Groups

Parents are welcome to enroll their sons and daughters to serve Mass on Sundays and at other special liturgies during the year.  Boys and girls in 5th and 6th class who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation are particularly welcome. New Altar servers welcome.  Contact: Ray Johns.  Phone No: 01 298 4642

We have a wonderful baptism team who make every effort to welcome families and their children who request baptism. The Baptism Team host a preparation meeting and assist with the celebration of Baptism. We ask Families with a child for Baptism to give a month’s notice to the secretary of the Parish. They are then invited to participate in a pre-Baptismal meeting with the priest and some members of the Baptismal team.

All children baptized during the year are invited back to a Mass and refreshments on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, on the following January. At present, we have 11 members who work in groups of three on a rota basis every three months.

We meet as a team twice a year to review, plan and pray.

Contact for Team: Bridget Noone. Tel: 01 298 1542

The Bethany Bereavement Support Group is a voluntary Parish ministry which aims to provide support to the bereaved and those suffering from loss of any kind. We offer support to bereaved people by listening to them. Many Bethany members have themselves been bereaved. They are trained to listen with understanding. They accept those suffering loss as they are, and support them through the grieving process. Have you lost someone you loved? If you have, you are not alone; we are only a phone call away to support you. Contact:  Kathleen 086 1012956

The first step can seem a little daunting. Put your doubts aside and ask to be admitted. We are a small, dedicated group of men and women with a common interest. Choir rehearsal facilitates relaxation, companionship, renewal, and a respite from the chores and tiredness of daily routine. We meet on Wednesdays at 7:15pm in the Parish Pastoral Center for one hour and we sing at the 12.00 noon Mass on Sunday. New members of all ages are always welcome. No previous knowledge is needed, just enthusiasm and a love of music. Contact: Siobhan Dempsey. Tel: 01 298 7268 or the Parish Office.

The Parish Communications Team develop communications with parishioners through our Newsletter and Website etc. Contact: Sean O’Connell. Tel: 086 602 3770 . E-Mail: seanboc2008@gmail.com

In 1992 the Image of Jesus Divine Mercy was placed in the Church. Since then parishioners have been praying in the Chaplet of Mercy, the 3:00pm prayer and the Rosary to make atonement and to implore God’s mercy on the world. Since 2000, the Feast of Mercy has been also celebrated in our Parish. To respond to this great and merciful gift and to know how to do so, the handbook of Devotion to Divine Mercy is available on the Church book rack. All are welcome at 3pm, Monday to Friday.  Contact: Anne Rochfort  Tel:  01 298 5403

Eucharistic Adoration takes place weekdays 10.30am – 7pm, Sundays 1.30pm – 5pm. Public Holidays 10.30 – 12pm. It takes place in the adoration chapel which is situated at the top right hand side of the church off the transept.  A roster is in place to ensure that two or three people are present at all time. People are welcome to visit at anytime.

The Family Offering Collectors deliver and collect envelopes for the weekly Family Offering Collection. They also distribute our Christmas and Easter cards and other Parish letters.

Mass Collectors along with the other collectors, provide a very trusted service.

Our Finance Advisory Committee was set up in 2000. It comprises of eleven members including the Parish Priest and curate.

The role of the Committee is to:
• Assist the Parish Priest in overseeing and managing the financial affairs of the Parish.
•Review the Annual Appeal Report.
•Review the audited accounts of the Parish finances.
•Consider proposals for renovations and maintenance of Parish buildings and facilities.
•Make recommendations on the behalf of tax relief schemes for the benefit of the Parish.

Contact: Liam O’Brien (Chairperson). Tel: 01 298 7271

The flower arrangements in our church are maintained by a small team of dedicated people. The flowers create a sense of beauty in the church at all times and especially for seasonal liturgies and weddings. This ministry blends the creative with the spiritual. Contributions for flowers for the church are always appreciated.  Contact: Francisca Larkin. Tel: 01 298 9025

The Funeral Team was set up in 2005. Churchtown has many funerals and the team was set up to assist the parish by visiting the families, and helping them to prepare the liturgy. We also try to be present on the morning of the funeral, and to be available, if needed, to go to the Crematorium or Cemetery.  Contact: Parish Office. Tel: 01 298 4642

This involves hovering, sweeping, dusting and cleaning brasses in the Church. We urgently need new members (men and women). Time commitment: one hour every Monday (this would decrease to every 2nd or 3rd week, if we got more members).  Contact: Parish Office. Tel: 01 298 4642

The Hospitality Group provides tea and light refreshments in the Parish Centre after the 10:00am Mass and also for various celebrations. We need volunteers to help with the organizing of these refreshments from time to time.

