Parish Newsletter

Masses Today

6.30: Pat Walshe, (Anniv).
11.00: May & Christy Deacy, (Anniv).
6.30: Pat, Nellie & Mattie Leydon.

The Masses for next weekend, March 27th: 6.30 (Vigil): John, Bridget and Paddy Gannon; 11.00: Mary Mahoney.
The collection last Sunday (Trócaire) was € 1,689.00.
The collection for St. Patrick's Day (Emigrant's Support) came to € 1,015.00

AS I WAS SAYING.....

After Easter St Nicholas Collegiate Church, which is for many of us reading these notes "our" Church, becomes the home for The Augustinian Church as well. The Augustinian Church is closing for extensive renovations and we, the Church of Ireland have invited the Augustinian Community and the Roman Catholic congregations to share St Nicholas until the Augustinian Church's great work has been completed. We are delighted that the Augustinians and their parishioners have accepted our offer and we look very much forward to them joining with us after Easter. Fr Dick and your Congregation: "We welcome you all most warmly!"

To accommodate our various Liturgies we will have especially to juggle with Sunday times. And everyone will have a bit of this or a bit of that which will not suit. On the other hand there will be so many opportunities for understanding different ways and different practices and for the making of new friendships.

We have not fixed the time of the various services. Provisionally (and I will confirm all dates and times with you): It looks as if the Church of Ireland will hold its Sunday morning Eucharists at 8.30am and 10am. It is the rescheduling of the main Parish Service to 10am (from 11.30) that is the most significant change. It will mean earlier rises for the Church of Ireland: the choir practice will have to be earlier and all those of you who prepare the Main Service will have either less time or will be at the church much earlier. When we discussed the "Times" in the Select Vestry, however, it was felt by everyone that it was desirable that we should rise earlier. The Augustinian Mass will start at 12noon. We are delighted with the support given to this new arrangement by our Diocesan Bishop, Rt Rev'd Richard Henderson and by Bishop James McLoughlin, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Galway.

Many of you are aware also that once a month Fr George Zavershinsky arrives from Dublin to celebrate The Russian Orthodoxy Liturgy in St Nicholas Church. There is a sizeable Orthodox Community in Galway. Are we not greatly blessed for a brief moment in our history of being "home" to three great Church traditions: Roman Catholicism, Orthodoxy and our own Anglicanism.

I do pray that God will bless St Nicholas' Church as we all meet under its roof. Bless us as we cherish the traditions that have formed us. Bless us as we firmly believe that God in Jesus Christ who is absolute love, mercy and justice will by the Holy Spirit strengthen our ecumenical passion for the transformation of His world.

-Rev'd Patrick Towers.

BITS & PIECES

FINANCE COMMITTEE: Our Finance Committee met in the Priory on Monday night last, March 14th at 6.30pm. Present were Anthony Ryan (Chair), Fin Garvey (Project Team), Michael O'Hare, Phyllis McNamara, John Coyle, Liam O'Connell, Robert Deacy, John Flannery, Mary McDonagh, John Grealish, Dermot Murray, Cathal Cunningham, and Dick Lyng. The following were unavoidably absent and sent their apologies: Gerry Meehan, Brian Colgan, Fr. Ben O'Brien, Tom O'Connor, and Des Kavanagh. We had an excellent, fruitful meeting and we will assemble again in the same place, at the same time on Monday next, March 21st.
STEERING COMMITTEE: This group gathered on Friday night to review progress on the 'Church Move', and to look at the Easter Liturgy preparations. Could we meet with some choir members after the 11.00 Mass today (Sunday) with a view to harmonisation? We could gather in the front parlour.
TWO REMINDERS: Don't forget to return your Trócaire Family Fast Boxes during Easter Week. In addition, the Easter Dues envelopes are now available at the Priory Office and in the Church Porch.
MEETING WITH ST NICHOLAS' SELECT VESTRY: Various representatives of the Augustinian Parish met with the Church of Ireland people in St. Nicholas' on Tuesday night last. It was a 'working meeting', literally. We tried to foresee and iron out the difficulties that accompany any 'invasion', like the opening of the church, closing of same, sound system, vestments, sacred vessels, and a litany of other considerations. We were made to feel very welcome there and fisticuffs were confined to the absolutely essential!
HUNGER AWARENESS GROUP: The Augustinian Hunger Awareness group collected € 2,000.00 in their recent Trócaire fast. Peter Flynn (16) collected € 450 from his fellow students in the Bish.
CHURCH PEWS: We are back to the point at which be begun: those who opted to purchase pews for € 100.00 can still do so. But there is a sting in the tail (tale?): The purchaser will have to pay for the delivery. Otherwise, it would be quite impossible to co-ordinate. Deadline is the week commencing April 4th.

