Dear parishioners and friends,

Carol Service:  The Nine Lessons and Carol Service will take place this Sunday evening in the church at 7.30pm. Please join us for this lovely festive occasion.

Christmas Day:         Wednesday 25 December, is Christmas Day and there will be a celebration of the Eucharist at 09:00 and at 10:45. On Sunday 29 December there will be a celebration of the Eucharist at 09:00 and at 10:45 a celebration of Christmas, with readings, poetry and carols.

Schoolhouse Opening:   The community opening of the schoolhouse took place on Thursday 12 December on a cold, crisp and perfectly dry evening. The building was beautifully decorated for Christmas and our guests enjoyed wonderful refreshments and canapes prepared by Ruth Carnegie, Valerie Duncan and their helpers. We warmly welcomed the Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Cllr Jim O’Leary, local politicians, business owners, representatives of local churches, the Quakers, our architects and contractors, friends of the parish and others to the event. The Cathaoirleach spoke about his delight in seeing the schoolhouse restored to its former glory and the importance of community endeavours to improve the life of all the residents in the borough. Dr Seamus Cannon, local historian, spoke about the history of the schoolhouse and of education in Ireland and about success of the restoration project. The Rector than spoke about the restoration journey and thanked the community for all its support during the project. Our sincere thanks to all who made the evening such a success.

Preparations: Advent and Christmas see a flurry of activity taking place to prepare the church beautifully for Christmas.  Chris Luby, our caretaker set up our crib. Valerie Little made our beautiful Advent Wreath and Chris Luby and Niall Carnegie erected the Christmas tree, and we thank them also for doing this also for us. We thank our flower arrangers Valerie Little, Caroline Nolan and helpers for all their hard work and creativity. It is lovely to see Monkstown Parish Church looking so wonderful for our Christmas festivities. Our thanks also to Natalie Box and our choir for all their work and support throughout the season.

Christmas Tree Gifts:      Please support our annual toy appeal for our friends in Darndale Creche. Donations of brand-new toys and children’s books (not second hand) may be placed under the church Christmas tree. Please don’t bother to wrap your gifts, as the paper will have to be removed before the toys are sent to Darndale. The toys and books will be used for birthdays and in the classrooms of the creche during 2025. Our young people are asked to bring along a donation of a new toy or book to the December Christingle Service at 10:45 on Sunday 22 December. After Christmas you may also place any unwanted Christmas presents under the tree.

Parish Office:  The parish office will close at 1:00pm on Monday 23 December and will reopen on Thursday 2 January. Liz is available Monday to Friday (10:00-1:00pm). She is also available by mobile should you need her. The office number is 087 3839968 and Liz’s mobile number is 087 979 1072.

Schoolhouse Garden:     Donations in aid of this work may be left with the staff in Howbert & Mays in Monkstown. The subscriptions raised will be used by Valerie and Caroline to purchase suitable plants for the garden.

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.

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