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Do This in MemoryParents Group meeting
Our parents group will meet next Saturday, 3rd December, at 9am, to plan our next Do This In Memory Mass which will be held on Dec 11th.
Pre-Sacrament Classes begin this week
Classes to prepare children attending non-Catholic schools are ready to begin this week. We are obliged to secure Garda Vetting clearance for all involved and so a programme we hoped to begin in September has had to wait until now. On Tuesdays between 3pm and 4pm, classes are held for those in 5th and in 6th class, who have registered with us towards Confirmation. On Wednesdays between 3.15 and 4.15pm, classes are held for those in 1st and 2nd classes who have registered towards First communion and First reconciliation.
Legion of Mary
The LEGION of MARY praesidium meeting has changed to Mondays at 2 pm, starting from next Monday 7th December. Visitors very welcome.
For more information contact Anne : 0878374837
Congratulations to 19 First Communicants
We rejoice with the families who on this Saturday have come with their children to celebrate and receive Holy Communion for the first time.
our thanks to Amy McGuirk, who came weekly from the beginning of the year, to assist the children in their preparation. Amy is a member of the teaching staff in Scoil Mhuire, Lakelands. We greatly appreciate her work with the children attending non- catholic schools. 
Many thanks to our lovely children's choir for their contribution to First Holy Communion
Welcome!
We extend a warm welcome to our new parish secretary Caitriona Fogarty. Caitriona will be available in the parish office Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 12.30pm. We are delighted to have her on board and wish her luck in her new role.
Preparation Programme for First Communion
This Monday, October 24th, we begin the parish programme of preparation towards the celebration of First Communion with boys and girls now in 2nd class and their parents, who in recent weeks registered their intentions to prepare. There will be a meeting for all the children and parents in the Church at 7pm (Monday) at which the children are formally enrolled followed by an outline of the planned parish programme. The programme we use in known as the “ Do This in Memory Programme”, consisting of a monthly Mass and newsletter. As in previous years the resource material for the programme will be available in the parish, at a cost of €20 per participating family.
The first Mass with the children and their parents will be on next Sunday at 10.30am. A team of parents will be formed this week to lead the programme. 
Registration for Sacramental PreparationParents are now required to complete a form to register their child for Sacramental Preparation for First Holy Communion and/or Confirmation. The below forms can now be downloaded and sent to the Parish Office. Please see links below to choose the appropriate form for your child.
WORLD YOUTH DAY – LISBON 2023The diocesan office organising Dublin’s participation in WYD-LISBON2023 has sent the following message to parishes.
Parishes and Individuals are now invited to register their interest in either attending WYD Lisbon or organising a parish group to participate. Over the past year many parishes and people have noted in submissions for the Task Force and also preparatory meetings on Synod the importance of reaching out to younger people. World Youth Day will take place August 1 to 6 in Lisbon 2023. Package options and costs are still being determined and the registration system will open in September. At present it is intended to have the option for teenagers aged 16-18 to participate as well as those aged 18-29. The Archdiocese of Dublin has a great tradition in participation at World Youth Day. This is a great opportunity to reach out to young people and connect them to young people in many parishes that will participate at WYD. A full pastoral programme for all pilgrims will also commence later in the year, with opportunities for leadership roles as well. Get in touch and keep in touchWe would like to hear from you before September so that we can focus and fine tune the various package options that will be proposed. · Parishes are now invited register their interest – providing information if possible on numbers and maybe local leaders also · Individuals can also use this system to register their interest · Groups (Schools, Third Level Chaplaincy, Faith groups) – can also use this system Expression of Interest for WYD Lisbon 2023 Contact wyd@dublindiocese.ie. We’d love to hear from young people in Sandymount interested in participating.
Parish Pastoral CouncilIt has been a busy first half year for the present PPC. We have had two unprecedented programmes involving direct consultation with parishioners, the worldwide SYNOD process, followed immediately by the BUILDING HOPE programme of consultation within parishes about their own local attributes and future. The response and participation was heartening. We have been discussing ways of sharing the load of our priests, including the development of lay teams for Baptism and Funerals. It is also recognised that existing Teams and Ministries are depleted following the COVID interlude and need new blood. It is hoped in September to invite applications to join teams offering various services. Another item under review is the sustainability of the number of Masses we currently hold and piloting a new schedule to see how best to meet needs. After the beautiful ceremonies of Easter we had further joy in celebrating Fr. John’s Golden Jubilee, followed more recently by Corpus Christi.
On this Final Sunday of the Season of Creation we share with you a few more options for possible action in our care of the earth, continuing the Trócaire list of suggestions:
Click on Button Below for Responses from Synod Meetings
The Synod Prayer
DCU Theology CoursesScholarships are available for incoming students wishing to pursue studies in Theology and Religious Studies at the beautiful DCU All Hallows Campus in Drumcondra, where there is a part-time BA course on offer and an MA programme in Theology and World Religions. Visit https://www.dcu.ie/your-guide-to-student-application-portals/.
Enrolment of Children for First Communion and ConfirmationThis week we are inviting parents of children in St Matthew’s School who wish to prepare for First Communion or for Confirmation to register with us. It is for children in 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th classes to do so. They must be baptised. Registration will be on Thurs or Friday, Sept 8th/9th at 3pm. The registration of children in other schools will follow later in September.
Children who live in the parish and attend an Educate Together School may also register this week on Thurs or Friday at 3pm. If living outside the parish we refer you to your own parish if attending a non-faith school.
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
A November Thought
The ones we love don’t go away
They walk beside us every day Unseen, unheard but always near ... still loved, still missed and very dear. Since the fifth century the Christian Church speaks of the Communion of Saints as the fellowship of those united to Jesus Christ in baptism, both living and dead. “Alive or dead we belong to the Lord.” (Romans ch14V8). “All of us, in varying degrees and in different ways share in the same charity towards God and our neighbours, and we all sing the one hymn of glory to our God. All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together. So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods. Our purpose for them (the dead) is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994paragraphs 954 – 958.
Guided Tour
Please join us on an entertaining exploration of the fascinating architectural and historical features of our parish church, St Mary’s Star of the Sea. Hear its story from the 1850’s to the present. Meet Rodney Devitt inside the church, Sunday 27th November, at 3pm. All most welcome.
Parish Pastoral Council-Volunteer Recruitment DriveYOUR PARISH NEEDS YOU
We are very grateful to all who came to the hall last weekend when the Parish Pastoral Council organised a Volunteers’ Drive. Our thanks to those who have volunteered their service. It brings home to us all how vitally important voluntary service of one’s parish becomes when we learn that there are no clergy available to follow the priests presently with us, who are both in retirement age. It was a very sobering thought the Archbishop shared with us when in his visit in July he related that there were no seminarians at all studying for the priesthood in our diocese. We must pray that our church will have priests to serve us and that there will be no shortage of commitment to the life of the parish among our parishioners. A special thanks to Anne Bacon and members of the Pastoral Council who organised last weekend’s Volunteer Drive. For those of you who could not attend the recruitment drive on the 18th of September but would like to volunteer, please click on the Application Form below to download the form, complete and send to the Parish Office.
World Youth Day Lisbon 2023, Aug 1 to 6
Interest is invited from our young people to attend WYD Lisbon or also to form a parish based group to participate.
We’re invited to register our interest on either or both of these possibilities with the diocese. So we’d welcome indicators of interest from young who will be aged between 16 and 29 in August 2023.
A programme for our teenagers?The diocese is establishing a Laudato Si’ Award for teenage groups in parishes who engage in a programme to explore and inform
fellow-parishioners around issues of ecology, sustainability, climate change and the spirituality invited to care for the earth. Laudato Si’ was the title of Pope Francis Letter on Caring for the Earth. This September is a starting point for such groups with training around the programme’s operation for those who lead. We’d love to hear from teenagers (13 to 17) who might be interested in knowing more about this project and from people interested in assisting the project as animators/leaders or whose knowledge and advice might inform the undertaking. It would unfold as a meeting point for teenagers with a mixture of social, education, research and prayer dimensions. Give it thought. We’d love to facilitate it.
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 CelebrationsOn the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month we currently celebrate baptism with four families at a time. Covid impacted heavily on parents trying to organise the baptism of their children and understandably, too, we are baptising two babies of a family together quite frequently. Over the first two years of Covid our numbers baptised were down 70 below the annual expected number but slowly we’re catching up again on the backlog. Last Sunday saw the baptism of six little children. Whereas previously we held a meeting once a month with all parents coming in celebration of their child’s baptism, we do so now in anticipation of each baptism whether on the two Parish Baptism Days each month or when on other days a visiting priest is coming to celebrate. We ask all parents to attend a preparation meeting.
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: