Parish News for Sunday 6th Jan 2008

The Feast of the Epiphany

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

The Feast of the Epiphany

Today we celebrate the great feast of the Epiphany. The gospel brings us the familiar story of those three wise men from the East who seek our the Christ-Child and offer him gifts only given to royalty.

The identity of those mysterious strangers is cloaked in the mists of lore; those first Gentiles were privileged to receive the eternal message that the Saviour was born. But in a way they represented all of us in Bethlehem, because from that time and forever strangers would come from earth’s bounds to worship the Saviour.

Mass Times
Sacred Heart Church, Derry Road
Weekdays
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – 10.00am
Friday – 10.00am & 7.30pm

Sundays
Vigil: 7.00pm, 11.30am

St. Mary’s Church, Cloughcor
Sundays
9.15am

St. Joseph’s Church, Glenmornan
Sundays
10.15am

Confessions
Saturday: Sacred Heart Church at 11.30am and 6.15pm

Liturgical Calendar

Sunday 6th January: EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
1st Reading Is 60: 1-6
Response Psalm Ps 71
2nd Reading Eph 3: 2-3a. 5-6
Gospel Mt 2: 1-12

The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Saviour of the world. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. In the magi, representatives of the neighbouring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation' (CCC, 528).

Monday 7th January: After Epiphany
St Raymond of Penyafort priest, optional memorial
1st Reading 1 Jn 3: 22 – 4: 6
Response Psalm Ps 2: 7bc-8. / 10-12a
Gospel Mt 4: 12-17. 23-25

Tuesday 8th January: After Epiphany
1st Reading 1 Jn 4: 7-10
Response Psalm Ps 71: 1-2. 3-4. 7-8
Gospel Mk 6: 34-44

Wednesday 9th January: After Epiphany
1st Reading 1 Jn 4: 11-18
Response Psalm Ps 71: 1-2. 10. 12-13
Gospel Mk 6: 45-52

Thursday 10th January: After Epiphany
1st Reading 1 Jn 4: 19 – 5: 4
Response Psalm Ps 71: 1-2. 14 and 15bc. 17
Gospel Lk 4: 14-22

Friday 11th January: After Epiphany
1st Reading 1 Jn 5: 5-13
Response Psalm Ps 147: 12-13. 14-15. 19-20
Gospel Lk 5: 12-16

Saturday 12th January: After Epiphany
1st Reading 1 Jn 5: 14-21
Response Psalm Ps 149: 1-2. 3-4. 5 and 6a and 9b
Gospel Jn 3: 22-30

Pioneer Total Abstinence Association
Mass will be celebrated in the Sacred Heart Church on Friday next [11th January] at 7.30pm. This will be followed by a Dance and Supper in St. Patrick’s Hall, Strabane, sponsored by the Leckpatrick Pioneer Total Abstinence Association. All are welcome.

The Sick & Housebound will be attended on Tuesday 8th January

Would You Like To Help Us?
At this time of year, we invite you our parishioners to become involved in the life and work of the parish. Many of you are already involved – in fact, in our Christmas bulletin, we expressed our gratitude to all those people who served the parish in any way during the past year. The main purpose of this bulletin is to give those of you who haven’t yet come forward an opportunity to become actively involved in the life of your parish.

If you would like to help, please write your name, address and telephone number opposite the service you would like to perform. Kindly leave the completed form in either parochial house during the coming week, or bring it to any of the Masses next weekend. Many thanks in anticipation. [Please note that if you are already involved in any of the following tasks, do not write your name again. We presume you are going to continue the good work!]

St. Mary’s, Cloughcor [Name, Address and Telephone Number]
Altar Server [Boy or Girl]
Reader
Church Cleaner
Collector
Eucharistic Minister
Choir Member
Other

St. Joseph’s, Glenmornan [Name, Address and Telephone Number]
Altar Server [Boy or Girl]
Reader
Church Cleaner
Collector
Eucharistic Minister
Choir Member
Other

Sacred Heart Church [Name, Address and Telephone Number]
Altar Server [Boy or Girl]
Reader
Church Cleaner
Collector
Eucharistic Minister
Choir Member
Folk Choir [Saturday Evening Mass]
Other

THE NEW YEAR

Ever Faithful God
in this new year I pray:

to live deeply with purpose,
to live freely, with detachment,
to live wisely, with humility,
to live justly with compassion,
to live lovingly with fidelity,
to live mindfully with awareness,
to live gratefully with generosity,
to live fully, with enthusiasm.

Help me to hold this vision
and to daily renew it in my heart,
becoming ever more one with you,
my truest Self.