By Ann Marie Foley - 01 March, 2017
At a time when Easter is in danger of becoming a festival of bunnies, chicks and chocolate eggs, one woman is busy spreading the true meaning of what is the Church’s most solemn season and high point of the liturgical calendar. She is currently contacting parishes about a very special Easter egg, which she says puts Jesus back at the heart of Easter.
Julie Carvill came up with the idea of the ‘Happy Easter Egg’, which is made from ethically produced chocolate and includes a booklet telling the real Easter story in rhyme with illustrations. It includes social media links to an online audio version of the Happy Easter Story, an Easter competition, and lots more.
“What I love is if Mrs Murphy who has two grandchildren orders two eggs, but the grandchildren are no longer brought to Mass, they are getting a little about what Easter is about in a very acceptable way,” Julie Carvill told Catholicireland.net.
“There are some parishes who have bought them for the altar servers. My dream is that it will go out more and more to those who might not be thinking about what Easter is about. There is a little booklet with the Easter story in the box, but then online it is narrated with music and pictures for the children who are not able to read and there are a few competitions so the child is engaged more with what Easter is all about.”
Julie Carvill is currently promoting the Happy Easter Egg to both Catholic and Church of Ireland parishes and dioceses, and to other organisations.
Ideally they will promote the egg and take orders from parishioners and members of their communities for the first three weeks in Lent and then take delivery of the eggs in time for Easter.
Posters and order forms are currently being sent to the dioceses, and eggs can also be ordered for Ireland and the UK on the website.
Julie Carvill, who owns a small Christian bookshop in Co. Wicklow, began with the eggs two years ago. She has been at the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass in the Pro Cathedral in Dublin to introduce massgoers to the concept. She has also been interviewed on Spirit Radio and several other media outlets.
The egg itself is made from the best chocolate and includes honeycomb crisp milk chocolates (total 195 g in weight). The chocolate comes from ethically sourced cocoa beans, is made in Ireland and supports Irish businesses.
For every Happy Easter Egg purchased, 10c is donated to an Irish charity, the Hope Foundation. The Hope Foundation gives hope to street and slum children in Kolkata (Calcutta) – children who do not know the comfort and security of a safe home or regular meals, and certainly have never had the luxury of an Easter egg.
See www.happyeasteregg.ie, or telephone 085 229 3722.
