PRIESTS OF THE PARISH
Rev John Doherty PP Tel: 028 7188 2274
Rev Paul Farren Tel: 028 7188 3247

Sunday 2nd May 2010

5th Sunday of Easter

Jesus said: “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice”. One of the big questions of today for people is: “Who am I?” and there are all kinds of self-awareness courses around to help us answer that question. It is an important question and many of these courses are helpful. But it is not the most important question for us. Much more important is the question: “To whom do I belong?”. Belonging is of the essence of being human and our belonging is identified by and lived out through the voices that we listen to. Some people listen to the voice of the world around which tells us to put ourselves first and they belong to the world. Others listen to the voice of Christ telling us to put others first and by so doing they belong to him. In the struggle between the two, Christ invites us to listen to his voice.

Fr. Johnny Doherty, C.Ss.R.

The Heart of the Message

The final command of Jesus was to love others as he had loved us. We need courage to love as he loved, but courage and strength must not exclude understanding and compassion. We must resist the temptation to solve our problems the way the world does – by a brutal fist and a relentless severity. Courage is the servant of love.

And so we realise the wisdom of the Lord’s prediction that we will be known as his disciples by our love for one another. How simple that is! Our parish will be known as a group of Christ’s disciples when we love one another. It is not our church buildings nor our schools that will do it. Our discipleship of Jesus will be measured by the love we have for one another.

Paul recognised the priorities when he assured the Corinthians that without love, even undergoing martyrdom would be an empty act. He told them that love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful.

Lord, what is your judgement on our parish? Can we be recognised by others as your real disciples? The test is simple: do we love one another? Can we lift up our heads on a Sunday morning and see in the congregation people in whom we have made a heavy investment of our life and love and care and concern? Or do we see a building full of strangers? Lord, we want to know the heart of your message. We want to be able to love others as you have loved us. Please help us!

Last week’s Collection was £1,640.00. Many thanks.

Confirmation

Confirmation will be administered by Bishop Séamus Hegarty in the Sacred Heart Church on Thursday 13th May at 5.00pm. The children to be confirmed and their sponsors should be in their places no later than 4.40pm. We would ask parishioners who intend to be present at that Mass to kindly leave the reserved places at the front of the church free for the children who are to be confirmed and their sponsors. The parents and families of the children would like to be placed in the seats behind the children and the sponsors.

After the ceremony Bishop Hegarty will meet the children and their families in
St. Patrick’s Hall, Strabane.

We ask our usual helpers and any others who would like to offer their services to be in the hall by 5.00pm in order to make preparations for serving light refreshments.

On Thursday 6th May there will be a very important rehearsal in the Sacred Heart Church at 7.30pm for the children and their sponsors. If a sponsor is unavailable, a parent should come to the practice instead.

Other Dates to Remember

Cemetery Sunday
Sunday 16th May: The Blessing of Graves will take place in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Cloughcor at 3.00pm.

First Holy Communion

Saturday 22nd May: First Holy Communion for the children of St. Mary’s Primary School in the Sacred Heart Church at 11.00am.

Sunday 23rd May: First Holy Communion for children of St. Joseph’s Primary School in Glenmornan Church at 10.15am.

Saturday 29th May: First Holy Communion for the children of Strabane Controlled Primary School in the Sacred Heart Church at 11.00am.

The next Pioneer Meeting will take place tomorrow [Monday] at 8.00pm, followed directly by a meeting of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Padre Pio Devotions
Padre Pio devotions will take place in the Immaculate Conception Church, Strabane on Wednesday 5th May with the Rosary at 6.45pm followed by Mass at 7.00pm.

Is someone else’s drinking or
drug-taking causing you problems?

Are you aged 15yrs-19yrs? Are you feeling isolated and want to talk about what’s happening in your life? “Bottled-up” is a place where you don’t need to bottle it up. It’s a chance for you to meet other young people in your position, share your experiences and enjoy fun activities such as circus skills training and multimedia workshops. Come along on Saturday 8th May from 10.00am until 6.00pm to The YARD Project, Columba House, 11 Queen Street, Derry. For further information and to book a place please contact us: telephone 71269113, email: theyardproject@btineternet,com, or www.facebook.com/pages/theyardproject

Foyle Hospice Bark in the Park – a sponsored dog walk on Sunday 9th May in St. Columb’s Park, Limavady Rd, Derry at 2.00pm. Telephone 71359888 for further details and booking. Registration £5/dog.

The following are asked to assist as collectors and church cleaners during the month of May:

SACRED HEART CHURCH:

Collectors:
Saturday 7.00pm:-
Manus McLaughlin, Liam Ward,
Lawrence Doherty and Tony McDaid.
Sunday 11.30am:-
Denis Hegarty

Cleaners: Team F

ST. MARY’S CHURCH, CLOUGHCOR:

Collectors:

Noel McDaid and Brian Farrell.

Altar Society & Cleaners:
Mary Devine, Ita Devine and Alicia Devine.

ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH, GLENMORNAN

Collectors: –

Altar Society: Nellie Doherty, Margaret Harte and Kathleen Kelly.

Our thanks are due to all who served the parish in any way during the month of April.

Reflection

It can happen that we lose interest in people,
and even become blind to their strengths,
when we discover their limitations.
During his passion Jesus discovered the limitations of Peter.
Yet he didn’t write him off.
He continued to believe in him,
and in time he came good.
Like Peter, we are weak human beings,
who are inconstant in our beliefs.
We need someone who understands our weaknesses,
who realises that it may take time for us to overcome them,
and who doesn’t write us off because
we don’t produce the goods at once.