EUCHARIST & BARBECUE By longstanding tradition, there is only one act of worship in this Union on the fifth Sunday of the month and we are grateful to everyone from St Mary’s, Doneraile, who welcomed parishioners from across the Union, as well as friends from further afield, to the Eucharist on Sunday 30th July – and for the very enjoyable barbecue lunch that followed the service. All proceeds from the BBQ went towards The Doneraile Bells Project.
TEA DAY We are very grateful to Mark & Diana Buckley for welcoming many of us to their home in Castletownroche for their annual tea day. It was good to catch up with friends and family and to enjoy time together, along with the generous hospitality and refreshments. The money raised from donations was given to the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland and Marymount Hospice, Cork, in memory of family and friends.
HOLIDAY CLUB We are grateful to those who give their time to nurture and encourage our younger worshippers at St James’s Church, Mallow. While the regular weekly gatherings on Sunday mornings took a well-earned break during the school summer holidays, there was a very enjoyable Holiday Club on a Saturday in July, which included craft activities, story-telling and, of course, enjoyable refreshments. Thank you to all who contributed to the day.
CELEBRATING 200 YEARS OF ST JAMES’S CHURCH, MALLOW During 2024, there will be services and other events to celebrate the bicentenary of the consecration of the Church, which is a major landmark in Mallow. To launch this year of celebration, there was an information evening in the Hibernian Hotel in July, attended by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn, along with local councillors, other key players in the public life of the town, as well as our Parish Priest, Mgr Anthony O’Brien. It was a great occasion of outreach, enabling us to offer hospitality to our friends and neighbours, at which we outlined our plans for the coming year and invited suggestions as to how St James’s Church can play a positive role in fostering community cohesion for the future in our rapidly developing town. The event received positive and widespread coverage in the local media and generated much interest. We are especially grateful to members of the StJames2024 committee, chaired by Jillian Harris, for all their energy and imagination.
MALLOW ARTS FESTIVAL St James’s Church was a focus for this annual celebration of the arts in Mallow during the last weekend of July. It was enjoyed by a wide range of people from near and far, with music, drama and other events. There was a childrens’ Pied Piper procession through the town, that began at St James’s Church and was organised in partnership with the Cloyne Diocese youth department; as well as memorable concerts given by Áine O’Gorman and Jack O’Rourke.
SUMMER FÊTE At the time of writing, preparations for our annual Summer Fête are in full swing, with much hard work and imaginative planning going on behind the scenes as we prepare to welcome, parishioners, visitors and friends from near and far to this annual event in support of the mission and ministry of this Union of parishes.
HARVEST CELEBRATIONS This year there will be Harvest Thanksgiving services in St James’s, Mallow, on Sunday 24th September at 3.00pm (Preacher: Canon Tom Sherlock); on Sunday 8th October at St Mary’s, Castletownroche, at 3.00pm (Preacher: The Reverend Meghan Farr); and Sunday 15th October at 3.00pm in St Mary’s, Doneraile (Preacher: The Reverend Abigail Sines). Each service will be followed by refreshments, and all are very welcome.
CONGRATULATIONS to Doneraile Warden and local artist, Mary St Leger, who was chosen as a selected artist to exhibit her work at this year’s London Art Biennale.
ECUMENICAL WORSHIP The regular monthly meetings for prayer and fellowship for Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and people from other Christian traditions recommences after the summer break at the hall at the rear of the Convent of Mercy, Main Street, Charleville, on Sunday 24th September at 7.30pm. On the same day, our Syrian Orthodox brothers and sisters will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St James’s Church, Mallow.
ANNIVERSARIES OF ORDINATION At the beginning of July, the Rector celebrated 30 years since his ordination to the priesthood. It was also the 35th anniversary of the Reverend Eileen Cremin’s ordination to the diaconate. As evidenced in the photo below, an appropriate celebration was had by all!
ONE MINISTRY, MANY EPISODES We were sad, but very thankful, to commend the Reverend Bryn Byrne to God at his funeral in St James’s Church, Mallow, last month. Born in Dublin in 1931, he had been a monk of the Cistercian Abbey on Caldey Island in West Wales. In 1968 he left the monastic life and was received into the Church of England, where he served as a priest, as a university chaplain in Coventry and then in parishes in England. He returned to Ireland with his wife, Agnes, where he had permission to officiate in the Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe before moving to the Diocese in Europe, then to London and finally settling in Banteer, between Mallow and Kanturk, to be closer to Agnes’s family. At his funeral service reference was made to the intelligence and humanity of his ministry. May Bryn rest in peace and rise in glory.
FARMERS’ MARKET A reminder that the market continues to offer a wide range of local produce, including bread, fish, eggs, poultry, vegetables, preserves, handmade crafts and more on Friday mornings in the grounds of St James’s Church, Mallow from 10.0am to 1.00pm. On the weekend of the harvest celebrations in Mallow, as well as the usual Friday morning market (Friday 22nd September) there will also be a market on the morning of Saturday 23rd September.