Saturday 4th June
Vigil Mass 6.30 pm Peg and John McMahon and Jean (Frem) Devlin.
Sunday 5th June Ascension of the Lord
9.30 am Angela Feeney and deceased members of Murphy and
Carpenter families.
11 am Patrick Holland and his twin sister Nonie Cosgrave.
Edmond and Raymond Toner.
12.15 pm Margaret and Patrick Conway and Joseph Conneely.
6.30 pm Velodia Alarcon and Willie Lambe.
Monday 6th June 10am Free intention
Tuesday 7th June 10am For all the Sick and special intention 'Imelda'
Wednesday 8th June 10am Free intention
Thursday 9th June 10am Stephen Nee
Friday 10th June 10am Dermott Cotter who died recently.
Saturday 11th June
Vigil Mass 6.30 pm Tony Frawley and Jimmy Geraghty.
Sunday 12th June Pentecost Sunday
9.30 am Peter Rabbitte and deceased members of family.
Helen Duignan (Months Mind Mass)
11am 1.Ann Mitchell and 2. deceased members of O'Neill family.
12.15 pm
Tim Joyce (Months Mind Mass) and Margaret and Peter Joyce.
Bridie Tedders
6.30 pm Derek Lee and Jean (Frem) Devlin.
Bank Holiday Weekend……. THINK!!
Bishop MacDaid urges all road users to be safe and recommends prayer for motorists
Bishop Liam MacDaid, Bishop of Clogher, calls on all road users: motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, to take special care of themselves and their loved ones this June bank holiday weekend.
Bishop MacDaid said, “Up to 1 June the recorded road fatality statistics for 2011 stands at 77 for the Republic and for 24 the North. This loss of human life is heart breaking for the loved ones of the deceased and a tragedy for our society as a whole. Ahead of our June bank holiday weekend I am asking all road users to exercise particular vigilance in terms of safety and to be extra-responsible on the roads over the next three days.
“As individuals we have an obligation to exercise a duty of care to other road users by improving our driver behaviour and, at a public policy level, this improved behaviour needs to be matched by effective strategic planning and greater resourcing.
“Care for one another in our community is a basic human value which travels across different faiths and cultures. This duty of care also applies to our road use and it is fundamental to the common good of all in society.”
Bishop MacDaid recommends the following dedicated prayer for motorists which may be recited before driving:
Prayer for motorists before driving:
Before I take my place behind the wheel
I pray, O Sacred Heart – Guide me on my way.
Virgin Mary, Morning Star, from every danger guide this car.
Thou dear Lord who gave it to enjoy,
Grant that its purpose be to save and not destroy.
Amen
Introducing the New Missal
To assist our preparation for changes in some of the words that we pray at Mass from September next, please see the question and answer below. In addition, you may wish to view the brief video and further explanations which are now available on www.catholicbishops.ie. Related topics on the new edition of the Roman Missal are also on www.liturgy-ireland.ie.
Is the Mass changing?
The structure of the Mass is not changing. The order and the actions of the Mass remain unchanged. The readings at Mass are not changed. However, with the introduction of the new edition of the Roman Missal throughout the English-speaking world, we will all notice a change in how the Mass sounds. The translations of a number of our prayer texts from the original Latin have changed – sometimes by a particular word or in the word order. Prayers that we have become used to reciting by memory now have to be relearned. Prayers that we are used to hearing the priest say will sound different to us.
The style of language we will hear and pray may seem more formal to us and perhaps, in parts, more complex. But over time, with the praying of these texts, the sound of the Mass will again become familiar to us.
What is the Roman Missal?
The term ‘Missal’ is used to refer to the book that contains all the prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass. The Missal is first written in Latin and this Latin text is then translated into the particular language of the people. In this way, while the Mass may be celebrated in many languages across the Roman Catholic world, it is the same core Latin text that is being prayed by the Church. We have been using our current Missal since St Patrick’s Day 1975. It is sometimes referred to as the Missal of Pope Paul VI. Now we have a new edition of that Missal.
