WORSHIP

ST BRIGID'S

The main Sunday service takes place at 11:15am.

It is well attended by young and old, families and friends, and worship is celebrated in song, reading and prayer.

Holy Communion is celebrated on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month

The order of Morning Prayer is celebrated on the 2nd and 4th Sunday.

A Service of the Word takes place on the 5th Sunday of the month when it occurs.

In July the schedule changes and a united Sunday service takes place in All Saints' church. During August, the united service takes place in St Brigid's at 10:30am.

A quieter service of Holy Communion takes place at 8:30am on Sundays and 10:00am on Wednesdays throughout the year.

ALL SAINTS'

The main Sunday service takes place at 9:45 am.

Holy Communion is celebrated on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month.

The order of Morning Prayer is celebrated on the 2nd and 4th Sundays.

During August, a united service takes place in St Brigid's at 10:30am; there are no services in All Saints' during this month.

Readings for this week’s services can be found on the Church of Ireland website.

SPECIAL SERVICES

BAPTISM

By arrangement with the Rector. Parents of children to be baptised are required to take part in a short course of preparation. Normally, unless there are exceptional circumstances, all baptisms will take place at a regular Sunday morning service. In baptism we welcome a new person into the fellowship of the Church therefore it is usually much more meaningful when representatives of the parish family can be present.

CONFIRMATION

Details announced in church and in our weekly e-newsletter, The Weekly Word.

MARRIAGE

Those wishing to get married in St Brigid's or All Saints' should contact the Rector in order to agree a date (please give plenty of notice). At least one of the parties to the wedding needs to have been baptised and be a member of the Church of Ireland or a church in communion with it.

If either or both parties are divorced and their previous partners are still living; the Bishop’s opinion must also be sought before the marriage is solemnised. Couples MUST then visit the Civil Registrar by appointment, giving at least three months notice of their intention to marry. Giving more notice is recommended. The couple can visit any civil registrar office in the country, but must visit together and in person. The couple will be required to bring certain documentation. (Ask the Rector or see the website www.groireland.ie/getting_married)

When the registrar is satisfied that all required details have been provided and that the couple are free to marry, a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) will be issued to the couple, this is essentially a civil authorisation for the marriage to proceed. This document should be presented to the Rector as soon as possible, and certainly no less that 5 days prior to the wedding. Clergy need to check it for mistakes.

At the service the new act requires that each of the parties makes a positive declaration that they know of no impediment of kindred or affinity or other lawful hindrance to the marriage; this may be incorporated into the service or it may be made prior to the service. At the end of the service the Marriage Registration Form (MRF) will be signed by the solemniser, the couple and the witnesses, and given to the couple. The completed Marriage Registration Form should be posted back to the registry office. The couple are responsible for doing this.

FUNERAL

By arrangement with the Rector.

VISITING

If you, or someone you know, needs to be visited at home, please contact the Rector or the Parish Office

CHURCH OF IRELAND

WHAT IS THE CHURCH OF IRELAND?

The Church of Ireland is a province of the Christian Anglican Communion. Christianity is the world's largest religion, with upwards of 2 billion followers on every continent. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago.

What is Anglicanism? Anglicanism is one of the traditions, or expressions, of this Christian faith. Other Christian traditions include Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Protestant Churches, which include Lutheran, Baptist, and Pentecostal Churches. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English Church, but in the past two centuries the tradition has been adopted around the world. Now 85 million members are part of national or regional Churches that call themselves Anglican (or Episcopal in some countries) which collectively are known as the Anglican Communion.

Anglicans and Episcopalians the world over share aspects of their history, tradition and ways of worshipping. But no two churches are exactly alike even within a diocese, let alone a province or between countries. This unity in diversity is one of the things that make the Anglican Communion so special and such rich ground from which to change to world.

WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?

In keeping with Anglican theology, our beliefs and practices derive from Scripture, reason and tradition. We are Catholic in holding all the Christian faith in its fullness and being part of the one worldwide Church of God. We are Reformed in believing that the Church’s life should be aligned with Scripture and that the Church should only require its members to believe those doctrines to which Scripture bears witness.

'We are disciples of Jesus Christ, worshippers of God the Holy Trinity and subscribers to the Creeds of the early Church'.

We rejoice in the progress on unity made by the ecumenical movement and we seek to remove obstacles to full communion between Christians and to gain from the insight and experience of others.We provide a context in which people of diverse views on theology and liturgy can live and worship together.

'We regard worship as a priority for every Christian'.

In particular, we see the Holy Communion (the Eucharist) as the main way in which church members celebrate their love for God and for each other and become renewed as the Body of Christ for mission and service.

The Book of Common Prayer is a source of unity within the Church and an expression of a liturgical language, traditional and modern, which over the years has captivated people by its beauty and spiritual power. We see a direct relationship between the language of common prayer and the language of doctrine: the words that church members themselves pray and own become the expression of what the Church itself believes.

We affirm the ancient three–fold ministry of bishops, priests and deacons. The ordained ministry serves the whole people of God, to facilitate and encourage its members in their worship, and to enable each of them to identify their own particular ministry as baptised Christians.