This Wednesday, September 1st, filming for a series called The Dry will be taking place in our parish centre.  There will be access to the church grounds as usual for those attending our mid-week Holy Communion service at 11am.  Please do not be put off by the large number of vehicles and people that are usually involved on such occasions.
 The Dry, a comedy drama series directed by Paddy Breathnach, is a BritBox UK commission, in conjunction with Element Pictures, Screen Ireland, ITV Studios and RTÉ.

We had hoped that we would be able to have our annual Outdoor Service and Barbecue on the first Sunday in September. This had become one of the highlights of our year – until we were forced to cancel it in 2020 – as it enabled the parish family to gather to worship outdoors and to socialise together whilst sharing food expertly prepared and served by Linda and Frank Gunning and their team.
 As we all know, there has been considerable controversy recently over the regulations governing outdoor hospitality, which belatedly resulted in some clarification on what was permitted.  While the current guidelines are not insurmountable, even in a parish context they remain quite restrictive and intermingling is specifically discouraged. The informality, with the freedom to mix, chat and “catch up” after the summer, is what makes our event so special.  Under current guidelines I do not believe any of this is possible. 
 While it would be wonderful to be able to meet again as a parish family I just think that it is too soon and that the risks associated with such a gathering still outweigh the benefits.  So it is with a heavy heart that I have decided that the Outdoor Service and Barbecue should not go ahead this year.
 Despite so many unknowns there is a sense that we are finally over the worst of this pandemic but the threat from the Delta variant remains very real, even though most of us have been fully vaccinated at this stage.  As soon as the regulations allow, and it is safe to do so, we will organise a parish gathering that will enable us to meet again free of any concerns for our health and well-being.
 Meanwhile, please do everything possible to stay safe.

Best wishes,

Gary

Baptism services were cleared to resume from Thursday, August 5th, under the most recent Government update on Covid restrictions for Religious Services. However, they must follow all protective measures and social gatherings afterwards should be avoided. Baptism services had been suspended since July 5th, by a previous directive that also prohibited Confirmation services, and that ban still applies.

Parishioner Pauline Allen is hosting an organic garden open day and plant sale this Thursday, July 29th, from 2pm to 4pm at  66 Bellevue Road, Glenageary. It’s a chance to pick up some handy organic gardening tips.
 It is being held in aid of the RNLI, with donations appreciated on entry. Tea and nibbles will be provided.

A past pupil of Glenageary Killiney National School, Chloe Watkins (below), is on the first Irish women’s hockey team to qualify for the Olympics, in the wake of their World Cup silver medal success in 2018. The team’s first match in Tokyo, against South Africa, is scheduled for this coming Saturday, July 24th, at 1.15pm Irish time. The 29-year-old midfielder is the second most capped Irish hockey player, currently on 229 caps.
 Her GKNS classmate Gillian Pinder, who withdrew from the Olympic squad for personal reasons last December, will be in the RTE studios as a pundit for coverage of the matches.

The last baptism in St Paul’s was on Saturday, July 3rd, 2021, before all christenings were suspended under a new Covid-19 restriction. The updated advice from the Office of An Taoiseach via the Diocesan office reads:
“From 5^th July it is advised that religious ceremonies such as Baptisms, First Holy Communions and Confirmations should not take place at this time. Further advice will follow on resumption of these ceremonies when it is safe to do so”.

Our 11 am service of Holy Communion every Wednesday is an opportunity to drop into St Paul’s for in-church worship. All are very welcome.

Our weekly, midweek service of Holy Communion in St Paul’s at 11am on a Wednesday resumes this week. All are very welcome to take this opportunity of in-church worship after a lockdown of almost five months.

St Paul’s will open again for in-church worship at three services tomorrow for the Seventh Sunday after Easter, at 8.15am, 10.30am and 7pm. All services will be celebrations of Holy Communion, something that has not happened in St Paul’s since December 23rd, which was the last service before the latest lockdown. Capacity is limited to 50 so people are being asked to consider going to the early morning or evening service, instead of the 10.30am one, which will be livestreamed as normal for those unable to attend.

Thank-you to all who took part in or supported the virtual Walk to Kisiizi Hospital that we held recently to raise funds for the Surgeon and Physio assistant’s salaries at Kisiizi Hospital, Uganda. 
 We had a great response to this event and to date have raised €10,829. Our online payment system (see Donate button above, option 3) remains open for donations and you can also drop contributions into the Rectory at 1 Silchester Road, or into the Kisiizi fund-raising box at the rear of the church when it re-opens on May 16th.
 In terms of our distance, we collectively managed almost 4,500km by walking, swimming, and cycling, so that leaves us somewhere in the middle of Algeria! 
Thank-you again.

 St Paul’s Kisiizi Surgeon’s Fund-Raising Committee