News & Events

Letter to Parishioners

 

Dear Parishioners,

 

It is over a year and a half since I arrived in Donnybrook as your Parish Priest in September 2009. I greatly appreciate the warm welcome I have received and gradually I am getting to know you all! Before the summer holiday season begins, I want to communicate with you regarding a number of matters:

 

CLUSTERING OF PARISHES

At present, there are about 200 parishes in the Archdiocese of Dublin. As the number of priests is declining, it is proposed to ‘cluster’ these parishes into about 70 administrative groupings over the coming years. It is important to note that parishes will not lose their identity and there is no imminent change envisaged for our parish. However, we do need to reflect on this issue. The boundaries of Donnybrook Parish are touched by nine other parishes, and in the autumn our Parish Pastoral Council will be conducting a Consultation to ascertain which of these parishes Donnybrook would prefer to cluster with in due course.

 

PARISH CENSUS

There are over 4200 households in Donnybrook Parish, but we have family names for less than a third of these, and many of our records are inaccurate or out of date. Furthermore, there is no Information Technology in the parish. Therefore, it is proposed to conduct a simple Parish Census in the autumn so as to establish an accurate and up to date Data Base of every Catholic household in the parish. This will also help us to improve communication with parishioners, including e-mail. A Census Core Group has been established under the auspices of the Parish Pastoral Council and has already done an amount of preparatory work on the Parish Census.    

 

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

During the coming years, we will have to do a lot of work on our buildings and grounds:

  • The Parish Centre is in very bad condition and will require considerable work to bring it up to an acceptable standard. It will also require a management structure to ensure that it is run and maintained in an efficient and professional manner.
  • Our Church also needs significant work, including the roofs & gutters, the electrical installation, the central heating system and the drains. The interior of the church requires redecoration and even the carpet in the sanctuary is threadbare!
  • The Car Park (front & rear) requires re-surfacing and the marking out of parking spaces, particularly for the disabled and the elderly.       The traffic management system in front of the church also needs to be reviewed.
  • The Parochial House requires refurbishment. It is hoped to make it the ‘hub’ of parish life both in terms of the administration of the parish and in providing simple hospitality. With this in mind, I plan to live in the three rooms on the top floor, while the main floor will be available for parish use including a new Parish Office, a modern kitchen and a hospitality area. The basement will be used for storage, archives and one or two meeting rooms. At present, I am living in a flat on Booterstown Avenue and commute to Donnybrook several times a day, which is not satisfactory. Contrary to some popular rumour, I am anxious to move into the Parochial House as soon as possible.

 

PARISH SECRETARY

Our Parish Secretary, Agnes Cassidy, retired the day before I arrived in Donnybrook having given long and loyal service to the parish. She was not replaced and in the meantime I have been doing all the parish secretarial work from my desk in Booterstown. The Parish Finance Committee has now authorised the employment of a Parish Secretary as soon as possible and it is hoped that s/he will take up duty in the new Parish Office (in the Parochial House) during the summer.

 

PARISH FINANCES

When I arrived in Donnybrook, we owed almost €100,000 to the Bank and to various creditors. By doing without a Parish Secretary and by effecting other savings, most of this debt has now been cleared. Full details of our accounts for the Financial Year ending 30th June 2011 will be published in the autumn. Clearly, the building works outlined above will require considerable expenditure during the coming years, but if everybody contributes a little it should not be too great a burden to carry. The people of Donnybrook are consistently generous in their contributions to the parish and to other worthy causes. However, a large proportion of what you contribute goes to the diocese, leaving us with very little to run the parish and to carry out essential development works. This matter is being carefully analysed by the Parish Finance Committee and full details will be provided in the autumn with as much transparency as possible.

 

FIVE YEAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Our beautiful Church was opened in 1866 which means that we will be celebrating its 150th Anniversary in 2016. I hope that over the next five years we will be able to do all that is necessary to bring our buildings, our grounds and our parish administration to the highest standards so that we can be justifiably proud of the parish and the church we have inherited from our predecessors in faith. With God’s help, 2016 will be a special year of celebration for our parish and among other plans is the publication of an illustrated history of the church.

 

TOWARDS THE FUTURE

I am conscious of the fact that what I have outlined above is largely about parish structures and administration. Of course, what is much more important is the life and worship of our Christian Community here in Donnybrook. Ours is a parish where people truly care for one another in a quiet and unobtrusive way. We have a great mix of age groups and talents within the parish, and this is reflected in our Sunday liturgies when we gather to celebrate the Eucharist together.

 

But as a parish community, we cannot afford to stand still. With vocations to the priesthood in decline, the future shape of the parish is going to depend increasingly on the rightful participation of lay people in its life and ministry. Many parishioners are already involved in various groups and ministries and the Parish Census in the autumn will provide you with an opportunity to express any interest you may have in becoming involved. Co-responsibility must be a key principle as we plan for the future.  

 

A WORD OF THANKS

In conclusion, I would like to thank you for your loyal and generous support of your parish and your priests down through the years. I would also like to express my thanks to my colleagues Fr Conor Harper, Fr John Boyers, Monsignor Richard Sherry, Sr Bertha and Sr Fiona for all that they contribute to the life and ministry of our parish. I also thank the Parish Pastoral Council, the Parish Finance Committee, the Census Core Group and the many other groups and individuals who support the parish in various different ways.

 

CONCLUSION

The text of this Letter to Parishioners is available at the church doors today and on the Parish Website.

 

Someone once said ‘If you want to make God smile, tell him your plans’! I pray with confidence that the Lord will continue to guide our parish community along the right path during the coming years as we look towards the 150th Anniversary of this beautiful church.

 

Finally, I wish you and your families a safe, enjoyable and restful summer holiday season!

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Fr Martin Clarke PP

 

Sunday the 20th - Letter to Parishioners - Donnybrook Parish Website - Maintained by Niall Loftus webmaster@donnybrookparish.ie