my next year’s fundraising sum.
160 Houses worked on in 6 Days
……continued from previous page Building Houses at Cape Town
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Light r Moments RECALL NOTICE !
IMPORTANT! The maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to the serious defect in the primary and central component or heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed, 'Subsequential Internal Non-Morality,' or more commonly known as S-I-N, as it is primarily symptomized by loss of moral judgment. Some other symptoms are:
(a) Loss of direction (b) Foul vocal emissions (c) Amnesia of origin (d) Lack of peace and joy (e) Selfish, or violent, behavior (f) Depression or confusion in the mental component
The manufacturer, who is neither liable or at fault for this defect, is providing factory authorized repair and service, free of charge to correct this SIN defect, at numerous locations throughout the world. The number to call for the recall station in your area is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.
WARNING: Continuing to operate the human unit without correction, voids the manufacturer's warranty, exposing owner to dangers and problems too numerous to list. For free emergency service, call on J-E-S-U-S for prompt assistance at any location worldwide.
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G et t i ng R ead y fo r L en t
If you can start the day without caffeine or pills,
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can do all these things,
Then you are probably the family dog.
Lenten prayer
"So far today, God, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper. Haven't been grumpy, nasty or selfish. I'm really glad of that.
But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed; and from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot of help."