Carmel O’Neill sent us this update:
On Fri Mar 5th, parishioners from St Mary’s and the Church of Our Lady came together for the ecumenical World Day of Prayer. This year, we decided to invite the girls from St Mary’s Senior school who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation in May.
The theme of this year’s service is “I made you wonderful” based on Psalm 139. It was an encouraging celebration of the uniqueness of each individual and a reminder that we are all wonderfully made in the image of God. The theme song of praise “I am fearfully made” was sung at intervals throughout the service. We also listened to the testimonies of three women from the Cook Islands who have suffered oppression in recent years. The Maori community were forced to learn through the medium of English which undermined their native language and culture. It was an important reminder that we must respect each other’s culture, traditions and languages.
During the service, we offered prayers of thanksgiving to our Creator and finally prayers of intercession asking God for wisdom, courage and healing. As always people were generous in their donations and €300 was raised which will be given to selected charities in Ireland and abroad.
A poster was displayed in Blessington Church on tips to avoid Fast Fashion. I read an article in January on how fast fashion is fueling climate change and the recycle bins are full to overflowing with clothes that either cannot be recycled or resold in Third World countries. Much of the clothing exported to these countries ends up dumped on beaches.
Second class in St Mary’s Junior school attended mass on the first Saturday in Lent. This year, as part of their Lenten promises, the parents decided to integrate their promise with the school’s commitment to biodiversity. Each child was given a template of a bee on which they wrote their Lenten promise. The teachers displayed them on a large poster with a colourful flutter of butterflies. The poster was brought up as a gift in the offertory procession and later displayed at the back of the church beside the Play and Pray Art work.
