March 1929

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

MARCH, 1929

CLERGY:

Rev. Canon Archer, B.D., The Rectory, Seagoe, Portadown.

Rev. W. A. Henry, 21 Edward St., Portadown.

LAY READER (Bishop's Licence):

Mr. Robt. Gracey, 23 Railway Street, Portadown.

CHURCHWARDENS:

Rector's—Robert M'Clements.

People's—John Dermott.

Mission in Seagoe

A Mission will be held (D.v.) in Seagoe School, beginning on Monday, March 11th. It will be continued in the Parochial School until Friday, March 22nd. The Services will be followed by Special Services in the Church during Holy Week, which begins on Monday, March 25th. On Sunday, March 10th, the Evening Service at 7 p.m. in the Church will be of a Mission character. On Sundays March 17th and 24th, the Mission Service will be held the Church at 7 p.m. Mr. Robert Gracey, Lay Reader, will conduct the Mission in the School and the Church Army Hymnal will be used. We ask the Parishioners to specially remember the Mission in their prayers. A band of workers has been formed to help during the Mission and to make it known throughout the Parish.

Services During Holy Week.

During Holy Week, beginning on Monday, March 25th, a Service will be held each evening in the Parish Church at 8 p.m. The Church Hymnal will be used.

Good Friday Services

On Good Friday, March 29th, the following Services will be held in the Parish Church:—

11:30 a.m.—Morning Prayer and Litany.

8 p.m.—Evening Prayer and Sermon.

The offerings at these Services will be given to the Jews' Society.

Easter Day, 1926.

On Easter Day, March 31st, Services will be held in the Parish Church as follows.

8 a.m.—Holy Communion.

11:30 a.m.—Morning Prayer, Sermon and Holy Communion.

7 p.m.—Evening Prayer and Sermon.

The offerings on Easter Day at all Services will be on behalf of our Parochial Sunday School Fund.

Annual Easter Vestry

The Easter Vestry will be held (D. v.) on Thursday, April 4th, in Seagoe School at 8 p.m. A full attendance of the registered General Vestry of the Parish is requested.

Seagoe Mothers' Union,

An enjoyable social gathering of the members was held on Tuesday, Feb. 12th, in Seagoe School. There was a large gathering of the members. After tea, the Rector took the chair. A pleasant feature of the evening was the presentation of a travelling rug and straps to the Rev. W. A. Henry, Curate, by the members of the Mothers' Union on the occasion of his leaving the Parish to take up work at Snowflake, near Winnipeg, Canada, in the Diocese of Rupertsland. Mrs. Henry, of Clones, was present. The presentation was made to Mr. Henry by Mrs. Reid, the President of the Mothers' Union. Mr. Henry, in a few appropriate words, thanked the members for their kind gift and ex-pressed his regret at leaving the Parish. Mr. Gracey, Lay Reader, also spoke, and Mrs. Henry, on the invitation of the Rector, in a brief speech, thanked the mothers for their thoughtful gift to her son. Mrs. Henry afterwards gave an address to the members, which was much appreciated.

The Mothers' Union will attend a service in the Parish Church on Thursday, March 7th, at 8 p.m. when the Rev. F. J. Halahan, M.C., Rector of Drumcree, will give an address.

Parish Register for February.

Baptisms.

Atkin—Feb. 2nd, 1929, James Howard, son of Frank Rawlinson and Margery Atkin, of Edenderry. Sponsors—Robert Harold Pearce, Frank Rawlinson Atkin, Dorothy Pearce.

Atkinson—Feb. 2nd, 1929, Joanna, (daughter of Herbert and Sarah Atkinson, of Edenderry.

Sponsors-Martha Harbinson, Sarah Atkinson

Marriage,

Duke and Best—January 31st, 1929, James Duke, of Ballydonaghy, Parish of Knockna-muckley, and Grace Best, of Drumlisnagrilley.

Burials.

Martin—Feb. 6th, Deborah Martin, of Rilvergan, aged 90 years. Interred in Ardmore.

Bickett—Feb 10th, William Robert Bickett, of Tamnifiglasson.

Magee—Feb. 12th, Minnie Magee, of Kernan, aged 12 years,

Williamson—Feb. 27th, George Williamson, of Lurgan, aged 73 years.

Guy—March 1st, John Guy, of Tarson, aged 91 years.

Seagoe Parish Almanac.

