The parish is to work towards an Eco Congregation Ireland award as part of marking our 150th anniversary. The Rector explained in his address at the 10.30am service on Sunday, February 4th,  that Eco Congregation Ireland (ECI)  is an ecumenical organisation which encourages churches  to take a more eco approach to worship, lifestyle, property and finance management, community outreach and contact with the developing world.
 While St Paul’s ticks some boxes in this regard, there is much more we can do, both as a parish and as individuals. An action plan is being drawn up and all suggestions are welcome. You can learn more about the ECI here.
 Here’s one project you can get involved in immediately: for Lent (which starts on February 14th), the Bishops’ Appeal is partnering with the ECI in  “Jars4Journeys“. The idea is that every time you use a car for a journey that you could have done by foot or by bike, or take a flight, you put some money in a jar to go towards offsetting your carbon footprint. The proceeds will go towards projects in Third World communities adversely affected by climate change. Learn more and download a jar label here.

St Paul’s enjoys a great musical tradition so, as part of our 150th anniversary celebrations, we are holding a Songs of Praise on Sunday, February 25th at 7pm. The choice of hymns we sing that night is to be decided by an open vote.
One of the forms at the back of the church can be filled in, or email stpaulsdub@gmail.com, to nominate up to five of your favourite hymns. You are also invited to give a reason for your number one choice, but that’s optional. Closing date for  nominations is Sunday, February 18th. All welcome to get involved.
 After that, come along and enjoy a great sing-along on February 25th. Refreshments will be served in the Parish Centre afterwards. 

The big celebration will be held on Sunday, July 8th, when there will be a service at 11.30am to mark 150 years, to the day and to the hour, since the consecration of St Paul’s. This will be followed by a garden party in the church grounds.
 The Rector is in the process of inviting back some former curates, as well as the only surviving rector, the Ven Gordon Linney, along with former parishoners who went on to be ordained, to preach at services throughout the year.
 Here are some other dates for your diary:

February
11th Confirmation Service, 3pm
14th Ash Wednesday Services at 7.15 am and 11 am
19th Lent Discussion Group meets Mondays of Lent, 8 pm, Parish Centre
25th Songs of Praise, 7 pm
 
March
23rd Daffodil Day Coffee Morning 10.30 am Parish Centre.
25th Holy Week begins.  Evening Services 8 pm rotating around parishes of Christ Church Dun Laoghaire, Holy Trinity Killiney, St Matthias Killiney/Ballybrack, St Patrick’s Dalkey and St Paul’s 
 
April
1st Easter Day
29th Visiting preacher: the Very Rev. Paul Bogle, Dean of Trim, a former parishioner.
 
May
13th Visiting preacher the Rev Canon Susan Green; Chaplain Kilkenny College a former parishioner.
26th Summer Fair
 
July 
8th 150^th Anniversary Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving 11.30 am followed by Garden Party
 
September
2nd Open Air Service and Family Barbecue
30th Service of Harvest Thanksgiving Preacher:  the Very Rev. Arthur Barrett, Dean of Raphoe, a former parishoner

St Paul’s was the sixth of seven Church of Ireland churches to be built in this area within 30 years of the opening of the Dublin-Kingstown railway, the Rector, the Rev Gary Dowd, told the congregation who attended the service yesterday to mark the opening of the building for worship 150 years ago.
  However, while it opened on January 2nd, 1868 the building was still not finished and  another six months passed before the church was consecrated. This date, July 8th,  falling as it does on a Sunday this year, will be the focal point of our 150th anniversary celebrations. 
 The Lords Longford and de Vesci gave the site, and consent to build the new church had to be given by the Rector of Monkstown Parish, the Rev Ronald Mac Donnell. A bequest of £4,000 from a Miss Jane Shannon  from Belfast financed the construction of the building; she also left money to build three other church in the Dublin area but of those only Zion and St Paul’s remain open today. 
The first Rector of St Paul’s The Rev G.W. Dalton, was appointed in August 1867 about four months before the building opened. Apparently he left a distinct impression on the neighbourhood, being far from what is called a popular man, said Rev Dowd, who is the  parish’s 10th Rector.
   Only one former Rector is still alive, Gordon Linney, who served 24 years, second only to Rev EG Robinson who served 26.  The second Rector, Canon John Dowse, spent the shortest time here, leaving after just five years, having been appointed as Rector of Monkstown, which was obviously deemed to be promotion  in those days. 
 There have also been at least 30 curates and  some of those surviving are being invited back to St Paul’s to preach on different Sunday mornings throughout 2018, along with the Ven Linney, and some former parishoners who went on to be ordained.
 Rev Dowd quoted some comments made 50 years ago by the then Rector, Rev John Duggan on the 100th anniversary of St Paul’s: “In the past, the life of the church and the life of the individual were closely woven together in a manner that is not so apparent in our modern society with its commuters into the city for a five-day working week and the car available at the weekends, available to transport the family to the caravan at the sea side for the weekend”. However, Rev Duggan added: whether you are a regular church goer or not, Church still enters your life at crucial times: baptism, Sunday School, youth organisations, Confirmation, marriage, death.
 “Can we still say that?” asked Rev Dowd, pointing out that within the last 25 years, society has undergone more rapid changes than at any time before.
 Concluding an entertaining potted history of St Paul’s, our current Rector added that while it is nice to look back over those 150 years, it is only a building and the Church is its people. It is we, the parishoners of 2018, who will determine the next chapter of the history of St Paul’s.

