ENNISKERRY

PARISH OF POWERSCOURT WITH KILBRIDE

Service of Worship in St. Patrick’s Church, Powerscourt, for this Sunday The Third Sunday in Lent: 11.30am Morning Prayer 2.

Service of Worship in St. Brigid’s Church, Kilbride, for this Sunday The Secord Sunday in Lent: 9.45am Holy Communion 1.

‘Love Life Live Lent’–a fiveweek course for Lent in collaboration with our friends from St. Mary’s, Enniskerry: Love Life Live Lent is a different way of approaching Lent, one which focuses on taking up positive actions for the good of all. Often Lent has been about giving up things traditionally some sorts of food, but these days more likely chocolate or alcohol. We give up things with a view to focus more closely on our relationship with God. While there are elements of ‘giving up’ in the daily actions (we’ll think about that in week 2) the focus of the actions is on generosity and being ‘life-giving’. Week 2 today (Wednesday)–The Bethesda Pool: ‘Letting Go’; Week 3: March 6th–Feeling Good or Washing Feet?: ‘What’s in it for me?; Week 4: March 13th–Feeding 5000: What’s in it for them?’ Week 5: March 20th–Man Born Blind: ‘Taking Action’ Making a difference.

ST. MARY’S CHURCH

Parish Churches Schedule of Masses: Enniskerry–St Mary’s: Saturday evening 6pm and also via parish webcam; Sunday 11am and also via parish webcam. Weekday Mass at Enniskerry is at 10.15am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and also via parish webcam lay-led prayer service on Wednesday; and Saturday at 10.15 am, and also available via the parish webcam. Masses in Curtlestown and Kilmacanogue are on Sunday at 10am. Mass in Glencree is at 9am on the first Sunday each month.

Baptism Requests: Requests for Baptism now take place online at www.enniskerryparish.ie.

‘Love Life Live Lent’–a fiveweek course for Lent in collaboration with our friends from St. Patrick’s Powerscourt: Love Life Live Lent is a different way of approaching Lent, one which focuses on taking up positive actions for the good of all. Often Lent has been about giving up things traditionally some sorts of food, but these days more likely chocolate or alcohol. We give up things with a view to focus more closely on our relationship with God. While there are elements of ‘giving up’ in the daily actions (we’ll think about that in week 2) the focus of the actions is on generosity and being ‘life-giving’.

Week 2: today (Wednesday)– The Bethesda Pool: ‘Letting Go’; Week 3: March 6th–Feeling Good or Washing Feet?: ‘What’s in it for me?; Week 4: March 13th–Feeding 5000: What’s in it for them?’ Week 5: March 20th–Man Born Blind: ‘Taking Action’ Making a difference.

Church Music Group: We meet on Tuesday evenings at 7.15pm in St. Mary’s Church. We would love to have a few more voices. If you would like to try, just come along and you will be warmly welcomed.

Downtime Thursday: Why not pop into St. Mary’s Church for some quiet time tomorrow (Thursday) from 7pm to 8.30pm. You can sit in silence with candlelight and gentle music. Take a few minutes for yourself and just “be”. Light a candle, say a prayer. Just sit if that’s what you need. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will take place.

Retirement: Our beloved Margaret Blackburn is retiring from St. Mary’s parish office as parish secretary. By way of marking the occasion, a Mass will be celebrated at 11am in St. Mary’s this Sunday for her family, friends, and parishioners. Refreshments/ light lunch and a presentation will take place directly after Mass in the Summer Hill Hotel. All are welcome.

Creating a Liturgical/Community Space: Over the last few years several suggestions have been made, through the parish pastoral council, as to how we could create a gathering space in St. Mary’s, for community and liturgical events in the parish.

One of the suggestions had been to remove some benches from the back of the church and create a designated and attractive space for this purpose. As time passed, and it was obvious that the number attending was continuing to fall, the decision was made to go ahead with the project. The next step was to identify how may benches we would need to move to create enough space. That decision was made for us, as there are only four benches in the church without plaques. We now propose to move these, and make full use of the space it will give.

The plan, once the benches are removed, is to create a space, which will be clearly visible as a designated for meeting, welcoming, and praying together in a more intimate setting. We will pay particular attention to the quality of furnishings and how the space will be marked out.

It should be a great asset to the community. Gatherings for tea/ coffees, to a smaller more intimate space for the celebration of daily Eucharist will be an option. We envisage using this space for invited speakers and guests to engage the community in prayer in so many different shapes and forms. It will be a Godsend for the ongoing faith development of sacramental families. This is an option that a number of other churches in the Dublin diocese have opted for very successfully.

Very importantly a meeting will be held this Saturday morning at 10.45am in St. Mary’s church for all who would like to express their views on the removal of the benches.

HISTORY SOCIETY

Members and supporters of the Enniskerry History Society are asked to note that the following events will take place in the week ahead.

Today (Wednesday) Elizabeth Kehoe will present ‘Curfews in Dublin 1920-21’ in the Dublin Central Library, Ilac Centre, Henry Street, Dublin 1. Admission is free but booking is required book in branch, call 01-2228300 or email: centrallibrary@dublincity.ie; Cormac F. Lowth will present ‘The Sailing Trawlers of Ringsend’ at 6pm to the Old Dublin Society in the Conference Room, Dublin City Library & Archive, 139-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. All are welcome–admission is free and no booking is required; ‘History of Ballymun: a chat with Dr. Mary Muldowney’ takes place at 6.30pm in Ballymun Library, Ballymun Road, Ballymun, Dublin 11. Admission is free and to reserve a place email: ballymunlibrary@dublincity.ie; tomorrow (Thursday) ‘History of Cabra: a chat with Dr. Mary Muldowney’ takes place at 6.30pm in Cabra Library, Navan Road, Dublin 7. Admission is free but to reserve a place email: cabralibrary@dublincity. ie; Corman F. Lowth will present the Rathmines, Ranelagh & Rathgar Historical SocietyDeirdre Kelly Commemorative Lecture at 8pm on ‘A History of

Dublin Port’ in Rathmines Town Hall, Rathmines Road, Dublin 6. Members free / visitors €4–Swan Car Park Evening Rate: €4 from 7 p.m. to Midnight; next Monday James Scannell will present ‘John Hinde and his postcards of Co. Wicklow’ at 8pm to the Rathdrum Historical Society in the Anne Devlin Annex, RHA Hall, Rathdrum. Co. Wicklow. All are welcome; next Wednesday Howard Clarke will present ‘Medieval Dublin: the Making a City’ at 8pm to the Rathmichael Historical Society in Rathmichael National School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co. Dublin. All are welcome–admission is €5 for non-members.

ENNISKERRY LIBRARY

Opening hours are Tuesday 10.30am to 12.30pm & 1.30pm to 4.30pm; Wednesday: 2pm to 4.30pm & 6pm to 8pm; Friday: 10.30am to 12.30pm & 1.30pm to 4.30pm; Saturday: 10am to 2.30pm. The library is closed on Mondays and Thursdays and on the Saturdays of Bank Holiday weekends. The library can be contacted at 01-2864339 or email: enniskerrylib@wicklowcoco.ie. Online services including e-books, audio-books, digital magazines and newspapers and e-learning are available from the library website.