This pretty Almanac adorns the walls of many houses in the Parish. The daily verse is read by many before they go to their work in the morning. “A Lift on the Way” is worth reading, and the

touching prayer under the picture of the old man and the little girl should be learned off by heart by every parishioner. The picture of the big boy helping his little brother up the hill suggests a good thought for the members of our Seagoe C.L.B.

The daily verses for March are brief but very useful. The opening verse is "God is with thee," Joshua 1, 9. Get into the habit of reading the verse on the Almanac for each day. It will help you.

Sunday School Prizes.

All the Sunday Schools have now got their prizes. It has been a wonderful month for prize distributions and many beautiful books have been presented to the children. We think the Bibles were the nicest ever given to the children and we hope they will value them and read them regu-larly. The stories, too, seem to be very interesting and up-to-date. Many of them are Scout or Guide stories. This year for the first time Missionary Books were given as prizes, and we have heard many expressions of delight from the children and parents at the interest and beauty of the stories. We can only refer briefly to each of the prize distributions. The prize distributions began in Levaghery on Thursday, February 7th, and finished up at Carne on Monday, February 25th. A large gathering assembled in Leavghery School and after a hearty tea, games followed. During an interval some musical items were performed by the children. The Rector distributed the prizes, which were num-erous. Owing to the building of many new houses in Levaghery the Sunday School has gained a new importance in the district. On Friday, February 8th, Hacknahay prize-giving took place. The room was crowded as usual, and a long and interesting programme of recitations, songs and dia-logues was given by the children. The prizes were distributed to the children by Miss Calvert, and as they passed out at the close of the evening each child was presented with an orange. Drumgor held its fete on Monday, February 11th. There was a large gathering of young people, who thor-oughly enjoyed the tea and games. Drumgor, like Levaghery, is a growing district, and our Sunday School work is gaining in importance. Mr. Dermott and Miss Guy give us good help in the work at Drumgor. Edenderry Sunday School had their distribution on Tuesday, February 19th. A splendid programme had been arranged by the Misses Hawthorne. There was a great gathering of children and parents which quite filled the Hall. The prizes numbered 165 books, Bibles and stories. A great work is being done in the Edenderry Sunday Schools, which were never larger than at present. The teachers here and in our other Sunday Schools have a responsible work to do and are doing it well. Seagoe Sunday Schools had their turn on Friday, February 22. Mrs. Abraham, of Breagh, very kindly prepared the programme, in which many of the children took part. Some sixty prizes were distributed, among them being many beautiful Bibles. At Carne Church Hall the children assembled on Monday, February 25th. Mr. D. Murray, the Superintendent, had got together an excellent pro-gramme, which was much enjoyed. The Rev. W. A. Henry and Mr. R. Gracey were present, and many of the children received prizes. The prizes awarded in our Sunday Schools are a great encour-agement to the children, and we would wish again to thank the Seagoe Mothers' Union who so generously gave £2 to each of our six Sunday Schools—£12 in all—to help towards the prizes and

socials.

Important.

Will Magazine Distributors kindly settle up accounts for last year as soon as possible and much oblige? We hope that all those who receive copies of the Magazine from the distributors will pay whatever is owing without delay. Our distributors do a splendid work, and we must help to make their task as easy as possible.

C.L.B.

During the month Seagoe Cormpany of the Church Lad's Brigade has been doing good work. The Church Parade on Sunday, February 3rd, was a great event in the Parish. St. Michael's, Belfast, C.L.B. Pipe Band headed the C.L.B. to the Parish Church for Morning Prayer. The Rector preached. In the afternoon a special Brigade Service was held in the Church and was attended by the Seagoe Company, the St. Michael's C.L.B. and St. Mark's, Portadown B.B. Band and Com-panies. The Church was quite filled, and the sermon was preached by the Rev. F. J. Halahan, M.C., Rector of Drumcree. The Seagoe C.L.B. also paraded at Edenderry Parochial Hall on Wednesday, February 27th, when a special service was held and an address was given by Captain Acroyd, of the Church Army, Head of the C.A. Labour Home, Belfast. The smart uniforms of our C.L.B. have attracted much attention and been much admired in the neighbourhood.

Concert in Edenderry

On Tuesday, February 25^th, a concert, organised by the Misses Hawthorne, was held in the Parochial Hall. It was largely a repetition of the concert held in January. An excellent programme was arranged. The items were very varied. The Edenderry children performed their items splen-didly. We have never heard better singing in the Hall. Mr. Kane played his violin, and Mr. Watson performed on his harp in a most enjoyable way, and several others from outside the Parish gave useful help and added much to the enjoyment. The St. Mark's G.F.S. most kindly attended and gave a clever sketch entitled "Apartments to Let." The proceeds of the concert are in aid of the Edenderry

Sunday School Prize Fund.