How the Victorians saw the opening of St Paul’s

 In the “Daily Express” of January 3rd, 1868, appeared the following account of the opening of the Church:
“The new Church of St. Paul, Glenageary, was opened for Public Worship for the first time yesterday morning. The sacred edifice is situated on an eminence close to the Adelaide Road Station and commands a fine view of a wide tract of country.
“The district is attached to the Parish of Monkstown, but the increasing importance of the locality rendered it desirable that more spiritual provision should be made, and there is no doubt that the new Church will supply a want which has been generally felt.
“The Church of St. Paul is of the Gothic style of architecture and, although not large, is extremely tasteful and imposing. The building measures 101 feet 6 inches internally by 35 feet 6 inches wide, and 55 feet 6 inches high to ridge. It comprises a Nave, and Chancel measuring l8 feet 6 inches by 21 feet. It is in the Decorative style and has at the south-west corner a Tower and Spire rising to a height of 120 feet to the top of the iron finial.
“The structure was erected by Mr. John Nolan of Dublin, from the design of Mr. A. Jones, Architect. The amount of the contract was about £4,000.”

A service to mark the 150th  anniversary of the opening of the new church of St Paul Glenageary will be held at 10.30am on Sunday, January 7th.
The church was opened for “divine worship” on Thursday, January 2nd, 1868.  The consecration of the church had to be postponed until the completion of the building and took place on July 8th, 1868 at 11.30am. 
 In 2018, July 8th  falls on a Sunday and a service that day, also at 11.30am, will be the focal point of our celebrations. A garden party in the church grounds will follow that service.

All parishoners, friends and neighbours are invited to gather on the church steps at 11.45pm on New Year’s Eve, for a brief reflection on the year past and the year to come before the ringing in of 2018 – the 150th anniversary of the building of St Paul’s. Refreshments will be served afterwards.

Two moods of Christmas are captured between “Still the Night” of the First Eucharist of the Nativity, starting at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve, and “Come, Join the Celebration” of our Christmas Day worship starting at 10.30am. Please join us to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Here is the full line-up of Christmas services

Sunday 24th, Christmas Eve
8.15 am Holy Communion (One)
No Service at 10.30 am or 7 pm
11.30 pm The First Eucharist of the Nativity
 
Christmas Day
8.15 am Holy Communion (One)
10.30 am Christmas All Age Worship
 
Sunday, December 31st
8.15 am Holy Communion
10.30 am Parish Communion with Carols
7 pm No Service
11.45 pm Ringing in the New Year
All are welcome

Our traditional, very special Service of Nine Lessons with Carols by Candlelight will be held this Sunday evening, December 17th, at 7pm. There will be a retiring collection for the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless People, Bow Street, Dublin 7.
 After the service, all are welcome for mulled wine and mince pies in the Parish Centre.
 Meanwhile before that, at 10.30am, there will be a Christingle service for all ages. All present will be encouraged to make a Christingle, which can be brought home after the service.  All the materials required will be provided.  Do come along.
 The origins of the Christingle service lie in the Moravian Church which has its roots in what is now Germany and the Czech Republic. The first recorded use of a Christingle was in December 1747 during a children’s festival in Marienborn, Germany (near Frankfurt). Christingles are made from an orange decorated with red tape, sweets and a candle. Each piece of the Christingle holds special symbolism to help us understand the importance of Jesus and the Gospel, and its relevance at Christmas time.  

• The orange represents the world
• The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Christ.
• The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations. 
• The lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.

Our speaker at the 10.30am service this Sunday, December 10th will be Rhonda Willoughby (pictured below with Bishop Pat Storey).  For two years she has been involved in the “Good for the Sole” project in the Diocese of Meath and Kildare in partnership with the Leprosy Mission.  Leprosy still exists in parts of the world and particularly in India and so far €25,000 has been raised to buy sandals, made out of recycled tyres. Sandals help protect the feet of those who suffer from leprosy. 
They are now moving into the second phase of the project – to raise money for foot surgery that costs €50 per patient, which includes medical care, hospital stay and aftercare.  For a leprosy sufferer this surgery means that they can work again and earn a living. 
 Rhonda, who lives in Naas with her husband Tim (son of a former Rector of St Paul’s, Noel Willoughby) and daughter Christina, has produced a cook book to raise funds. She will have copies available to buy this Sunday, they cost €10 and would make a nice Christmas present. Why not extend your recipe repertoire and change someone’s life!
 Meanwhile, Sunday Club meets in the Parish Centre during this service.

The choirs of St Paul’s and St Patrick’s, Dalkey, will combine for an Advent Carol Service in St Paul’s this Sunday, December 3rd, at 7pm. It’s a  new “tradition”, which was started last year by the parishes’ two music directors, Nathan Barrett of St Paul’s and Matthew Breen of St Patrick’s. It is an authentic and most enjoyable way to mark the Advent countdown to Christmas. All very welcome.