Parishes across the dioceses continue to find inventive ways of worship and fellowship, using internet and phones.
Below are just a few of them – this list is being constantly updated. If your parish is doing something online and it is not listed – please let us know.
Bishop Pat Storey
Bishop Pat is posting reflections by video on our diocesesan website and Facebook page – usually on Sunday afternoons.
She has also preached at a number of parish Sunday services, via Zoom and video.
Athlone Union
The rector, Rev William Steacy, has recorded and posted a number of services on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Athlone-Union-of-Parishes-Church-of-Ireland-285981655452151/ .
He is going to record a Morning Prayer Service for this Sunday (5th in Lent) and for 5th April (Palm Sunday).
It will be posted on their Facebook page ‘Athlone Union of Parishes’ at 6pm on Saturday 28th March and Saturday 4th April.
Castlepollard & Oldcastle
Members of the parish are encouraging each other by phone & texts. On the morning of 25th March, for example, everyone got a text alert just before 11am to join in the world-wide call to pray the Lord’s prayer.
Dunboyne and Rathmolyon Group
The rector, Eugene Griffin posts a 2 minute blog on Facebook every morning, just in time for the coffee break. It can be found on the parish Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pg/Dunboyne-and-Rathmolyon-Group-Church-of-Ireland-1464339557177699/about/?ref=page_internal
Rev Eugene intends to keep this going for the duration and will be putting up additional material in the run up to Easter.
Edenderry Union
Regular updates to the Parish Facebook page including posts regarding worship opportunities online, on radio and television.
Regular messages through the Parish text system.
A suggestion to put a green branch on your door or window from Palm Sunday to Good Friday has been shared.
A set of daily reflections from Palm Sunday to Easter Day are being sent by text, email and hard copy as a way of supporting our worship and staying connected through this Holy Week.
Geashill and Killeigh
Geasill and Killeigh are using landlines to make contact with parishioners as some have no Internet and do not use mobile phones. They seem delighted to hear a voice they know, especially if they are living alone.
- Visit www.mcnmedia.tv
- Select Republic of Ireland / Co Offaly
- Select Lawless Funeral Home, Tullamore. Co Offaly
Julianstown
Each morning at 10.30am the rector of Julianstown, Rev Katharine Poulton, leads an act of worship online. You can share in this on their parish Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/churchofirelandjulianstown/
Kells Union
The rector, Rev William Seale, makes a service of worship available each week, for the duration. It is distributed by email. He is also sending out a practical letter to parishioners. Attention is also drawn to the prayer and worship resources (https://www.ireland.anglican.org/prayer-worship) on the Church of Ireland website, and to the Church of Ireland Daily Prayer app.
The rector is also recording Sunday services and distributing the videos via the parish email list. It is also being posted on the diocesan website.
Mountmellick Group of Parishes
The parish website mountmellickgroupofparishes.ie has the following:
- Prayers for use during the Covid – 19 crisis
- A simple form of the daily office for each day of the week, Morning and Evening
- An audiocast of a short 20 minute service for Sunday.
- During Holy Week there will be an audiocast of a short evening service with a Reflection for each day.
- Sunday Service Audiocast
- School Assembly Audiocast
- Holy Week Audiocasts
-
Prayer for the Day Audiocasts
The parish also keeps its Facebook page updated regularly. https://www.facebook.com/Mountmellick.Group.of.Parishes/
Mullingar Union
Mullingar Union are now using webcam and live messages which are available on their parish Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mullingarunionofparishes.net/
Live broadcasts will continue each Sunday at 12 noon.
It is also intended to have a prayerful message from Rev. Alastair Graham going out each evening at 8pm and a live broadcast on Good Friday at 8pm
The parish website is also regularly updated: http://mullingarunionofparishes.net/
‘Candlelight Prayer Movement’: Members of Mullingar Union of Parishes are being encouraged to light a candle each evening at 7.00 p.m. to pray to God for help with the crisis the world is in.
It is a symbol to show that God’s love, life and hope is never overtaken by the darkness that surrounds us. Our hope is that through prayer we may all find peace, healing and assurance in God’s love and protection.
Full details are available on the parish website here http://mullingarunionofparishes.net/index.php/lighten-our-darkness/
‘Let’s keep talking project’ encourages everyone to keep in touch with God through prayer and bible reading and through telephone calls to keep in touch with family, friends, neighbours and parishioners.
- A booklet has been produced by the parish ‘Prayerful thoughts and comforting words at a time of National Crisis’ and has been sent to everyone living in the parish and available online to members of the wider community. Hard Copies are available on request. http://mullingarunionofparishes.net/index.php/2020/03/18/prayerful-thoughts-and-comforting-words-at-a-time-of-national-crisis/
- A number of parishioners have also volunteered to keep a regular contact with neighbours and people living in the parish and wider community.
Naas Union
Naas Union are providing the following online services at www.naasuion.com
Sunday services available via podcast every Sunday.
For Holy Monday to Holy Saturday:
8.00am each day Four minute Holy week devotions
Maundy Thursday: 7.00pm videocast from St. Davids
Good Friday 8.00pm Good Friday Tenebrae meditation
Easter Sunday 8.00am Easter video celebration from St. Davids.
Navan Union
A number of mini editions of the Parish newsletter have been published and distributed by email – giving lots of practical advice on rising to the challenge of the Covid – 19 pandemic.
Navan Union will be recording Services and uploading them onto YouTube and Facebook.
Newbridge and Kildare Union
Newbridge and Kildare are using their Facebook pages to put something interesting every couple of days rather than bombard the site with constant posts. The page aims to be encouraging so various hymns and prayers are posted there. https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofIrelandservingIkildareandnewbridge/
Rev Fran Grasham has compiled a list of online resources for teens and families. It can be found here: https://www.meathandkildare.org/news/item/1307-online-resources-for-worship
The Union have created their own YouTube channel. This will make it easier to follow their online worship services and to access any other video they produce.
To subscribe it’s Tim Wright, Dean of Kildare. You can find their YouTube channel by clicking here.
Subscribing to a user on YouTube means you no longer have to wait to discover the latest news about your favorite YouTube channels. When you subscribe to a channel, you can check a box in the subscription form that allows YouTube to send you email updates each time the user uploads a new video.
Dean Tim Wright is writing a weekly newsletter / blog which is being sent out by email to around 80 people.
Portarlington Union
A daily service of Morning Prayer takes place at 10am on Portarlington Union of Parishes Facebook page. https://bit.ly/2wkHeh0
The rector (Archdeacon Leslie Stevenson) leads a service via Zoom on Sunday at 10.30am. The parish are inviting everyone on their electronic list to download and join in. The service will be recorded and then people can watch it later.
Each evening at 10 pm during Holy Week the Rector, archdeacon Leslie Stevenson will lead a service of Compline via Facebook live. Compline is a quiet reflective service at the end of the day. It can be found on page 154 of the Church of Ireland’s Book of Common Prayer. Alternatively you can find the text online at https://www.ireland.anglican.org/…/files/w…/pdf/Compline.pdf
Trim and Athboy Group of Parishes
The rector, Dean Paul Bogle, is putting up a reflection, reading and prayers for Sundays on the parish website trimandathboy.com
https://www.facebook.com/trimandathboy/
Tullamore Union of Parishes
- Visit www.mcnmedia.tv
- Select Republic of Ireland / Co Offaly
- Select Lawless Funeral Home, Tullamore. Co Offaly
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion Office is recording services for each Sunday with contributions from around the world for its YouTube channel. See www.anglicancommunion.org/worship
Each service goes up at 7pm (Greenwich mean time) on Saturdays. They are interested in:
- any recorded acts of worship from which it can extract worship songs for use in these videos (with all relevant permissions)
- readers who would be happy to record a Bible reading (with a view to representing a range of languages and countries)
If this is of interest, please email Gavin Drake at news@anglicancommunion.org
Thanks to Rev Fran Grasham (now Geasihill and Killeigh) and Newbridge & Kildare Union for providing the following online resources for families and teens.
Families
A 2 page sheet of story, craft and ideas: https://www.gloucester.anglican.org/your-ministry/children-youth-and-families/growing-together/
Online children’s worship songs:https://www.youtube.com/user/worshipforeveryone
Engage Worship are adding a new family prayer/worship activity each day: https://engageworship.org/engage-at-home-daily-family-prayer-and-worship-activities
Fischy Music are doing an online assembly at 11am today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcPYmV-2DY4
One Way UK are best known for their Puppet Ministry, but in these extraordinary times they have collated a whole range of sites & resources to support children, youth & family ministry: https://onewayuk.com/resources
Teens
Socially distant worship club by Rend Collective can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVIGO6_-2Lw
- any recorded acts of worship from which it can extract worship songs for use in these videos (with all relevant permissions)
- readers who would be happy to record a Bible reading (with a view to representing a range of languages and countries)
If this is of interest, please email Gavin Drake at news@anglicancommunion.org