13.10.2026
Celebrating the Harvest of Generations of Shared History in Kilternan
Multiple strands of Kilternan’s parish life entwined on Sunday morning (October 11) as parishioners “reaped the harvest of generations of shared history”, as the Archbishop put it in his sermon. The parish is celebrating the church’s bicentenary throughout this year and Sunday’s Harvest Festival Service provided an opportunity to draw parishioners together in thanksgiving.
Rector the Revd Rob Clements, Curate the Revd Caroline Brennan and Parish Reader Carol Barry were joined by Archbishop Michael Jackson who preached during the service.
The roof was well and truly raised with contributions from the Junior Choir and the Parish Choir, who sang an anthem each, and the Worship Band. This is the first time all three have appeared at the one service. Organist Kevin O’Sullivan accompanied the hymns and choirs.
During the service the Archbishop dedicated a number of practical and beautiful developments at the church. He asked God’s blessing on the work and the generosity which made the work possible. These included new electrical works, improvements to the church’s heating system, the redecoration of the church and the installation of a new screen.
New lights have been funded in memory of John Richardson and his family who have worshipped in the church throughout its 200 year old history. The final item dedicated was a beautiful new stained glass window depicting St Brigid, designed and built by the studio of Evan Cannon.
Celebrating the history of the parish in the context of giving thanks for the generosity of the harvest, Archbishop Jackson said that the witness of the parish was bound together in the three virtues of which we hear in 1 Corinthians 13: faith, hope and love.
He said the parish has faith in the inheritance of tradition and in what is passed on and developed from generation to generation. It has hope in the present for the future. “Kilternan has established itself as a parish where abundant life and development come together; where creativity and imagination meet a willingness on the part of parishioners to go on a Godly adventure,” he observed.
Kilternan has love – in parish and community. “Kilternan shows this in a wide range of ways. The first is The Gathering Grounds where the passer–by feels welcome and where the stranger becomes a friend; where the parishioner is in a position to host and to share with old and new users of The Gathering Grounds stories and experiences, wisdom and opportunities,” the Archbishop said.
He continued: “The second is that Kilternan is able to offer to those who are new to this part of County Dublin a vibrant ecumenical life along with a delightful church building, recently refurbished and with a stunning new window depicting St Brigid. Once set among the fields, the parish is now set in the heart of a rapidly expanding residential area and with the opportunity to share Jesus Christ with those who want to be part of a worshipping community whether in a contemporary or in an inherited idiom – because both are part of our Church of Ireland tradition. There is much harvest for thanksgiving here too.”
