THE DUNDALK GROUP OF PARISHES

Dundalk: St Nicholas, Dundalk; St Pauls, Heynestown Ballymascanlan & Carlingford: St Marys, Ballymascanlan; St Andrews, Rathcor (Bush) Crossmaglen: Creggan Parish Church

Newsletter July/August 2012

MINISTRY TEAM

Issue 7:07 July/August 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

You the people of the parishes with The Revd Sandra Pragnell (Rector), The Revd Richard Moore (Assistant Minister), and our Parish Readers Contact: The Rectory, Old Golf Links Road, Blackrock, Dundalk, County Louth. Tel: (042) 9321402

By now you will all know that I will be leaving this Group of Parishes in the autumn. I love being here with you all in this beautiful part of Ireland in north Louth and South Armagh, and I have not been looking to move at all, and certainly have never sought preferment (I had hoped as a late vocation I was too old for that!). In recent years, I have turned down a number of invitations to meet nominators all over the country. But when the Bishop of Limerick came to see me some weeks ago, I knew that the potential role of Dean was one that I would have at least to consider carefully. It would be so much easier to stay here until I am too old to work (!). So after much prayer and heart searching, I did feel that this huge new challenge was what God was calling me to now, and clearly the timing would allow a new younger more vibrant rector to come to Dundalk and build on all that we have been doing here together in the past 7 years. You are the church in this place after all, clergy always come and go. But together, there is much for us to do in the next 4 months I am not gone yet! Despite our indifferent weather, we are officially in summer now. For those of you who are able to go away on holidays, do not forget to look out for the local Anglican/Episcopalian Church, and bring them greetings from our parish group. Experiencing different kinds of worship can be a powerful reminder of the vast breadth and diversity of Gods worldwide church, and as such can be a real inspiration for our own faith journey. With my prayers for you all, especially those of you who live daily with difficulties Yours in Christ, Sandra

RECTOR APPOINTED DEAN OF LIMERICK, AND RECTOR OF LIMERICK CITY PARISH

St Marys Cathedral, Limerick

Abington Church, Murroe

For your Prayers

For Alan our bishop, this group of parishes, our clergy and church officers, and every parish family For those who are sick, housebound, elderly or lonely For those struggling financially For those preparing for Christian marriage, especially Shelley and Andrew, Joanne and Kevin, Nigel and Anna and Kate and Bill. For our parish link with Bishop Isesomo and the Diocese of North Kivu in DR Congo, especially at this time when we hear news of increasing conflict, and for the work of CMSI For our parish link with Bishop Suheil and the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East, and especially for the clergy ministering in Syria. For all Christians who face persecution for their faith, especially in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Iraq and China For the youth of our parish group who waiting on results of State examinations. For the pupils of St Nicholas NS who are leaving this month to start secondary school at the end of August.

As was announced in church on 24 June, the Bishop of Limerick has appointed our Rector as the new Dean of Limerick, and Rector of the city parish. In addition to the medieval cathedral which has a choir and a team of bell ringers, there are 2 other churches: the fine Georgian Church of St Michael in Pery Square, and Abington, a pretty little rural church near Glenstall Abbey. The ministry team comprises the Curate, three Diocesan Readers and a Parish Reader. St Michaels Church has its own national school next door to the church, and Villiers School within the parish is the only Protestant managed secondary school in the Diocese. With St Marys Cathedral in at the heart of medieval Limerick, engagement with the civic and cultural life of Limerick and the welcome of tourists/visitors will be an important part of the Deans ministry, in addition to the obvious worship and parish roles. The date of Sandras Installation as Dean at St Marys Cathedral is not yet fixed, though is likely to be in late October.
St Michaels Church, Limerick

The Wellington Hall Project

Saturday 21st July 2012 - 7.30pm At Bellurgan Park Live music from Power Cut
Tickets 20 (includes BBQ food, salad, dessert and wine) available from the Rectory and from Oriel Office Supplies, The Ramparts, Dundalk

FROM THE REGISTERS

Holy Baptism: On 10 June at St Nicholas, Dundalk: Elizabeth Svitlana SMITH, daughter of Hugh and Iryna, of Waterville Crescent, Dundalk. Lord, may Elizabeth walk in the light of Christ all her days. Holy Matrimony: On 3 June at St Marys Ballymascanlan: Michelle HARRISON and Jonathan Aaron George PORTIS of Lisburn. On 14 June at St James RC Church, Grange: Jonathan GRILLS and Amanda McDOWELL of Rathcor, Riverstown. The Revd Richard Moore took part in the ceremony. Lord, may their homes be places of blessing and peace.

Bellurgan Park, courtesy of Edward Tipping-Toner

PARISH NOTICES
Wellington Hall Project
200th Anniversary of the Wellington Hall 1812 2012

Parish Profile
Who are you? Cheryl Dunne. Which is your church? I am a lifelong member of St Nicholas Dundalk. I was baptised and confirmed in the church and have been a member of the choir for over 20 years. Where do you live? Dundalk How would you describe what you do? I am a registered General Nurse. I am currently training to be a midwife in Drogheda and I love every minute of it. As I am often working on Sundays I do not always get to attend church as often as I would like. Favourite Bible passage John 14:1-3 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Fathers house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. I also like Psalm 23. Its that promise that no matter how hard life gets that God will always be there to comfort and sustain us. Favourite hymn? Its hard to pick one hymn as there are so many great hymns out there but two of my favourites would be Shall We Gather at the River and As the Deer Pants. I also enjoy all the seasonal hymns such as all the harvest and Christmas hymns. Favourite book or film? I enjoy reading all books. I dont have a particular favourite and since I returned to college I dont get the opportunity to read as much as I would like. My favourite films are Titanic and My Sisters Keeper. Who or what has influenced you the most? My parents and my granda Dunne, as well as people I have met along the way have had a major influence on me. Over the last ten years our Rector has been a both a great source of inspiration and support to me. Your dream holiday destination? I would love to go to Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the Holy Land in 2010 and would love to go back again. What has been the best day of your life so far? That would have to be the day in 2007 I qualified as a nurse.

Work is nearly complete on re-roofing the Wellington Hall and we are now looking at having the exterior of the building painted. This work is all being funded by the generous support of parishioners and friends to our various fund raising efforts for which we are very grateful. On Thursday 28 June at 7.30pm there will be a meeting to discuss plans for Bicentennial Gala Ball and the next committee meeting will be on Thursday 12th at, 7.30pm. These meetings, both in the Wellington Hall, are open to all and we welcome and encourage everyones ideas and input. Funndraising planned in the forthcoming months includes: July 21st Summer BBQ at Bellurgan Park. Music from PowerCut and full BBQ food, dessert and wine. Tickets (priced ar 20 per person) are on sale now from Oriel Office Supplies or from the Rector. October 12th Harvest Concert at St Nicholas Dundalk with Guest Soloist Miriam Blennerhassett (Mezzo-Soprano and founder member of Anna) and Guest Choir , The Cloughmore Male Voice Choir and our own St Nicholas Choir. November 30th Black Tie Bicentennial Gala Ball at Ballymascanlon House Hotel Further details will be anounced as plans are finalised

St Nicholas Pre School

News in Brief
Thank you and congratulations to Pamela Henry who raised 832 for St Nicholas Parish Funds by completing the recent Flora mini-marathon. Pamela would like to personally thank parishioners accross our 5 churches for their generous support. Thank you to Mrs Aileen Henry and all who supported the recent coffee evening at ClaretRock, which raised over 400 for Mothers Union Overseas funds. On Saturday 7th July there will be an Open Morning at St Nicholas Dundalk from 10am-1pm as part of Dundalk Tidy Towns Open Door Project On Saturday 18th August the Creggan COI Hall Management Committee will be running a tour to the Titanic Exhibition in Belfast. The coach departs from Creggan at 8.30am and the cost is 25 to include return coach travel, entry to the exhibition, 2 course dinner. For more information, please contact Muriel Donaldson on 028 30 861025 On Wednesday 22nd August there will be an Open Day at St Nicholas Dundalk all day as part of National Heritage Week. Upcoming classes in Creggan include Zumba (6th Aug for 7 weeks), Computers (4th Sept for 10 weeks) and Digital Photography (5th Sept for 6 weeks). For more information please contact Muriel Donaldson on 028 30 861025

Places still available for September 2012 in our successful preschool at St Nicholas NS campus FREE if your child is 3 before 30th June 2012. Fantastic foundation for your child starting their education. istear /Solta Curriculum. Mon.Fri. 8.50 a.m.12.00 p.m. Please contact St. Nicholas N.S. on 042 9330860 or Lorraine on 0863653009 for an application form or more information

MISSION NEWS
DIOCESE OF JERUSALEM & THE MIDDLE EAST
Ramallah: Arab Evangelical Episcopal School wins Competition. Company H2O Meter is a student success story sponsored by the Bank of Palestine It is the second time in 3 years that the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School has qualified to represent Palestine in the Arab world. The Arab Evangelical Episcopal School won a landslide victory on the national level by winning 2 awards in the competition sponsored by INJAZ Palestine. The established company, H2O Meter, is a success story of distinct vision and modern strategy. Each school established a School Company and was tasked with marketing the product, H2O Meter. The winner was the school with the largest percentage of sales. The Arab Evangelical Episcopal School sold more than 90% of its target throughout the city of Ramallah. The device, H2O Meter, was marketed as a contemporary product and environmentally friendly. It works to measure water levels in reservoirs and also contributes to the identification of the presence of leaks in the tank and the measure of water consumption in homes, factories, companies, banks, and shops. The electronic device works on a 9-volt battery in the reservoirs. A patent on the device has been issued by the Ministry of National Economy. Mr. Jalal Elji, has granted the privilege to market H2O Meter over the lifetime of the company. The INJAZ Palestine branch of the Global Foundation for Junior Achievement Worldwide (JA Worldwide) is distributed in over 127 countries including 18 Arab countries.

PARISH NEWS
Dundalk Grammar School News

The Most Reverend AET Harper, Church of Ireland Primate of all Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh visited Dundalk Grammar School recently (15/6/12) to see for himself the work on the school's New MultiPurpose Hall coming to a rapid close a month ahead of schedule because of the good weather over the last seven months, and the relentless efforts of Ganson Engineering Ltd and Todd Architects Ltd., plus those of the Headmaster, Mr Cyril Drury, and the Board of Governor's of the school. This building represents Phase 1 of the 6.5 million building project being currently undertaken at the school. Phase 2 will commence this summer and will result in 25 new class rooms with all the latest facilities being completed in the autumn of 2013. Phase 3, which will follow, probably before the end of Phase 2, involves the renovation and upgrading of the listed central old Georgian building which is joined to the Phase 2 structure.

THE DIOCESE OF NORTH KIVU IN DR CONGO

The Bishop of North Kivu hopes to welcome a team of up to 7 people from Armagh Diocese in 2013, and it is important that the link should be at a diocesan level since there are 15 Archdeaconries in N Kivu, and the Bishop wants all parishes to benefit from the link. Obviously our parish support (and that of Killyman and Milltown parishes) are a significant and vital part of that link. David Gough of CMSI is looking at leading such a visit in May next year. In the mean time, we are committed to furthering our parish plan, beginning with our North Kivu Sunday at a Group Service on Sunday 2nd September. The priorities that Bishop Ise-somo has identified include: A) Evangelism there are new areas where he needs to bring the Gospel, he wants to plant new churches in those areas, and to equip his people in all the parishes for growth; B) Social Issues schools need to be rebuilt, more health centres are needed, and vital work is needed sensitively to help orphans, women who have been raped, people with HIV, widows, people who are displaced because of the ongoing conflict, and supporte for retired pastors; and C) Training such as seminars for pastors, and supporting people in theological study. To assist with these priorities, the Bishop is trying to generate income, by agriculture, brick-making, and tree planting, as well as the current project to build a proper guesthouse (the foundations have already been laid). decided to create some income generating projects like: making bricks,agriculture, building a guesthouse,planting trees... Please keep North Kivu in your prayers, as we continue to plan how best we can, with the help of CMSI, assist Bishop Ise-Somo in these priorities.

St Nicholas National School

As the academic year draws to a close we wish pupils, parents and sraff of St Nicholas NS a happy summer holiday. In particular, our prayers and good wishes go to the 6th class pupils who will be leaving to start secondary school at the end of August: Ochong, Mikaela, Eunice, abh, Sean, Ben, Somuadina, Domas, David, Mubaraq, Bradley, Tadhg, Luke, Ishraq, Iri, Tallon, Elizabeth, Alex, Isidora and Andrus.

Sixth Class pupils at the recent End of Year Service, with the Rev Sandra and their class teacher, Mrs Louise Gamble

New pupils always welcome please contact the principal on 0860213018

Services in July 2012

Week Commencing 01 July (4th After Trinity)
Creggan Parish Church Eucharist St Marys Ballymascanlan Morning Prayer St Andrews Rathcor (Bush) Eucharist St Pauls, Heynestown Morning Prayer St Nicholas, Dundalk Eucharist St Thomas HC Hospital (St Olivers) HC Sunday 1st Sunday 1st Sunday 1st Sunday 1st Sunday 1st rd Tuesday 3 Thursday 5th 9.30am 10.45am 12 noon 10.00am 11.00am 10.30am 11.30am

Services in August 2012

Week Commencing 05 August (9th After Trinity)
Creggan Parish Church Morning Prayer St Marys Ballymascanlan Morning Prayer St Andrews Rathcor (Bush) Morning Prayer St Pauls, Heynestown Morning Prayert St Nicholas, Dundalk Eucharist Hospital (St Olivers) HC Sunday 5th Sunday 5th Sunday 5th Sunday 5th Sunday 5th Thursday 9th 9.30am 10.45am 12 noon 10.00am 11.00am 11.30am

Week Commencing 08 July (5th After Trinity)

Creggan Parish Church Morning Prayert St Marys Ballymascanlan Eucharist St Andrews Rathcor (Bush) Morning Prayer St Pauls, Heynestown Eucharist St Nicholas, Dundalk Morning Prayer Hospital (St Olivers) HC Sunday 8th Sunday 8th Sunday 8th Sunday 8th Sunday 8th Thursday 12th 9.30am 10.45am 12 noon 10.00am 11.00am 11.30am

Week Commencing 12 August (10th After Trinity)

Creggan Parish Church Morning Prayer St Marys Ballymascanlan Eucharist St Andrews Rathcor (Bush) Morning Prayer St Pauls, Heynestown Morning Prayer St Nicholas, Dundalk Morning Prayer Hospital (St Olivers) HC Sunday 12th Sunday 12th Sunday 12th Sunday 12th Sunday 12th Thursday 186h 9.30am 10.45am 12 NOON 10.00am 11.00am 11.30am

Week Commencing 15 July (6th After Trinity)

Creggan Parish Church Eucharist St Marys Ballymascanlan Morning Prayer St Andrews Rathcor (Bush) Eucharist St Pauls, Heynestown Morning Prayer St Nicholas, Dundalk Eucharist Hospital (St Olivers) HC Dealgan House HC Sunday 15th Sunday 15th Sunday 15th Sunday 15th Sunday 15th Thursday 19th Tuesday 17th 9.30am 10.45am 12 noon 10.00am 11.00am 11.30am 3.00pm

Week Commencing 19 August (11th After Trinity)

Creggan Parish Church Eucharist St Marys Ballymascanlan Morning Prayer St Bartholomew HC St Andrews Rathcor (Bush) Eucharist St Pauls, Heynestown Morning Prayer St Nicholas, Dundalk Morning Prayer Dealgan House HC Hospital (St Olivers) HC Sunday 19th 9.30am

Sunday 19th 10.45am Wednesday 24th 10.30am Sunday 19th Sunday 19th Sunday 19th Tuesday 21st Thursday 23rd 12 noon 10.00am 11.00am 3.00pm 11.30am

Week Commencing 22 July (7th After Trinity)

Creggan Parish Church Morning Prayer St Marys Ballymascanlan Eucharist St James Apostle St Andrews Rathcor (Bush) Morning Prayer St Pauls, Heynestown Morning Prayer St Nicholas, Dundalk Morning Prayer Hospital (St Olivers) HC Sunday 22nd 9.30am

Week Commencing 26 August (12th After Trinity)

St Nicholas, Dundalk Holy Communion (Order One) Sunday 26th 8.00am GROUP SERVICE Morning Prayer Sunday 26th 11.00am No morning service in the other churches on 26 August Hospital (St Olivers) HC Thursday 30th 11.30am

Sunday 22nd 10.45am Wednesday 25th 10.30am Sunday 22nd Sunday 22nd Sunday 22nd Thursday 26th 12 noon 10.00am 11.00am 11.30am

DIARY DATES
Sat 7 July: Open Morning at St Nicholas Dundalk from 10am-1pm as part of Dundalk Tidy Towns Open Door Project Sat 21 July: 7.30pm Summer BBQ at Bellurgan Park in aid of the Wellington Hall (see front page) Weds 25 July: Saint James the Apostle, 10.30am HC, Ballymascanlan Sun 29 July: GROUP SERVICE 10.30am Bush Sat 18 Aug: Creggan Trip to the Titanic exhibition and Belfast. Weds 22 Aug: Open Day at St Nicholas Dundalk all day as part of National Heritage Week. 24 Aug: Saint Bartholomew HC, 10.30, Ballymascanlan 28 Aug: GROUP SERVICE 11am, Dundalk 2 Sept: North Kivu Service (Group), Ballymascanlan, 10.30am 30 Sept: GROUP SERVICE 10.30am Heynestown 5 Oct: The Holy Visions Concert from Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart EQ Ensemble, 8pm, St Nicholas, Dundalk. 12 Oct: Harvest Concert at St Nicholas, Dundalk in aid of the WHP 13 Oct: St Nicholas open for Harvest decorations 14 Oct: Dundalk Harvest, 11am (recorded by LMFM) 30 Nov: Dundalk Group of Parishes Gala Ball at The Ballymascanlon House Hotel in aid of the Wellington Hall Project 30 Dec: GROUP SERVICE 11am Dundalk

Week Commencing 29 July (8th After Trinity)

St Nicholas, Dundalk Holy Communion (Order One) Sunday 29th 8.00am Morning Prayer (said) Sunday 29th 11.00am St Andrews Rathcor (Bush) GROUP EUCHARIST Sunday 29th 10.30am No morning service in the other churches on 29th July Hospital (St Olivers) HC Thurs 2nd Aug 11.30am

GOSPEL READINGS FOR JULY AND AUGUST

1 July: Mark 5: 21-43, 8 July: Mark 6: 1-13, 15 July: Mark 6. 14-29, 22 July: Mark 6. 30-34, 53-56, 29 July: John 6. 1-21 5 August : John 6.24-35; 12 August: John 6. 35, 41-51; 19 August John 6. 51-58; 26 August John 6. 56-69; These are provided for those of you who may find it helpful to read the gospel at home in preparation for Sunday worship. Contact the Rector if you are interested in daily Bible reading notes.

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