Christmas is not a jolly time for everyone. If you are someone who finds Christmas tough going, Saint Anne’s Church, Shandon, Cork invites you to a ‘Blue Christmas’ on Wednesday, 14th December at 7.30 p.m.
A ‘Blue Christmas’ will be a quiet reflective Service to help people connect with the comfort and hope at the heart of the Christmas story while acknowledging that this is not a joyous time for everyone, for whatever reason: bereavement, loneliness, anxiety or loss, for example. All Welcome!
The Church of Ireland parish of Ballydehob Union in West Cork, which includes the churches at both Ballydehob and Aughadown is hosting a children’s Christmas event called: The Great Adventure to Bethlehem.
This seasonal fun-filled festive morning will take place on Saturday 17th December , from 10am-12pm, in Ballydehob Community Hall. The cost for the morning is €3 per child and all children of primary school age are welcome to attend. The morning will include a Bible Story, Games, Christmas Craft, Snack, and Songs.
More information please contact either: the Rev. Steve McCann on 028 37117, 087 147 8300, ballydehobrector@gmail.com, or Esther Stevenson on 086 8442954.
Cork’s first Christmas Tree Festival was held from 2nd to 4th December in the Church of Ireland Parish of Carrigrohane Union, based at the three parish churches: St Peter’s, Carrigrohane, St Senan’s, Inniscarra and The Church of the Resurrection, Blarney. It was a wonderful and very happy venture.
Each church had a Prayer Tree (Redeemer, Treasure and Immanuel trees) – with shapes for people to write their own prayer and decorate the trees. Extra shapes had to be made each day as so many people took this opportunity to pray! Each church also had a Giving Tree (Poverty, Myrrh and Fruit trees) – with an opportunity for people to bring gifts of non-perishable foodstuffs for St Vincent de Paul. There was also a ‘homeless’ tree outside each church – which stopped many of people in their tracks on the way in – and a Refugee tree outside St Senan’s which included a deflated dinghy.
‘Sleeping rough’ – one of the Christmas Trees at Cork’s First Christmas Tree Festival In Carrigrohane Union of Parishes.
Approximately a thousand people attended the weekend, including the very special occasion of the opening on 1 December in St Senan’s to which all participants, sponsors and parishioners were invited.
Groups and individuals from the parish, from local schools, businesses and community groups decorated or created the 60 trees that filled the 3 buildings – basing their decoration around a Bible verse that each had been allocated. So the trees themselves told the story of Christmas! It was such an inspiration, blessing and a help to have so many people, from across the parish and right across the community, involved.
Many people visited all 3 churches, some arriving to their first venue intending that to be the only one they visited, but decided they had to find time to get to the others before closing time! Every church was gorgeous – and each one had its own feel and atmosphere.
Music (some recorded and lots of ‘live’ musicians giving so generously of their time and talents) was enjoyed in the background and a cuppa was available to enjoy along the way. Each church also had a ‘sheep hunt’ – with 10 sheep (many knitted!) hiding. Children had a sheet to complete with the names of the hidden sheep – and a couple of golden chocolate coins as a reward at the end of each hunt.
Some of the trees made people smile, some brought forth gasps of admiration and amazement, some were reflective and still others were moving and poignant. The Festival was like harnessing the glitz and bringing everyone right to the heart of the real Good News of Christmas.
Here is the gallery of photographs of the Christmas Tree Festival:
The parishioners of Saint Mary’s Church, Carrigaline, in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, are mounting a live crib next weekend – on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th December (2 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day). The event, called ‘The Road to Bethlehem’, is open to all and the admission charge of €5 for adults (children free) will go to local charities including Cork Penny Dinners, Cork St Vincent de Paul and Cork Simon Community. As well as the Nativity Pageant with live animals there will be carol singing, music, teas, coffees, mulled wine and lots more.
The Church of Ireland Carrigrohane Union of Parishes, which include the three parish churches of St Peter’s, Carrigrohane, The Church of the Resurrection, Blarney and St Senan’s, Inniscarra is hosting what it believes to be the first Christmas Tree Festival in Cork. It will run from Friday next 2nd December until Sunday, 4th December at the Church of Ireland churches in Carrigrohane, Blarney and Inniscarra.
Each venue will host part of a trail of imaginatively decorated Christmas trees that, together, tell the Christmas story in a new and wonderful way. The trees have started to arrive today and there is lots of interest, including from TV.
Fifty-five school and community groups are involved in decorating the trees. The groups come from across Carrigrohane/Ballincollig, Blarney and Inniscarra areas. Participating groups will be provided with a verse from the Christmas story on which to base the decoration of their tree – so there will be all kinds of styles and interpretations! Full details are available on the Christmas Tree Website.
A free souvenir programme will be produced that explains all the trees – and will include advertisements for all the local business that have sponsored the Festival.
The Festival will be open to the public and there will be no entrance fee. There will be voluntary donation boxes available to support the churches’ on-going work, including local community activities, and the festival partnership with St Vincent de Paul food bank.
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