02.09.2024
Temple Carrig Community Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Greystones School
The community of Temple Carrig School in Greystones gathered yesterday (Sunday September 1) to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Taoiseach Simon Harris joined students and staff of Temple Carrig and parishioners of St Patrick’s Church for a Service of Thanksgiving to mark the milestone first decade.
Archbishop Michael Jackson presided and preached and during the service there was an opportunity to look back over the first 10 years of the life and community of the school. The Taoiseach read a prayer and remained after the service to talk to parents, students and parishioners as the celebrations continued with refreshments outside.
Temple Carrig School serves the entire Greystones and Delgany community and is under Church of Ireland management. It opened in September 2014 and was the first Church of Ireland voluntary secondary school to be established since the foundation of the State.
The congregation was welcomed by the Rector, Canon David Mungavin. He thanked both the Taoiseach and the Archbishop for their support of Temple Carrig over the last decade. He also welcomed Fr Des Hayden, the new Parish Priest of Greystones and Kilquade.
In his sermon, Archbishop Jackson acknowledged the historic day and noted that most history started out as local and Temple Carrig School was intrinsic to the locality of Greystones. He praised the continuity of work and service given and offered over the last 10 years and said the staff and students had contributed to the “magnificent and outstanding” project which was truly part of the landscape of Greystones and gave life and energy to the young people of the area.
Drawing on Psalm 122.1, 2: “I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Now we are standing within your gates, Jerusalem …” the Archbishop spoke of the importance of imagination, celebration and community.
“Those who imagined that Temple Carrig would happen, those who imagined what it would look like, those who imagined what it would be like to go through the whole school experience as a pupil and come out on the other side, happy and proud to be past pupils, have brought together their dreams and made them real. They will share them with each other today as we remember the past as well as plan for the future together,” he stated.
He added that school days were full of people and events worthy of celebration and said it was the constant challenge for school leaders to keep this celebration alive. The Archbishop observed that a school is a community and a community formed itself out of the values and virtues of those who shaped its growth.
“This is the unique gift that you have all given to one another in Temple Carrig – headmaster who saw this school through from its first day to this day and now hands it over to a new headmistress who knows it so well; chairperson and members of the Board of Management; all members of the school staff at every point in the compass of what a school is; and the pupils year after year who not only have filled this school with activity and learning, happiness and achievement but have shown the need for a larger school already on site. You have been faithful to the trust committed to you right from the beginning and created a tradition for yourselves and an inheritance for others. This is a significant and an amazing achievement and as the Patron of this school I am very proud of you all. Congratulations and: Well done!” he said.
During the service School Chaplain, Simon Kilpatrick read the Psalm; the first reading was read by Chairperson of the Board Garrett Fennell and the second by Principal Deborah Crean. Prayers were read by An Taoiseach Simon Harris, last year’s Head Girl Fiadhna McNabb, former Principal Alan Cox, Staff member Catherine Young and First Year student Taylor Quinn. To music performed by the St Patrick’s Music Group, a collage of grateful memories was played before School Chaplain Joshua Barrington gave a reflection giving thanks to God as he continued to be the cornerstone of Temple Carrig.
You can read the Archbishop’s sermon in full here.
