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Reflections on our Christian Understanding of Hope 

What is Hope?
Hope is the power by which we firmly and constantly  long for what we were placed on earth to do :
to praise God and serve God
to find our fulfilment and true happiness in God.
 
Hope is trusting in what God has promised us
in creation
in the prophets
but especially in Jesus Christ
even though we do not yet see it.
 
Hope is directed,
it is humankind’s encourager,
it sustains us in times of abandonment,
it opens our heart to expect eternal life.
 
Hope energises us,
preserves us from selfishness
and  leads to the happiness that flows from charity. 

Sacramental Registration

First Communion preparation for 2025 (usually 2nd class):
First Communion preparation for 2026 (usually 1st class):

Confirmation preparation for 2025 (usually 6th class):
Confirmation preparation for 2026 (usually 5th class):

First Holy Communion Dates
​St. Matthews and Educate Together:
Sunday, 11th May 10:30am
 
Star of the Sea Boys:
Sunday, 18th May 12:00pm
 
Scoil Mhuire:
Sunday, 25th May 12:00pm

Sandymount Explorers
​The inter-Church scripture study group, Explorers, will hold its next meeting on Monday 18th November, at Christchurch Hall, Sandymount Green at 7.30 p.m. at which they will continue their exploration of Galatians with Dr. Ciaran O’Mahony.
The Sandymount Explorers is a a local ecumenical initiative, bringing various Christian traditions together around the Word of God. This year, we are reading together St Paul’s great Letter to the Galatians, a passionate and even feisty document — in any case, not boring and full of potential for today’s church.

There will be four sessions before Christmas, starting on 19 September at 7.30 pm, in Christchurch Sandymount. Our guide for reading is Kieran O’Mahony, OSA, an expert in St Paul and a Catholic priest.

Pastoral Letter-Archbishop Dermot Farrell
Building Hope with Open Hearts

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Sandymount Community Centre

The Sandymount Community Centre is thrilled to be participating in this year’s Age Action Positive Ageing Week from 30th September- 6th October. In line with this year’s event theme of Anti-Ageism we feel it is important to highlight the valuable contribution that people of all ages make to our community. We hope to demonstrate this with a week-long schedule of exciting activities commencing on 30th September 2024.  
You are cordially invited to:  
Sandymount Community Centre Positive Ageing Week 2024 and
 Google Digital Drop-In Launch Event
with Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan 
followed by coffee and treats 
30th Sept 2024 
13:00-13:30 
in the Sandymount Community Centre 
The Monthly Google Digital Drop-in space will also be open from 11:00-13:00 and participants are welcome to come along and have their technology questions answered by volunteers from Google as well as local Transition Year Students.  
Please RSVP to: [email protected]

COMMUNITY CENTRE MAP
​Home from Home
Sandymount Community Centre, formally the Irish Charles Centre, on Newbridge Ave is very excited to announce their new Home from Home initiative. Every Thursday from 10-12 the centre will be open to the community offering a warm cuppa, newspapers, cards and games as well as loads of chats!

Parish Collections
​​​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 1876 to meet the needs of a growing population in Sandymount – Irishtown. The foundation stone of a new church was laid in  August 1851 and 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 

 Mass Schedule 

Weekly Mass:
For the week commencing 7th April,2024, and until further notice we will have one Mass per day. 
7.30am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
10am on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Weekend Mass:
Saturday: 6pm
Sunday: 10:30am, 12 Noon

Cuppa after 12pm Mass- 1st Sunday of the Month

Please join us for a cuppa after the Sunday 12pm Mass on the First Sunday of the Month. We gather in the back of the Church.  All are welcome!

First Friday of the Month​

​We are happy to visit the housebound and those who are ill on the First Friday of the Month.  It has been difficult to do so in recent months and we apologise to those who were expecting a visit.  We hope to rectify the situation in the coming weeks. We would be happy to hear from anyone who desires a monthly visit.
Click on the blue buttons below for more information

The Jubilee Prayer 

 Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.
Amen<

Saying Good Bye and God Bless​

​The Marist Brothers came to Sandymount 70 years ago and, sadly, this weekend witnesses their departure. The small Marist Community of Bonaventure, Angelo and Vincent are moving to join their confreres in Moyle Park, Clondalkin, and the Marist Brothers presence in our parish is coming to a close. We hasten to thank all the brothers who lived and worked here for their dedication and commitment over the years. When Brother Liguori opened the school in 1954, the first class began in September 1954 with 14 pupils and by year’s end increased to 21. By September 1957 it had an enrolment of 180 and the new school, Marian College, was opened on Nov 8th 1957. Several brothers taught on the staff at that time.
Over the years, brothers not only taught in their school but also achieved prominence in national developments in educational provision. Brother Declan Duffy, for example, was engaged at national level in the late 60s and 70s in forging new partnerships in emergent community schools, in establishing deeds of trust between religious orders and the Dept of Education and in the overall development of second level schools following the introduction  of the Free Education Scheme of 1967. The large attendance at Bro Declan’s funeral Mass in 2014 bore testimony to the significant role he played both in and beyond Marian College. We also witnessed the appreciation that attended the lives of Bro John Hyland and Bro Mel Kenny at their funeral Masses in Star of the Sea when John died in 2016 and Mel died in 2019. Bro Philip Conaty, will be remembered also by many for his hunger for knowledge, his science teaching, and his great commitment to coaching water polo for the boys and maintaining the swimming pool. Indeed water-polo and basketball were stand-out sports in Marian. Sadly, Philip died young in 1998.
When Bro Sebastian Davis fell this year and suffered serious injury, we were saddened to lose his gentle presence. Sebastian exercised the care of his older brothers in the Sandymount community and his absence has now prompted their move to Clondalkin and to greater support and care. We will miss you, Bonaventure, Angelo and Vincent. Your vocation was fulfilled in many years of Primary School Teaching and moving presents a new challenge in vocation. May God bless and guide you in peace and happiness.
Our thanks to all the brothers over the years for all they have meant for our parish, for generations of students and parents and for their generous service in education.
‘More than anything else the Brothers will be remembered for education as a form of love and care’ Ned Prendergast, former teacher at Marian College and author of ‘Before you I stand’, the Story of the Marist Brothers in Ireland, 2021.

Information Notice to Residents regarding November and December Fixtures at Aviva Stadium in 2024

Thanks to One and All
​
The Parish Pastoral Council sends huge thanks to all Parishioners for the wonderful turnout at Fr. John’s Retirement Gathering last Sunday, for the beautiful feast provided by and served by so many skilled hands. We are grateful for the warm response to our collection for the presentation to Fr. John and to all who attended on the day itself to make it a day to remember.
Father John is grateful for all your kindness and generosity and for the prayers and support of so many towards recovery this year.  It is a great blessing to be able to retire among friends.

Synod Prayer​

​We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather in Your name.
with You alone to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts;
 Teach us the way we must go
 and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us
 down the wrong path nor partiality
 influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity
 so that we may journey together
 to eternal life and not stray from
 the way of truth and what is right.
All we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
 in the communion of the Father and the Son forever and ever. Amen

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.

​Updated Parish Privacy Statement 

August 2024 Safeguarding Newsletter