When and why are we getting a new edition of the Roman Missal?
The new edition of the Missal will come into full use over a period of time between September and 27 November 2011, the First Sunday of Advent. The new edition is necessary for a number of reasons. Firstly, in the years since 1975 when our current Missal was published, a number of additional texts have been made available for use in the Mass. These include additional Eucharistic Prayers, some new Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Masses for over twenty new Feasts of Saints (for example, St Pius of Pietrelcina/Padre Pio, Edith Stein, Maximilian Kolbe). The new material is to be included in the Missal so that it can be used in our celebrations.
Secondly, in 2001 the Holy See issued new directives for the translation of the Latin texts. Translators were asked to make the English text follow more closely the original Latin in its wording and structure. They were also asked to strengthen the biblical language and images in the texts and to reintroduce some theological vocabulary that may have been lost over the years.
Across the English-speaking world the new edition of the Roman Missal will therefore contain both new material and a new style of translation.
Is the Catholic Church in Ireland alone in introducing this new Missal?
The Catholic Church in Ireland, along with Churches throughout the English-speaking world, is working towards introducing the new edition of the Roman Missal at this time. This new edition is the English translation of the Latin Missal that was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Since 2002 the Church in its many languages has engaged in the work of translating this Latin text through study, reflection and consultation. This work in English-speaking countries is now complete. In Ireland, as in other English-speaking countries, the new Missal will come into use during autumn 2011.
Registration for the International Eucharistic Congress
Registration for the International Eucharistic Congress is now open at
The National Eucharistic Congress takes place in Knock on 25 and 26 June. People can attend with their parish, in groups or individually. Registration for the workshops is essential at
http//www.iec2012.ie.
Knock Summer Festival 2011 takes place from 24 - 26 June in Knock see
The festival is a three day event and is for all people between the ages of 18-35.
The weekend will include: inspiring talks, creative workshops, vibrant music, a chance to meet new people, prayer, reflection, reconciliation, chill out time, clay and pottery, art, drumming, a huge gathering to celebrate the Eucharist .
Speakers include: Ronan Johnston, Lino Rulli, Fr Benny McHale, Fr Sean McDonagh, Bernadette Purcell, Veronica O'Rourke
Further information:
Ms Brenda Drumm, 00353 (0) 87 310 4444, Ms Teresa Menendez, 00353 (0) 87 910 0042
Help the St. Vincent de Paul Society cut the cost of school books:
Visit here:
Support Fr. Brendan McManus walking the Camino
Fr. Brendan McManus, Jesuit in Galway, is looking for your support for his Camino walk in aid of Console, the charity that helps the suicide bereaved.
Support him by following this link:
Volunteers Needed
The Building of Hope Charity (Co. Clare based) is looking for trade’s people to construct a residential home for blind orphaned children in Mombasa, Kenya. 200 volunteers will travel in January 2012 for 10 days. Any help you can give to make a difference in the life of these children will be very rewarding. All Enquiries can be to Olive Halpin on 087-6994599.
Website:
Question on the Papal Letter to Ireland, posed as part of Interview with Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, Director of the Holy See Press Office.
Exactly one year ago the Catholics of Ireland received a Pastoral Letter from Pope Benedict XVI and it was welcomed by the faithful. Did you receive feedback his Pastoral Letter from other countries?
Pope Benedict XVI’s Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland is a document which occupies a very important place in this pontificate. In fact, it is the most comprehensive text that the Pope has ever written on the question of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy. As we know this issue has dramatically marked and continues to mark the life of the Church in recent years in a profound way. It has left very deep wounds and done serious damage, particularly in some countries, but also- we must add- throughout the universal community of the Church. Pope Benedict XVI has to lead the Church at this time of crisis, and he does so with admirable courage and humility, setting us the example of the evangelical attitudes to adopt and action to be taken. The Pope has spoken many times about the problem of abuse, even on his journeys to different countries, on each occasion drawing the attention of the public and media from further afield. The letter to Irish Catholics has attracted great attention especially there where the tragedy of abuse has hit the Church hardest. Moreover, even if some parts of the letter are addressed more specifically to Ireland, in light of its Christian history and commitments towards concrete renewal, most of the document could easily refer to other countries and situations, such as the intense section addressed to victims, their families, to abusers, the various components of the community. The Pope himself, in other countries, has referred to this letter to explain his personal attitude and the guidelines that he proposes to the entire Church.
