APRIL 2021 - St Canice's Cathedral
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APRIL 2021
THE LOOM
The Parish Magazine of the Kilkenny Union of Parishes
The Dean’s Letter
DEAR FRIENDS, This issue:
There are at last murmurings from Leinster House that
churches will reopen for public worship, in some form, in The Dean's Letter
May. We await, what we hope will be good news on that PAGE 1
front. In the meantime we continue our weekly services on
local radio and online. Wednesday morning coffee is
proving very popular with parishioners and since Easter Dr Sympathies
Marsh has organised interesting speakers to join the zoom PAGE 2
session. Do feel free to log in for a friendly chat each
Wednesday morning at 10.30am. Thank you to all who
have taken it upon themselves to keep an eye on our Dean Norman Lynas
churches and to mow and weed churchyards. PAGE 3
New seating has now been installed in the Deanery
Orchard and the last of the LEADER funding is being
Coffee Morning
drawn down. We are particularly grateful to Elizabeth PAGE 4
Keyes who has continued to oversee the administration of
this project and to Tony Cooper for overseeing the
implementation of the plans. News Round-up &
Requests
I hope that before long we can see each other in person, PAGE 5
in the meantime, best wishes and every blessing,
DAVID Poetry and Prayer
PAGE 8
Contact Us
PAGE 10
THE LOOM PAGE 1
PARISH NEWS
Sympathies
We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Tristan, "For all those who woke this morning
Adam, Mary-Claire and the extended family of to the loneliness of bereavement,
the late Norman Lynas, sometime Dean of the empty bed or chair,
Ossory & Rector of the Kilkenny Group of an unaccustomed quietness,
Parishes. A private family funeral will take a life now incomplete.
place this weekend in Hillsborough, Co Down May they know your presence
and a memorial service in St Canice's in the stillness of the day,
Cathedral is planned at a later date. and through the love of friends
who offer their condolence.
We extend our sympathies also to Elizabeth And in the darker moments
Trayer & Leslie Moynan and the extended may they reach out to hold your hand
Moynan family on the death of their mother and feel the warmth of the One
Elizabeth. who has already passed from
death to life
We sympathise too with Margaret Matthews on to welcome others into
the recent death of her brother Noel Oxley in God’s Kingdom".
Monasterevin, Co Kildare.
Forthcoming Feast Days & Festivals
1 May Saint Philip & Saint James, Apostles
13th May Saint Matthias
14th May Ascension Day
23rd May Whitsun - Pentecost
31st May The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
THE LOOM PAGE 2
Dean Norman Lynas
We were all so saddened to learn of the death of Dean Norman Lynas earlier this month. He was
Dean of Ossory from 1991 through until 2010 and our hearts and our prayers go out to Mary-Claire,
Tristan & Adam.
The Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory, the Right Rev'd Michael Burrows writes of Norman...
“News of the death in the United States of Norman Lynas will undoubtedly and rightly cause a
wave of sadness to pass over Kilkenny .... yet that sadness will be accompanied by a myriad of
grateful memories. Our sadness is of course accentuated by our awareness of the extraordinarily
difficult times Norman and his family have experienced since his catastrophic accident last
summer. Reading online posts describing their courage, positivity, faith and resilience in the
intervening months has been an inspiration.
Inevitably we look back now at Norman through the lens of recent suffering, and our memory is
textured by the mood that Good Friday inevitably brings. Yet it is right that we remember Norman
as he really was and as we knew him - full of energy and ideas and faithfulness and fun. Norman
was a hard worker, a devoted priest and a kindly pastor .... and he was the life and soul of a good
party too. He loved to view the whole of life as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. He was a true
pastor, who shed godly cheerfulness but was never trite. People in situations of sadness and loss
welcomed his presence in the midst of their need. His impact on the wider civic life of Kilkenny was
remarkable.
Our hearts go out especially to Tristan (happily still in our midst In Kilkenny) and to Adam as they
mourn their father; we are conscious of how unspeakably difficult recent months have been for
them. They, and we, can be sustained by the memory of a larger-than-life figure, characterised by
generosity, whose priestly ministry cheered as well as sanctified so many of those with whom he
had to do. The ancient stones of St Canice’s will somehow know that they bear the footmarks of a
very fine dean. As a hymn sums it up regarding Norman and others like him -
‘These stones that have echoed their praises are holy,
and dear is the ground where their feet have once trod;
Yet here they confessed they were strangers and pilgrims,
and still they were seeking the city of God’".
THE LOOM PAGE 3
Weekly Coffee Mornings on Zoom Since Christmas, Coffee Hour has been a regular feature of parish life. We meet each Wednesday morning at 10.30 on Zoom. It’s a great opportunity to catch up and have a chat. We finish each meeting with a short act of worship. Coffee Hour returned for its post-Easter season with a slight change in format. In addition to conversation and worship, we now have visitors ‘dropping in’ to give a brief talk. The programme for the first four sessions of the new season looks like this: April 14th The Rev’d Maebh O’Herlihy OLM – Director of the Sacred Path Centre for Spirituality, Achill, spoke about the Sacred Path Centre on Achill Island. April 21st Canon Simon Mackenzie, Rector of Mid Argyll and Arran in the Scottish Episcopal Church, shared stories of his life and ministry in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. April 28th Ian Knowles, Icon painter and former director of the Bethlehem Icon School (calling from his home in the Italian alps). Ian will talk about his work painting icons and teaching icon painting. May 5th Christopher Whittick, former county archivist of East Sussex and a regular visitor to Ireland. Christopher will talk about some fascinating (and deliciously gossipy) letters sent from Kilkenny in the 1740s. THE LOOM PAGE 4
A neighbourhood museum
My name is Pauline O’Connell and I am an artist and past resident of
Wolfe Tone Street and am writing this piece in Loom as I have been
invited by The Butler Gallery to lead an art project in 2021 to
introduce the gallery to our neighbourhood.
The Butler Gallery wants to make the gallery feel like a comfortable
and welcoming space for our neighbours around John’s Street,
Michael Street, Wolfe Tone Street and John's Quay.
I want to explore the cultural context and the rich history of John's
Parish, and to see how the gallery can reflect this character, and our
community, but I need your help. I want to explore who’s who in the
locality, what established groups there are, what the new
demographic is and perhaps identify opportunities for participation
by having an informal chat with some of you from the St John’s
congregation. If you feel you can contribute in any way to this
exciting project, please contact me by Email: paulinefire@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Organ Spectacular at St Canice's Cathedral
I sometimes wonder what the collective noun for
organists would be. A pack of organists? A horde
of organists? Perhaps a murder? Truth be told, the
answer to this question might be redundant as
organists are not particularly social creatures one
might think. However, an online event might be
about to change this.
Hosted by UK’s former Shadow Chancellor, Ed
Balls and led by Francis Murton of Victoria College
Jersey and Royal College of Organists, St Canice’s
Cathedral is going to feature in an organ
showcase alongside the finest organs from around
the UK. Cathedral and Oxbridge Colleges organists
will all come together to play Grand Choeur
Dialogué by Eugéne Gigout. The mighty Bevington
organ of St Canice’s Cathedral will feature
alongside Coventry, Liverpool, Hereford
Cathedrals and Pembroke, Wellington and Selwyn
Colleges. The performance will take place on
Facebook and is hosted in aid of the charity Mind
and Help Musicians. Mind and Help Musicians
provides help, support and opportunities to
empower musicians at all stages of their lives.
THE LOOM PAGE 5
Sunday Worship
Sunday worship continues to be broadcast
every Sunday evening on Kilkenny Community
Radio at 5.30pm and we are getting great
cross community feedback from our listeners.
An audio link to the service is also uploaded
to facebook and sent out via our weekly Parish
events email.
St Lachtain's, Freshford
It’s great to see that the wonderful find at St Lachtain’s during excavations in 2010 are making the
news this month. On the 6th, of this month, Kilkenny Archaeology posted the following article:-
“Discovered during excavations in 2010 by Emma Devine outside the Romanesque west door of the
medieval parish church of Freshford, St Lachtain's, were fragments of two limestone cross-slabs.
Both were decorated with incised cross-shafts and fleur-de-lis, typical of the sorts of burial
monuments used by high-status Anglo-Normans in the 13th-14th century. The slabs appear to have
been in situ and had been used to cover a large stone-lined grave that had been dug through an
early medieval (C14 dated to 11th - mid-12th century) burial horizon that extended to the west of
the church. The slabs were well worn and polished from foot-traffic would have acted as coffin-
covers above the stone-lined grave”.
Once things get back to normal and museums are allowed to open, we can all see the grave slabs in
the fascinating St Lachtain's museum.
More Music at St Canice's
Last month we reported about Burnchurch
recording in the Cathedral for St Patrick’s
Day. Since then the Lady Desart choir came
to the Cathedral to film a video for their
recording of ‘Running with the Wolves” a
song from the Cartoon Saloon Wolfwalkers
Movie.
THE LOOM PAGE 6
Kilkenny volunteers required
Knitted Together II Project
Kilkenny County Council’s Arts Office are once again looking for volunteers around the county to
knit or crochet squares which will be joined together to create blankets for charities in both Africa
and at home in Kilkenny. Volunteers are asked to knit or crochet 8-inch squares (8 inches across by
8 inches down) using double knitting yarn and 4mm needles or 4mm crochet hooks.
