2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year, C (I), 19th January, 2025

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Pray For Our Deceased Loved Ones

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Anniversaries: Wilf O’ Brennan, Kilmanagh (Month’s Mind, Sat 6.30pm).  Also Joan O’ Brennan, Rita Fennelly, London, Bridie Roche, Knockeenbaun.

Tommy Butler, Corstown (Sun 10:15)

Peggy Egan, Damma

Larry & Kitty Hurley, Dairyhill (Mon 7pm)

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Anniversaries Next Weekend

Chris Butler, Kilmanagh (Sat 6:30)

Joe Millea, Foxcover (Sun 9am)

Mary & Larry McGrath, The Pound (Sun 10:15)

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Catholic Schools Week

Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 January. “Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!”  – Pope Francis, Christus Vivit, Section 1.

​Reflecting on the theme, 'Alive in Christ', during Catholic Schools Week, Catholic schools will explore what it means to be fully alive as a human being – living life to the full in Christ. Sensitive to the age appropriateness of the various classes and years, the theme will explore how we exist for one another in Christ, building from the wellbeing of the individual, extending the notion of true wellbeing to others, to our families and communities, and to The Other, in God. The theme will mediate on hope, the true purpose and meaning of human life, and, in the more senior years, on true freedom.

 

Weddings

Congratulations to those planning to get married.  May the Lord bless your preparations and future marriage.  Some things you should be aware of:

A minimum of 3 months notice should be given to both church and state (but you should make arrangements well before this deadline)

Make sure to check the availability of both church and priest before making further plans.

A pre-marriage course is required.

Couples will need to meet with their parish priest (where they are living), and complete a pre-nuptial inquiry form.

There are two options available to couples: A Wedding Mass (which includes Holy Communion), and a Wedding Service (which is the same as a Mass, but doesn't have Holy Communion).

Since a Mass is our most solemn celebrations (Pope St. John Paul II wrote, ‘The Mass is the source and summit of our faith’), it must be treated with the upmost respect. Therefore appropriate music, readings and reflections must be chosen. 

A Wedding Service allows for a bit more flexibility, and for many who don’t regularly attend Mass, or is a multi-faith marriage, this may be a preferable option, but again, it must reflect the solemn nature of the sacrament.

It is customary to offer the priest a stipend for officiating at your wedding. The amount is up to the couple, but should be reasonable.  All couples using our churches should also make a contribution toward the maintenance and upkeep of the church.

In some parishes, and we’d like to see it here, before the wedding, families get together and clean the church for the wedding.

For any questions relating to the marriage ceremony, contact your priest.

A very helpful and comprehensive guide to marriage can be found on the St. Mary’s Cathedral website, particularly their marriage information booklet

Www.stmaryscathedral.ie/marriage 

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Christian Unity Week

A Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins this weekend, 18th—25th January We are invited to pray the Prayer of Christ for all followers to be united and respectful of each other. We pray for unity and diversity.

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Shared Masses

This has proven difficult to implement, with some willing to share an anniversary Mass on a weekend, and others not.  So I’m reverting back to the first-come-first-served basis...for now.

I am happy to include names of anyone in the anniversary list, and these will be remembered and prayed for at each Mass.  Where family still wish to have their own Mass offered, arrangements can be made to offer that Mass at a later date.

If a particular weekend Mass is already booked, why not consider a weekday Mass, or, pick a quiet time of the year and offer a Mass then? The remembrance doesn’t have to happen exactly on the anniversary, it’s when families can get together that’s important.

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Mass Cards

Signed Mass Cards are available in the sacristies. Suggested stipend is €10. Please remember to leave the name of the person for whom you wish the Mass to be offered for.

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Parish Pastoral Council

The PPC will meet, next Thursday at 7.30pm in the parish house.