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Another lovely sign of the return to more normal times is seen in the return of the childrens’ choir at 10.30am on Sundays. Their first full rehearsal was last Monday evening at 6pm. New members are always welcome. The lovely voices of girls and boys in 5th class were to be admired at both First Communion and recent Confirmation ceremonies. Maybe, boys and girls, you might like to join the choir. We’d love to have you along. Practice at 10am each Sunday for 10.30am Mass and an evening practice once a month on a Monday at 6pm
First CommunionWe congratulate the girls and their parents and teacher, who celebrated their First Holy Communion on Saturday, 7th May.
What a joy it is to see these lovely May-time celebrations return after the limitations of the past two years.
Click on Button Below for Responses from Synod Meetings
The Synod Prayer
Vacancy for a Parish Secretary – Star of the Sea Parish, SandymountStar of the Sea Parish has a vacancy for a part-time Parish Secretary (15 hours per week). If you are interested in this position, please post your letter of application and current CV to Fr. John McDonagh, 15 Oswald Road, Sandymount or by email to johnmcdonagh68@gmail.com. Closing date 5.00pm on Friday, November 19th 2021.
Please click on Link below to review Church Secretary Job Description 
Tasks of the Parish Pastoral Council
Reflecting and Planning
Discerning the needs of the parish community and involving the whole parish in response to the needs. Animation Enabling the Baptised to discover their call as disciples of Christ by discerning the gifts of the parishioners and developing them. Evaluation Reviewing the life and activities of the parish so that parishioners might have a sense of proceeding towards bringing about the reign of God. Communication Ensuring that effective dialogue takes place within the parish Facilitating on-going formation Prayer, reflection and skills training
Sacramental Preparation for children in non-Catholic schools
The preparation for the sacraments in Catholic schools takes place over two years, both for First Communion and Confirmation. Correspondingly, children in non-Catholic schools are asked to complete a two year preparation programme also, although their classes are held only once a week. Parents of children in the non-Catholic schools should accordingly contact the parish 2 years in advance if they wish their child to prepare for the sacraments.
Under our GDPR Policy a request for Baptism certs must be accompanied by a completed form either by the adult person requesting his or her own Baptism cert or by the parent requesting a son or daughter’s Baptism certificate. Parents of children preparing for First Communion and for Confirmation will accordingly need to complete that form when seeking , as is required, their child’s certification of Baptism. This applies to every parish in the Diocese.
The Iris Charles CentreIRIS CHARLES CENTRE MAP
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RCN: 20016166
Welcome to St. Mary's Star of the Sea, Sandymount
A warm welcome to the website of St Mary’s, Star of the Sea Parish, Sandymount. Our parish was constituted in 1851 to meet the needs of a growing population in Sandymount – Irishtown. The foundation stone of a new church was laid in that year and in August 1853 the church was officially opened. Designed by J.J. McCarthy, of the Pugin neo-Gothic school, Star of the Sea has served the people well in Sandymount and Irishtown over the years and they in turn have looked after it in its beauty and prayerful atmosphere. The gatherings for the liturgy are creative of a community in touch with God and with each other. We hope you’ll find our website interesting and helpful. Don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of any further assistance to you. Yours sincerely, Fr. John Mc Donagh P.P 
Mass and Confession Times:
Sunday
9:00 a.m. 10.30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Weekday 7:30.a.m. 10.00 a.m. Saturdays: 10.00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Vigil First Fridays: 10.00 a.m. Confessions Saturdays: After 10.00 a.m Mass (Suspended for now due to Covid Restrictions) And at 5.30 p.m (Suspended for now due to Covid Restrictions) Open Hours: Weekdays: 7:15am to 5:30pm Saturday: 9:15am to 7:00pm Sunday: 8:45am to 7:00pm Sacrament of Marriage: Please contact the Parish Office at 668-3316. Click on the blue buttons below for more information
Sincere thanks to all who participated in the Parish Golf Classic this Friday. Special thanks to a hard working committee: Martin Coonan,
Charlotte O’Neill, Maxine Pilkington Cyril Kelly and Peter Coonan; thanks also to everyone who participated as golfers or joined the social end of the evening and to those who sponsored tees or advertised in the brochure.
Building HopeIn April 2021, Archbishop Dermot Farrell established a Task Force called Building Hope. The Task Force was asked to assess the needs of the people of the Archdiocese emerging from Covid-19 and to work to support parish communities as they undertake a radical renewal, looking to the future with creativity. 3,000 people, mostly lay faithful, responded to the invitation to share their views.
In October the Task Force reported and highlighted four dimensions valued by people which provide a framework for pastoral renewal. This framework gives a focus for the discussion and discernment around pastoral renewal Our Parish Leadership Team has identified two dates, Wednesday May 25th at 7.30pm and Sunday May 29th at 4pm for parishioners to meet in reflection and discussion of these four areas.
Affirmation of priestly ministry, Co-responsibility of clergy and Lay Faithful, Active Lay Ministries, Role of Women, Youth involvement, Pastoral Outreach, Administration
Advocacy, Active Outreach, Solidarity, Accompaniment, Care of Creation
After a time of reflection on these four areas we will be asked to answer a series of questions in respect of each of these areas as they pertain to our parish. Further questions will relate to local parish partnerships. Subsequently, these and further questions will be answered in an online form submitted to the diocese.
Baptism CelebrationsThere were several months last year through which we were unable to celebrate the sacraments but thankfully we have been able to baptise children into the life of the church in recent months. We welcome all of them, happy to be able to facilitate celebrations, one child at a time until recent weeks when, now, up to four babies may be baptised at each celebration, taking appropriate precautions.
The impact of Covid-19 may be seen in the numbers of children baptised in recent years. In both 2018 and again in 2019, we baptised 70 children. In 2020 a total of 22 children were baptised and in 2021 there were 43 children baptised. We continue to celebrate Baptism in the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month, after the 12 o’clock Mass on Sunday. Parents are asked to submit an application form along with a copy of their child’s birth certificate. A meeting is held before each baptism, in circumstances that depend on the prevailing pandemic restrictions. 
Celebrations of the Sacraments in 2022As long as we are dealing with a pandemic, any dates we set for parish celebrations are necessarily tentative in as much as we remain subject to restrictions at any time. However, it is also important to set target dates, with alternative arrangements in mind, should need arise.
We intend to celebrate sacraments with children and parents in Star of the Sea School on the following dates: Confirmation: Thurs 10th March at 11am First Reconciliation Thurs 3rd March First Communion Sat 7th May (time to be decided) and with children and parents in Scoil Mhuire on the following dates: Confirmation: Wed 16th March 11am First Reconciliation Thurs 24th March 7pm First Communion Sat 14th May 10am (Wedding at 1PM) It is a matter of concern that we have not been able to provide the necessary preparation classes for children attending non-Catholic schools since March 2020. While we had hoped to begin classes in December and again in this January, the current rate of transmission of the virus is too serious to undertake doing so as yet. Children in the two Catholic Schools continue to follow the ‘Grow in Love’ school religion programme and we are grateful to all their teachers who are teaching the programme to them. We will continue to try and meet the preparation needs of children attending non-Catholic schools, who wish to prepare for the sacraments. We rely on parents to do their best to pray with their children at home and to link with us via webcam at the Mass each weekend., whether they attend Catholic or non-Catholic schools.
There may be a Primary School Teacher in our community who would like to be involved in the classes for children attending St Matthew's School and preparing for First Penance, First Communion and Confirmation. Classes are held on Thursdays, from around 3.45 to 5.15. If so, please contact the Parish Office or Fr John.
A Jesuit Publication for your homeWhy not have a look at one issue. You might find it’s like a spiritual “Readers Digest”. There’s something for everyone: chatty articles, accessible theology, out-loud thinking on spiritual questions and serious issues, comforting news, art appreciation, a kid’s page (with puzzles and jokes) gardening hints, seasonal recipes and a challenging crossword.
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General Data Protection Regulation
The new European Data Protection law, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), is being introduced on 25th May 2018. This new law applies to any organisation, including our parish that manages and processes people’s personal information. We are now working on ways of ensuring that what we do with your information is compliant with this new law. It is a work in progress and over the next few months we will keep you informed through the parish website and in the newsletter as policies are put in place. Click on the Button below to view the Parish Data Privacy Notice: