Groups

St Fergal’s Parish

The groups listed are active in the parish. If you would like participate in any of them please contact us.

St. Fergal’s Men’s Choir

St. Fergal’s Men’s Choir was formed in 1996, and from September to May they sing at the 7 pm Vigil Mass for the first two Saturdays of the month. During that time they practice on most Thursday nights.

At Christmas 1997 the Choir gave its first public concert. Over the past 16 years the Choir performed many concerts, whilst raising money for local and Third World Charities. Typically there is no cost to staging the Concerts, as all services and equipment are donated free of charge. The most recent concert in the Church in November 2014 will have brought the monies raised from concerts for charities to almost €31,000.

The Choir are:

Musical Director & Keyboards: Michael Byrne

Maurice Greene, Tom Prenter, Christy Mathews, Frank Hegarty , Charles Daynes, Martin Murdiff, Sean Twohig, Michael Shortt, Peter Daynes , Ciaran Hegarty and Alex Byrne.

New members are always welcome

Back Row from left to right – Peter Daynes, Ciaran Hegarty, Alex Byrne, Maurice Greene, Frank Hegarty, Martin Murdiff , Charles Daynes.

Front Row -left to right – Christy Mathews, Michael Shortt, Michael Byrne, Sean Twoigh, Tom Prenter.

Musical Director: Michael Byrne

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St. Fergal’s Gospel Choir

St. Fergal’s Gospel Choir was founded in October 2005. Fr. John O’Brien and the Parish Council through its Youth Coordinator, Helen Browne, asked the young people of the Parish what they thought was needed to improve their relationship with the Church. The unanimous decision was a ‘Gospel Choir’.

Helen then began putting all the pieces together to form the Group. She put up posters to get members and then asked Jean Monahan to become the Musical Director. Jean is the Director of St. Andrew’s Choir in Westland Row, Dublin and has over 30 years experience with choirs.

The idea then became a reality with the first rehearsal and has grown from strength to strength. The Choir made the debut at the Christmas Concert 2005.

The choir consists of 30 members including 5 musicians and all the members are encouraged to develop the kind of music they enjoy. Their influences are: The Gospel music of the American Kirk Kranklin and The Dublin Gospel Choir.

The Mission Statement of the Choir is: ‘To celebrate our Joy and Belief in the Lord through our Gospel Music and Sing this Message in our Worship and Praise of Him.’

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“Those who sing pray twice”
St. Augustine.

For those who wish to serve God by using the gift of music, the Parish Choir may be the answer. The Parish Choir was established almost thirty-five years ago and is still going strong today, thanks to the continued commitment of all the members. The choir sing as a group at the 10 a.m. Mass every Sunday and practise every Tuesday evening from 7.30 p.m. – 8.30 p.m. We have been actively recruiting members, both male and female, over the past year, and are also currently seeking an organ/keyboard player. If you have a talent for music, whether singing or playing, and can give approximately two hours per week, we would love to hear from you. You can contact Deirdre in the Parish Office, Fr. Larry or any of the members of the Parish Choir.

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Baptism at St. Fergal’s Parish

The Baptism Team assists Fr. Jimmy McPartland with the celebration of Sacrament of Baptism. This is a process that is both supportive and enriching.

About the middle of each month, the Parish Secretary sends a list of those to be christened to the Team Members who are scheduled for the following month.

Baptism Team members work in pairs. Their first point of contact with parents is when they visit the homes prior to the Baptism meeting. This is to inform the parents of the meeting which is held in the Church on the Monday preceding the First Sunday. Team members facilitate the Baptism meeting, explaining the Theology of Baptism, the Baptism Ceremony, the symbols used eg. the Water, Oil of Catechumens, Oil of Chrism, the Blessing of the childs ears and mouth, the Baptismal Candle, the White Robe. If parents have any questions about the Baptism, the team members help to clarify any queries. At the meeting each family is given a task to perform during the Baptism eg. a Reading/Reading of Psalm/Prayers of the Faithful/Parents’Prayer.

On the Baptism Day, the two Baptism Team members welcome the families to the Church and show them to their seats. They make sure that all families have their Candles and the Christening Robe. They also make sure that those who have been chosen to do Readings/Prayers etc are present and that they know where to go. They distribute the Booklets to family members prior to the Ceremony and collect them again afterwards. As part of the Baptismal Ceremony, the Baptism Team members welcome the newly baptised into the Christian Community by reading the prayer of welcome. Following the Baptism, the team members direct a parent from each family group to the Sacristy to collect the Baptismal Certificate.

Baptisms are held in St. Fergal’s Parish on 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month at 12.00 noon.

There are presently 13 members on the Baptism Team. We work in pairs and as we are given a Yearly Rota in advance, we are only needed about twice yearly to help out with Baptisms in the parish.

New members are always welcome. If interested in joining the Baptism Team, please leave your name and contact details into the Parish Office and the Co-Ordinator of the Baptism Team will make contact with you. Training will be given in advance.