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Theme for 2023 ~ Transformation - Now!
Mothers' Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families of all faiths and none through practical outreach, prayer and advocating family friendly policies within both government and public life.
By supporting marriage and family life, especially through times of adversity, we tackle the most urgent needs challenging relationships and communities.
Our members are not all mothers, or even all women, but are single, married, parents, grandparents or young adults who are just beginning to express their social conscience.
For all 4.1 million members in 83 countries what Mothers' Union provides is a network through which they can serve Christ in their own community through prayer, financial support and actively working at grassroots level in programmes that meet local needs.
Shopping online?
A quick reminder that Amazon
will donate 0.5% to Mothers’ Union if you shop through
smile.amazon.co.uk and select Mothers’ Union
as your preferred charity to support.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/240531-0
A quick reminder that Amazon
will donate 0.5% to Mothers’ Union if you shop through
smile.amazon.co.uk and select Mothers’ Union
as your preferred charity to support.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/240531-0
If you don’t shop at Amazon but shop at M & S, Argos, and Next etc.,
you can also support Mothers’ Union on your next shop. https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/mothersunion
The brilliant Axel Scheffler has produced a book about Covid-19 Coronavirus just for children
https://nosycrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Coronavirus_INS.pdf
https://nosycrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Coronavirus_INS.pdf
Do you know of somebody who is cocooning or caring for someone vulnerable, Age Action and the Irish Red Cross are giving grants to people in the Republic of Ireland to help ease the problems faced by those who have to social distance. Spread the word
https://www.ageaction.ie/how-we-can-help/age-action-and-irish-red-cross-covid-19-hardship-fund
https://www.ageaction.ie/how-we-can-help/age-action-and-irish-red-cross-covid-19-hardship-fund
The Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland has put together a super comprehensive booklet providing advice for people who have experienced a bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Two other booklets are also available in this series – one dealing with practicalities and the other a children’s story helping children to cope with the death of a loved one.
These excellent resources can be downloaded at https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/covid-19-bereavement-resources
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This contains all our latest news.
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Mothers' Union in Ireland
CONTACT DETAILS:
The Administrative OfficerThe Mothers' Union OfficeSt. Michan's ChurchChurch StreetDublin 7Tel: +353 87 337 4090 / 087 3374090Website: www.mothersunion.ieFacebook:
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FOOD, a basic necessity for all of us and during the current crisis we all want to do our best to ensure we provide for our families.
Unfortunately, not all families can afford to stock up in case of emergency, in fact for 1000s of families across Ireland, north and south, daily food poverty is a harsh reality.
Breakfast clubs and free school meals, where they are available, are a lifeline for many of these families.
However with the closure of schools and colleges in the South and the likelihood that Northern Ireland will follow suit these families have been plunged into a totally unexpected crisis. They need our help now more than ever!
How can you help? ~ Keep donating to community food banks; help local initiatives in your area to distribute food packages to those in need or if you can’t find such an initiative in your area maybe consider starting one!
When we all find ourselves facing the unknown, the smallest act of kindness can mean the world to someone in despair.
Prayer for March 2023
Heavenly Father,
We give you thanks for the launch of Pioneer Ministry throughout the Church of Ireland. We ask that by the empowerment of your Holy Spirit, you would bless this initiative and inspire the newly commissioned Pioneer Leadership Team of Ingrid, Rob and Barry. We pray that you would gift them creativity and compassion to reach our land with the Good News of the Lord Jesus.
We ask that by the nudging of your Holy Spirit, you would be pleased to call Pioneers who are passionate about communicating the Gospel in a relevant and faithful manner. We pray that volunteers would promote a fresh expression of Church, breaking down barriers and embedding new initiatives.
We think of those who are disaffected and distanced from you. We ask that as they listen to your Gospel and observe the lives of your Church, they may understand the freedom of sins forgiven. Attract them, Lord, to a new life in Jesus.