THE MOVE TO ST NICHOLAS

WHEN: The last Mass (for the time being!) in the Augustinian Church will be the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening, April 2nd at 6.30. The first Mass in St. Nicholas' Church will be the 12.00 Mass on Sunday, April 3rd (Low Sunday). (You do realise that, during our stay in St. Nicholas', our Sunday 'morning' Mass will be at 12.00 rather than our customary time of 11.00.) From Sunday April 3rd on then, all our weekend Masses will be celebrated in St. Nicholas. From that day forward, the Augustinian Church will remain closed until renovations are complete in November next.
WEEKDAYS: From Monday, April 4th onward, the usual morning weekday Masses (8.30, 10.00 & 11.00) will be celebrated in Ozanam House, St. Augustine Street. (We are grateful to the Vincent de Paul Society for placing their premises at our disposal).
PRIORY OFFICE: We are delighted to inform you that the Priory Mass Office will remain open (and in its present location until such time as the new shop-cum-office is ready in its new location at the front of the Church.) All Parish business (e.g.. marriage papers, baptism certificates, and so on) will be conducted from there. This will go some small way towards minimising the disruption involved in the whole project.
NEWSLETTER: We print 600 Parish Newsletters every weekend. About 350 are taken away on Sundays. The other 250 are taken from the back of the Church during the week. (Gearóidín usually runs off an additional 150 as required.) So, in actual fact more Newsletters are taken from the Church during week than are taken on Sundays. During the period of renovations, the Newsletter will be available in St. Nicholas' on Sunday (obviously!) and at Ozanam House and the Priory Office during the week.
ORATORY IN FRONT PARLOUR: So many, many people drop into the Augustinian Church during the day, either to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, or to pray at the shrine of Our Mother of Good Counsel. With the temporary closure, an important part of the day will be disturbed for those people. In order to maintain some routine of prayer around the Auggie, we will create a little oratory in the front parlour, the room to your left as you enter the front door of the Augustinian. The Blessed Sacrament will be reserved there, and a shrine to Our Mother of Good Counsel will be maintained there. The annual Novena will be reduced to 3 days this year for obvious reasons.
BAPTISMS, MARRIAGES, FUNERALS? WHAT DO WE DO?: During our period of closure, the greatest inconvenience will be caused to those who wish to hold their family occasions (like baptisms, marriages and funerals) in the Augustinian. For legal reasons in some cases, it will not be possible to celebrate these Sacraments in St. Nicholas'. The only way around this is for the family to opt for the church of their choice and an Augustinian will 'travel' to preside at whatever liturgical occasion is involved, should the family involved so wish. The parish priest of St. Augustine's will of course continue to prepare the marriage papers for the parishioners, irrespective of where they intend to marry.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER, 2005

CONFESSIONS:
Thursday:	11.00-12.30; 4.00-6.00
Friday:	11.00-12.00 ; 6.30-8.00
Saturday:	11.00-1.00; 2.30-3.30; 5.00-6.00
PENITENTIAL SERVICES:
Wednesday:	8.00
Saturday:	4.00
EASTER SERVICES:
Holy Thursday:	8.00: Mass of the Lord's Supper
	9.00-11.00: Eucharistic Adoration
Good Friday:	12.00: Stations of the Cross.
	3.00: The Lord's Passion.
	8.00: Suffering: A Christian Perspective.
Holy Saturday:	9.00: Easter Vigil.
EASTER SUNDAY:	Usual Sunday programme.