To mark the 500th anniversary of the year that Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, sparking the Protestant Reformation, a major ecumenical conference will be held on Saturday 24th June in the Church of St John The Baptist, Seafield Road East, Clontarf.

The event will feature renowned theologians and ecumenists and allow plenty of time for discussion/questions from the floor in a bid to understand how we got to where we currently are on our ecumenical journey, and how we can all work together on the road to greater unity.

The facilitator for the day will be Philip McKinley, and there will be input from the following speakers:

• Dr. Gesa Thiessen: Background to the Reformation – An Introduction to Luther’s theology.
  Gesa Thiessen is Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Religions and Theology, in Trinity College Dublin, and an assistant Lutheran Minister. Her research interests include Ecumenical theology and ecclesiology.

• Dr. Andrew Pierce: The Ecumenical Journey So Far – inter-church dialogue and developments.
  Andrew Pierce is an Assistant Professor in Ecumenics, Course Co-Ordinator of the M.Phil. in Intercultural Theology & Interreligious Studies and Head of Department, in the Irish School of Ecumenics, TCD. His areas of expertise include Ecumenical ecclesiologies and Ecumenical theologies.

• Fr. Gabriel Daly: One Bread, One Body – an ecumenical theology of the Eucharist.
  Gabriel Daly OSA has taught and published widely in theology. Following his PhD thesis on Catholic Modernism, he lectured at the Irish School of Ecumenics as a founder member, and subsequently at TCD, of which he is now an honorary fellow.

• Gillian Kingston: Stepping Stones Towards Greater Unity – what can be done at local level to progress things.
  Gillian Kingston is well known and respected in Ecumenical circles. She is currently Vice President of the World Methodist Council and was formerly the first Lay Leader of the Methodist Conference in Ireland.

The cost of the day is €20 per person. Patrons are invited to bring a packed lunch and tea/coffee facilities will be provided. Alternatively, there is a Coffee Shop which serves lunch a 5 minute walk from the Church.

Timetable for the Day
10 – 10.30am Registration, Coffee, Welcome, Introduction & Opening Prayer
10.30am – 11.30am Dr. Gesa Thiessen: Background to the Reformation – An introduction to Luther’s theology. (30 – 40 minutes input from speaker followed by questions/comments from the floor)
11.30am – 12.30pm Dr. Andrew Pierce: The Ecumenical Journey So Far – inter-church dialogue and developments. (30 – 40 minutes input from speaker followed by questions/comments from the floor)
12.30pm – 1.30pm Lunch
1.30pm – 2.30pm Fr. Gabriel Daly: One Bread, One Body – an ecumenical theology of the Eucharist. (30 – 40 minutes input from speaker followed by questions/comments from the floor)
2.30pm – 3.30pm Gillian Kingston: Stepping Stones Towards Greater Unity – what can be done at local level to progress things. (30 – 40 minutes input from speaker followed by questions/comments from the floor)
3.30pm – 4pm Closing Worship

Our major fundraiser, Who Wants to be a Thousandaire?, takes place at 8pm on 25th May in Clontarf Castle

Tickets are now available, priced €20 or four for €60.

All parishioners are being asking to support the event. The night promises to be great fun with nine lucky contestants each having the chance to win up to €1,000.

Here’s some answers to a few questions you may have in advance!
Continue reading “Who Wants to be a Thousandaire? – fundraiser”

The 2016 Clontarf Autumn Fair takes place in the Parish Centre and grounds on 25th September.

The fun starts at 2pm and we’ll have bouncy castles, our legendary cake stall, our biggest ever book stall, monster slides, vintage cars and motorbikes, bbq, books stall, and lots more. We’ll have fun sports and prizes for all ages and admission is only €2 for adults and €1 for children – all proceeds go to Parish funds.

That’s 2pm to 6pm on 25th September in the Parish Centre and grounds on Seafield Road West.

The 2015 Clontarf Autumn Fair takes place in the Parish Centre and grounds on 27th September.

The fun starts at 2pm and we’ll have bouncy castles, our legendary cake stall, our biggest ever book stall, monster slides, vintage cars and motorbikes, bbq, books stall, and lots more. We’ll have fun sports and prizes for all ages and admission is only €2 for adults and €1 for children – all proceeds go to Parish funds.

That’s 2pm to 6pm on 27th September in the Parish Centre and grounds on Seafield Road West.

The DIT Conservatory of Music & Drama presents A Christmas Concert featuring seasonal carols and readings, with excerpts from Handel’s Messiah, at 7.30pm on Wednesday 3rd December 2014 in the Church of St John The Baptist, Seafield Road West, Dublin 3.

Admission €10 – for bookings and information contact 087 9091561.