As members of the Mothers’ Union, we have a focus on families. We remember our children and young people, many of whom are confused about the meaning of life, their identity and role in the world. Give them a powerful sense of their worth and value to you. We especially pray for the positive influence of Sunday School teachers, youth leaders and school chaplains. Grant them wisdom and bless their efforts.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Commissioning of June Butler
All-Ireland President Mothers' Union
Letter from June ~ All-Ireland President ~ March 2023
Hello members and friends
I know I go on about how I love spring and the appearance of new life – be that daffodils bringing a flash of brightness to our lives after a dull winter or watching tiny lambs following their mothers across a hillside on legs which don’t look strong enough for the terrain – but it is a real time of change, renewal and hope.
There are “downsides” too as I found when I did the first cut of my lawn last weekend. That is the earliest in any year that it has had to be cut. As I was trying to get the lawnmower through the incredibly long green swathes I thought it probably hadn’t really stopped growing all winter and that mowing would have to be part of my weekly routine for the next seven or eight months! I won’t even mention the quantity of weeds already there……..
However when I am outside tackling whatever task is necessary in the garden, or when I am taking a decent walk, I always give thanks that I am physically able to do so. Being outside and appreciating God’s earth is one way I can clear my head of the debris of each day. Many of my friends now find certain tasks difficult. Some I know are coping with family and work issues and I am conscious that I am not always hearing the full story but I do always try to listen carefully and perhaps I can pick up the hidden, unspoken things. Someone once said “Just be kind - everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” Too true.
Communicating with and just “being there” for family and people you know is one thing, but it is also important to be kind to everyone you meet. You never know what a seemingly small gesture, or even a kind word, might mean to someone. We, as members of Mother’s Union, can act as God’s disciples in small ways as well as acting out our faith by helping with our many larger MU projects.
The Right Revd. Adrian Wilkinson
Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory
I was privileged to attend the Cashel, Ferns and Ossory Festival service in Kilkenny Cathedral last week where Bishop Adrian Wilkinson focussed on the fact that every Christian must not just tell people about Jesus but show that He is alive in us by the way we live our lives – by practical action and by mutual support All of us can easily do that.
Bishop Adrian has kindly given us permission to publish his address and it is shown below. It is a wonderful Lenten exhortation to us all to live in the spirit of Christ, to do what we can for others and, of course, to continue to pray for those in need.
May I wish you all a very blessed Easter
With love
June
Mothers' Union Festival Service~ St Canice's Catedral, Kilkenny - 24 February 2023
Address by: The Right Revd. Adrian Wilkinson
If you look up your Book of Common Prayer and search for the readings for St Matthias Day, you will see that they are dated 14th May. So, you might ask, why are we using the collect and readings appointed for St Matthias Day today, 24 February? Well, importantly it goes back to a former church calendar when St Matthias Day was observed on this date. I thought this was a happy coincidence as Matthias seems to be someone who has a lot to say to the members of Mothers’ Union.
When we reflect on St. Matthias, we consider one of the most important realities of our faith: the transmission of the Gospel and our role in it. St. Matthias was the one chosen by God to take the place of Judas after Judas’ betrayal and suicide. There was a need to have someone to step into his shoes to spread the Christian message to others. The disciples nominated two people and allowed God to choose by lot. This was a familiar practice for the Jews because it was the way priests were selected for specific service in the Temple. In this case, they put the names Matthias and Joseph also called Barsabbas (Son of the Sabbath) or Justus (the Just One) into the proverbial hat and the lot fell to Matthias and he became one of the twelve.
The reality is that many Christians treat Joseph (Justus-Barsabbas) as if he were their patron saint. They say, “Whew! Thank God that I wasn’t selected for that position. I can now just sit quietly on the side-lines!” (I’m, sure this would never happen in the MU!) They don’t want to believe that they too have been chosen to spread the faith. Not everyone, of course, is chosen to be a successor of the apostles, or to a post of responsibility in the Mothers’ Union, but every Christian has been chosen, like Matthias, to rejoice at God’s love and to spread the faith. That’s the first lesson we all should grasp.
