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.