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Welcome to Wicklow Parish -
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Thanks to Gail Fingleton for this great picture of some alpacas with the church in the background! #christmasmarket
Dear Wicklow Welcomes Supporters,
Thank you for your continued support for the many displaced and vulnerable people seeking asylum in our country. We have been blown away by the number of emails we have received reiterating your support and asking how you can help people living in the Grand Hotel during these turbulent times.
As we are sure you are all aware, there are two protests organised for this weekend by people from both within and outside our community.
We are all deeply saddened by this news as it has been clear in the four years since Wicklow Welcomes was established that we, the people of Wicklow, are a kind, caring, generous and welcoming community to new neighbours from near and far.
Together we have shown through our actions that we stand for compassion for people who have come to us seeking our help and protection. We are proud of how we treat others and we are proud of our town and our county. We have collectively shown by our example how we can envelop people into our community and help them in any way we can to lead a happy, successful life, free from harm and to feel the warmth of our caring nature. We have shown how kind Irish people are and how welcoming. We have shown how we do our best to ease the burden of people experiencing hard times by helping in any way we can. We have worked together to help people who need our protection and helped people to integrate into our community by removing any obstacles we could.
We have been humbled by the resilience of the human spirit shown by those who have sought sanctuary in our country, and we have all benefited from the ways so many have contributed to their new community.
It is upsetting to think that there may be people in the hotel this weekend terrified of what awaits them, children included. The hotel is their home.
Rather than feeling the warmth of our kindness, they will feel alone, frightened and rejected. Whether we were born in Ireland or came here seeking protection from harm, we all just want to be safe and live a peaceful, fulfilling life. We all just want friends and family nearby, to be part of a community, to experience kindness, and to make happy memories.
We hope that you will continue to support those living in The Grand Hotel and elsewhere in our town, some of whom may have experienced the worst trauma imaginable.
Let’s continue to behave towards others in a way we can be proud of. Let’s continue to show the world that Wicklow is a place worth visiting and an attractive place to live and work in.
Thank you again for your continued support.
The Wicklow Welcomes
Committee
We have cleared some space in the Vestry for anyone coming to church with small children!
We’re delighted to see small kids in church, but understand it can be a bit stressful for parents at times! Please feel free to drop in & out of the Vestry during services, where there will be some toys & a playmat. There is also a speaker in there, relaying the service.
And please keep bringing your kids to church!
Tune in to Prime Time on RTÉ at 9.35pm tonight, where Rev Jack will be speaking on behalf of Wicklow Welcomes about the current situation for asylum seekers in the town.