Even though the Catholic Church in Ireland has been particularly tried by this terrible tragedy, one that has caused so much suffering among so many innocent people, it is also true to say that if the Church in Ireland can renew itself and rise up again, if it can prove itself worthy of its great tradition, then it will once again lend a great service to the Church in Europe and worldwide, offering its priceless experience of true penance, purification and renewal, revival of community life where children are effectively protected and secure in their human and Christian growth.
In this sense, the feedback I have received has always been characterized by great spiritual participation and sympathy for the difficult period that the Church in Ireland is experiencing, by an admiration for its strength of faith, firm despite suffering and humiliation, and by great attention to see a real progress of renewal and revival of hope, also in view of preparation for the 2012 Eucharistic Congress.
Church to celebrate the 45th World Communications Day, Sunday 5 June2011
- New look website launched by the Bishops’ Conference
- CCO to host tweet on Pope Benedict’s WCD message on Twitter
On Sunday 5 June the Catholic Church will celebrate the 45th World Communications Day on the theme ‘Truth, proclamation and authenticity of life in the digital age’. The theme was chosen by Pope Benedict XVI and he reflects on it in his traditional message for World Communications Day.
Bishop John McAreavey and Bishop Denis Brennan of the Bishops’ Council for Communications welcomed this year’s message of Pope Benedict XVI for the 45th World Day of Social Communications. Bishop McAreavey said: As Catholics the human person is at the core of all our communications each day. Even in an age that is largely dominated, and at times conditioned, by new technologies, the value of personal witness remains paramount.
Bishop Brennan said: “World Communications Day is a very important date in the calendar of the Universal Church. It was the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council. The theme which Pope Benedict has chosen reminds us of the many challenges which new media brings, and, of the importance of truth as the central and only reference point in all communications media.”
The website of the Irish Bishops’ Conference,
has been redesigned making it more user friendly and easier to navigate. A slider on the top left of the home page allows the website to showcase the website’s most recent content in a visually appealing manner, giving users access to the latest press releases and features with one click. The website is connected to the Bishops’ Conference YouTube, Flickr, Audio boo, Facebook and Twitter accounts, making information from the Conference available on a numbers of different platforms.
The Catholic Communications Office will be hosting a discussion on Pope Benedict’s World Communications Day message on Twitter. To join in this discussion connect to Twitter between 3 and 4pm (Irish time) next Sunday 5 June and use the hash tag #wcd2011.
Youth News
Tullamore Youth Gospel Choir invites all students and families of those doing exams in the month of June for a very special EXAM mass on Tuesday 7th June @ 8pm in Galway Cathedral. This is an opportunity to show the students that everyone wishes them well and is thinking of them at this anxious time.
Knock Summer Youth Festival - 24th-26th June in Knock Shrine...Three day festival for all young people aged 18-35. This event is action packed with workshops, prayer, reflection, music and much more. For more information, contact Siobhain on 091-565066.
Bishop McKeown’s personal reflection on the visit of Queen Elizabeth II
For decades the narrative about Northern Ireland has been that it was an incomprehensible medieval conflict between the two warring groups – the Catholic tribe and the Protestant tribe. Foreign media reports were laced with references to religious fanatics attacking each other. The North, and especially Belfast, was portrayed as one more example of the pernicious role of religion, dividing people and even motivating them to kill one another.
