In this time of health crisis ...

  • All are dispensed from the obligation to physically attend Sunday Mass. 
  • Measures introduced by the Healthcare Authorities limit attendance at Public Indoor Gatherings to 100 people. Because more than 100 people attend the four Masses in Star of the Sea Church on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, our Masses at weekends are suspended. 
  • Public Mass celebrations have ceased until mid April when the situation will be reviewed
  • Mass will be celebrated Monday through Saturday on the webcam at 10.00am
  • RTE  NEWS  NOW will broadcast daily Mass at 10.30am
  • This coming weekend March 28th/29th we will celebrate a webcam Mass on
Saturday at 6pm
Sunday at 10.30am
​ 
Feast of the Annunciation  March 25th
In answer to the invitation of Pope Francis we are asked to recite the Our Father with him at 12 noon. At noon also today Archbishop Eamonn Martin will consecrate Ireland to the intercession of Mary.
 
We will avail of the webcam service to join in these prayers in our parish on this Wednesday.
​
Click on Blue Icon Above
Invitation from Pope Francis to join him in prayer this Friday, March 27th at 5pm (Irish Time)
There is no indication as yet that RTE will carry this event but you could view it on EWTN at 5pm this Friday if RTE doesn’t do so. It is an Urbe et Orbe address to Catholics around the world, similar to what happens every Christmas and Easter, this time in a situation of crisis for the world and humanity.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in a message this Wednesday highlights
  • The fundamental message is that people should stay at home if at all possible.
  • Outdoor events are limited to gatherings of 4.
  • Churches are open for private prayer provided that there is at all times strict adherence to physical distancing (2 metres is more than 6ft).
  • Vulnerable people are not encouraged to leave their homes.
  •  Sensitivity and prudence is called for in the event of funerals-both in respect to numbers and ritual. Particular HSE guidelines apply in the event of a person dying of the corona virus
  • Two strong church traditions are counselled at this time-
  1. Spiritual Communion, when one doesn’t receive Communion in a celebration of Mass as in this time of danger.
  2. In the event of difficulty in accessing
Confession, making an act of perfect contrition with the desire to receive the sacrament of reconciliation is sufficient for the forgiveness of all sins even mortal sins.
  • We will greatly appreciate your understanding and help in ensuring that no more than 100 people are in attendance at a church gathering.  We regret the necessary inconvenience to some as a result. 
  • In church, people should be seated at a physical distance from each other.  A distance of at least a metre is to be observed. 
  • During this health crisis the bishops have dispensed all from the obligation to physically attend Sunday Mass. It is important however that we make this a time of prayer for those who have become ill, those vulnerable to the threat of the virus and those in the front line of efforts to deter its transmission. The Church, accordingly, will be left open until 6pm daily to facilitate private prayer. Because attendance figures at weekday Masses are less than 100, we will continue to celebrate daily Mass at 7.30am and 10.00am, Monday to Friday, subject to review.
  • We ask the public also to respect the position of family and friends who at a funeral are restricted to 100 people attending inside the church and the requirement to be seated at least a metre from one another at all church gatherings. Every second seat should be vacant with three to be seated in a centre aisle seat and two in a side aisle seat.
​Any one of us could unwittingly be a carrier.  Use the hand sanitizer and wash hands as directed frequently.  Watch out for the elderly and those most vulnerable to the threat of the virus.  We all must play our part.

 Confirmation

We warmly congratulate the 68 young people who were confirmed this week.  They were confirmed by Fr. Donal Roche, our new Episcopal Vicar for the area of the diocese from Ringsend to Arklow.  Our thanks to all involved – parents, teachers, sacristans, music ministers and the young people – both those confirmed and those who sang beautifully.
It was the last large gathering in our church for the foreseeable future.  It was announced just after our ceremony that no further Confirmation celebrations will be held while the current public health crisis persists.

SAVE THE DATE! Friday 29th May
Star of the Sea Annual Golf Classic 2020
Elm Park Golf Club  
 
Pray, Pay, Play!
 
To book a place or sponsor an Ad or Tee Box please fill in a Booking Form and return it to the Parish office, Star of the Sea Church Tel: 01 6683316
 
OR by email to sandymountparish@eircom.net
      OR CONTACT:
Martin Coonan: 087 2304042
Parish Office 01 6683316
 
Even if you are not a golfer, you may wish to join us for the dinner and in doing so, know you will be most welcome.
 
The Golf Classic represents not only a helpful fundraising event but a great social occasion in the life of the parish.

Well Deserved 

​Many of our parishioners over the years have merited a ‘well done’ accolade.  We are in debt to all who voluntarily commit themselves to serve the parish community in a host of different ways.
 
When Paddy Kavanagh reluctantly, and with doctor’s direction, reached a time to ‘step back,’ it brought to a close a service which Paddy had given over a span of seventy years.  Apart from a short time spent outside his parish, Paddy was altar server, church collector, assistant sacristan and latterly assisted at every Baptism in the parish.  Anxious to mark his long years of service the pastoral council decided to petition the Benemerenti Medal for him.
 
Bob Harewood has been our wonderful sacristan since the death of a great servant of the parish, Margaret O’Doherty, nine years ago but over many years, like Paddy, he has been consistently present to help, counting and banking Sunday collections and ready to stand in whenever and wherever there was a need.  We greatly appreciate Bob’s great commitment to the parish in a totally voluntary capacity with kindly cheerful disposition.  We readily sought that he also should be honoured with the Benemerenti Medal. 
 
