Parish of St Bartholomew

Experiences as a volunteer in Rajasthan

For nearly two months earlier this year I lived and worked in a rural area in the the Thar desert in Rajasthan in NW India. The placement was arranged through EIL (Intercultural Learning), a nonprofitmaking organisation based in Cork, who have contacts with voluntary organisations in many developing countries. The Indian organisation with whom I worked was IDEX, Indian Network for Development Exchange. Their headquarters is in Jaipur, Rajasthan, but they run volunteer camps in Himachal Pradesh and Goa as well as in Rajasthan. I recently reported on my experiences in an address at St Bartholomew's Church, Ballsbridge.
The volunteer camp where I lived was on the edge of Shiv, a large village with the main street lined with little shops and stalls. It even had a post office, a police station and a hospital. But the nearest real towns are Barmer, 50 km to the south, and Jaisalmer, 100 km north. Barmer is a lively, bustling commercial centre and the regional capital, but not a tourist destination. Jaisalmer, on the other hand, attracts tourists to its dramatic fort perched on a rocky outcrop. It was a pleasant place to spend the weekend occasionally. The camp was well run by a camp manager and his staff. Most of these were young `executives' who helped the volunteers with their work, acting as translators when necessary, providing advice and assistance in preparing teaching material, and taking a class themselves if a volunteer was absent.
The volunteers were of a variety of nationalities: they came mainly from the Scandinavian countries, Germany and Holland, with a few from Switzerland, the UK and the US. I was the only volunteer from Ireland during my eight weeks there. Volunteers taught in primary schools or worked in day care centres in Shiv itself and in some of the tiny villages in the area. The Indian government provides free primary education with free midday meals for government school pupils throughout the country, but it is difficult to get good teachers in this area - nobody from outside the region wants to come and live in this arid and poverty-stricken part of India.
The village, where I spent two hours teaching English and Maths every morning was one of the small settlements out in the desert about 7 kilometres from Shiv. The original village of mud brick houses was devastated by a flood in 2005 - after centuries of arid conditions in the Thar desert there have been two severe floods in the new millenium, but for the last three years there has been a severe drought. A non-government organisation (NGO) built 16 stone houses and a community hall on a new site on slightly higher ground, nearer the local water supply - now it is only 5 or 6 kilometres away! These houses all had a big courtyard, with a covered area for the kitchen in one corner. The NGO had left an inscription in Hindi on one of the houses they built which reads 'the low status of women is a result of illiteracy'. The villagers themselves were building more houses, but the first thing they had built was a small temple, which was inaugurated during my first week there. They had donated the community hall to the government for use as a primary school.
Life in a small village in the desert is hard. The three year drought means that no crops can be planted, but the villagers own goats and some also have a cow. Those with a cow keep her in a covered corner of the courtyard of their house. In this village the men were carpenters and potters, and this is indicated in the name of the village, which means the settlement of the carpenters and potters. These people are of the same caste since caste and livelihood are inextricably linked. The Indian government has made caste discrimination illegal, but it is almost impossible to get rid of the caste structure in a traditional community such as this, where for generations families have lived together and followed the same trades.
Every morning, as soon as they saw the minibus arriving, the children would run to greet us with bright eyes and big smiles. They possessed little beside the school bag and books provided by the government, but they seemed reasonably well-fed and were always happy. First they would go into the schoolroom for prayers in front of the picture of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning. The chant finishes with the words 'shanti, shanti, shanti' (peace, peace, peace) and is followed by the national anthem. After that the volunteers would go in and everyone stood in a circle to sing the goodmorning song (to the tune of Frère Jacques): Say goodmorning, say goodmorning, How are you? How are you? Time to start the lesson, time to start the lesson, Now, now, now, now, now, now.
Then the children dispersed to three different corners of the schoolroom for lessons. There were three volunteers assigned to this school, each taking one group. Near the door was class 1, the babies of four or five years old, the next group, classes 2 and 3, ranged from six to eight years old, and my group, classes 4 and 5, were nine to eleven year olds, though I also had one very bright eight year old. We always had an Indian executive from the camp with us, to help out and translate when necessary. The government teacher was usually there as well - a very nice young man who was an extremely good teacher, and who welcomed the help of the volunteers. After we left at lunch time he taught the whole school by himself. Although there were 32 registered pupils the number attending was very variable. Any children visiting the village with their parents for a festival or a wedding would turn up at school, and during my final week I had two twelve year old lads from secondary school in my class who came because they wanted to be taught by a volunteer. As well as visitors, there would usually be some tiny children as young as one or two who would follow the older ones to school. No child who wanted to come to school was ever turned away.
Each group of children sat on a mat in front of a blackboard. They were shabbily dressed - especially the girls - and their feet were bare. But they were very enthusiastic. Everyone in the class wanted to answer my questions, or do a sum on the blackboard. One of the little boys, Vasu, who was not one of the cleverest in the class, sat in front gazing up at me with big eager eyes, and his hand shot up each time I asked a question. He would look so delighted when he managed to get the answer right. Officially I had five boys in the class and seven girls. But four of the girls rarely attended. One had to herd the goats - her aunt, who looked hardly older than her, would come and fetch her away to do this - and others had duties at home. One of the three girls who attended regularly, Sushila, was the cleverest child in the school, and extremely quick at picking up new English words.
The education of girls is not a high priority in traditional societies. When I asked the teacher about Sushila's prospects of going on to secondary school he replied that it was unlikely - she would need the support of the community. This did not mean financial support as IDEX would have helped out in that way. But girls here still marry at fourteen or fifteen, even though the legal minimum age is eighteen for girls and twenty-one for boys. On marriage a girl will go to live in her husband's village with his extended family. We met the fifteen year old daughter of one family who had come back to the village to stay with her parents while her husband was away from his home learning carpentry. In Shiv village itself, where people followed a variety of different trades, the better off and more educated families would not marry their daughters off so young, and would send them to secondary school, some even paying for them to go to a private school.
Education and reduction of poverty are needed to give women a better chance in life. It's not something that can be changed quickly, and even well-off families may be very traditional. When I asked one of the executives what his seventeen year old sister did he replied 'She's probably making chapattis right now', and when I heard that she would be married next year and asked what she would do then he replied 'make more chapattis'. The expectations of a large proportion of women are severely limited. But the situation has improved. It is not so long ago that child marriages were common, and female babies would be killed or neglected so that they died. We met a bride-to-be from another village whose marriage was to be the first in her village for 100 years. For the last century no girls had survived beyond infancy. But we were told that now things are much better, and there are ten young girls living in that village.
In traditional families the married women are usually veiled in the presence of strangers, though they seem to dispense with this when they become grandmothers. (The veils are not like muslim veils but are parts of their colourful transparent scarves pulled across their faces.) Two of us visited one house in Shiv where the whole family assembled to greet us and offer us hospitality. Though the women did not veil in front of us as we were both women, the daughter-in-law had to remain veiled in the presence of her father-in-law.
The ties to the extended family are extremely strong, and it is hard even for young men with a higher education to break away. It is expected that sons should follow their father's trade, have marriages arranged for them, and bring their wives to live in the family home. One of my Indian friends from IDEX, aged twenty-four, wanted to work in Delhi to get experience in tourism, in which he had a masters degree. But to his family Delhi was the big wicked city another world away, and his father cried and said that giving him a further education was the worst mistake he had ever made.
But there are also positive aspects to this traditional, almost mediaeval, lifestyle. The extended family provides strong mutual support and companionship. Even those who want to make a new life for themselves can feel extremely lonely living away from home, and still feel a deep sense of responsibility to the family. And the people are extremely hospitable and friendly. We were invited into homes, and would be offered chai (spiced sweet tea) and tit bits to eat. The adults seemed very fond of the small children. We would often have one or two young fathers sitting outside the school with a baby on the knee watching what was going on. The older children take great care of the young ones. Tiny children would follow their older friends or relatives to school, and if they hurt themselves or were upset in any way an older child would immediately be there to comfort them. I never saw the children fighting or quarreling. The worst would be a verbal disagreement about whether one of them had cheated in one of their games, which never lasted long. They had a great sense of fair play, and always greeted the winner of any game with ungrudging applause. This is not quite universal - in one of the larger schools in Shiv the teachers, who were all women, would slap the children, and this would result in the children hitting each other. The teacher at my school was always very kind and gentle with all the children, though he maintained discipline extremely well.
At the end of my eight weeks I was sad to leave this community. Life in the desert is hard, and even the better off families in Shiv village seem to have very few possessions. But they don't complain and wait for others to help them - they take responsibility for their own lives and manage as best they can. Their way of life is inevitably changing - mobile phones have made a huge difference in recent years - but traditional life styles change very slowly. I hope that as they change they will not lose what is best in their society - their hospitality, friendliness and happiness. Sara McMurry.

Friday 20 August 2010

Fr John McKay

Fr John McKay, former Vicar of this parish, has passed away in the USA. Beloved husband of Rhona and loving dad of Patrick. Sadly missed by his loving family, daughter-in-law Kristian, grandchildren Conor, Shannon and Kylie, extended family and friends. Requiem Mass next Wednesday, 11th August, at 11am in St. Bartholomew's Church, Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, and afterwards to Mount Jerome Crematorium. Family flowers only, please. Donations, if desired, to The Irish Heart Foundation.

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Summer Evenings

SUMMER EVENINGS at SAINT BARTHOLOMEW'S...
Writing with news of two exciting concerts taking place over the next few days at Saint Bartholomew's!
Firstly,
on MONDAY (28 June) at 7.30pm,
our summer series MUSIC ON MONDAYS concludes with
••• AN EVENING WITH FRASER WILSON AND FRIENDS •••
during which Fraser and a number of his musical friends will perform a wide variety of their favourite music,
highlights including
• Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor (famous from Fantasia and any number of horror movies) in a thrilling and novel arrangement for piano and organ...
• the Irish premiere of a beautiful song cycle by Alan Smith, Augeries of Innocence, for mezzosoprano, piano, flute and cello...
• choral items of all kinds, from Stanford and Bach to A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square...
• and lots more to whet every musical appetite! As they say, "Fun for all the family" !

Friends from everywhere, music lovers - please join us for a lovely evening's music-making!
What's more, admission to this concert will be FREE; there will be a retiring collection for church funds to which all will be asked to contribute generously..
Sign up to the guestlist by visiting http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129976197033349 !

That's followed the next day by a transatlantic treat all the way from DC:
••• THE WASHINGTON WOMEN'S CHORUS •••
give a special concert here next Tuesday (29 June) at 7.30pm
Music from two millennia!
"The mission of the Washington Women’s Chorus is to give voice to the great variety of music written for women's voices
by performing works ranging from the 11th-century chants of Abbess Hildegard von Bingen, to compositions by
Vivaldi and Brahms, to new works by American and international composers."
All will be revealed on Tuesday!!!
Again, admission will be free, and a retiring collection will be taken for church funds.
We are at Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, beside the American Embassy.

Also, don't miss the ORGAN MASTERCLASS with Susan Landale on Monday 5 July, courtesy of Dun Laoghaire Summer Organ Concerts!!
See http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=116091621742203&ref=ts for details!

Friday 25 June 2010

Music Sunday

Many members of the congregation probably find themselves wondering what on earth the RSCM is. From time to time, during services RSCM medals are presented to choristers as we mark their progress through the choir, and this is a great encouragement for the choristers concerned and their families. We give them a round of applause and we go home without perhaps fully appreciating the essential role that these choristers play in the life and liturgy of our community. In fact, if we really stopped to think about it, we would realise how rare it is these days for music to play as much of an integral part in the weekly worship of our parish churches as it does at Saint Bartholomew’s.

The Royal School of Church Music is an educational charity which exists to provide Church musicians for the present and the future. It is a worldwide organisation with approximately 6,000 affiliated churches and schools, together with about 3,000 individual members and friends. Here in Ireland, there are about 150 affiliated organisations both north and south of the border, and about 50 individual members and friends. Saint Bartholomew’s has a long connection with the RSCM, and the RSCM has contributed greatly to our worship through the use of the Sunday by Sunday liturgy planner, music workshops and courses, and large-scale singing events attended by members of our choirs, amongst other educational opportunities. The RSCM’s key focus is to nurture all aspects of the work of Church musicians, particularly the training of young singers, through what it calls its Core Skills. The Voice for Life training scheme is one of these programmes; the others are Church Music Skills and Sacred Music Studies.

What we do at Saint Bartholomew’s week by week is indescribably important. Hundreds of boys and girls have been introduced to the Church through sacred music as members of our choirs. Whilst they might only be part of our regular church family for a relatively short time, they take away skills that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Without the support of the RSCM, it would be much harder for us to provide this training, and to do our bit to ensure that Church music survives in the future.

The RSCM has designated 13th June “Music Sunday”. Please consider supporting the RSCM by becoming a Friend. Membership costs only £25(€30) per year. Friends receive a copy of Church Music Quarterly and the RSCM email newsletter (optional) with news from the RSCM and the world of Church music. Friends in the Republic of Ireland also receive The Network which gives details of locally-organised events. By enrolling as a member of the RSCM you will become part of an organisation dedicated to providing resources to train and develop Church musicians, and to promoting high standards of music in worship throughout the world. For more information, please ask me or visit www.rscm.com or www.rscmireland.com ”.

Peter Parshall – Co-ordinator RSCM Ireland

Thursday 10 June 2010

Corpus Christi

This year the Corpus Christi Eucharist takes place in Saint Bartholomew's on Thursday 3rd June at 7pm. The guest preacher will be Fr Godfrey O’Donnell from the Romanian Orthodox Church in Christ Church Leeson Park and the service will be followed by a BBQ. The music will be sung by the boys and men of the choir, the setting being Kenneth Leighton's Communion Service in D. Please do come and join us. Fr Andrew

Friday 28 May 2010

Reviews

Girl Choristers Concert 10 May
We should take great pride in our girl choristers who gave us a heart warming performance in their concert on Monday. Yes, we men of the choir were there supporting the larger works, and isn't it amusing that it has taken Fraser Wilson with his Sheffield BA Mus to teach us to sing in Irish, and wasn't it about time!
Mingled among the great works of the Mozart in D Mass and Parry's 'My Soul there is a country', were many pieces where the girls sang on their own. Then to our great pleasure we were to hear Maya McNair on the violin followed by Megan Jones on her harp with two delightful Irish pieces.
It was lovely to hear the harp, made in Marley Park Craft Centre, sound around the nave. Catherine Neenan lightened us up on the piano with 'Jackson Street Blues'. The final instrumentalist was Saorla Wright on the cello, and I caught that impish glance at accompanying Fraser to ensure they both ended together.
There were many lovely vocal solos but I can only single out a few. Head Chorister, Kate Somers, combined very well with the other soloists in the Mass in D and then gave us a charming 'Wee Hughie' later in the program. Relatively new to solo singing, but most professional, were Killian Rogan, alto, and tenor Emmet Kiberd. Daisy Magahy Buckley sang 'Panis Angelicus' with the decorum it demands. We were to hear again Fraser Wilson's arrangement of 'The Angel Gabriel' from our recording with Cliona Rogan and Megan Jones. Kiah Ronaldson tenderly and beautifully sang Michael Vulpius's 'There is a flower' and Sally Anne McCarthy sang with feeling 'Once upon a dream', with a flavour of Tchaikovsky. Early in the program Megan Jones sang two traditional Irish pieces emphasising that Irish is a lovely language to sing in. I should also mention that, concealed in 'Treoraigh mé, a Thiarna', was the very familiar 'Lead me Lord' by Wesley, where Nina Barry-Duke and Isabelle McGeough combined beautifully as the soloists.
But, someone please let us know, where do Fraser and Rosemary get the time and the energy to bring this choir to its high level of achievement? We, the parish, the choir, parents and friends say thanks for a wonderful evening of music. RWB
Schools Concert 17 May
We have two fine schools within our parish. John Scottus School (JSS) where many of our parish choir's boys and girls come from. Then just up Clyde Road, St Conleth's School which we learned is now 70 years old. They have in recent years been generously helping where parish or diocesan sales need a roomy venue. The concert commenced with the JSS Junior Orchestra and one marvelled at how well they combined at so early an age. Strings are, in my experience, devilish to play compared to other instruments but these children are 'on their way'. St Conleth's Orchestra was composed of older pupils able to tackle some Schubert and Dvorak and Mango Walk, a lively Jamaican piece where for me the girl flautist added extra beauty. Now to the vocals! Fran Dempsey, formerly a tenor of Saint Bartholomew's Choir, took the JSS 5th/6th choir through some delightful Irish music with the greatest of enthusiasm. Following this, his senior choir gave us Byron Smith's 'Worthy to be praised', a prayerful piece, and then some lovely harmony in Billy Joel's 'Lullaby'. The St Conleth's Boys, 5th Class, then sang Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' which was another lovely performance. Next came a delightful surprise when out trooped the girls of the JSS Junior School Choir all attired their unique striped frocks and looking like a film set from 'Anne of Green Gables' and singing with the greatest of enthusiasm. Fraser Wilson, at short notice, we learnt had charge of the conducting as well as the accompaniment and it was all a charming success. St Conleth's Choir with their enthusiastic conductor Liz O'Neill gave us some lovely singing and especially good harmony with 'Down to the river to pray', traditional and 'Benjamin's Calypso' by Andrew Lloyd Webber while the girls sang separately 'Happy Ending ' by Mika. There was some lovely solo singing here and all very precise. Fran Dempsey returned to control the JSS Senior Choir in JS Bach's 'Wachet auf ' with strings accompaniment. Then with Fraser Wilson at the organ 'Dixit Dominus' by Handel. For the final piece the combined Choirs sang Mozart's 'Ave Verum'. This could have been our prayer for so lovely an evening's music. This was an extensive programme which, thanks to Daniel O'Connor, did not seem so. He took to the pulpit where he looked very much at home and kept us all moving. RWB
Barbershop Sounds 18 May
Four blokes dressed in red and white, so that is what you expected ? Not so, not so at all! Out trooped four charming ladies - Joanne, Phillipa, Catherine and Aoifin attired in dark blue style with light blue, or maybe it was turquoise, scarves . For the first half of their programme they soloed and each is an accomplished singer. I must add they enjoyed some beautiful piano accompaniment from Elaine Brennan. Of Joanne Hammond's two pieces I liked her interpretation of Schumann's 'Der Nussbaum' most, where she sang beautifully gently and our bells chimed in without any distraction. Of Philippa's two pieces I really liked Elgar's 'Where corals lie' the best, which gave us some lovely singing in the lower register. Catherine's Bach 'Qui sedes ad dextram Patris' called for skilful and adroit singing and this is what we were to enjoy. In Aoifin's Gounod 'Faites- lui mes aveux' we were to hear the story of a boy with some lines in recitative style and clearly Aoifin enjoys relating a story.
The second half of the programme started with two duets. Joanne and Philippa gave us a lovely gentle Offenbach 'Barcarolle' followed by Aoifin and Catherine's Rossini's 'The Cat Duet'. The disguised performers put the story over well but it was a pity that the dog at the back of the church failed to cause a fracas. The programme ended with four relatively modern pieces sung by the quartet and my favourite was the Billy Joel 'Lullaby' with some beautiful harmony singing. The harmonisations of 'Mister Sandman' and 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend' were to me less well composed and this is no criticism of the performers. Then we heard 'I will follow him' by Stole & Del Roma with some extraordinary movement between the ladies and a flourish to end a most enjoyable evening .We congratulate them all, and their singing teacher Katy Kelly. RWB

Friday 28 May 2010

Forthcoming concerts

Saturday 15 May at 7.00pm
Summertime Recital: Niamh Murray (soprano) with Ronan Murray (piano/organ).
This is the centenary of the death of mezzo-soprano Pauline Garcia-Viardot (1821-1910). She influenced the lives and careers of many people including such luminaries as Ivan Turgenev, Saint-Saens, Gounod, Fauré and Robert Schumann. On retiring from the stage she dedicated her life to teaching and to composition. Her output includes over 100 vocal pieces, 15 instrumental compositions, and 5 salon operas.
The renowned soprano Niamh Murray presents a recital which includes repertoire composed by Pauline Garcia-Viardot along with repertoire dedicated directly to her or written by composers who benefited from her generous influence and guidance. The recital features music by Garcia-Viardot, Fauré, Schumann, Gounod and Widor.
Tickets €10 available on the door.
Further information on the performers is available at www.niamhmurray.com and www.ronanmurraymusic.com
Monday 17 May at 7.30pm
Music on Mondays: Schools Concert.
Two local schools join forces for a festival of music. The pupils of John Scottus and St Conleth's feature in a varied programme of musical delights.
Tickets €5 available on the door; free to under 18s, senior citizens and full-time students.
Tuesday 18 May at 8.00pm
Barbershop Sounds

Friday 14 May

New Organ Recording

We've just uploaded a special treat for International Star Wars Day. May the 4th be with you!

