17.11.2025
Rathfarnham Celebrates Dedication of Gifts to the Parish
Parishioners in Rathfarnham celebrated their church’s new liturgical resources with a special service of Choral Evensong yesterday evening (Sunday November 16) at which Archbishop Michael Jackson presided. During the service he dedicated the refurbished organ, new lectern steps and a beautiful new mosaic in the garden of remembrance.
The church’s 1885 Forster & Andrews organ has been restored by organ builder Stephen Adams who conserved the workings where possible and replaced necessary parts. The work was funded by the generous donations of parishioners.
The approach to the eagle was described as precarious but now new steps will elevate younger readers and support all readers. The steps were commissioned as a result of a bequest from Mrs Alison Young.
The design concept for the church’s garden of remembrance included an art installation. Lay reader, Joan Forsdyke, crafted a reflective and enlightening mosaic over a period of two years and it too was dedicated by the Archbishop.
In his sermon, Archbishop Jackson said the readings [Genesis 28: 11–18, 1 Peter 2: 4–9, and Revelation 7: 9–12] brought us on a long journey from loneliness and fear to community and rejoicing. This came about through the hand of God constantly guiding and upholding, constructing and building, connecting and radiating glory to people who at the outset may not be able to see it but later felt better for God’s accompanying them through good times and bad.
He picked up threads that were common to each reading – the people, the place, and the presence of God. He said each of the readings for the day spoke of the connection between heaven and earth.
“Our readings hold our attention in a way that connects us totally with the generosity of the donors and with the elegance of the work completed in three key area of this parish church: the mosaic for the memorial garden, the new lectern steps, the refurbished organ. We would all wish to thank those who have given generously and those who have worked expertly in these three projects and it is in a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving that we dedicate their work today,” Archbishop Jackson said.
He concluded: “May our generation and may following generations pause to reflect, reflect to appreciate and appreciate to worship God in the grace and the generosity, the creativity and the genius, the skill and the craft of God’s children of 2025 in Rathfarnham Parish Church”.
