Letter from Fr Murphy: Challenge

A Message from Fr Michael Murphy, Parish House, Kilcullen,
On the Occasion of the New Year of the Family Offering (Challenge-Envelope) Collection,
1st March 2009:

THANK YOU

I am very heartened by, and very appreciative of, the great support given to the life and work of the Church in the Parish of Kilcullen. My sincere thanks to every one of you for your goodwill and your help. The generosity – both in terms of financial support and of time given – of so many people is extraordinary. More and more people are stepping forward on a voluntary basis to take part in the various ministries of the Church. All need training in leadership, in an understanding of the Church and of Liturgy, in pastoral priorities and pastoral skills. They will require resources and ongoing formation and personal renewal both pastoral and spiritual. If we fail to make proper provision for meeting the gap left by declining numbers of priests, we would be settling for a winding down of parish life.

CHURCH COLLECTIONS

There are three different Church Collections. What are they and what are they used for?

Family Offering (Challenge-Envelope) Collection: This Collection contributed to on a house-to-house basis by envelope or standing order provides the funds for the operation of the Parish and ongoing maintenance of our two churches. You are entitled to expect your church to be well maintained, well heated, comfortable, bright and welcoming, properly insured. On 5th August 2009 it will be 140 years since the foundation stone of our Parish church was laid by Cardinal Cullen.

Collections for the Support of Priests: This income supports the priests of the Parish including sick and retired priests of the Diocese. It includes the First Collection taken up during Mass, Christmas, Easter and Harvest dues and other offerings made to priests on the occasion of Baptisms, Weddings or Funerals.

SHARE Collection: The Second Collection taken up during Mass is the SHARE-Diocesan Collection. It provides financial support to Parishes. It also helps to fund growing needs in Diocesan Administration and Diocesan Pastoral Services. Sometimes there are special collections instead of SHARE, such as the recent collection for ACCORD, the Diocesan Agency for Marriage and the Family.

HOW CAN I HELP?

You may be already doing so, but if not, you are asked to consider what you would regard as a reasonable offering for you towards the support of your Parish at this time, and you place that in your envelope each weekend. Please drop your envelope at Mass or at the Parish House or Office. You may, however, wish to make an annual donation or indeed use a direct debit mandate available from the Parish Office Tel. 480727. These will also facilitate the tax reclaim.

There are people who will be experiencing financial difficulties during 2009. While respecting this fact, I suggest that this is a time when the services of the Church are more relevant than ever. I urge you, therefore, in so far as you are able to please consider this request seriously. A regular donation to the parish means a lot and is what enables us to plan for the future.

PARISH TAX RECLAIM

Each contribution will be recorded and you will be issued with an individual personal receipt at the end of each year. Using this system will facilitate the reclaim of tax by the Parish at year end. If you are a ‘Self Employed’ tax payer and you donate €250 or more in the tax year you can use the receipt issued to you to enable you to reduce your own tax liability, and pass that benefit on to the Parish.

For the Parish to avail directly of the ‘Tax Reclaim’ the Parishioner must donate €250 or more in the tax year and pay tax solely through the PAYE scheme. It is important to emphasise that the tax relief to the Parish is available on the sum of all donations to the Parish i.e. Family Offering or Challenge-Envelope Collection, Offertory Collections, Dues etc.

WILLS/BEQUESTS

If you would like to assist financially some of the work undertaken by your Parish you might consider a bequest.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If you require clarification of anything in this letter please contact me or any member of the Finance Committee and we will be delighted to help.

Wishing you every blessing.


Parish Website: www.kilcullenparish.blogspot.com (temporarily)
Parish Email: kilcullenparish@eircom.net

Text Message from St Paul, the Apostle of the Nations: ‘God loves a cheerful giver.’ (2Cor. 9:7).

Child Protection Statement

Archdiocese of Dublin: Parish of Kilcullen Child Protection Policy Statement (Based on the guidance provided in Our Children, Our Church, Child Protection Policies and Procedures for the Catholic Church in Ireland.)

The Parish of Kilcullen values and encourages the participation of children and young people in Parish Liturgies and in activities that will help their spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual and social development.

The Parish undertakes to do all in its power to create a safe environment for children and young people and to ensure their protection from physical, sexual and emotional abuse.

The Parish recognises:

The dignity and rights of all children and young people and is committed to ensuring their safety and well being at all times.

The need to protect children and young people and aims to do this in a way that promotes their human dignity, integrity and worth as children of God.

That all involved in working with children and young people have a special duty of care towards them.

The Parish has procedures and a code of conduct in place to implement this policy statement and is committed to reviewing the policy and good practice annually.

Our Parish Child Protection Representative is:
Margaret Walker, Telephone 0877504040

The Designated Person for the Child Protection Service of the Archdiocese of Dublin is:
Philip Garland, Telephone 01 8842590

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Code of Conduct for Clergy, Staff and Volunteers working with Children and Young People

1. Garda Vetting applies to all persons working with children and or young people.

2. Pastoral Ministry to a child or young person should only take place in a publicly accessible place, e.g., designated office or room with a clear glass window. The door should always be left open. The length and number of meetings should be limited.

3. Clergy, staff and volunteer workers should never be alone in a building, car or a closed room with a child or young person.

4. Providing accommodation in the parochial house for children and young people is prohibited except in the case of family members or children or young people accompanied by parents or guardians.

5. When the need for a visit to a home of a child or young person arises, professional boundaries must be observed at all times, i.e., parents or guardian or other adult must be present at all times.

6. Children and young people should not be permitted to work or remain in churches, parish property or schools unless there are at least two adults present. (See Our Children, Our Church, page 22.)

7. Ensure that adequate and appropriate supervision is in place before organising activities with children and young people.

8. Written consent must be obtained from parents or guardians before organising activities for children or young people in your care and do establish whether there are any specific medical or dietary requirements.

9. Particular care should be taken to ensure that the privacy of children or young people is respected at all times and in all places.

10. When working with children or young people you should take care to avoid the trap of becoming a “parental figure” or over involved with one particular child.

11. All trips organised by groups require careful advanced planning and a proportionate number of suitable volunteers to provide adequate supervision. Keep gender balance in mind.

12. Do not take photographs of children or young people while they are in changing areas.

13. Photographs of children and young people generally may not be taken without parental consent.

14. Use only age appropriate language, media products and activities when working with children and young people. Sexually explicit materials or language are never appropriate.

15. Under no circumstances give alcohol, tobacco or drugs to children or young people.

16. Physical punishment, emotional or verbal abuse is not permitted under any circumstances.

17. Ensure that the buildings and or facilities used for activities with children or young people are suitable, safe and secure.

A Christmas Letter to all

Dear Parishioners,

Christmas and New Year are times when we are naturally inclined to remember the year that has passed and wonder about the year ahead. Family gatherings and the renewal of contacts with people we may not have met since last year prompt us to reminisce and ponder. My thoughts are on the Parish year, past and to come.

The highlight of 2008 liturgically was Cruinniú Chríost held on the 25th May, Solemnity of Corpus Christi, The Body And Blood Of Christ. Over 500 parishioners processed through the Main Street in public witness to their faith and gathered for Mass at Scoil Bhríde.

Another highlight was the painting of the Parish church and cleaning outside, as well as the painting of Gormanstown church. Because of generous sponsorship in the first case and the fundraising efforts of local parishioners in the second, we were able to do quality work, the best possible. Both of our church buildings are now in pristine condition. On 5th August 2009 it will be 140 years since the foundation stone of the Parish church was laid by Cardinal Cullen.

We have good news from Halverstown School. The extension will be ready after Christmas. We look forward to celebrating 50 years of Halverstown School in 2009.

We have continued our efforts to encourage the partners in the religious education of the child, namely the Home, the School and the Parish, to work together in the preparation for the Sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation.

2008 will be remembered for the extremes of weather. We had 4 months of rain through the middle of the year which meant we could not hold the Golf Classic. 2008 will also be remembered for the recession which looks like having far reaching consequences for our economy over the immediate years ahead. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who face 2009 with trepidation because of rising unemployment and economic uncertainty.

A group of Parishioners went on the Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes in September. This year marked 150 years since Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette. Our time there coincided with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. This gave an extra dimension to what was already a very lovely experience.

In October some members of the Bethany Bereavement Support Group attended the ASIST Training (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) hosted by the HSE. This two-day course is designed to help caregivers become more ready, willing and able to help persons at risk of suicide.

In November a small group of Parishioners attended an information day on Funeral Ministry. The presentations gave insight into why we need a Funeral Team in every Parish and how we might begin to develop this ministry here in Kilcullen.

Now in December we are introducing new Altar Servers. Their presence will enhance the Liturgy and will be a sign of hope for the future.

In December we will also have a first meeting of our Youth Pastoral Forum whose main aim will be to involve and provide for young people in the Parish.

At the present time we are renewing the Pastoral Council after its first three-year term of office. Some of the present members will remain on and there will be new faces. Past members and new members will meet on Saturday 7th February to review the past three years and to plan the next three. One of the main challenges before the new Pastoral Council will be to make an ethos change from maintenance to mission.

One of the most significant developments for Parish life at this time is neighbouring Parishes working together. We in Kilcullen are now clustered with Ballymore and Dunlavin. During 2009 representatives from the Pastoral Councils of the three Parishes will meet on a regular basis to further the project of sharing resources and personnel. We are in new territory now and first steps will be tentative. There will be the usual growing pains as we approach boundaries that have been ‘sacred’.

On the weekend of 12th October we did a Mass Attendance Census. Roughly 950 people attended Mass in our two churches that weekend. The figure is as it was two years ago. We had 100 Baptisms in the past year and the assistance of the Baptism Team has made all the difference.

Confirmation will be celebrated in our two churches by Bishop Eamonn Walsh on Wednesday 28th January. First Holy Communion will be celebrated in the Parish church on Saturday 9th May and in Gormanstown church on Saturday 16th May.

There will be training in our Parish Centre for Readers on Saturday 21st February and for Ministers of Holy Communion on Saturday 28th February.

One of the signs of hope I see for the Parish is the fact that we have a Five Year Plan. The continued development of various ministries is necessary for the implementation of that plan.

The Parish website www.kilcullenparish.com is a work in progress. We have plans to develop it and give it a face-lift in the New Year.

I set out in this letter to give you a flavour of the year 2008 in Kilcullen Parish from my point of view. Seeds have been sown. Pray that whatever grows will help build up the Kingdom of God in our midst. I am now half way through my nine year term as Parish Priest of Kilcullen. If we can persevere on the road we have begun, which is reflected in this letter, we will together make Kilcullen Parish strong for the future.

We would like to hear from anyone interested in any ministry in the Parish. We would particularly like to hear from people with financial and communication skills. Our Parish Email address is kilcullenparish@eircom.net.

The birth of Jesus is God’s way of saying to us: ‘I love you, yes you, the world and humankind’. May we respond by loving one another after the example of Jesus.

Fr Paddy joins with me in wishing all the people of Kilcullen Parish a Happy and a Wholesome Christmas and Peace in 2009.

Fr Michael Murphy.