Author name: Mike O'Sullivan

Our Harvest Service Display

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The Harvest display from our service on the 24th. It reflects the transformation in our eating habits as food becomes no longer seasonal or even cultural. We are reminded that the Harvest must be for everyone and that according to the UN, world hunger stands at 828 million people; malnutrition increases this by 2.5. In his homily the minister remarked that on the TV ads we see for charities working with the world’s hungry; ” these are not actors, there is no make up or digital enhancement”. #unitarianchurchcork #thecitycentrechurch #inclusivechurch

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Culture Night ’23 at the church…..

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Photo Collage (Poster) (1)
This Culture Night at the Unitarian Church on Prince’s Street.
Open from 7 until 11 pm. During the evening Chris Kelliher will play his particular brand of gentle and soothing classical acoustic guitar. Weather permitting in the church courtyard.
At 8 pm congregation member Jack Fitzgerald will give a talk on the history of our congregation from its origins in 1674 through to the building and opening of our church in 1717 and on through the journey to the present day.
At 8.30 the minister’ Revd Mike O’Sullivan will give a talk on perhaps the most famous of our churches ministers; Revd Thomas Dix Hincks LLD ( 1767 – 1857 )
Photo of Hincks grave with thanks to Rev. Dr. David A. Steers.

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Are we immune?

From Our Minister / By /

Last Saturday I woke up with a plan for my day, it mainly revolved around a day vegetating in front of the tv watching the Rugby World cup. That morning I also woke up to the news of the devastating earthquake in Morocco, where as I write the death toll nears 3,000. Like me, all of these people had plans and hopes for Saturday. As I sat down to write this weeks blog on an entirely different topic I heard on the news that flooding caused by Storm ” Daniel” has left an estimated 2,000 dead in Libya. Sadly one of those numbers will increase with the decrease of the other. As of yet I haven’t mentioned the injured in either case. As we digest these unfathomable numbers our lives go on, of course they do; life does that. But the sheer numbers, the sheer scale of the disaster can leave us feel removed from the devastation and suffering.

I asked in church last Sunday, have we become immune or desensitised to such events? They are becoming more frequent, we see them on the news on an almost weekly basis and we’ve all be come accustomed the so called ” disaster” movies churned out by Hollywood. It all began with ” Towering Inferno” released in 1974 and starring Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. Thing is; Hollywood has always loved a happy ending but sadly for thousands in Morocco and Libya in the coming days, weeks and months, that will not be the case. When the news cameras and reporters leave, when the pictures disappear from our screens, the pain and devastation will not. There is no director yelling “that’s a wrap”, actors will not collect their big pay cheques and a crew will not arrive and magically clean up the set.

From a far, individually there may not be much we can do apart from give whatever we can to help with the relief effort, but maybe when you’ve finished reading this, you might take just 30 seconds and for those moments….. not be immune.

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