Holy Week Ceremonies:
I have
been somewhat disappointed over the years with the lack of numbers at the Holy Week
Ceremonies. This has been true with the numbers who come out on Good Friday and
Holy Saturday night. Perhaps I don’t talk about them enough myself. However we are
an educated people who should become familiar with Holy Week ourselves. The most
important thing we can do during Lent is to study the Holy Week Ceremonies. So open
St Paul’s Missal, and begins now. I was uplifted by the responses of the First Communion
Children about Holy Week last Sunday. They proved that we adults should be as enthused
about Holy Week as they are. Unless, we become like little children etc. We should
know that these Holy Week ceremonies which celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection
of Jesus are the most important ceremonies in the church year. In fact they give
meaning to the whole year. In fact our faith is built on them; they are the foundation
blocks from which everything has it origin. If we get rid of them, we have got rid
of the Christian message.
The Church
should be packed on Good Friday and on Holy Saturday Night because we take the suffering,
death and Resurrection of Jesus seriously. Through his suffering and resurrection
we form a relationship with our God. You would expect every family to come around
the Cross on Good Friday, and you would expect them to come and celebrate the Resurrection
of Jesus on Holy Saturday Night. After all it is a vigil, and we are called to keep
vigil. Jesus who suffered and died for us makes his suffering and death present
for us in each Sacrament, and especially in each Mass. He does this through the
Holy Spirit. Otherwise our Mass and our Sacraments would be empty rituals. In other
words, when we celebrate the sacraments we are united with Jesus in his suffering,
death, and resurrection. Jesus makes Holy Week present for us in sign when we celebrate
the Sacraments. Make sure to prepare, and make sure to join Jesus during Holy Week.
Parents of Confirmation Young
People:
We invite
you to a meeting in the Old School on Tuesday 2nd April 2019 at 8.00pm. Make sure
that you make every effort to be present. James Mahan will come all the way from
County Mayo to be with you and give a talk which you will appreciate.
Old School:
We are
renewing the Old School Play Grounds with Tar-Mac. This is quite a big job as manholes
have to be renewed, gullies cleaned, stones laid, new boiler stand erected, Metal
Security Frame put in place, New Oil Line and Tiger loop put in place, and trees
removed and banks sloped. I thank all who pay the Development Fund Envelope, and
the Weekly Envelope. Only for your generosity we as a parish would not be able to
continue making our parish into a place of which we can be proud. Donations, for
all work is gratefully accepted.
Stations of the Cross: each Thursday Night at 7.00pm
each week during Lent.
Readers:
Tempo: Ursula Kenny.
Cradien: 7th – James Rooney, 14th –
Aideen McGirr, 21st – Paula Cox, 28th – Bridie McCaffrey.