It’s a Pontifical medal requested by the Archbishop on behalf of each recipient and a limited number are awarded yearly.  We are delighted that both Bob and Paddy have been honoured and were presented with Benemerenti Medals at the end of the 12 o’clock Mass on Sunday, 9th June.  

Baptism Certificate Request​

​
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.
​​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
Vigil: 6.00 p.m (Saturday)
9:00 a.m. Mass
10.30 a.m    Family Mass
12.00 noon  Choir Mass  (Choir away during July and August)
Weekday
7.30 a.m.
Mass
10.00 a.m.
Mass
Saturdays:
10.00 a.m.: Mass
(6.00 p.m. Sunday Vigil) : Mass
First Fridays:
7.30 a.m. Mass
10.00 a.m. Mass
Confessions
Saturdays:
After 10.00 a.m Mass
And at 5.30 p.m 
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

Parish Pilgrimages to Lourdes and to Knock

At our recent meeting of our parish pastoral council it was agreed that we should advance the invitation to parishioners to participate as a parish group in the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes from Sept. 9th to Sept. 14th this year. 
The invitation is extended at two levels; the first is to those who may wish to travel as invalids.  Invalids reside at the hospital adjoining the grotto area during their stay and the necessary paperwork and medical assessment should be completed before the end of March.  
The second is to those travelling as ordinary pilgrims.  We’d like to establish the list of those interested in the coming month (say by St. Patrick’s Day) so that block booking of a parish group for a suitable hotel can be  made in good time. 
Please let us know if you wish to be a parish pilgrim, either as an invalid or as a regular pilgrim, by contacting the parish office 
The diocesan pilgrimage to Knock will be on Saturday, April 25th.  We’d welcome the interest of parishioners, both young and old, in a day’s pilgrimage.  Again, let us know in the parish office if you’re interested.  When the level of interest is established we can look to working out the details.  Let us know again before St. Patrick’s Day, to enable a decision on the feasibility of this pilgrimage to Knock with the diocese.

Pre-Marriage Preparation

​Over the coming weeks we’ll outline the specific requirements for couples planning a church wedding to cover firstly, couples getting married in Ireland who live in Ireland; secondly, couples getting married in Ireland who live outside Ireland and thirdly, couples living in Ireland who seek a church wedding abroad.  It’s the time of year when engaged couples are in need of such information .  Watch this space and pass on the information if and when you can.

Classes for students preparing for Sacraments

​Pre-Sacrament classes for children attending St. Matthew’s school (and for any who live in the parish and attend non-Catholic school) continues this week.
The preparation period is over two years towards First Communion and also towards Confirmation.  The classes are scheduled as follows and are held in the parish meeting rooms in the church.
 
1st class meets Tuesday evening at 5.00pm
2nd class meets Thursday evening at 4.00pm
6th class meets Thursday evening at 4.00pm
5th class meets Thursday evening at 4.45pm

‘Do This in Memory’

At the 10.30am Mass next Sunday, 5th April, we hope again to link up with the children and parents in the First Communion classes.  Palm Sunday was to be our next ‘Do this in Memory’ Mass.  Meanwhile the children could work on pages 56 to 59 of the Thumbs book and parents might share with them pages 20 to 23 of Thumbs.
Grapevine 6 and Grapevine 7 will be held in safe keeping until the children come back to school.

Church Notice Board

​Details of two new courses beginning in October are on the Church Notice Board:
Faith for Life – Deepening the connection between Faith and Life is a course run over four weekends to help you discover new ways to live out your faith in the reality of today’s world through relationships in family, parish, workplace, and the events of daily life.  The course costs €200 and places are limited.  For further information- Tel: 01-8373732 ext 247/239 or  email: evangelisation@dublindiocese.ie.
 
Active8 – 8 sessions over 8 months 8 new ways of sharing Good News, in Holy Cross Diocesan Centre on 2nd Oct, 6th Nov, 15th Jan, 12th Feb, 11th Mar, 1st April, 6th May, 10th June all at 7.30-9.30pm.  For those who are 30-55 years old who want to grow in skills of sharing faith.  Price €80 and places are limited.  Contact: mary.dent@dublindiocese.ie

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:
​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 home

​Why 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.  

The Iris Charles Centre

The Iris Charles Centre re-opens after the Christmas break on Tuesday next, 7th January with Chair Exercises, Lunch and Bridge. All Welcome!
Chair exercises have been extended to two days a week – Tuesdays and Fridays at the Centre on Newbridge Avenue, from 11.45am to 12.45pm at a cost of €2 per class.
Afternoon Bridge will also resume on Tuesday at 2.30pm.
New members are always welcome – with or without a Bridge partner.  If you would like to make yourself available as a volunteer on an occasional basis, please contact Phyllis 087-6225471 or Claire 087-2368548.

​​The Iris Charles Centre is one of our local gems with a dedicated group of people running it. Senior Citizens can meet and enjoy a great lunch or participate in a range of organised activities. The Centre also hosts a Bridge evening every Thursday beginning at 7:00pm for both experienced and novice players.  All are welcome.
​
IRIS CHARLES CENTRE MAP