We believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by
the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand
of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge
the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Worship
The Eucharistic celebration is the source and summit of our faith which we seek to live and serve with the whole of our lives in vibrant and creative ways.
Excellence in our worship honors God.
Discipleship
We believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God. Our preaching and messages strive to break open the relevance of the Bible for our daily lives. Changing and growing into the likeness of Jesus is not just greater knowledge of our faith, but doing what God’s Word says.
Fellowship
We believe that our Baptism makes us one family in which we learn to love one another as Christ loved us. We strive to build a church culture through small groups where people are open and authentic, especially about their need to grow and change.
Service
We believe that the Holy Spirit has prepared works for us to do that will advance the Kingdom of Jesus. We recognize God’s call on our church to serve both within our parish and also beyond: in our village, our country, and in the world. In the service of the Lord we can always do more.
Evangelization
We heed God’s command to share his name with the world. We look for the opportunity to invite all Christians to join us. As a church we want insiders to reach outsiders.
Parish Priest
Fr Patrick Donnelly took over the Leadership of Enfield Rathmolyon parish in July 2022. As Parish Priest he encourages people to come together in order to share their talents so as to serve their faith community and honour God. He strives to help them realise that God has a plan for their lives and a need of them in building the Kingdom of Heaven in our parish and wider world. As priest and parishioners we strive to inspire confidence in each other to help realise God’s presence in our lives and in our faith community and so meet the needs, the concerns, the joys and the hurts of all in our community.
The main part of Fr Patricks work is to inspire confidence and raise up disciples- men and women, young and old, encouraging them to draw strength from the Sacraments celebrated and inspiration from the Word of God lived out in our lives.
Parish Pastoral Worker
Ms Sinead Griffin took up the role of Parish Pastoral Worker in the parish in 2023. Sinead’s role on the Parish Leadership Team is to assist in raising up disciples- men and women, young and old, to serve Jesus in our faith community. This is achieved through her work in after school programmes, group work with older parishioners and assisting the priests of the parish in planning and celebrating the different liturgical celebrations throughout the year. She strives to encourage, through her witness to the Gospel, parishioners to volunteer in our faith community and offer training- both practically and in terms of developing their faith. Her vast experience in Child Safe Guarding is of great assistance on the Leaderships Team in their outreach to our young parishioners
Parish Secretary
Ms Betty Walsh took up the role of Parish Secretary in the parish in 2022. Betty’s role on the Parish Leadership Team is to welcome and assist people who contact the Parish Office. She helps them in the booking of Masses, Weddings, Baptisms and other celebrations. Betty attends to the day to day finances of the parish and co-ordinates the team dedicated to counting and lodging the weekly collections. Along with the Parish Priest, Curate and Parish Pastoral Worker, she attends the weekly Parish Leadership Team meeting.
Parish Pastoral Assembly
The Parish Pastoral Assembly is a representative body of parishioners, working in collaboration with the Parish Leadership Team. The Parish Pastoral Assembly, through prayer and discussion discern a vison for the parish and assist and encourage the Parish Leadership Team in making the vision a reality.
Finance Team
The Parish Finance Team is responsible for overseeing the finances of the parish. At their meetings they review the income and expenditure of the parish. Together with the Parish Leadership Team, they oversee the general and developmental work in the parish. The Parish Finance Team make recommendations on spending and implementation of projects. They monitor the annual distribution of the parish envelopes and they assist in the preparation of the annual Parish Financial Statement.
Youth Parish Pastoral Assembly
The Parish Pastoral Assembly is a representative body of young parishioners from the local post primary school, working in collaboration with the Parish Leadership Team. Their role is to communicate the needs of their peers to the Parish Leadership Team and together we discern through prayer and discussion how we as disciples of the Jesus can respond to these needs.
All groups in our parish aim to follow our Parish Mission Statement and try to have evangelization at the forefront of all that they do. The Parish Pastoral Assembly keep evangelization at the heart of what they are about.
Evangelisation is presenting the Good News/Gospel of Jesus in such a way that people are invited to a point of personal decision to
- Go deeper in faith exploration and
- Have a real encounter/relationship/friendship with the person of Jesus
This generally involves a ‘moment of decision’ and a ‘spark of enthusiasm’ for more understanding and connection with an authentic Faith Life.
The main tool for evangelization in this parish is the Alpha Series
Alpha
Alpha is taken from the first letter of the Greek Alphabet meaning “Beginning”
WHO IS ALPHA FOR?
The 11 week Alpha Series is open to anyone, Christian, Non-Christian, Regular church- goer or not. It is also for Christians who want to develop a clearer understanding of their Christian beliefs and to learn more about Jesus and His teachings.
FORMAT
Each of the nights follows the following sequence:
1. Introduction and announcements
2. DVD presented by Rev. Nicky Gumbel, Pastor at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, London.
3. Tea/Coffee
4. Group discussion facilitated by a nominated Leader who has already completed the Alpha Series
5. Group Prayers of Thanksgiving and Petition
HOLY SPIRIT DAY
Midway through Alpha, participants take part in a Holy Spirit day. This day is normally held on a Saturday. It is a very gentle day and is a highlight of the series.
11 WEEK PROGRAMME
Week 1. Who is Jesus?
Week 2. Why did Jesus die?
Week 3. How can we have faith
Week 4. How and why do I pray?
Week 5. Why and how should I read the Bible?
Week 6. How does God guide us?
Holy Spirit Day Who is the Holy Spirit?
Holy Spirit Day What does the Holy Spirit do?
Holy Spirit Day How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Week 7. How can I resist evil?
Week 8. Why and how should I tell others?
Week 9. Does God heal today?
Week 10. What about the church?
Week 11. How can I make the most of the rest of my life?
After Alpha
After the 11 week series, participants are encouraged if they wish, to join a small group to continue their journey of faith. This is explained during Alpha.
Those who have completed an Alpha Series are invited to help out at the next Alpha series if they so wish.
Church Environment Teams (Altar Society)
The teams decorate our churches for the different liturgical celebrations throughout the year reflecting the beauty of Gods creation and communicating the mysteries of the Christian Faith through their creativity. They ensure our buildings are clean and welcoming
Music Ministry
There are two choirs in the parish.
The Church of the Assumption Choir leads the music at the 11.30am Mass on Sundays
St Michael’s church choir leads the music at the 10.00am on Sundays
There is a good practice of congregational singing at our liturgical celebrations which the Parish Leadership Team with the assistance of the choirs try to nourish and encourage
The Youth Worship Band was established in the Spring of 2023 and they lead the music ministry at some of the preparation Masses for the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
Ministers of the Word
Thank you for serving in our parish as a Minister of the Word. It is hoped that the following information and guidelines will help you in your ministry. It is understandable that it may take some time to change habits but over time hopefully all will be adopted especially the use of inclusive language.
You can download “Ministers of the Word – Helpful Guidelines” here
Ministers of Holy Communion
Ministers of Holy Communion are engaged in the important role of sharing the Blessed Sacrament with the assembly. The Communion minister assists the priest ministering Communion to the assembly. Communion ministers also work to ensure that the reverence of Communion is preserved.
It is hoped to develop this ministry in time, especially due to the reduction in priests in our parish and rise in population. The Parish Leadership Team hope to train suitable parishioners to bring Holy Communion to the sick and the house bound once a month which is common practise in many parishes.