G.F.S.

The Seagoe G.F.S. meets in Seagoe School every Monday evening at 8 p.m. Miss A. Guy and Miss S. Montgomery arrange the meetings, and we are glad to know that Mrs. Scott, of Seagoe, has kindly consented to help at future meetings. During last month Mr. R. Scott, Principal of Seagoe P.E. School, gave the members a most interesting lecture on "Tennyson," and illustrated it by read-ing some passages from the poet's works.

Men's Bible Class

The men of the Parish are invited to attend Mr. R. Gracey's Bible Class in Edenderry Orange Hall every Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m.

Choir Social

Seagoe Choir held a social in Seagoe School on Tuesday, February 26th, which was largely attended. After tea, games of various kinds were enjoyed. At the close of the evening a presentation was made to the Rev. W. A. Henry on the occasion of his approaching departure for Canada. The Rector presided and made the presentation, which consisted of a handsomely bound Bible and a richly embroidered tea-cloth, the latter being intended to help towards the furnishing of Mr. Henry's Rectory at Snowflake when he makes his home there. Mr. Henry thanked the Choir for their kind-ness and expressed his regret at leaving the Parish.

The Magazine

We hope our readers will like the new cover. The photograph of the Rectory is taken from a snapshot made in mid-winter, last January, and slightly enlarged. Several new advertisements appear in our columns and next month we hope to have a further set to interest our readers. Send a copy of the Magazine each month to your friends overseas. They are longing to know all that is going on in the old Parish at home. Order your goods from the firms which advertise in our Maga-zine and you won't be disappointed. If you fail to get a copy of the Magazine through the issue being sold out, apply to the Rector and he may be able to secure you a copy.

Bereavement

The prevalence of sickness has in some eases during the past month brought also the shadow of death into homes in the Parish and neighbourhood. We deeply regret the death of Mr. Andrew Sloan, of Ballyworkan, who always showed a keen interest in Seagoe Parish and in this Magazine. We also see recorded the death of Mr. Thomas Lutton, formerly of Edenderry, who was also much interested in the welfare of Seagoe. Mrs. Martin, mother of Mr. Thomas Martin, a member of our Select Vestry, has been called home at the great age of ninety years, and Mr. W. R. Bickett, a former Churchwarden, has also passed away. Mr. John Guy, of Tarsan is another whose name appears in our list of deaths, and little Minnie Magee, of Kernan, a good child in our Sunday and Day Schools has been laid to rest in our old Churchyard. We express to all the bereaved relatives our sincere sympathy. "We sorrow not, as those without hope, for them who sleep in Him."

Old Seagoe Notes

Curates of Seagoe from 1879—1929 —The following is a list of the dates when the Curates of Seagoe officiated for the first and last time in the Parish Church, between the years 1879 and 1929, a period of exactly fifty years:—

Rev. Geo. J. Lodge, July 6th, 1879, to Dec. 25, 1880

Rev. R. Quirk, Feb. 6th, 1881 to Dec. 2nd, 1900

Rev. W. T. Grey, Dec. 25th, 1900, to April 10th, 1904

Rev. J. A. Jennings, January 28th, 1903, to February 26th, 1905

Rev. J. Taylor, April 9th, 1905, to April 28th, 1907

Rev. J. E. Archer, April 17th, 1904, to October 2nd, 1905

Rev. W. R. Crichton, October 13th, 1907, to December 17th, 1911

Rev. G. Bloomer, December 24th, 1911, to October 31st, 1915

Rev. T. H. Scanlon, July 16th, 1916, to September 22nd, 1918

Rev. H. de L. Singleton, October 6th, 1918, to June 19th, 1921

Rev. A. O. Draper, October 2nd, 1921, to January 28th, 1923

Rev. W. T. Wilson, June 3rd, 1923, to July 26th, 1925

Rev. R. W. Johnston, July 9th, 1924, to August 11th, 1926

Rev. Wm. A. Henry, January 2nd, 1927, to March 31st, 1929.

"Early Piety" by Lieut. CoIoneI William Blacker, 1853. —" Early Piety" is the title of an interesting poetical tract written and published by the famous Colonel William Blacker, of Carrick-Blacker, in the year 1853, two years before his death, which took place in 1855. The full title of the tract is "Early Piety, a reply to a Plea too often put forward by Young Persons," by Lieut. Colonel Blacker, Portadown, Printed by Geo. Wilson, 1853.

