The Rev Gary Dowd writes:
With escalating numbers of Covid cases and the imposition of new restrictions it is obvious that we are going to have to be flexible in our approach to worship this Advent and Christmas. If possible we want to avoid a repeat of last year when we had no “in-person” services over the festive season. The plan is to move OUTSIDE when possible. 
 There will be a Christingle service OUTSIDE in the grounds of the church and parish centre on Sunday, December12th at 5.30pm. Please dress appropriately! Scarves, woolly hats, Christmas jumpers, winter coats may be required depending on the air temperature. This is a short, informal, hands on, all age service ideal for all the family.
 Christingles are made from an orange decorated with red tape, sweets, and a candle. All the component parts will be supplied. Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story.
 On Sunday December 19th, at 5.30pm, rather than the traditional service of nine lessons and carols we will have a less formal singing of carols around the Christmas tree outside, followed by seasonal refreshments.
Be warned as both services are weather dependent they could be cancelled at the last minute! In present circumstances it is very difficult to make plans, more details and updates will  follow.

Coffee/tea will be served after the 10.30am service this Sunday, November 21st, in aid of the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, in recognition of all its support for our parishioner Roland Evans who died last September. You can watch Roland talk about the disease in a short film here

St Paul’s Church, Parish of Glenageary, Co. Dublin seeks to appoint a
Parish Facilities Administrator.
Location: St Paul’s Church & Parish Centre, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
Responsible to: Chair of the Management Committee

Contract type: Part-time – circa 25 hours per week. A written contract between the appointee and St Paul’s will be entered into following a mutually satisfactory probationary period.
Position summary
This is a part-time post, reporting to the Chair of the Management Committee. The Parish Facilities Administrator will primarily have responsibility for the smooth running of a busy and dynamic Parish Centre. St Paul’s Parish Centre provides state-of-the-art facilities for both parish and community-based organisations. Details may be found elsewhere on this website. (See Parish Centre tab at the top.)
Enquiries and applications
A detailed job description, outlining key responsibilities, may be obtained from the Hon. Secretary to the Select Vestry at margaretjwoods@gmail.com or by post from Margaret Woods, c/o St Paul’s Rectory, 1 Silchester Road, Glenageary, Co. Dublin, A96 T0C1. 
Applications detailing your relevant experience should be submitted to the Hon. Secretary (contact details above); the closing date for receipt of applications is November 23rd, 2021. 
All applications will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
This post is subject to the provisions of Safeguarding Trust.
(www.ireland.anglican.org/about/safeguarding/roi-child-safeguarding)

We waited until the choir could be back singing before having our annual Harvest Thanksgiving, which will now be on Sunday, October 31st, at 10.30am. The church will be decorated for the occasion at 3pm the previous day – please come along with garden flowers, foliage and fruit and vegetables and/or to lend a helping hand.

As we look forward to the lifting of most, if not all, of the remaining restrictions on public worship and parish life after October 22nd, here is a list of upcoming services (unless prevented by  public health measures):
31st October A Service of Harvest Thanksgiving 10.30am
7th November Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving of Loved Ones 7pm
14th November Remembrance Sunday Act of Remembrance and prayers for peace 10.30am
28th November The First Sunday of Advent
19th December Service of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight 7pm
24th December The First Eucharist of Christmas 11.30 pm
25th December (Saturday) Christmas Day Holy Communion 8.15 am Family Service 10.30 am

The sight of the Halsall family bringing their daughter Harper for baptism at the main morning service last Sunday was a welcome sign of community life resuming during what we hope are the last weeks of any pandemic restrictions. So too the happy gathering outdoors for coffee/tea after the service.

Coffee/tea was made available outdoors after the 10.30am service for the first time since the start of the pandemic, which was a very welcome step towards “normality”. It will also be wonderful this coming Sunday to have a baptism at our main morning service, again a first since the arrival of the coronavirus.

The increased permitted church capacity since September 6th and the resumption of our evening service, means more people can join us for worship on Sundays, or midweek on Wednesdays. Please feel free to come along to any service. Details above.

The Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, announced plans last week to lift most of Ireland’s Covid-19 restrictions over the next two months, the majority to go completely in late October.  At the time of writing, we have yet to receive any detail as to how this will affect us as a worshipping community.
    We do know that from Monday, September 6th, all religious ceremonies can go ahead with 50% of venue capacity regardless of the immunity status of attendees.  It is hard to see how this will make much difference while the 2m social distancing rule remains in place.  However, we estimate that approximately 80 could attend worship in St Paul’s and remain 2m apart, which is an improvement. If you would like to return to in-church worship but have stayed away so far because you think there may not be room, please note that we have rarely got close to the existing limit of 50 since we reopened!
 Hopefully we will hear soon when congregational singing can begin again and perhaps we will be allowed to socialise over coffee after services.
Rev Gary Dowd

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.