Volume 22 Issue 4 - Taney Parish website

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Refugee Families of BethlehemThe Parish of Taney continues to provide help in various ways to therefugee families of Bethlehem. As a direct result of our Appeal after‘Candlelight Carols’ last December our help focused on educationalmedical and financial needs of ordinary families• School bags, books, paper, writing materials to some fifty children• Physiotherapy for a severely disabled mother, Sa’ada• diabetic monitors – to help meet the high incidence of diabetes inthe Camps. For one child, we provided an ‘Insulin pen’ so that shecould administer her own medication• For two children in one family, a girl (7yrs) and a boy (5yrs) whoare blind, we have supplied a Perkins Braille printer, not otherwiseavailable. This will enable them to go to the local school for the firsttime with other children. Their parents, like many others have nowork and no source of income• Dental Care for several children and emergency financial help fordiagnosis and medication is ongoing.With your help, lives have been enhanced.… and GazaWe continue our support of the work and ministry of Middle East Councilof Churches Committee for Refugee work (NECCCRW) in the crowded,inhospitable camps of the Gaza Strip. Last year, Taney gave €2000 toNECCCRW and its Director, Constantine Dabbagh to assist their vitalwork amongst one million refugees in one of the most crowded placeson earth. We also applied to Bishops Appeal who granted a further€15,000 towards their work and witness. In Gaza, the small ChristianCommunity of some 2,500 people make a significant contribution to bringmuch needed assistance amongst one and a half million people, mostlyMuslims, who are prisoners behind high security boundaries. Last yearwhen Jennifer and I visited Gaza following the war, we saw the vital helpgiven by NECCCRW in their Mother and Child Health Care Centres, in theirMedical and Pharmacy Clinics and mobile Dental Units. In their Centrein Gaza city courses are organised in Secretarial and Language Studies,Dress-making and Computing. In other Centres along the Gaza Strip jobtraining, trades, motor and engineering are combined with the teachingof technical subjects, English language, physics and maths. All of thesecourses are open to men and women from the Refugee Camps and areprovided by NECCCRW completely free of charge.Our gift at ChristmasAll proceeds from the Receptionafter Carols by Candlelighton Sunday 19th December at7.00pm will go directly towardsthe specific needs of Refugeefamilies in Bethlehem & Gaza. Itis our message of Peace to themas we convey our concern andtangible help. Any contributiontowards this appeal may bemade through Taney Parish,marked ‘Children of BethlehemAppeal’.page 8 Taney News Winter 2010
Inter-Faith Summit at Farmleigh and the ArasThursday October 28th, I was invited to participate in a discussioninvolving leaders of Irish Abrahamic faiths, Christians, Muslims andJews. Along with Siraj Zaidi, a Shia Muslim from Milltown Mosque,we represented the Three Faiths Forum. Among those present wereCardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop Alan Harpur, who with Dr SusanHood was instrumental in initiating the conference, the President ofthe Methodist Church, Rev. Paul Kingston, the Presbyterian Moderator,Rev. Norman Hamilton, Rabbi Lent from the Jewish Community, ImamSheik Halawa, (Sunni Muslims from Clonskeagh and Sheik Ali Saleh(Shia Muslims from Milltown Mosque) along with a number of othermembers of each faith. The setting was Farmleigh House wherethe host was Dermot McCarthy, Secretary General of the Departmentof the Taoiseach, with lunch in Aras an Uachtarain, hosted by thePresident, Mary McAleese and Dr. Martin McAleese.The first session focussed on Peace as we understand it in ourdiffering traditions, with reflections from Rabbi Lent, Cardinal Bradyand Sheikh Halawa (Clonskeagh). Following group discussions,the next session was on ‘widening experiences and focussed on theChallenges and Opportunities for faith traditions in an increasinglydiverse and secular Ireland. Following lunch, the final session beganwith an address by Dr. Martin McAleese giving his perspective onworking with people who have made their own journeys to peaceand his own contribution to dialogue and reconciliation on theisland of Ireland. He spoke movingly of his own often lonely andsometimes dangerous journey to help build bridges, reaching out toall communities but particularly the loyalist paramilitary communitiesin the North. When Mary McAleese was elected President in 1997she declared the theme of her Presidency “Building Bridges”. He feltthat unless we reached out to all communities, the Peace process maynot succeed with paramilitaries and their communities left outside.In making those contacts, often finding himself in a lonely place, hefollowed several principles which were the basis of dialogue. Theseprinciples included following ones instinct, finding commonality,taking risks, moving outside comfort zones, doing the unexpected,offering solidarity and reassurance. These six principles are the basisof a relationship built on trust. Trust in a recognition of being generousto each other. Trust encourages us to move beyond stated points.I felt that these principles could apply to dialogue in any situation,within the family, at work, Inter Church and between faiths.Irish Hindus celebrate‘Festival of Light’ in TaneyOver two weekends, the Hinducommunity of Ireland celebrated‘Diwali’. First, the India Clubbrought their community togetherjoined by the Indian Ambassadorand his wife in Taney Parish Centre.Then, on Saturday November6th, Jennifer and I called into theParish Centre to wish some twohundred and fifty members of theIrish Hindu Cultural Society a joyfulFestival. For the Hindus, Diwali islike Christmas for Christians. All ofthem had celebrated the ‘Festival ofLight’ with 2,500 of their Hindu Faithmembers in the early afternoonin R.D.S. They continued theirFestival here with dinner, musicand dancing for all the families.Wearing their colourful nationalcostumes, their music was a mixof Indian, Western and Irish. Forme, this gathering demonstratedan Irish Hindu communitywhich is young, cosmopolitan,confident and integrationist. ForHindus, Diwali celebrates thelight of knowledge overcomingthe darkness of ignorance. DrRowan Williams, Archbishop ofCanterbury, remembers some interfaithdiscussions between Christiansand Hindus which helped us allperceive each others belief systemsmore clearly. One of their leadersspoke about how this world wasnothing but two-fold divisionbetween good and evil. Anotherspoke about a Trinity of God, souland nature. We Christians spokeabout the three cosmic dimensions,of God, as Father, son and HolySpirit – dimensions that we believeshape all creation. During a breakfor more personal reflection, oneof the Hindus, anticipating Diwali,(their Festival of Light) spokeabout the light in each person andsaid “the lamp is burning but thechimney is full of soot.” He spokeabout the power of prayer to clearaway darkness and bring light. AsHindus have just celebrated Diwali,I pass on their message of peaceand light to you.Taney News Winter 2010 page 9
Page 1 and 2: Volume 22 Issue 4Christmas and New
Page 4 and 5: Letter from the Rector (cont)Taney
Page 6: Services for Winter9th January1st S
Page 9: Mothers’ UnionWhen you are charis
Page 13 and 14: Parish NewsDiocesan SynodsThe Paris
Page 15 and 16: Parish NewsSt. Nahi’sOn Remembran
Page 17 and 18: Youth NewsTaney Primary SchoolWell
Page 19 and 20: From the RegistersBaptism29th Augus

Volume 22 Issue 4 - Taney Parish website

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