It’s a shame it is generally not possible to have the church open except for services. But during National Heritage Week, thanks to the parishoners who have volunteered  to supervise, it will be open 2pm-4pm daily from Monday, August 20th until the following  Saturday. This will not only give visitors a chance to step in and have a wander around, it is also a chance for parishoners to come and take a closer look at the 150th anniversary school projects, or, indeed, parts of the building you don’t normally stop to look at. All welcome – tell your friends and neighbours. Leaflets giving a brief history of the church are available inside the front door.

To facilitate the Dun Laoghaire Ironman Triathlon this coming Sunday morning, August 19th, many roads in the vicinity of the church will be closed temporarily (times vary) so it could be very difficult to attend church, especially at 10.30am.  (Selected road closures and times which may impact our parishioners most: Glenageary Road Lower 6.30am-9.30am; Sallyglen (from Graduate roundabout to Upper Glenageary roundabout) 6.30am-2 pm; Avondale Road, Glenageary Road Upper and Adelaide Road 9am-2pm.  Also many roads near the centre of Dun Laoghaire; see dirocco.ie/news/ironman-703  for further details.  Local access may be possible if you are walking!  The service at 10.30 am will go ahead as usual. But if you prefer to wait until the evening, there will be a service at 7pm too.

We will be opening the doors of St Paul‘s Church daily during much of National Heritage Week (August 18th-26th).  It seems apt in our 150th anniversary year to offer people the chance to see inside our historic building at a time other than during services. It is also particularly in keeping with the theme of Heritage Week 2018, “Share a Story – Make a Connection”.  We will have leaflets with points of interest and information about the church available to visitors – and  projects from GKNS and Rathdown are there to view as well.
 The doors will open from 2pm-4pm each day from Monday, August 20th to Saturday August 26th inclusive. 
 For more information about National Heritage Week, see heritageweek.ie

Exactly 150 years, right down to the very hour, after the consecration of our church building, on July 8th, 1868, the church was full again with an attendance of more than 275 people  to celebrate this significant milestone. It was very much a parish family celebration, with the second-longest-serving rector, the Ven Gordon Linney, returning to be celebrant and a former parishoner, the Very Rev Gregory Dunstan, Dean of Armagh, coming back as preacher. It was a particularly apt occasion to have him there as he, in a former life, had landscaped the church grounds – a setting which everybody could enjoy during the garden party after the service.
 Parishoners, neighbours and  local church and community representatives were all welcomed by the Rector to the service, for which the organist and director of music, Nathan Barrett, had composed a special Communion setting for the choir to sing. Straight afterwards, a commemorative tree was planted in the church grounds by Holly Kelly, a granddaughter of much-missed parishoner Deirdre Moppett who had been involved in the early stages of the planning of our 150th anniversary commemorations before her death last August.
 There was a great buzz at the all-age party afterwards, for which Linda Gunning led the catering with great panache and clockwork efficiency. Thanks to all those in the organising team and also the helpers roped in for the day. We’re hoping that at the 200th anniversary, some of those children attending last weekend will recall the sunny Sunday, 50 years ago, that they went to church, there was an ice-cream van handing out cones and everybody seemed happy!

The highlight of our 150th anniversary celebrations takes place this Sunday, July 8th, with A Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving.  It is taking place to the day and to the hour –  11.30am – of the service held to dedicate St Paul’s Glenageary 150 years ago on July 8th, 1868. Celebrant: The Ven. Gordon Linney (Rector 1980-2004) Preacher: The Vey Rev Gregory Dunstan: Dean of Armagh and a former parishioner.

An amazing gross total of €31,994 was raised by this year’s Summer Fair. Once the expenses incurred in staging the event are paid, the final total is expected to be well over €30,000. Congratulations to the hard-working Fair committee, led by Dominic Galvin, to all the stallholders and also to everybody who contributed in any way to the great success of the day.
 It was a success not only in financial terms, generating considerable funds for the parish but also as a community event for all ages. The fine weather this year enabled people to  sit and socialise within our church grounds in an atmosphere of tangible good will. As one visitor was heard to declare: “This is a great event.”

Flyers and raffle tickets are being distributed around the parish. Please look out for them and spread the word about what promises to be a great family day out on Saturday, May 26th from 10.30am-2.30pm.

The Rev Canon Susan Green, who is Chaplain of Kilkenny College and a former parishioner, will preach at the 10.30am Parish Communion service this Sunday, May 13th, as part of our 150th anniversary visiting preacher series. There will also be Sunday Club for the children.

Seeds for St Paul’s Sunflower Growing Competition will be given out at an Eco Service this Sunday, May 6th, at 10.30am to mark Rogation Sunday. Families are asked to encourage children in particular to have a go at nuturing the tallest flower possible. In our worship we will be asking for God’s blessing on new crops and for a fruitful season in growth. During this our 150th anniversary year, we’re reflecting both as a community and individuals on how we can reduce our destructive impact on the Earth and live in closer harmony with nature.

A new parish council, known as the Select Vestry, was appointed at our parish AGM, or Easter General Vestry, on Sunday, April 15th. All members of the outgoing committee were reappointed, while two new members were added. They are as follows:
Chairman: The Rev Gary Dowd
Secretary: Margaret Woods
Treasurer: Alan Lowther
Rector’s Churchwarden: Geoff Barry
People’s Churchwarden: Rita Dalton (representative of rota that also incudes: Robert Barklie, Deborah Burke, Robbie Grier, Karene Hilton, Penny O’Brien, John White and Meg Wood)
Rector’s Glebewarden: Paul Hatton
People’s Glebewarden: Frank Gunning
Also: Roxanna Allen; Fiona Arnold; James Danaswamy; Mary Heseltine; William Earley (new); Joe Harvey; Stuart Robertson; Sheila Wayman; Lynn Wiley; Meg Wood (new).