Closing St Joseph's Church, Springhill: May 31-July 15
The refurbishment work on St Joseph’s Church, Springhill begins this Monday, 31st May.
The Church will remain closed until 15th July and weekend masses will be held in Riverstown
School.
Weekday masses will be in St Michael’s Church, Upper Glanmire at 10.00 am. Please be conscious of people who normally come to St Joseph’s for weekday mass but who may not have transport to go up to St Michael’s. I’m sure they would be very glad of the offer of a lift.
Sponsoring a Seat Part of the refurbishment involves the replacement of the present seating in St Joseph’s with new seats. It is possible to sponsor a seat for €1,000.
This is an opportunity that people may wish to take up in memory of a deceased family member/s.
A plaque will be put on the seat naming the intention for which the seat was donated eg
‘In Memory of My Parents John and Mary Murphy RIP’. Please contact one of the priests or Eileen, the secretary, if you wish to donate a seat. The Church is also receiving a new lectern (from which the readings are read) and a new presiding chair.
Perhaps an individual or group might like to sponsor one of these. |
Refurbishment of St Joseph’s Church
At last we are able to confirm that the refurbishment of the church in Springhill is to go ahead.
This is a work of restoration and not of modernization. It is an attempt to make the church more comfortable
and to ensure that it will withstand the harsh weather conditions which have had adverse effects on the building of late.
The false ceiling will be taken down to expose the beams hidden from view.
There will be an upgrading of the heating, lighting and wiring: more comfortable seating will be installed, together with new
floor covering throughout in keeping with the character of the building.
A full redecoration will be undertaken.
The full price of the works, including design fees and vat will be €435.000.
The display boards in both churches have been prepared by the architects, Wilson and Associates.
The church will close on Monday, 31st May for a period of 7 weeks.
During that time weekend masses will be celebrated in St Joseph’s School, Riverstown;
weekday masses (Mon-Fri) will be in St Michael’s Church, Upper Glanmire at 10.00 am.
Mr Frank O’Mahony, of Wilson Architects, summarizes the project as follows:
‘St Joseph’s Church in Springhill, Glanmire, is a protected structure and has the potential to be an even finer example of classical architecture. The primary aim of the proposed works is to restore the building to its original finish. We intend using a simple pallet of neutral colours internally and externally to complement the classical form of this church and, by removing and stripping back recent decoration works which are out of character with this building, we will achieve the desired finish.’
Pre-Baptismal Information Meeting
The pre-baptismal information sessions announced a fortnight ago have now been arranged.
Any couple who intends to have a baby baptized will
need to attend an hour long meeting in advance of the baptism.
The dates of these meetings are available from the secretary, Eileen
A BAPTISM CAN ONLY TAKE PLACE AFTER ATTENDANCE AT ONE OF THESE MEETINGS
Choose one of these dates and inform Eileen in the office of your intention to be present at the meeting of your choice.Each of these meetings will be led by members of the Glanmire Parish Baptism Team. The purpose of the meeting is to meet the team, all of whom are parents themselves, and to explore the meaning of the sacrament you have chosen for your child. One of the priests will call to your home nearer the date of the baptism to discuss the baptism ceremony and to prepare the readings etc. You will have the opportunity during that visit to fill out the Baptismal Registration Form which will be used to record the baptism in the parish register.
What happens in Baptism?
A person who is baptized enters into the life of Christ, becomes part of Christ, is a member of the Body of Christ.‘Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.’ St Paul to the Romans 6: 3-4 The baptized person enters into the death and resurrection of Christ. The technical term for the death and resurrection of Christ is the Paschal Mystery. The child/adult who is being baptized is plunged into the death and resurrection of Christ. This is exactly what the word ‘baptism’ means: it is a Greek word meaning ‘to plunge’ or ‘to immerse’ (baptizo). The child is plunged into Christ. Total immersion in water is a symbol of this plunging. That is why water is the main symbol in a baptism ceremony. We no longer use total immersion but the pouring of wateron the head is intended to have the same symbolic effect. The child is baptized using the symbol of water and the words, ‘I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ The action (the pouring of water) and the words amount to what we call a sacrament. A sacrament is a symbolic action which brings about what the action and words signify. For example, at Mass the bread and wine, together with the words ‘This is my Body,’ ‘This is my Blood’, bring about the presence of Christ. By the action and words of the priest at Mass Christ is truly present on the altar though the externals remain the same. The action and words at baptism create a new Christian: ‘And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here.’ St Paul to the Corinthians: 2Cor 5: 17.
Surprise for Upper Glanmire
Parishioners attending Mass in St Michael’s Church, Upper Glanmire this weekend will be surprised to find two new stained glass windows. This is a first for the 200 year old church. This great enrichment of an already beautiful church is the gift of the late Mary Buckley, Ballinvriskig: the windows are in memory of her and her late husband Paddy. One window is a depiction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the other is of St Michael the Archangel, who is patron of the church.
The Sacred Heart represents the love of God made visible in Jesus Christ. The visions of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) have contributed enormously to popularizing what has always been part of Christian faith. The feast of the Sacred Heart is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. Next year it will be on 11th June.
St Michael the Archangel is recognized in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions. He is usually depicted overcoming evil. In the Catholic Church, Saint Michael has four main roles or offices.
He is the Christian angel of death, carrying the souls of all the deceased to heaven. At the hour of death, Michael descends and gives each soul the chance to redeem itself before passing, thus consternating the devil and his minions. St Michael is the special patron of the Chosen People in the Old Testament and is guardian of the Church. Lastly, he is the supreme enemy of Satan and the fallen angels.In the Catholic calendar of saints and the Lutheran Calendar of Saints, his feast day, once widely known as Michaelmas, is celebrated September 29
Thanks to the late Mary Buckley we have constant reminders of the eternal love of God (the Sacred Heart) and the power of God overcoming evil (St Michael) every time we enter this beautiful church in Upper Glanmire. May she and her husband, Paddy, rest in peace.
