02.05.2014
Dublin and Glendalough Mothers’ Union Launch New Website
Mothers’ Union in Dublin and Glendalough has launched its new look website. The brightly redesigned site was officially launched at Spring Council which took place in The Mageough, Rathmines, yesterday evening (May 1). The address is www.dublin.mothersunion.ie and the site is full of information for people who are new to Mothers’ Union and members alike.
The new website, which was redesigned with funding from the Mums in May campaign, details the activities of Mothers’ Union in Dublin and Glendalough. It has patterns for the various outreach knitting and sewing projects members are involved in and details of how members can help with projects. Books and resources from the diocesan Mothers’ Union shop can also be bought online through the site. There are links to other pages such as the Mary Sumner House site.
Launching the site, Marketing Coordinator, Karen Nelson, to Olive Good and Jean Denner for their help. “The seed was planted last year and a lot of hard work is now coming to fruition,” she said. She urged members to use the site and spread the word about it, give feedback on it and send information on branch events to be included on the site as well as photos.
Diocesan President, Joy Gor don, paid tribute to Karen and her team and stressed the importance of having a good website. “The website is the window to us. It is how people get to know about Mothers’ Union so it will be a wonderful resource,” she commented.
In her address to Spring Council, Joy praised the work that was being done in branches throughout the dioceses. “Our members are living and breathing the Mothers’ Union prayer as they share God’s love through the encouragement, strengthening and support of marriage and family life.
She added that at the recent Mothers’ Union training conference in Termonfeckin, it had been a joy to hear of the work being done overseas and see how contributions sent from Ireland were being put to good use in training people rather than buying goods thus “sowing the seeds of independence”.
The President highlighted the 2014 theme which is Sowing the Future Together and said that it was the responsibility of ordinary members to sow the seeds in their parishes and communities in order to strengthen membership. “Mothers’ Union is a ready made ministry and I encourage you to look at local needs… We can offer much more than tea and sympathy. It’s about active discipleship,” she said.
Reports were given on the different units’ activities. Jean Denner, treasurer, outlined the financial situation while Amy Hourie gave an update from the Faith and Policy Unit. She highlighted the importance of raising issues espoused by Mothers’ Union, such as child beauty pageants, with local and European election candidates.
Margaret Bentley spoke of the importance of keeping in touch with the indoor members and spoke about the new prayer shawls which members could knit, enabling indoor members who could no longer go to meetings, pray for the work of their branches.
Sylvia Graham, in her report on Social Policy, spoke of the need to lobby local representatives and MEPs on issues such as retaining a Christian ethos in schools. Action and Outreach coordinator, Daphne Townsend, launched the new ‘fiddle blanket’ which members can make to be given to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Information on how to make them is on the website.
Links correspondent, Jessica Clarke spoke of the links the dioceses have with dioceses in Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria and New Zealand as well as with Bangor in North Wales and Down and Dromore in Northern Ireland.
Karen Nelson highlighted the general meeting in June which is taking place in Belfast. This will be the first time the meeting has taken place in Ireland for eight years and she urged everyone to attend. (This is a ticketed event.) Enterprise representative, Olive Good, spoke of the resources available from Mothers’ Union which she said was particularly important following the closure of the Sunday School Shop.
Photo captions:
Top: Karen Nelson, Sandra Knaggs, Joy Gordon, Olive Good and Jean Thompson launching the new Dublin and Glendalough Mothers’ Union Website, www.dublin.mothersunion.ie.
Middle: Joy Gordon holds up a prayer shawl for indoor members.
Bottom: Daphne Townsend shows one of the new fiddle blankets for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.