The second thing we need to note is the qualifications and function of an apostle. Peter describes them in his speech to the disciples before God chose Matthias by lot. “It is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us… become with us a witness to his resurrection.” The qualifications are someone who accompanied Jesus and the apostles, someone who knew him personally and not just about him second-hand. The function of the apostle was to be a witness to the resurrection, that Jesus wasn’t dead, but is very much alive.
How do we do that? How do we enter into Jesus’ life, how do we share his friendship, how do we draw people to him and to his life-changing love? That’s the third thing we learn today. In the Gospel, read also on Maundy Thursday night, Jesus tells us that to remain in his love, we must keep his commandments, just as he keeps the Father’s commandments and remains in his love.
We often think that love and commandments are polar opposites, one being free and spontaneous, the other being required and restrictive. In this season of Lent, we read the commandments regularly in worship and Jesus reveals to us that the two go together. That’s why he was able to summarize the entire law, all the commandments, by saying, “Love one another just as I have loved you.” “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.”
That’s what St. Matthias gave witness to and what so many generations of Christians have given witness to before us. That’s what the Mothers’ Union is about, pointing to the love in God in Christ Jesus through practical action and mutual support. And that’s what Christ is calling us, who have been allotted by him to rejoice in his love, to give others.
Today, let’s not be like Joseph (Justus or Barsabbas), content that the responsibility has been given to another, but more like St. Matthias, receiving the torch from those who have gone before us and passing on, as of the first importance, what we ourselves received. At the end of this Communion Service and Commissioning of MU members for specific roles, we pray that we will all go from here with the same faithfulness, joy and perseverance.
Click on the link above to view the video recorded to celebrate the inaugural
Annabella Hayes Day
Click on the image to download a new leaflet produced by
Mary Sumner House
Prayer Diary 2023
Click on the image above to download
IAWN
Click on the Image above to download the latest newsletter from IAWN
Loneliness Leaflet
Click on the image below to download a copy of
The Loneliness Leaflet
RESOURCES
For lots of Resources on the main website click on the link below
Mothers' Union
Showing Solidarity with the people of Ukraine
We are asked to stop at 7pm each evening and pray for the situation and the people in the Ukraine.
The following prayer in a time of war in the Ukraine has been provided by the Church of Ireland’s Liturgical Advisory Committee for use in parishes.
O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world:
We commend to your merciful care the people and government of Ukraine
that, being guided by your providence, they may dwell secure in your peace.
Grant to their leaders and all in authority,
wisdom and strength to know and to do your will.
Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness,
and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve their people;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
New All Ireland Mothers’ Union Chaplain
The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd John McDowell, has appointed the Archdeacon of Connor, the Ven Dr Stephen McBride, as the All Ireland Chaplain to the Mothers’ Union. Announcing the appointment, the Archbishop said:
“The Mothers’ Union has been at the heart of the worship and witness of the Church of Ireland for more than a century, and under the enthusiastic guidance of June Butler and the present leadership team continues to serve the Church with cheerfulness, modesty and devotion.
“I can think of no better person than Dr Stephen McBride to support and nurture this spirit of involvement and dedication (and fun) at the heart of the Church, so well supported by his wife Helen. I know too that their very much grown up children Rachael and Alex and their families will relish and support Stephen in his new role.
“Stephen was my training rector and, in those curacy years, impressed on me the importance of human relationships, especially the central relationship of marriage and family life, which are at the heart of our witness to the world.”
When he was approached by the Archbishop to take on the role of All Ireland Chaplain, Stephen said he was honoured to be considered as Canon Robert Deane’s successor and he looks forward to working alongside June Butler and the All Ireland Trustees and to meeting, worshipping with and supporting MU members across Ireland.
The Venerable Dr Stephen McBride is Vicar of Antrim Parish, Archdeacon of Connor and the current Connor Diocesan MU Chaplain. He has had a long association with the Mothers’ Union, first through his mother Claire who was a former Chairperson of the Holy Trinity and Immanuel Parish, Belfast, branch. His mother-in-law, the late Jean Clyde, held several diocesan posts in Connor and Armagh at executive level. Stephen’s wife Helen has been a member of the Mothers’ Union from 1987 and was Branch Chairperson in Antrim Parish from 1996-2002.
Heavenly Father,
May your light and love enfold all who mourn today
as a result of gender-based violence.
In particular, our thoughts rest with the Murphy family,
Ashling’s friends, pupils, school and community.
May the strength of your love support and hold them,
and the peace of your presence console them.
In the days and weeks ahead
stir us with a resolve not to be silent,
to continue to speak out for action on
#No more 1 in 3.
As Mothers’ Union members,
continue to use us as hands and feet in the world,
to raise awareness of what must be challenged and addressed.
We pray for transformation in our culture
which often finds it easier to judge the victims of violence
than to solve the problems of injustice.
We pray for a transformation of the violent way
some men act towards and think about women.
We pray for right and just relations
between women and men, girls and boys
that together we may transform and overcome violence
in all its forms and learn to celebrate
our diversity and interdependence.
May we unite together to champion
the cause of women and girls
to create an Ireland that is safe for all.
#No more 1 in 3
Amen
‘Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.’
Romans 12:21
Note: 1 in 3 women worldwide can expect to be affected by gender-based violence at some point in their lifetime (UN)
Mothers’ Union Holy Communion Service
April 2023
.
- Please note that there will be no Mothers' Union Service in the Cathedral for April as it is Holy Week
It is hoped that the service will be available to view on the Live Stream Channel.
Christ Church Cathedral Dublin
Click on the image above to access
the live stream from the cathedral
Many people have experienced and will experience the death of someone they love during the COVID-19 pandemic. It may have been a COVID-related death or a death from other causes. People may also be finding a previous bereavement more difficult at this time. While we may be seeing reductions in the number of deaths connected to COVID-19, we know that people’s pain and grief does not diminish as quickly. In the face of such loss and trauma, the Irish Hospice Foundation Bereavement Support Line, in partnership with the HSE, has been launched to provide connection, comfort and support in these exceptional times. COVID-19 restrictions have changed the traditional ways we mark our grief. For the moment, it is not possible to come together as we did traditionally, resulting in additional challenges for those who are bereaved.
Click on the images to download a poster and information sheet & leaflet:
The Mothers’ Union Prayer
Loving Lord,
We thank you for your love so freely given to us all.
We pray for families around the world.
Bless the work of the Mothers' Union
as we seek to share your love
through the encouragement, strengthening and support of marriage and family life.
Empowered by your Spirit, may we be united in prayer and worship,
and in love and service reach out as your hands across the world.
In Jesus' name.
Amen
We thank you for your love so freely given to us all.
We pray for families around the world.
Bless the work of the Mothers' Union
as we seek to share your love
through the encouragement, strengthening and support of marriage and family life.
Empowered by your Spirit, may we be united in prayer and worship,
and in love and service reach out as your hands across the world.
In Jesus' name.
Amen
Portrait of
Mary Sumner
The Irish Hospice Foundation Bereavement Support Line is a national freephone service
1800 80 70 77
It is available from 10am to 1pm, Monday to Friday.
Reference and administrative information
Republic of Ireland:
Mothers’ Union in Ireland is recognised as a Charity by the Revenue commissioners, 5161.
Registered charity number- 20007331 (Charities Regulatory Authority).
Republic of Ireland:
Mothers’ Union in Ireland is recognised as a Charity by the Revenue commissioners, 5161.
Registered charity number- 20007331 (Charities Regulatory Authority).
Northern Ireland:
Not registered with The Charity Commission NI as a single entity.
Instead individual diocese have been registered separately.
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