Parish Announcements for Sunday, April 1st 2012

Palm Sunday

• Morning Mass on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be at 10am as usual. Tuesday Mass is offered for the sick of the parish.

• The Mass of the Chrism will take place in Galway Cathedral on Holy Thursday, April 5th 2012 at 11am. The priests of the diocese will gather around Bishop Martin Drennan to concelebrate the Mass. It is a chance to support and pray for the priests. The Holy Oils for use in the sacraments throughout the diocese  during the year ahead will be blessed at this Mass.

• Easter Triduum times in Sacred Heart Church:

         Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord's Supper - 8pm

                                 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Altar of Repose after until 11pm

         Good Friday: Celebration of the Lord's Passion - 3pm

                             Stations of the Cross - 8pm

         Holy Saturday: The Easter Vigil - 8pm

         Easter Sunday: Masses at 9.30am, 11.00am and 12.15pm

                                 No evening Mass on Easter Sunday

• Confession times during the Triduum:

           Holy Thursday: 9pm - 10pm

           Good Friday: 4pm - 5pm

           Holy Saturday: 6pm - 7pm

• There will be a preparation meeting for the Holy Week ceremonies next Wednesday evening, April 4th 2012 at 8pm in the Church meeting room. All who have been involved in previous years and anybody else, young or old, who would like to be involved, please come to this meeting.

• The Easter offering envelopes for the priests of the parish are available at the doors of the Church.

• Please pray for those who have died recently:

           - Martin Joe Whelan, Coogan Park and Tulach Ard

           - Maureen Fahy, Corrib Park

           - Cyril Quinn, late of College Road, who died in New York

           - Sean (John) Higgins, Corrib Park. (See funeral arrangements in post below.)

Funeral of Seán (John) Higgins, RIP, Corrib Park

Reposing at O'Flaherty's Funeral Parlour, Munster Avenue, this Sunday, April 1st 2012 from 5pm with removal to Sacred Heart Church at 7.30pm. Funeral Mass on Monday at 11am. Burial after in Rahoon Cemetery.

Eternal rest, grant to him, oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York explains Holy Week

Palm Sunday: World Youth Day

The World Youth Day cross in St Peter's Square on Palm Sunday

World Youth Day actually occurs annually. When it's not a year of one of the big WYD celebrations in a world location outside Rome, World Youth Day is held in a more low-key way on Palm Sunday and the focal point is the Mass in St Peter's Square, celebrated by the Pope. These annual World Youth Days are counted in the numbering of the WYDs and that's how last Summer's WYD in Madrid was the XXVI World Youth Day.

So we pray for all young people this Palm Sunday, that they may rejoice in the Lord always.

To read the Message of Pope Benedict XVI for the XXVII World Youth day, Palm Sunday, 1st April 2012, click here.

Irish Bishops' Pastoral Letter for Lent 2012

The Pastoral Letter of the Irish Catholic Bishop's Conference for Lent 2012 is about repentance. The reflections spring from a reading of the temptations of Jesus in the desert in St Matthew's Gospel (4:1-10). This letter is a very worthwhile read. It situates penance in the context of our need for continual conversion and the situation of our own time.

To read the letter, click here.

Funeral of Maureen Fahy, RIP, Corrib Park

Removal from O'Flaherty's Funeral Parlour, Munster Avenue, on Friday, March 30th 2012 at 6.30pm to Sacred Heart Church. Funeral Mass on Saturday at 11.00am.

May perpetual light shine upon her.

The Eucharistic Congress: Have a look at what's happening.

Pope's visit to Cuba comes to an end

Pope Benedict XVI was very warmly received in Cuba, and he was able to call for religious freedom, while acknowledging progress being made.

Here is a report on the final Mass:

Thanks to all who came along to Catholicism Series screenings during Lent

Fr Robert Barron during filming of the Catholicism Series

Our Lenten screenings of the Catholicism Project with Fr Robert Barron came to an end this evening with the episode on Prayer. Thanks to all who came along during these weeks, and to those who helped in practical ways on the evenings too.

Congratulations to Fr Barron and all who were involved in the production of this series. It provides excellent catechesis in a very attractive form.

