Carmel O’Neill sent us this update:
On Friday, Mar 20th an ecumenical prayer service was held in Blessington Church to mark the World Day of Prayer. Members of St Mary’s Church of Ireland and the Church of our Lady met together to plan the liturgy.
This year’s worship service was prepared by the Women in Nigeria and the theme was taken from Matthew’s gospel “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and i will give you rest”.
The service included testimonies from three women in Nigeria who experience heavy burdens brought about by poverty, oppression and religious persecution. All three women spoke on how their faith and community support has helped them falling into the path of despair, trusting that God will open new doors where there seems no way at all.
The theme song ‘Come, come unto me’ was composed by a Nigerian woman and was sung after each narrative.
The children who are preparing for Confirmation in St Mary’s Senior school were invited to join in the ceremony. It was an opportunity to listen to the stories of Beatrice, Jato and Blessing and gain an insight into how difficult life is for these women in Nigeria. In contrast the children acknowledged the freedoms they enjoy here in Ireland, free to walk to school in safety and to express and live their faith.
The prayer service concluded with refreshments in the Parish Centre and a generous donation of €295 which was forwarded to the World Day of Prayer ministry.
Valleymount Church Car Park
Over the past year, work has been ongoing on regenerating the bed adjoining Valleymount Church car park. The area had a number of tired and woody shrubs and the poor soil added to the lack of colour in the plants.
A plan was put together to remove all the old shrubbery and replace it with pollinator Spring and Summer bedding. Members of the local community and those on the CEC scheme dug up the old shrubs which was followed by adding soil conditioner and compost to the soil. In late Autumn a planting scheme was designed which included an array of Spring bulbs and plants. These include snowdrop, tulip, primula, hyacinth, Hellebores and Bergenia. The vibrant display has added a welcome burst of colour to the carpark after the dreary wet months of late winter.