But last week's State visit by Queen Elizabeth II accepted what the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 had clearly recognised – the conflict was never primarily a religious or confessional conflict but one caused by the tensions between Britishness and Irishness. It was part of the ‘long, complex and ... often ... turbulent’ relationships between two nations, most painfully incarnated in Northern Ireland. This was not two states trying to circumvent the results of religious fanaticism. It was two peoples accepting how their enmity and coldness had cost so much blood. And wherever armed forces fight, it is innocent civilians who suffer most. Religion was used as a weapon in the ebb and flow of that brutal tide of violence. But it was good to see civic authorities publicly acknowledging where the core problem lay.
And I’d go further. The events of last week were led by two heads of State, both women of faith. Without talking about either religion or their own personal beliefs, they had the imagination and the courage ‘to bow to the past, but not be bound by it’, a chance to acknowledge ‘that while we cannot change the past, we have chosen to change the future’. President McAleese and Queen Elizabeth had the conviction and humility to be leaders, bringing their increasingly secular societies to a place which they could not reach on their own. They demonstrated that ‘spiritual intelligence’ which can take the rubble of the past and make it into foundations rather than a weapons cache. Could I even suggest that their personal faith convictions were a huge asset in developing the reflective and sacred dimension of the Dublin events at the Garden of Remembrance and the Irish National War Memorial Park. These became symbolic events which effected in many people’s hearts what they proclaimed in gesture and silence. This was ritual taking us beyond the limits of language to the unchartered edges of meaning.
And there is another point. What happened last week was at least partly the result of what some people of faith had done to help the people of these islands come to terms with the ‘complexity of our history’ and the horrific out workings of that fraught relationship. Those faith leaders who attended the State dinner actually represented all those who had worked tirelessly to liberate many of the political forces from the corners into which they had painted themselves. This was a tribute to those who worked to build peace while armed groups fought and politicians refused to talk. This was faith enriching the public forum, like leaven serving the common good, not intruding on someone else’s business.
So what might this imply? Churches may have implicitly been removed from being identified as being responsible for past difficulties and as enemies of the future. But the visit also challenges the churches to re-examine our role in northern society.
Firstly, it generates a new sense of freedom. If the conflict was seen as religious, then it was easy to portray anyone who used the name ‘Protestant’ or ‘Catholic’ as inherently sectarian, a relic of the past, as something that had no place in modern society, a title to be avoided in company. For example, Catholic schools could be labelled as merely divisive because they dared to espouse the name of one of the warring tribes. I hope that the events of last week will enable people to be proud of their identity and contribution to a modern society, rather than having to apologise for it. The visit also gives churches an opportunity to reassert their independence from those political and economic forces that would seek to enlist them on their side.
Secondly, the rich symbolism of the visit may help us all to move beyond the stage where we thought that we could own truth – about history, about God and about ourselves. It questions comfortable narratives about our religion – or lack of it - and our politics. But that does not mean that we abandon the search for truth. It just suggests that we can move beyond the fear that hardens genuine insight into ideology. It means journeying in trust, believing that the truth will not enslave us but set us free.
Thirdly, one of the key sources of conflict has always been those who quarry the past to promote, not pride, but a sense of injustice. The pain has to be acknowledged but the past cannot be undone. Better than most, we ought to have discovered that there is no future if we seek only to punish the perpetrators and vent our righteous fury on the enemy, the oppressor. That endless search for redemptive violence, that urge to believe that satisfying vengeance or the spilling of blood for my pain will build a future – that is a futile hope and we have lived through the effects of that inhuman heresy. Too many people have suffered when there is – as Yeats suggested - more substance in our enmities than in our love.
As one who seeks to follow Jesus, I remain intrigued so many by how many our key events – the Easter Rising, the Good Friday Agreement and now this visit by Queen Elizabeth during this Easter season – have occurred at a time of the year when Christians celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection. The early Church had to retell the Jesus story in a way that made sense of the past and generated energy for the future.
Last week’s events have given us a chance to tell a new truth that strikes a balance between wallowing in the past and forgetting about it. If faith communities can help generate space to tell our stories without fear of attack, then we can craft a new story in a place where hope thrives and the past no longer threatens to overwhelm our present and our future. Bishop Donal McKeown is Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Down and Connor
Further information:
Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678
nuigalway.ie