Our Lady Queen of Peace Praesidium was established in March 2002. Its work includes the visitation of homes and sometimes invites people to take the status of Our Blessed Lay for a week. It encourages visits to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel to implore God’s grace for all especially families and vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

We normally meet on Tuesday evenings at 8pm in the parish center. Anyone 18 years and older are very welcome to come for a period of time to experience the work before making a commitment to join. Contact: Mary McEvoy. Phone No: 01 298 7419

The Liturgy is the summit and the source of our Christian life. It is very important that we take time as a parish to prepare our liturgies well. There are 10 members of the group who represent different aspects of liturgical ministry such as Ministers of the Word, Ministers of Holy Communion, Hospitality and Music. We would welcome new members to the group. We meet once a month to plan the liturgies according to the liturgical year ie. Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent and of course the high point of the liturgical year, Easter.  Contact: Valerie Somers. Tel: 01 298 5485  or  087 990 8840

Ministers of Holy Communion are appointed to help with the distribution of Holy Communion at Mass. Some Ministers also bring Holy Communion to the sick, elderly or housebound in their homes. We have an afternoon of prayer, reflection and planning in our Parish Centre which takes place twice a year, before Advent and Lent.  Contact: Valerie Somers. Phone: 01 298 5485 or 087 990 8840

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS

The Parish has 45 Ministers of the Word who read at Mass on Sundays and weekdays. They take turn on a rota-basis. We would welcome new Readers to proclaim the Word of God. Contact: Mary Redmond. Tel: 01-298 6313

The role of the Parish Representative is to promote awareness of the Church’s Child Protection Policies and to liaise with the Diocesan Director of Child Protection. Our parish representative is Billy Campbell and he can be contacted on 087 174 4921.

E-Mail: info@goodshepherdchurchtown.ie

The Pioneer Total Abstinence was founded by Fr. John Cullen in 1899 to promote temperance at a time when Ireland was suffering from great abuse of alcohol. The members of the Association undertake to abstain from alcoholic drink themselves, and pray for the healing of all who suffer from abuse of alcohol, to pray for reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the sins of intemperance. Membership is open to adults and teenagers. It is hoped to re-launch our Parish Association and to enroll new members. Contact: Anne Lyng. Tel: 01 298 1029

The Rosary Group prays the Rosary at 9:20am in the Church, Monday – Saturday. This is followed by the Morning Prayer of the Church. All are very welcome to attend.

This is a social group which meets every Thursday at 2.30pm in the Parish Centre to play bingo. The members also enjoy an annual outing and a Christmas dinner.

St. Joseph’s Young Priests Society prays for vocations to the priesthood and religious life and provides financial assistance to students for the priesthood at home and abroad. The Churchtown branch meets in the Parish Centre on the second Monday of every month (except August) after the 10:00am Mass. Everyone is welcome to any of our monthly meetings.  Contact: Ann Maher. Tel: 01 493 0095

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Christian voluntary organisation, working with poor and disadvantaged people. Inspired by our principal founder, Frederic Ozanam, and our patron St. Vincent de Paul, we seek to respond to the call every Christian receives to bring the love of Christ to those in need:”I was hungry and you gave me food”(Matthew 25). No work of charity is foreign to the Society. We are involved in a diverse range of activities characterised by support and friendship, promoting self-sufficiency and working for social justice.

The conference of the Good Shepherd meets every Tuesday at 6.45pm in the Parish Centre, followed by visitations to people in need of support and assistance. Our funds are raised through monthly Church Collections and the annual Christmas appeal. New volunteers are most welcome.