Dear Parishioners,

It is with very mixed emotions that I am informing you today of some significant changes in our area team.

The Archbishop has asked myself, Saule, our pastoral worker and Deacon Derek to move to new appointments. I will be taking a period of sabbatical (personal /spiritual renewal) before my next appointment, while Saule and Deacon Derek will be moving to the Clondalkin grouping of parishes.

A new pastoral worker and a Deacon have been appointed to the pastoral team here. Fr. Bill will take over my responsibilities as moderator of the grouping of parishes and he will be assisted by two new Priests.

The two new priests will probably have other responsibilities along with parish duties ,as does Fr. Bill so I ask all of you who have supported our parish team so well in the past while, continue to do so in the future as we build hope together in our diocese.

Fr. Gerry will continue to work as part of the team and Fr. Martin will assist where he can.

Change always brings fears and doubts but also new opportunities for growth, both personally and as a community.

May all of you who make our area such a beautiful place to work and live continue to build this community in faith, hope and love.

Please pray for myself ,Saule and Derek as we move to new adventures with the Lord and Fr. Bill as he builds the new pastoral team in our area. We look forward to meeting with many of you over the early weeks of Summer.

The new changes come into effect on weekend of 9th /10 July.

God bless you All.

Fr. Pat McKinley on behalf of the Parish Team.

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WHAT IS THIS 'BUILDING HOPE' GATHERING ABOUT?!

In his Easter Pastoral letter, Archbishop Dermot said it is time now for the whole diocesan family to address the specific challenges we face as a diocese. The Building Hope Task Force Report proposed a strategy for renewing our mission as God’s people, keeping in mind that our primary purpose is to accompany people today towards an encounter with the Lord Jesus.

Each parish community has been invited to begin to reflect on how best to respond to the pastoral situation in which we find ourselves. It is very clear that the future will not look like the past. Our world has changed: we cannot return to the past. God is bringing forth something new. Our challenge is to shape the future in the light of the Gospel, rather than simply reacting to events.

The Archbishop is inviting all parish teams, parish pastoral councils and parish finance committees to lead their parish in a discussion of the gifts and talents available to them, the education and formation they need, and the parish partnerships that make most sense in their locality.

For this purpose, you are being asked to take part in a Building Hope conversation in our Family of three parishes of SPRINGFIELD, BROOKFIELD AND JOBSTOWN.

WE ARE INVITING YOU TO THE 'BUILDING HOPE' MEETING on TUESDAY, 14th of June at 7.30 pm in BROOKFIELD COMMUNITY CENTRE.

where we will look together at our current pastoral and financial situation, with the help of some statistics from our Parish Profile, then we will consider what is working well and what needs to be developed.

Finally, we will continue to reflect on how we are sharing our gifts and talents, team ministries and pastoral provision in partnership of our three parishes.

You are invited to take part in this conversation along with other parishioners as together we build hope for a new future and a new way of being Church.

We hope that this link will be useful for you to look at before we'll see you on Tuesday:

https://dublindiocese.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/keywordsandprompts.pdf

Your Parish Team & BH Animators

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ECUMENICAL BIBLE WEEK

Now in its ninth year, Ecumenical Bible Week, led by the Archdiocese of Dublin and the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough in collaboration with many other Christian traditions, will run this year from Pentecost to Trinity Sunday, June 5 to 12. The overall theme for this year is ‘A New Pentecost: Moving to the Edges’.

As in previous years, EBW will have opening and closing prayer events. There will be a Theological Symposium on the afternoon of Thursday 9 June where the theme will be ‘Listen to the Word’. That evening in Thinking Allowed a panel of Faith leaders will each give their ‘Personal Vision of a New Pentecost’. A new event being introduced this year will focus on the experiences of the ‘new’ Irish.

Check out the Ecumenical Bible Week’s Website at www.bibleweek.ie for further information and to register for the events which will be online. You can also follow and share Ecumenical Bible Week’s online posts on Facebook and Instagram. Posters attached.

GLENDALOUGH HERMITAGE CENTRE CELEBRATES 21 YEARS

Archbishop Dermot Farrell will launch the celebrations with Mass on Sunday the 29th at 10.30am in St Kevin’s Church, Laragh. On Friday the 3rd of June there will be a concert in St Kevin’s at 8pm. All are welcome to visit the Hermitages at the open days on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th June from 11 till 5 each day. There are Pilgrim walks arranged for Saturday the 4th of June. A ritual with Deirdre Ni Chinneide will take place in the meditation garden at St. Kevin's on Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th from 2.30 till 3.30pm. Tickets for the concert and information about the walks are available by phoning 087 9356696 or by email failte@glendaloughhermitage.ie. Poster attached.