The Arts office is organising online get-togethers and tutorials for anyone who wants to get
involved with this project ‘Knitted Together II’ and they will also help out with materials if people
are having difficulty sourcing wool or needles. Anyone who is interested in being part of the project
is asked to send an email to:: bernadette.roberts@kilkennycoco.ie
Some of the Kilkenny organisations that benefited from last year’s ‘knitathon’ were 'The Amber
Women’s Refuge'; 'The Good Shepherd Centre'; 'The O’Neill Centre'; 'St Canice’s Homes for the
Elderly'; 'The St Marys homes for the Elderly'.
Fundraising effort goes viral
Christian Aid recognises St John's Fundraising
Last month we reported on the amazing €500 raised by Hazel
Dickenson selling more than 150 pots of jam and homemade
marmalade. This story has traveled and been picked up by
Christian Aid Ireland who have featured Hazel and the St John's
Parish on their Facebook page and in their newsletter.
It is great to see this inspiring local initiative getting wider
recognition. Hopefully, others will find new and creative ways
to raise money for a charity that really does change lives around
the world.
Well Done Hazel and everyone at St John's!
THE LOOM PAGE 7
POETRY AND PRAYER
We’re in the Easter season, so I’ve chosen an Easter poem by the priest and poet, George Herbert.
He could have chosen the life of nobility at the royal court, instead, he became a parish priest. The
other day, straining at the leash of our 5km lock-down, I heard a lark singing high in the sky and
was reminded of this poem. Richard Marsh
EASTER WINGS – GEORGE HERBERT
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.
My tender age in sorrow did beginne
And still with sicknesses and shame.
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel thy victorie:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.
The first thing we notice is the shape of the poem. It’s meant to remind us of the lark’s wings, or
perhaps an angel’s wings. Herbert reflects on the human fall into sinfulness as loss, decay and
poverty, but Jesus’ resurrection transforms the fall into something victorious and worth singing
about. The resurrection changes everything and makes the meaninglessness of the human fall full
of joyful meaning. The word imp may be a bit unfamiliar, but it comes from the world of falconry
and it means repairing the broken wing of a hawk or falcon by attaching or splinting another
feather. So we are healed by Christ’s resurrection.
IF YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE POEM OR PRAYER, PLEASE DO SHARE IT WITH US
THE LOOM PAGE 8
POETRY AND PRAYER Pray of the month Lockdown has sometimes brought with it a narrowing of vision. A 5km horizon can do that, it’s hardly surprising. Even being able to travel in-county can bring a sense of being closed-in. It can affect our prayer life. That, too can become a little introspective. So sometimes it’s not a bad idea to get a little help in broadening our horizons, of looking beyond the immediacy of our life in the world of Covid. There are some people who have the gift of writing prayers that help us reframe ourselves and engage with God’s wonderful work. St Anselm, an 11th Century Italian monk who ended up as Archbishop of Canterbury is one of those people. He writes prayers about things that can be overlooked. In this simple prayer of intercession, he places into God’s care people who are in trouble or burdened. It’s deceptively simple. Pray it slowly, linger over each line and draw close both to those for whom we pray and to God himself. Richard Marsh For the afflicted and distressed O Lord, we bring you the troubles and perils of peoples and nations, the sighing of prisoners and captives, the sorrows of the bereaved, the needs of strangers, the helplessness of the weak, the tiredness of the weary, the failing powers of the aged. O Lord, draw near to each; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. IF YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE POEM OR PRAYER, PLEASE DO SHARE IT WITH US THE LOOM PAGE 9
CONTACT US May Loom: We would love to include your news, poems and prayers for the next edition of The Loom. Please can you get these to the Dean before Monday 24th May. Dean: The Very Rev’d David MacDonnell, Dean of Ossory dean@stcanicescathedral.com 056-7721516 Vicar: The Rev’d Dr Richard Marsh, Bishop’s Vicar vicar@stcanicescathedral.com 089-2451601 Parish Phone : 087-1647173 Cathedral Interim Administrator: Mr Nicolaas Dool administrator@stcanicescathedral.com 056 -7764971 / 085-2527787 Director of Music: Mr Bartosz Thiede Music@stcanicescathedral.com Dean’s Verger & Sexton: Ms Vivien Thompson sexton@stcanicescathedral.com Website: www.stcanicecathedral.com Parish Facebook Page: Kilkenny Parish Union Cathedral Facebook Page: St Canice’s Cathedral & Round Tower THE LOOM PAGE 10
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