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

Sunday 28th March 2010

Passion [Palm] Sunday

Prayer For The Church In Ireland

God of our fathers,
renew us in the faith which is our life and salvation,
the hope which promises forgiveness and interior renewal,
the charity which purifies and opens our hearts
to love you, and in you, each of our brothers and sisters.

Lord Jesus Christ,
may the Church in Ireland renew her age-old commitment
to the education of our young people in the way of truth and goodness,
holiness and generous service to society.

Holy Spirit, comforter, advocate and guide,
inspire a new springtime of holiness and apostolic zeal
for the Church in Ireland.

May our sorrow and our tears,
our sincere effort to redress past wrongs,
and our firm purpose of amendment
bear an abundant harvest of grace
for the deepening of the faith
in our families, parishes, schools and communities,
for the spiritual progress of Irish society,
and the growth of charity, justice, joy and peace
within the whole human family.

To you, Triune God,
confident in the loving protection of Mary,
Queen of Ireland, our Mother,
and of Saint Patrick, Saint Brigid and all the saints,
do we entrust ourselves, our children,
and the needs of the Church in Ireland.
Amen.

2010

Sacred Heart Church

Monday 29th March: • Mass at 10.00am followed by Confessions

Tuesday 30th March: • Mass at 10.00am followed by Confessions

Wednesday 31st March: • Mass at 10.00am followed by Confessions
• Confessions at 7.00pm [Both Priests]

Holy Thursday 1st April: • Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7.30pm
• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 9.00pm

Good Friday 2nd April: • Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3.00pm

Holy Saturday 3rd April: • Easter Vigil at 9.00pm
[Candles will be available at the back of the church]

Easter Sunday 4th April: • Mass at 11.30am

St. Joseph’s, Glenmornan

Holy Thursday 1st April: • Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7.30pm
• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 9.00pm
Easter Sunday 4th April: • Mass at 10.15am

St. Mary’s, Cloughcor

Good Friday 2nd April: • Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 7.30pm
Easter Sunday 4th April: • Mass at 9.15am

Kindly change your Trócaire contributions into notes, use the appropriate envelope in your box of envelopes, and bring it to the church on Holy Thursday or Good Friday. If you are a taxpayer, you can increase the amount of your gift by using one of the small envelopes which have been placed in the Trócaire boxes [there are also some available at the back of the church]. There are still Trócaire boxes available if you require them.

Last week’s collection was £2,213.00. Thank you.

GOOD FRIDAY – THIS IS A DAY OF FAST AND ABSTINENCE.

Weekly Envelopes

The new boxes of weekly envelopes are now available for collection. We ask the people who usually distribute them to be good enough to do so once again this year, if they have not already done so. We appreciate the time they give to serving the parish in this way.

Swine Flu

The diocesan restrictions in relation to Swine Flu have now been lifted. We intend to resume the practice of the Sign of Peace at Easter.

Mass of Chrism

This Mass, during which the holy oils are blessed, will be in St. Eugene’s Cathedral on Holy Thursday at 10.00am. All are welcome.

Evening of Forgiveness

A special period of forgiveness will take place in the Immaculate Conception Church this (Sunday) evening. Confessions will be heard from 5.00pm until 6.30pm. Several priests from the surrounding parishes will be available.

Why Marriage Matters

A leaflet, ‘Why Marriage Matters’, has been published by the Irish Bishops’ Conference, in support of marriage and family life, and expressing concern about aspects of the proposed Civil Partnership Bill in the Republic of Ireland. The leaflet summarises key elements of Catholic teaching on marriage and reiterates the importance of the family as the natural primary and fundamental unit of society. It is also available on the Irish Bishops’ Conference website: www.catholicbishops.ie. It is also available from Veritas Bookshop in Derry or Letterkenny.

Palm Sunday – In Triumph and Defeat

When we think about Jesus on the first Palm Sunday, we see so many similar situations in our own lives. He enjoyed a temporary triumph when the people welcomed him into Jerusalem. Many of us have known the sweetness of a victory: a baby born in perfect health, a promotion in our job, a scholarship to a university. But also, like him, we know that no victory on this earth lasts forever. The jubilation evaporates and the routine of the everyday again claims us. This earth is not the scene for anything eternal: it is always just a prologue.

We also see the Lord today in his prayer of agony in the garden. In some ways he died twice during the terrible hours after the Last Supper. His prayer was the cry of a person who already felt the malice of the world tearing at his flesh, and so his sweat flowed like the blood that would well from his wounds the next afternoon. Jesus was afraid of Calvary. And we know – at least, a little – how he felt.

For we have suffered through the hours of waiting for an operation on our own bodies; we felt our hearts miss a beat when the attendants came to wheel us to the operating room. We know the panic of waiting for anticipating pain and of wanting to escape. But we go, and not just to operating rooms; we go to all the crosses that our days of love and duty bring us. Human life is no picnic, and merely knowing that fact is not always a help.

Lord Jesus, we see you on your cross today. We see you die a real death – death with a dignity that the squalor of blood and dirt and jeers cannot touch.

No one of us has yet died. But we know that we will die. And we know that your dignity is not beyond us, because we have seen parents, children, spouses and friends accept the sentence against them and pass through the gate of death with you in their hearts and on their lips. We are sure that our last moments, too, can be tinged with triumph. For we are never alone, Lord. You are one with us in all our sufferings and our joys, our death and our triumph.