| Parish Groups |
|
Balally Parish Groups: The reduction in vocations to the priesthood and an ageing clerical population is having a dramatic effect on the level of services being provided by the clergy and the situation is will deteriorate further. Accordingly, services and activities that do not require a priest will increasingly have to be provided by lay people. In this regard Balally Parish is fortunate in the high level of commitment of so many of the congregation to the practice of servant leadership. In excess of thirty groups of volunteers, mostly lay-led, are actively involved in attending to the needs of the parish and of the wider community in the areas of liturgy, spirituality, communications, finance and social awareness. These elements comprise the five pillars of the parish which serve to support our faith community in its prayerful actions. Each pillar is comprised of a number of parish groups, details of which are provided below. For its part the Parish Pastoral Council exercises a coordinating role. From time to time ad hoc groups are formed to meet specific needs, such as the process of visitation to welcome new arrivals to the parish. This was begun in 2007 and continued in 2008. While some members of parish groups have been involved for many years, there is always a special welcome for new members.
Parish Pastoral Council - The purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council is to discern the pastoral needs of the parish and to initiate a response to these needs, to co-ordinate and support other parish groups and to be the "eyes and ears" of the parish. It can also be viewed as a parish "think tank", discerning the "signs of the times" and taking responsibility for the future well-being of the parish
- THE FIVE PILLARS -
(a) LITURGY ( b ) SPIRITUALITY (c) COMMUNICATIONS 1. Liturgy Team 14. Lay Fraternity of 23. Weekly Newsletter 2. Adult Choir Charles De Foucauld 24. Annual Newsletter 3. Altar Servers 15. Legion of Mary 25. Parish Website 4. Altar Society 16. Library Group 5. Baptismal Team 17. Padre Pio Prayer Group. (d) FINANCE 6. Funeral Team 18. Thursday Evening Prayer 26. Finance Committee 7. Floral Teams 19. Advent Morning Prayer 27. The 400 Club 8. Church Cleaning Guild 20. Summer Thursday Morning 28. Bingo Group 9. Church Stewards Prayer Leaders 29. Family Offering 10. Family Mass Team 21. Do This in Memory Team 11. Family Mass Choir 22. Síolra Prayer Groups 12. Ministers of the Word 13. Ministers of the Eucharist
(e) SOCIAL AWARENESS 30. Bethany Group 31. Hospitality Group 32. Catering Group 33. Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (Balally Conference) 34. Parish Environmental Group
(a) LITURGY PILLAR 1. Liturgy Team – The Liturgy Team seeks to co-ordinate and plan worship in the parish, with particular emphasis on the different movements of the liturgical year. It works to bring about an improvement in the quality of prayer and worship in the community and to make liturgy relevant to life’s experience. It also aims to support existing liturgical initiatives in the parish such as the Family Mass at 10 am on Sundays and evening prayer on Thursdays at 8.00pm. 2. Adult Choir - Balally Church Choir, with organist Maria Byrne, is under the direction of George Rice. The choir, which sings at the 11.30 mass each Sunday between September and May, adds a special dimension to our Sunday worship, providing audible proof that “To worship in song is to pray twice.” It also participates in the main Church celebrations in the course of the liturgical year. Choir practice is held in the church on Wednesday evenings and immediately before the 11.30 am mass on Sundays. 3. Altar Servers - The active respectful presence of altar servers enhances the liturgy for all worshippers. Through training and participation the young altar servers, both boys and girls, develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the meaning and the beauty of liturgy in general and of the mass in particular. 4. Altar Society - Members of the Society engage in preparing the altar and church for liturgical celebrations, regular ceremonies and special occasions. They also maintain the sacred vessels, vestments, cloths, candles, shrines, etc., thereby continuing the link to long established spiritual traditions around a sacred space. Through these activities members develop a greater awareness and knowledge of all that relates to the church, of parish needs and of scripture. They support the needs of visiting priests as and when required. 5. Baptismal Team - The role of the Baptismal Team is to prepare parents for their child's baptism, the occasion when their baby is publicly welcomed into the church community. This involves members in home visits as a precursor to pre-baptism meetings. Team members are also available to assist with any queries of a spiritual or practical nature that parents may have. They are present at the child’s Baptism and provide support and assistance where required. The experience of the members is that it is a joy and a privilege to be present when a baby is welcomed into our church and our community. 6. Funeral Team - 7. Floral Teams - The Floral Teams take turns in beautifying the sanctuary area with floral arrangements that are in harmony with the particular liturgical moment of the year. This involves the members in the selection, acquisition, arrangement and maintenance of the flowers and other decorations, as appropriate to the occasion. The importance attaching to major feasts such as Easter and Christmas and to significant community events such as the celebration of First Communion and Confirmation is reflected in the exuberance of the floral displays. 8. Church Cleaning Guild -The Guild is comprised of teams of volunteer workers who take turns in ensuring that people who worship in Balally Church are not distracted by the presence of dust, dirt or litter. This requires regular cleaning and polishing of the church, its furniture and fittings. 9. Church Stewards - Church Stewards are engaged in general stewarding, in tidying up after mass and in taking up the various collections at masses. 10. Family Mass Team - The Family Mass Team is engaged in the planning and coordination of the Family Mass which takes place in the church at 10am every Sunday during primary school term time. Team members and the teachers from the two parish national schools cooperate in devising simple but imaginative ways to make the celebration of the Family Mass meaningful and relevant to young people through incorporating symbols and drama in the liturgy. A sociable cup of tea or coffee is available in the Parish Pastoral Centre after the Family Mass on the first Sunday of each month. 11. Family Mass Choir -This is comprised of children from the local parish schools who sing at the Family Mass each Sunday and at special celebrations, such as First Communion and Confirmation. Participation by the Choir enhances the liturgy and helps with the spiritual and musical development of choir members. 12. Ministers of the Word - Community celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays and special Feast Days is enhanced by lay members of the worshipping community, who are Ministers of Word, proclaiming the Word of God to the congregation from the lectern. The experience of preparing the readings gives Ministers of the Word special insights into Scripture and can encourage some to engage in Biblical or related studies. 13. Ministers of the Eucharist - Distribution of Eucharist during mass is facilitated by the participation of Ministers of the Eucharist, who assist the celebrant at Communion time. Participants have found that this can lead them to personal spiritual development. Appropriate training is essential and will be provided. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (b) Spirituality Pillar 14. Lay Fraternity of Charles De Foucauld - Balally Lay Fraternity of Blessed Charles de Foucauld meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 8pm, to share in the spirituality of Blessed Charles. One hour’s silent Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is followed by a scripture sharing and a review by each person of their own life and how they strive to follow and live the life of Jesus of Nazareth. 15. Legion of Mary - The objective of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of the members developed by prayer and active cooperation in Mary's and the Church's work. Members participate in parish life through visitation of families and the sick both in their own homes and in hospital. 16. Library Group The Library Group maintains and operates the parish lending library for the purpose of assisting with the personal development of parishioners over a wide range of subject areas relevant to Christian living in the present age. Also, it assists in opening up the spiritual library world to people who otherwise would remain closed. This is a vital parish outreach which, as a byproduct, facilitates interaction with people in an informal and non-threatening setting, hearing their story and discovering their needs. 17. Padre Pio Prayer Group - The prayer group, which meets in Balally Church at 8pm on the second Tuesday of each month, was formed in order to fulfill a spiritual and pastoral need. Members engage in hospital visitation and in disseminating information about St. Pio. All are welcome. 18. Thursday Evening Prayer Leaders - The Thursday evening Service of Evening Prayer is fully lay organized and led. There are five separate teams of prayer leaders and accordingly each team prepares Evening Prayers of the Church or Liturgy of the Word every fifth week. This provides prayer leaders with an opportunity to share their God given talents in the service of others. Also, it provides for lay involvement in the Prayer Life of the Church, thereby meeting a need within the Parish due to a shortage of priests, especially at holiday time. It will help ensure the future of the church as the number of religious declines. As a by-product, through working together with fellow team members, prayer leaders are facilitated in developing their prayer life through the process of preparation, reading and reflection. This allows them to fulfill their baptismal calling; it enriches their faith and gives them a sense of belonging to a local praying community. It facilitates the development of new skills over time, such as church decor, music, information technology, public speaking, etc. 19. Advent Morning Prayer Leaders Each weekday in Advent, the faithful assemble in Balally Church at 7am to participate in a service of prayer that follows a common Advent theme and lasts for 20 to 30 minutes. They gather in darkness and disperse as the dawn is about to break. Just like the Thursday Evening Prayer Service the Advent Morning Prayer Service is fully lay organized and led. Leadership of the group is comprised of people with considerable experience in liturgy and the cadre of prayer leaders is drawn from the worshipping faithful. While the group disbands at the end of Advent, they respond again to the call, year on year, as Advent approaches. 20. Summer Thursday Morning Prayer Leaders - Each Thursday during the summer holiday period a lay led service of prayer is held at 10am in Balally Church.It operates on an ad hoc basis, broadly on the lines of the Thursday evening Prayer. 21. Do This in Memory Team – 22. Síolra Prayer Groups - The purpose of the groups is to facilitate the awareness of God's presence in our lives into deeper commitment of journeying with Him through response to his speaking to us from Scripture reading and meditation, reflection; using the groups method based on Ignatian and Celtic "God in all things" Individual members acquire a deeper understanding of how precious they are to God. Their life is enriched and they experience willingness to journey with Him as He calls them. (c) Communications Pillar 23. Weekly Newsletter - Faithfully every Sunday the Balally Parish Newsletter is available free to worshippers. It comprises a single leaf A4 page printed on both sides and containing items of news, prayer, reflection and information. All contributions to the newsletter are welcome and will be printed subject to considerations of space and suitability. 24. Annual Newsletter - This is a full-colour production aimed at a wider audience which includes people who are not habitual church attendees. It contains photos and reports on the highlights of the previous year. Also, it provides an overview on church and parish affairs with reference to our hopes for the future of our community, our church and to our responsibility towards those less fortunate than us, particularly those in developing nations. It is delivered free to people’s homes. 25. Parish Website: A well designed, comprehensive and up to date website is considered to be an essential component of any modern organization and our parish is no different in this regard. Through our website we hope to engage with believers and non-believers locally and worldwide, thereby making the Good News accessible to people who otherwise might not have this opportunity. Also, it is an opportunity to showcase our parish and hopefully encourage people to become members of our worshipping community where feasible or alternatively another church community. Also, it will serve as a conduit for people who want to become more involved in parish organizations and activities. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (d) Finance Pillar 26. Finance Committee - The role of the Finance Committee is to advise the Parish Priest on all financial matters relating to the Parish and co-ordinate the work of the various committees involved with fund raising. Members have the satisfaction of putting their business skills to use for the community. 27. The 400 Club - The 400 club is an important source of income for the parish. The objective of the 400 Club Committee is to raise funds for the parish through a monthly draw. Committee members have two brief meetings each month at which they prepare for and run the draw. They collect subscriptions after all masses on one Sunday each month. 28. Bingo Group - The Bingo Group was organized to raise funds for the parish and to provide a social outing for parishioners. Bingo takes place in the hall at St. Olaf’'s National School, Balally each Friday from 8.15 to10.30. Group members prepare the hall, put out chairs, set up the stage, check numbers, etc. At the end of the night they tidy the hall, leaving it ready for school on the Monday. 29. Family Offering – Parishioners contribute to the cost of running the parish through a range of collections, one of which is the family offering. This is a voluntary subscription pledged by parishioners and collected weekly by volunteers who call to the houses allocated to them. Increasingly, parishioners are contributing by means of bankers’ order. The volunteers are also involved in counting the money collected by way of family offering or at the Sunday masses and in preparing the lodgments. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (e) Social Awareness Pillar 30. Bethany Group - Members of the Bethany Group are committed to helping those in parish who experience a bereavement. This includes home visitation if and when required. Members work in pairs. They make the necessary arrangements each year for a commemorative mass for those who have lost babies, and each November a mass is celebrated for those who have lost loved ones in the course of the previous year. 31. Hospitality group - The Group interprets its role as creating a Christian welcoming facility like Martha in the Gospels. Every Wednesday morning from 10.30 to 12.00 a growing number of people, mostly senior citizens, gather under its auspices to enjoy each other's company, share experiences, build community spirit, form new friendships, share and enjoy developing talents which, perhaps, were hidden heretofore. 32. Catering group - Parish community gatherings, ecumenical services and other social interaction is enhanced by refreshments provided by the Parish Catering Group. The Group meets as and when required. 33. Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (Balally Conference) - The Balally Conference is part of the international voluntary Catholic Christian organization whose members attempt to live the core values of the Gospels and Catholic social teaching through an action oriented programme, working directly with people in need. The members of Balally Conference are involved in helping the needy in the parish, in particular with problems relating to payment of rent, education, gas and electricity bills, etc. 34. Parish Environmental Group - Balally Parish identifies totally with the objectives of Three Rock Churches’ Environment group, of which it is an active and committed member This is an ecumenical initiative of six churches in the wider Dundrum area committed to making the link between environment and faith and, in this context, to do what is necessary to promote positive action to combat climate change.
|