Our Final Catholicism Series Screening this Wednesday: Prayer

Sacred Heart Church, Wednesday March 28th 2012 @8.15pm

Prayer

Here is another preview of this week's episode:

Prayer is the raising of the heart and the mind to God. In this episode, entitled 'The Fire of His Love: Prayer and the life of the Spirit', Fr Robert Barron discusses the spiritual life. He concentrates on three great masters of the spiritual life, Thomas Merton, Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Teresa of Avila. He takes us to visit the places associated with them and so we find ourselves in Kentucky, USA, Segovia, Spain and Avila, Spain, as well as Paris, Lourdes, and Rome.

This is the last of our screenings. You are warmly welcome even if you did not get to any of our previous screenings, as each episode can be viewed without depending on the others.

Funeral of Martin Joseph (Joe) Whelan, RIP, Tulach Árd

Reposing at O'Flaherty's Funeral Parlour, Munster Avenue, this Tuesday, March 27th 2012 from 6.45pm with removal at 7.30pm to Sacred Heart Church. Funeral Mass on Wednesday at 11.00am. Burial after in Rahoon Cemetery.

May the Divine Assistance remain always with us and may the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

A Spring morning outside Sacred Heart Church

Pope Benedict XVI now in Cuba

After a very successful visit to Mexico, Pope Benedict has now moved on to Cuba. For a taste of this visit, see this video report:

Money Management, Budgeting and Cooking Course

Vernice Murray of the Westside Resource Centre recommends this course for anybody interested in making money go further in the current economic climate. She says that the advice on cooking should be particularly helpful and is an attractive dimension of this course.

Catholicism Series this coming Wednesday: Prayer

This coming Wednesday, March 28th 2012, at 8.15pm we will have our final Lenten screening of the Catholicism Series with Fr Robert Barron at Sacred Heart Church. The topic of this episode with be Prayer. Here is a clip from the episode:

“THE FIRE OF HIS LOVE: PRAYER AND THE LIFE OF THE SPIRIT”

In this episode, Father Barron explores Catholic spirituality, which is centered on prayer. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Prayer is the lifting up of the mind and the heart to God.” On pilgrimage to the places where the great saints and spiritual masters lived, Father Barron explores the different types of prayer: contemplation; adoration; petition; and intercession. In telling the stories of Catholics like Thomas Merton, St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, Fr. Barron demonstrates how the human person can be transformed through prayer that manifests a deep, spiritual commitment centered in Christ.

Rapturous welcome for Pope Benedict in Mexico

The people of Mexico have been giving Pope Benedict XVI a very warm welcome in their country. For a taste of the visit so far, see this clip of the Pope's arrival in Mexico.

Parish Announcements for Sunday, March 25th 2012

5th Sunday of Lent

Bishop Martin Drennan's theme in preparation for the Eucharistic Congress for this Sunday is 'the power of the Eucharist to renew our joy and out hope.'

• As announced, the special collection for Trocaire will be taken up along with the offertory collection at all the Masses of this Sunday. This collection is to allow those not using a Trocaire box at home to make a Lenten contribution to Trocaire.

• Next Sunday, April 1st 2012, is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week.

• This coming Wednesday, March 28th, at 8.15pm we will have our final screening of the Catholicism series with Fr Robert Barron here at Sacred Heart Church. The topic will be Prayer. All welcome. See post above.

• The Easter Offering Envelopes which provide for the priests of the parish are available at the Church doors. They can be returned to the Church during the Sundays of April or May.

• The clocks go forward by one hour tonight (Sat-Sun, March 24th-25th 2012). See post below.

• We pray for the soul of the late Peter Cullen, Inishannagh Park, whose funeral took place in St Mary's Church, The Claddagh, during the week.

Clocks change tonight: 'Spring forward'

Clocks go forward by one hour tonight, Saturday-Sunday, March 24th-25th 2012. 'Spring forward, fall back,' as the saying goes to help us remember which direction to change the clock at the two changing points of the year.

Meanwhile, Spring is in the air around the parish:

Spring time at Rockfield Park

Jesus' Life as told through Twitter

Here's a nice video going around the internet at the moment:

Pope Benedict now in Irish Air-space

Pope Benedict XVI is on his way to Mexico and his journey involves passing over Ireland. It is customary for him to send a telegram of greeting to the Head of State of each country over which he passes, and so here is the telegram he has sent to President Michael D. Higgins:

HIS EXCELLENCY MICHAEL HIGGINS
PRESIDENT OF IRELAND
DUBLIN
AS I PASS OVER IRELAND ON MY WAY TO MEXICO AND CUBA I GREET YOUR EXCELLENCY AND ASSURE YOU OF MY PRAYERS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND UPON WHOM I INVOKE GOD’S BLESSINGS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI