Strabane Parish Newsletter
Sunday, 19th January 2020
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
MASS TIMES
Monday 20 January 10.00am
Tuesday 21 January 10.00am
Wednesday 22 January 7.00pm
Thursday 23 January 10.00am
Friday 24 January 10.00am
Saturday 25 January 10.00am 6.30pm
Sunday 26 January 10.00am 12.00noon
CONFESSIONS
Saturdays: 10.30am – 12.30pm; 5.45pm
– 6.20pm
Thursday before First Friday after morning
Mass
BAPTISMS
Friday: 6.30pm Sunday: 12.45pm
CONTACTS
Parish Priest: Rev. Declan Boland PP
Parochial House: 02871 883293
Parish Administrator: Mrs. Amanda Cairns
Parish Office: 02871 882215
Email: amanda@strabaneparish.com
Website: www.strabaneparish.com
Parish Hall: 02871 882483
WARAIKO PRAYER
The Japanese have a centuries
old ritual called Waraiko they used to
greet a new year and to celebrate birthdays. The ritual consists of giving three
hearty belly laughs! The first robust laugh is of gratitude for the precious year
just ended. The second hearty laugh is in gratitude for being given a new year of
life to enjoy. The third is a really full-bodied belly laugh, since it is to blow
the dust off your mind, heart, and soul. Dust? The dust of habit and routine that
slowly accumulates like all dust, causing the soul to lose the luster of its youthful
vitality.
Instead of restricting the
Waraiko ritual only to New Year’s Eves
and birthdays, consider the possibilities of using this ritual of three hearty laughs
as your morning prayer. At the beginning of a new day, your first prayer laugh would
be in gratitude for all the gifts of yesterday and a good night’s sleep. Your second
laugh could be for the wondrous gift of a new day of life overflowing with opportunities
to enjoy it fully. The third and boisterous laugh would be to blow the dust off
your soul so it and your heart can glisten like the rising sun. For some, just after
rising may be too early an hour in the day for a good laugh, so consider using its
humorous cousin, a good chuckle with a broad smile.
Chuckling is also a sign
of gladness and creates the breeze of delight that can blow the dust off your soul,
causing it to gleam again like new. There is a valid connection between dusting
and gladness, since the original meaning of glad was, “gleaming, shining, and bright!”
Perhaps because cheerful people had a special luminous shimmer to their faces, glad
came to mean happy, joyful, and pleasant. Since laughing for no apparent good reason
is usually considered a sign of being giddy or a scatterbrain, wisely do as the
Master taught. When you pray, go in your room, close the door, and do so in secret.
While sage advice for any prayer, it’s especially true for Waraiko prayer. If you faithfully observe his prayer rule of praying
in secret and someone actually does observe you at your Waraiko morning prayer, don’t be concerned if they think you are giddy!
The goal of every religious
seeker should be to be giddy since in Old English it once meant, “possessed by a
god or spirit.”
PRAYER GROUP
The contemplative prayer group will meet on Monday
at 8.15pm in the Parochial House. New members very welcome.
CHURCH RESTORATION FUND
A collection will be taken up at the vigil Mass on
Saturday 25 January and at all Masses on Sunday 26 January after Holy Communion.
You will find an envelope for this collection in your envelope box.
We greatly acknowledge the donation of £100.00 towards the Church Restoration Fund.
Thank you sincerely.
TOTAL TO DATE: £193,550.00 & €13,557.00
DEATHS
We offer our deepest sympathy to the family and friends
of:
Paddy McGrath,
40 Innisfree Gardens
Nora Morris,
39 Mourne Place
Daniel McCrory,
Omagh, formerly of Dunamanagh
Eamonn McElhinney,
Dundee, formerly of Strabane
Patrick Coyle,
3 Dernalebe Road
Eamon Shiels,
79 Laurel Drive
Jim O’Hagan,
Newtownstewart
May
they rest in peace
ANNIVERSARIES
Elizabeth Smith, Carmel Devine
Kathleen O’Kane, Benny Devine
Eamon Hannigan, Mary Mullan
Tom Mullan, Lizzie Logue
Terry Logue, Jimmy Quinn
Annie Nelson, Hugh Nelson
Nan McMackin, Eileen Wilson
Patrick O’Neill, Frances Kearney
James Lynch Jnr, Agnes Connolly.
CONFIRMATION
Confirmation for P.7 pupils will take place in the
church on Thursday 12 March at 5.00pm.
FIRST HOLY
COMMUNION
First
Holy Communion for P.4 children will take place on Saturday 30 May at 11.00am.
PRAY FOR PRIESTS
Fr. Oliver Crilly, Doneyloop, 19 January
Fr. Patrick Crilly, Retired, 20 January
Fr. Brendan Crowley PP, Garvagh, 21 January
Most Rev. Edward Daly, Deceased, 22 January
All Priests, 23 January
Fr. Robert Devine, Deceased, 24 January
Msgr. Brendan Devlin, Retired, 25 January
CHURCH
UNITY WEEK
The annual service for Church Unity Week will take
place in the Sacred Heart Church, Derry Road on Sunday 26 January at 3.00pm. Everyone
welcome.
SICK AND HOUSEBOUND
The sick and housebound in the following areas will
be attended on Thursday 23 January starting
after 10.00am Mass: Springhill Park, Evish Grove, Newtownkennedy Street, Courtrai
Park, Meetinghouse Street. (Area 1)
The sick and housebound in the following areas will
be attended on Thursday 23 January starting after 10.00am Mass: Lower Main
Street, Riverside Terrace, Alexander Place, Church Street, Church View, Glen Road,
Hillmount Grove, Evish Road, Dergalt Road. (Area 2)
The sick and housebound in the following areas will
be attended on Friday 24 January starting after 10.00am Mass: Fountain Street,
Fountain Terrace, Marian Park, Casement Place, Innisfree Gardens, Drumrallagh. (Area
3)
The sick and housebound in the following areas will
be attended on Friday 24 January starting after 10.00am Mass: Townsend
Street, Townsend Terrace, Liskey Road, Conthem Road, Bearney Road, Dernalebe, Camus
Park. (Area 4)
DERRY
DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES
Derry Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes, led by Bishop
Donal McKeown, Thursday 2 July to Tuesday 7 July 2020, cost £679.00 (deposit £100.00
- non refundable) including full board and transfers in Lourdes. The Pilgrimage
Office in the Diocesan Pastoral Centre at 164 Bishop Street, Derry, BT48 6UJ, will
be open for enquiries and bookings each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 11.00am
to 1.00pm, from Tuesday 14 January. Tel: 02871260293, (00442871 260293 from ROI,)
email: derrypilgrim@outlook.com
HOLY
HOUR
Holy Hour for Vocations to Priesthood and Religious
Life in the Diocese of Derry – Fr. Chris Ferguson will lead a Holy Hour to pray
for an increase in vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life in the Diocese
of Derry on Thursday 23 January at 8.00pm in St. Eugene’s Cathedral. All welcome.
THORNHILL
MINISTRIES
Monday 20 January, 10.30pm – 1.00pm ‘Look Both Ways’. A gentle morning
to help hold with tenderness the struggles and the blessings of the past and to
move into 2020. Offering: £10.00.
Tuesday 21 January, 10.30am – 11.45am ‘Spiritual Reading Book Club’. Coffee,
conversation and a review of ‘A Cry is Heard’ Jean Vanier. Offering: £10.00. For more information contact
02871351233 or thornhillministries@derrydiocese.org.
Website: www.thornhillministries.co.uk.
FOSTERING INFORMATION EVENINGS
Fostering Information Evenings will be hosted by WHSCT
on 28 January in Da Vincis Hotel, Derry, and on 29 January in the Fir Trees Hotel,
Strabane. Time: 7.00pm – 9.00pm. The Evenings are of an informal nature; questions
will be answered. Light refreshments will be served. Everyone welcome.
MEDJUGORJE
PILGRIMAGES
Marian Pilgrimages. Saturday 9 May. Ex Belfast £589.00.
Spiritual Director to be confirmed.
Wednesday 23 September Ex Belfast £589.00. Spiritual
Director Fr. John Gates. Accommodation Pansion Tomato (50 meters from church). Deposit
of £100.00 secures place. Ring Group Leader Anne Duffy 07736005396 - 02871880372
to book or for an information pack.
FROM
A JAM POT TO A SWEET FACTORY - THE
STORY OF URNEY CHOCOLATES
Talk will be given in the Heritage Education Centre,
The Stables, Sion Mills on Tuesday 21 January at 7.30pm. Refreshments will be served.
You will also have the opportunity to visit the Stables Museum and the Hidden Pearl
restaurant.
PARISH
PANTOMINE
St. Patrick’s Hall Theatre Group presents Cinderella
from Friday 31 January – Saturday 8 February (excluding Thursday 6 February).
Time: Friday 31 January, Monday 3 – Saturday 8 February 7.30pm. Extra Show on Saturday
1 and Sunday 2 February at 3.00pm. Tickets £10.00 and £8.00 concession. Box Office
now open. Telephone 02871882483 www.stpatrickshall.com
PARISH
DRAW
We will be starting our Parish Draw shortly and we
look forward to the continuing support of all our parishioners and many further
afield. Because of our Church Restoration Fund, our Parish Draw, which takes place
every month, is even more important. It is now an established feature of our parish
life and is an essential part of our overall fund raising. If you are not already
an existing member we would ask you to join us this year and in doing you will be
assisting the Church Restoration Fund greatly.
The subscription for the monthly Draw is £60.00 for
the year or £5.00 a month. The 1st prize
is £1,000.00, 2nd £300.00, 3rd £200.00 and five other prizes of £100.00
each. If you wish to join the Draw or to put yourself forward as a promoter please
contact any of the existing promoters listed below or ring Amanda at the parish
office on 02871882215. We are making a big plea again this year for your assistance
as we need as many new members as possible. Once again a big THANK YOU for all your support.
The current Draw promoters are:
Fr. Boland, Sr. Carmel
Marian Cooke, Nuala Kerr
Kathleen Connolly, Eileen Canning
Siobhan McDevitt, Pat Morris
Mary O’Hagan, Pat McColgan
Patricia McCrossan, Maura Coyle
Colette McKane, Maisie Boggs
Neil Gallagher , Andrew MacIntyre
Mary Kelly, Doreen Diver.
BINGO AND LUCKY 4 DRAW
Bingo and Lucky 4 Draw as usual this
Thursday
All our patrons are very welcome
PRAYER
CORNER
PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE
Father, I am seeking,
hesitant and uncertain,
but will you, O God,
watch over each step of
mine
and guide me.
Lord
Let me do your will;
make your way plain for
me to follow.
