Monkstown Church of Ireland

Dear parishioners and friends,

The Faithful Departed:   The Very Revd Dr Herbert O’Driscoll’s death occurred on Thursday 25 July in Canada. Herbert served as curate of Monkstown from 1952 to 1954, moving from here to Ottawa as a curate, serving then as a naval chaplain and eventually being appointed dean in the diocese of New Westminster. He is remembered as an excellent preacher, a prolific writer, broadcaster, hymn writer and as a priest of the highest integrity. Herbert retired from active ministry in 1993 but continued to write and lecture. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family and many friends and colleagues.

Schoolhouse Garden:     An enormous amount of work has been carried out in the schoolhouse garden including the removal of broken tarmacadam and cement, digging, the addition of topsoil, creating planting areas etc. Parishioners and friends may like to help us purchase plants for the garden at this stage. We have created a ‘wish list’ in Hobert & Mays in the village. The staff have a list of plants we would like to plant and you can purchase them in the shop. They will keep the plants until we are ready to plant them in the garden. Thank you for your continued support of the schoolhouse project. 

Holidays: The rector will be taking some time off from Thursday 1 August to Friday 16 August. The services on Sunday 4 August, Wednesday 7 and Wednesday 14 August will be conducted by the Revd Hilary Dungan. The services on Sunday 11 August will be conducted by Canon Aisling Shine.

Canon Gillian Wharton will provide emergency pastoral cover during the rector’s absence. She may be contacted at 01-2887118. 

Heritage Week:  Jean Boydell has prepared a volunteer sheet that can be signed by those who are willing to volunteer during Heritage Week. The church is open for visitors in the afternoons of Heritage Week, and we need help to welcome our guests. This year Heritage Week runs from Saturday 17 August to Sunday 25 August and Monkstown Church will be open from 3:00pm to 5:00pm on those days for visitors.

Pet Service:  Our annual service of blessing for working and other animals will take place on Sunday 1 September at 3:00pm. On the day we hope to be joined by our friends from the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Blue Cross Animal Charity.  Our animal friends may not be used to attending church services, and indeed for some of them, it might be a rather strange experience!  Following the service there will be an opportunity outside (weather permitting) for having your pets individually blessed by the clergy and to take some photographs.

Art and Craft Exhibition:         The Annual art and craft exhibition in aid of the Schoolhouse restoration appeal will be held in the Knox hall from Friday 30 August – Sunday 1 September 2024. If you wish to exhibit, please contact Liz Neill-Watson, phone:  2147714 for an application form.

The Sick:  We continue our prayers in the parish for all who are unwell and the recently bereaved. We also remember those who are in hospital currently and those who are recovering at home from serious illness. Our hearts go out to all who are in need of our continued prayers and support, and we pray that you may have a real sense of the love that surrounds you.

On-line Banking: It would greatly assist our parish treasurer if you would please fill in the line describing what your donation is for and your name also. Sometimes donations are given online without any information provided and it is very difficult to work out who the donor is.

Cabinet of Curiosities: The glass cabinet at the back of the church contains antique and collectable items and we are selling these in aid of the schoolhouse restoration fund. New items are added as they are donated to us, so please keep an eye out, as the stock changes frequently. Please ask one of the churchwardens or Liz if you would like access to the cabinet. Money from the sale of items should be placed in the wooden schoolhouse donation box.

Schoolhouse Restoration:    Parishioners, friends and well-wishers may like to contribute to the fundraising appeal for the Schoolhouse restoration. Our bank details are as follows: Account Name: Monkstown Parish Church Business Current Account. Account no:   86014381. IBAN  IE 17 BOFI 9011 8386 0143 81. You may prefer to send a cheque, made payable to ‘Monkstown Parish Church’ and send it to Winton Lodge, 62 Monkstown Road, Monkstown, Co Dublin. Please indicate that your donation is for the Schoolhouse Restoration Fund.

General Financial Support: Thank you for your continued financial support of the parish and for remembering that our work of ministry continues week after week and year after year. We appreciate your generous and supportive giving. There is a collection at every service in the church. Donations to parish funds may also be posted by cheque made payable to ‘Monkstown Parish Church’ to me here at Winton Lodge if you do not have access to online banking. Our Bank of Ireland bank details are: Account Name: Monkstown Parish Church Business Current Account. Account no: 86014381. IBAN IE 17 BOFI 9011 8386 0143 81. If any of our envelope subscribers wish to talk to Ruth Carnegie, she may be contacted at 087 4339367. We now have a direct payment button on the parish website for those who would like to utilize this facility

With love and prayers  Roy