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.

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.