A Faith Community Taking Responsibility for its Future

Our Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) renewal process is now completed. We were seeking eight new members. Our discernment process on February 20th gave us a clear six persons to be members of the PPC, and four who tied for 7th and 8th places. It was decided, there and then, to take two of the four names from a hat giving us a total of eight new members. Later, however, at our first meeting of the renewed Parish Pastoral Council, it was decided to add the two people whose names did not come out of the hat. Consequently we have ten new members of the Parish Pastoral Council. The full list of the renewed PPC is:

Michael Aherne
Joseph Apust
Bill Black
Michael Connolly
Rosemary Divir
Maura Donnelly
Anne Farrelly (Acting Chair)
Aengus Morgan
Robert Ivory
Veronica Lacey
Enda Lloyd
Melita Nicolini
Domhnall O'Neill
Jelson Paul
Gemma Punkett
Colin Rothery

On Monday 25th January 2010 the PPC presented a report at the Parish Assembly, this report can be read by clicking here.

The Parish of Holy Redeemer is first and foremost a community where all are welcome. It is a vibrant parish with over 40 Parish Groups. In recent years, we have welcomed many foreign nationals to our community. Our Indian and Filipino Communities organise their own special liturgies once a month in our parish. On the second Sunday of each month, at our 10.30 a.m. Sunday Family Mass, we have a liturgy with an international flavour, when several nationalities are involved in the liturgy.

Holy Redeemer’s logo is the Rose Window, which illustrates the structure of our parish. Though the Rose Window was part of the design when the front of the Church was replaced between 1958 and 1963, it could just as easily have been designed for the Holy Redeemer of to-day. The windows vary in size and shape – similarly our Parish Groups vary in size and in the skills they require. Not everyone is suited to every group, but no matter where your interests and talents lie, you can be assured that if you wish to be involved there is a group for you. The more involved you are in your parish, the more you feel part of your parish. Alternatively, if you do not wish to have ‘hands on’ involvement in the parish, once you are experiencing and enjoying a sense of belonging, then you are truly part of our community of Holy Redeemer.

The Rose Window illustrates the inter-relationship between the Parish Groups and with the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) at the core. A major role of the PPC is to liaise with every group, no matter how big or small, in a manner that is open and encouraging. However, the lines linking the groups with the centre are a two-way system. So, as the PPC reaches outwards to all parishioners, so also all parishioners are encouraged and invited to communicate their ideas and thoughts with the PPC .

On 1st September 2009, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin installed Monsigneur Enda Lloyd as Parish Priest of Holy Redeemer.  Fr.Colin Rothery & Fr.Joseph Apust also joined the parish team at this time. Contact details for our clergy and parish can be found here

Fr Enda Llyod (Parish Priest)
By birth I'm a Tullamore man, my sister Nancy and family & sister Leonie still live there and my brother John and family reside in Sandycove.  I come now from Greystones where I was very happy indeed.  Previously I loved working in Roundwood and later in Glencullen so I feel very at home around here.  I look forward to working very closely with my two new colleagues, with you and with all the Parish Groups

During most of the 90s I was in Chile, working in Santiago, in very underprivileged areas, with huge populations. I was a Gringo coming in to work with people who had stood up to the deprivations, upsets and trials of the Pinochet years. They taught me much, indeed how I view The Church now is as they taught me. We were a community working together through all the ups and downs of life. Our aim was to use all the gifts that were available for the common good.

Contact details for Fr Enda can contacted on: 01.2862026


Fr Joseph Apust (Chaplain)
I, Joseph Samuel Apust also known as Joe Murphy to my Irish friends, am the new parish chaplain. I am from Northern Nigeria and am the eldest of six brothers (no sisters). I am doing a Masters in Theology (Liturgy) in University College Maynooth.

Educated in my local primary school in Northern Nigeria, I then proceeded through secondary school to seminary and was ordained in 2000.

I spent a year in the parish of Bida, as curate, and was then appointed parish priest to St Augustine's in Fuka. Shortly after that I was appointed as bursar to the Good Shepherd Seminary where I also lectured in liturgy. My interest in liturgy developed and the provincial bishops decided to send me to Maynooth to do my Masters.  They also requested that I work in parish during my time in Ireland.

I spent last year in Sandyford, and loved it, and this year am fortunate to join the new team in Holy Redeemer. I celebrated my 40th birthday recently and was surprised and delighted when, after celebrating Mass, everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to me in the Coffee Dock and helped me eat the cake!

Contact details for Fr Joseph can be contacted on: 01.2863223


Fr Colin Rothery (Curate)
I grew up in Kilmacud so before coming to Bray for my first appointment as a priest of the Dublin Diocese, I had been up and down the promenade once or twice! Actually I feel quite at home here already because I have a sister (one of 3), and aunt a couple of good friends living 10 minutes
from our presbytery door.

After school I did an Arts degree in UCD, before teaching English in Spain for three years.  After I came back to Ireland I did a Diploma in Translation. (Languages are a big interest of mine).

I was never an altar boy and I wasn't even that religious as a boy. I started to get back into my faith from the age of 25 or so, and after being in a prayer group, doing SVP work and singing every week with the Palestrina Choir, I realised to my surprise that God was calling me to
be a priest.

I studied Philosophy in Maynooth for 2 years, theology in Rome for 3 years, then spent a year in Balbriggan as a Deacon, before being ordained priest on June 27th last.

Contact details for Fr Colin can be contacted on: 01.2863223