The preface is of special interest. It runs as follows:—"To the Scripture-reading Classes of Hacknahay Sabbath School. My Dear Young Friends—In the following lines I have endeavoured to direct your attention to several characters mentioned in Holy Writ as eminent for the piety which marked their early days. My desire is that you should each read in full those passages which relate to them and set forth those incidents on which rest their several claims to this distinguishing mention—and be prepared to show you have done so in the course of our Sabbath examinations. It may be said that I should have headed the list by the most transcendant and only perfect example of early excellence and duty, but I consider that the introduction of that Name 'at which every knew should bow' into anything like campanionship with mere mortals would be at variance with that reverence in which I trust it is held by you as well as by your sincere friend.—W.B."

The contents of the tract form a poem on Bible characters.It begins with the following lines:— Plead not thy youth, nor think to say—

"Too rugged is religion's way,

"And hard each barrier to surmount

“By one who years so few can count;

"Not yet, to me the strength is lent

"To win that difficult ascent.”

It may be rough, it may be steep,

That path, and hard for youth to keep;

Nay, manhood oft, in all its prime

Has failed that toilsome-height to climb;

Yet holy records tell of those

Who, still in youth, triumphant rose

Above each danger, spurn'd each threat,

That may the heav'nward path beget.

See from a child young Samuel feel

The future prophet's dawning zeal;

Early 'twas his, with wond'ring ear,

The spirit's wakening call to hear,

The message of his God to bear,

Entrusted to his boyhood's care,

And to an erring sire convey

The tidings of intense dismay.

Scarce Summers eight their rays had shed

On young Josiah's royal head,

When wak'd his mind to pious thought,

The "way of David's God" he sought.

Long had backsliding Judah trod

in error's path estranged from God;

To Baal gave the reckless crew

The tribute to Jehovah due;

'Mid rites unhallowed rose on high

The incense of idolatry.

Think thou on those, and many a one beside,

Whose youthful courage in the conflict tried,

Arose victorious in the fateful strife,

And grasped with hand of faith the crown of life.

SERVICES

THE PARISH CHURCH.

HOLY COMMUNION—1st Sunday after Morning Prayer; 3rd Sunday at 8 a.m., and on the Chief

Festivals.

HOLY BAPTISM—1st Saturday of Month at 3 p.m., and during any Service in the Parish Church

if notice be given; TWO Sponsors at least are required, and they must be Confirmed members of the Church. Churchings are held at each Baptism. Mothers are expected to bring a thank-offering. (See Book of Common Prayer.)

MORNING PRAYER—Sundays and chief Festivals 8 p.m. during Advent and Lent.

EVENING PRAYER—Sundays 7 p.m., Wednesdays 6 p.m.

DISTRICT SERVICES.

Hacknahay—Last Sunday of Month at 3:30 p.m.

Drumgor—Second Sunday of Month at 4 p.m.

CLASSES. &c.

ADULT CLASSES-Sundays at 10 a.m.

For Men—Edenderry.

For Women—Seagoe School.

SUNDAY SCHOOLS—10 a.m. Edenderry Parochial Hall and Seagoe School. 3 p.m. Seagoe, Edenderry Parochial Hall, Levaghery, Hacknahay, Carnes, Drumgor.

Men's Recreation Room, Bridge St., open every night from 7 p.m.

Mothers' Union, Edenderry, 2nd Tuesday of each month.

DAY SCHOOL—Seagoe, 9:30 a.m. Principal—Mr. S. Rennix.

MARRIAGES must be performed between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Licenses are issued by Rev Canon Hannon, Rectory, Lurgan. Due notice (48 hours) must be given to the Rector of intended weddings. FEES— By License—Labourers 5/-, Tradesmen 10/-, Merchants and Farmers 15/-, Professional £1. By Banns 5/-.

FUNERALS will be attended by the Clergy if proper notice be given. SICK CASES should be notified to the Clergy without delay.

FEES FOR CERTIFICATES. BAPTISM, 3/7: Children (Factory) 1/-, and 2/- (non-residents); MARRIAGE, 3/7. An extra search fee is chargeable in certain cases. It will be a help

to the Clergy if they are notified of the arrival of new Church families in the Parish.

A copy of the Magazine will be sent post free to any subscriber for 3s per annum.