A Thanksgiving Service to celebrate the conclusion of 18 years of service to the Church and to the community will be held in Monkstown Parish Church, Monkstown, Co Dublin, on Sunday 4 May 2003 at 4.00 pm.

The address will be given by Archdeacon Gordon Linney, Rector of St Paul's Parish, Glenageary.

The Bureau grew out of the vision of Frank Luce, a civil engineer and lay reader, who strongly believed St James’ words, ‘Faith without works is dead.’ Inspired by him, a committee was established and the Bureau was set up in the Knox Hall in Monkstown Parish where the day to day administration was undertaken by retired bank manager Ronnie Osborne.

Over the years large numbers of people were assisted to find employment or, if not, at least to speak to someone who showed a kindly interest and concern for them. The Bureau fathered a number of offspring.

The most vibrant is SPADE, St Paul’s Area Development Enterprise in the redundant St Paul’s Church, North King Street, which eventually spread to premises in Paul Street, 115B North King Street and Newmarket Square. Through SPADE many entrepreneurs were assisted in establishing small businesses.

In 1997 an account of the work of the Diocesan Employment Bureau, SPADE the Vision that Became a Reality, was written by Frank Luce.