Tuesday 4 May 2010

Reviews

The Riverrun Piano Quartet - Saturday 24 April
Maybe Fraser had underplayed what he had achieved in arranging this totally professional concert. The violinist, violist and cellist were all members of our National Symphony Orchestra while the pianist is chairman and senior examiner in the Royal Irish Academy of Music who studied under John O'Connor and is a jury member of the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition. We are all accustomed to the beautiful sound of choral music in St Bartholomew's but just hear how wonderfully strings reverberate around our nave. The Schumann and Brahms were a treat for us all to hear, whether young or aged. Sadly the attendance was disappointing.
The Quartet used this concert as a preparation for a series they are giving in the Hugh Lane Gallery in the near future. A lot of enthusiastic effort goes into setting up these concerts so that St Bartholomew's becomes known as a beautiful church to be in and a lovely venue for music.
Let us all endeavour to more fully support these concerts. Take a leaflet from the back of the church, come along and bring your friends. They will thank you! RWB
Music on Mondays 2010 The Clyde Chorale - Monday 26 April
While the choir evolved from a group in St Patrick's Cathedral it only reformed in St Bartholomew's as The Clyde Chorale about a year ago. With five sopranos and four on each of the other parts the balance of voices admirably suited the Vivaldi Gloria striking the exciting pace that is essential at the commencement. Indeed many larger choral societies can have difficulty attaining this. There were many wonderful moments, particularly that lovely duet 'Laudamus te' where the soloist Philippa Dand combined beautifully with choir member Louise Mc Mahon. We were to hear Philippa soloing again in the Domine Deus and the Agnus Dei where her wonderful range was exposed. What a lovely lower register she has for a soprano. Bouncing about on the seat of our Chamber Organ accompanying and controlling everything was of course, Fraser Wilson. Next Fraser moved to our church organ for an' Adagio' by contemporary composer David Bednall. This is a massive piece with a haunting melody which calls on the full range of our marvellous organ ending pleasingly with major chording. The choir then sang Vernon Hoyle's 'God be in my head' which is sung firstly in unison by the full choir and this is not so easy as it sounds, but their accuracy was both impressive and profound. One other piece of organ excitement, in the second half of the program, was John Williams' 'Star Wars'. A number of pleasing motets and folk songs featured in the second half of the program and I would single out some lovely singing by Mary Milne in Vaughan Williams' 'O taste and See'. The concert concluded with Bob Chilcott's 'An Irish Blessing' and we congratulate the Clyde Chorale and its Musical Director, Fraser Wilson for a lovely evening of music. RWB

Friday 30 April 2010

Music on Mondays 2010

An exciting programme of music-making for the early summer
MAY
3 – SOPRANO SESSION (WITH ELAINE BRENNAN, PIANO)
10 – SAINT BARTHOLOMEW’S GIRL CHORISTERS
17 – SCHOOLS CONCERT: JOHN SCOTTUS & ST CONLETH’S
*Tues 18 – BARBERSHOP SOUNDS (ELAINE BRENNAN, PIANO)
24 – VOCAL MEDLEY (WITH AOIFIN SHORTEN, PIANO)
31 – THE PETROF PIANO (WITH SOPRANO AND FLUTE)
JUNE
7 – ORGANIC PRODUCE: ORGANS LARGE AND SMALL
14 – CRUX & D8, VOCAL ENSEMBLES
21 – RESPIGHI TANGO! (ANNE PHELAN, VIOLIN, ELAINE BRENAN, PIANO)
28 – FINALE: AN EVENING WITH FRASER WILSON & FRIENDS
All concerts begin at 7.30pm and last no more than 70 minutes
Admission €5 per concert | €25 for any six concerts | €50 for the whole season
Free admission to all concerts for under 18s & full-time students.

Friday 30 April 2010

Holy Week

Saturday 27 March

Easter Vestry

The Easter Vestry for Christ Church Leeson Park will take place after the 10am Eucharist on Wednesday 14th April. St Bartholomew's Easter Vestry will take place following the 11am morning service on Sunday 18th April.

Wednesday 24 March

Holy Week and Easter at St Bartholomew’s: Choral Services

Palm Sunday 28 March 11am Solemn Eucharist with the blessing of palms and the reading of the passion. 6pm Choral Evensong.
Maundy Thursday 1 April 8pm Solemn Eucharist.
Good Friday 2 April 12 noon Matins. 1.30 to 3pm Liturgy of Good Friday.
Holy Saturday 3 April 8pm Great Vigil of Easter.
Easter Day 4 April 11am Solemn Eucharist of Easter.
Second Sunday of Easter 11 April 11am Solemn Eucharist. 6pm Choral Evensong. Both services sung by the Chamber Choir of St George’s Parish Church, Belfast.

Wednesday 24 March

Tim Thurston steps down from the Choir

Tim, best known for his wonderful RTE Lyric FM program 'Gloria', has decided to call it a day and is stepping down from the Choir. Not many people would realise that he has given sixteen wonderful years to St Bartholomew's Church Choir while at the same time broadcasting the most wonderful sacred music into peoples homes across all of Ireland. Very fortunately he will continue to be very much a part of St Bartholomew's, attending with Anne, his wife in the congregation. Recently the choirmen presented Tim with a book appropriately inscribed and signed by all. Tim, at the presentation, revealed that it was the plainsong psalms from our Walter Vale Psalter that he especially enjoyed singing and will now enjoy listening to. The whole parish will join in thanking Tim and wishing him the best of good health with years and years more of his wonderful program 'Gloria'. RWB

Wednesday 24 March

Saint Bartholomew's Girls' Choir in Venice

The Girls’ Choir are undertaking a short tour to Venice this week, singing at Mass in St Mark’s Basilica, and giving concerts in two of the city’s historic churches. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the girls to experience a beautiful city which has been one of the most important musical centres of Europe since the 16th century.

Friday 19 February

Forthcoming services and events

Ash Wednesday
There will be a said Eucharist on Ash Wednesday (17th February) with the imposition of ashes at 10am in Christ Church Leeson Park and at 12.45pm in Saint Bartholomew's. The Solemn Eucharist of Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes will take place in Saint Bartholomew's at 8pm.
Lenten Lunch
Earlier this month the Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin appealed to the churches to contribute to the relief efforts in Haiti. Your own Vicar stood in the cold on a January day to collect in Dawson Street as part of the 'Black Santa' effort which raised a considerable amount of money for the appeal. In our own parish we will be holding a Lenten Lunch after the service on the first Sunday of Lent (21st February) in the parish room. The Lenten Lunch will be a frugal meal of soup and a roll instead of our usual tea, coffee and buns. Parishioners are asked to forgo their normal lunch and replace it with this Lenten Lunch and offer the money they would normally spend on lunch to the Haiti appeal. Please do come and join us after the service on the 21st to help this cause. If you would like to help with the lunch please speak to one of the church wardens after today's service.
USPG
For many years this parish has financially contributed to the work of USPG (United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel). On Sunday 21st February at the 11am service we will welcome Mrs Linda Chambers as a representative of USPG, who will speak about some of the work and the projects the society is involved in at the present time.
Student Reader
In recent months we have been very fortunate in having a student reader and we are glad to be able to welcome another student reader for the next two months. Martin O'Connor is in his second year of training as a Non-stipendiary Priest. He has worked for the last 36 years in the computer department of the ESB, and since 2003 has been the Education Adviser for the Church of Ireland Bishop's Appeal. Martin grew up in the parish of Drumcondra, North Strand and St. Barnabas and now lives with his wife Christine in Churchtown. Martin is looking forward to sharing in the life and worship of Saint Bartholomew's and is looking forward to meeting you. I am sure that you will give him a warm welcome and we also look forward to meeting him very soon as he begins his placement. Fr Andrew
World Day of Prayer Service
Friday 5th March at 3pm in St.Bartholomew's. The World Day of Prayer Service is held annually around the world on the first Friday in March. It is a worldwide ecumenical movement of Christians of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year. It is the largest ecumenical movement in the world organised by women. The churches in the Ballsbridge/Donnybrook branch take it in turns to host the event and this year the annual service will be hosted by St.Bartholomew's. Each year the worship service has a particular theme. The service for 2010 has been prepared by the Christian Women of Cameroon and the theme is Let Everything that has Breath Praise God. All parishioners and friends (and not just women!) are warmly invited to attend. Please do come along and show your support for this important event in the parish. Following the service there will be a reception in the parish room to which everyone is welcome.

Friday 12 February

Parish Study Group

This year the study group will be looking at differing faith traditions within our city. We are often aware of many differing religious groups within the city, but we often know very little about them. This series of talks hopes to be a point of education and an opportunity for representatives of those faith traditions to have an opportunity to present their faith in their own words and explain some of their practice. The series begins on Tuesday 9th February at 8pm in the Parish Room. All are welcome to join us for these talks.
9th February: Dr Norbert Hintersteiner 'Introducing Inter-Faith Dialogue'
Dr Hintersteiner specialises in comparative theology and the study of religions. He held positions at Catholic University in Washington DC, the Universities of Vienna and Mainz and the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands before being appointed to the Irish School Of Ecumenics here in Dublin.
16th February: Dr Alan Peatfield ‘The Way of the Dao’
Dr Peatfield is college lecturer in Greek archaeology in UCD who has held a life-long interest in Daoism.
23rd February: Ani Tsondru: 'Tibetan Buddhism'
Ani Tsondru is a Tibetan Buddhist nun working in Kagyu Samye Dzong here in Dublin. Originally a native of Dublin, Ani has also spent time at the Kagyu Samye Dzong in central London. The centres offer regular times for prayer, readings and meditation.
2nd March: Yahya Al-Hussein: ‘Islam in Ireland’
Yahya Al-Hussein is Imam of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) at Clonskeagh, Dublin. The ICCI is a friendly society and a registered charity, originally set up by students in 1959, establishing Ireland's first Mosque in 1976. ICCI has been the official representative of Muslims in Ireland and looks after the religious, educational and social needs of Muslims in Ireland.
9th March: Mrs Joan Finkel: ‘Judaism Today’
Mrs Joan Finkel is a member of the Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation which she has been closely involved in since its foundation in 1946. As a former President and Honorary Secretary to the congregation, Joan Finkel has given many talks to many different groups on Judaism and the importance of interfaith dialogue today. Fr Andrew

Friday 5 February

Table Quiz and Auction

The seventh annual Saint Bartholomew's Table Quiz and Auction will take place on Friday 12 March at 8.00pm in Merrion Cricket Club -- and you're invited!
The main purpose of the event is of course to raise much needed funds for the choir, however it is also a particularly entertaining evening, with large numbers of prizes for all to take away.
Tables cost €40, and may contain up to six people in total, no more than four of whom may be adults. As always we would greatly appreciate advance bookings, which can be made by contacting Fergus in the parish office on 01-6688522. We can also take pre-bookings online via "http://tinyurl.com/stbartsquiz". If you don't have a full table please come along on the night anyway and we'll find you a team.
If you can help out with items for the Auction and/or Raffle please contact Robin Heather (ashcom@iol.ie or 087 2570200).

Wednesday 3 February

Recording the CD

The CD was made up of well-known songs but they were slightly changed. During the recording the church was filled with music and the words "cut", "retake" and my favourite word, rather sentence, "that’s a wrap".
Sometimes someone would make a mistake like cough, sneeze or rustle their papers and so the song or piece of music would start over again. The CD recording was one of the few times that boys, girls and men got together and sang.
One song that all three choirs sang together (and my mum’s favourite) would be O Holy Night. When the recording came to a close you could tell the atmosphere was changing. A bit of joy because all our hard work was nearly over, a bit of sadness because we had fun making the CD and a bit overwhelmed (well me) because it all happened so fast (four days doesn’t seem like a very long time, does it!).
When the CD was finally released at the Christmas concert you can bet that we all like the way it turned out, and hearing us at our best was great too. All in all, I think it's safe to say that the recording was a big success and we all loved making it.
By Maya McNair, a member of the Girls' Choir.

Wednesday 3 February

Services

Last Sunday 17th January we were pleased to have as our celebrant and preacher at the Solemn Eucharist the Archbishop of Dublin, Most Revd John Neill. This Sunday 24th January we welcome Revd Patrick Comerford who will preside at the Solemn Eucharist at 11am. The choir of girls and men will sing the setting in F by Herbert Sumsion. At 6pm the choir of boys and men will sing Solemn Evensong of the Conversion of St Paul, the setting being Stanford in A.

Friday 22 January