Your Parish Newsletter for Sunday 11th July 2021:
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B) GOSPEL: ST MARK 6:7:13
‘He sent them out in pairs and instructed them to take nothing with them for the journey except a staff’
While our faith is personal to us at one level, we are very much called to be communities of faith – to gather together in prayer, particularly for Mass, and to share the gift of faith with one another. It is in gathering together for public worship, for prayer and, especially, the Eucharist, that we are sustained in faith, nourished for the mission to which God calls us. The Gospel tells us of the disciples that, “Jesus “sent them out in pairs”, not as individuals – an important aspect of mission is working together. “He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff” – Jesus provides for us, allowing us to keep focussed on His work. Not everyone wants to know or listen, but Jesus tells His disciples to “shake off the dust from under your feet” and continue – people have freedom to accept or reject the Gospel.
‘Lord, we ask today that the joys of the Gospel will be evident in everything we do, say and think
and that, through us, others will come to know You and to rejoice in the gift of faith.’
Mass Schedule for the Parish this Week:
For those who are unable to come out to church, all our Masses will continue to be available on our parish webcam, and our 11.00am Mass is also broadcast live each Sunday on Finn Valley Radio: 95.8FM
Please note: There are no Weekday Masses this week.
Saturday, Vigil Mass: 6.30pm Sunday: Masses at 9.00am and 11.00am
Everyone attending church is asked to wear a face covering, use the hand sanitiser that is available and maintain social distancing. Please enter the church by one of the back doors and leave by the side door that is closest to you. It is important that everyone attending feels safe and welcome in our church. The church continues to be ‘fogged’ and cleaned each day, after use. Thank you very much for your co-operation.
†
Joseph (Josie) Gamble, late of 58 Croaghan Heights
As a parish faith community, we offer our sympathy and our prayerful support to Margaret, to Veronica, Damien, Martin, Conor, Stephen and Keith, to the grandchildren and the wider family circle and friends of Josie, whose Funeral Mass took place in St Patrick’s on Friday. May he rest in peace.
ANNIVERSARIES:
We remember in prayer the souls of those whose anniversaries occur at this time….
Jude Crotty, Rossgier Close; William Devine, Strabane; James O Kane, Castlefin; Ellen Devenney, Manorcunnigham Mary Patmore, England; Philsy Grogan, Coneyburrow; Brian MCrory, Castlefin/Springhill
Liam Colhoun, Chestnut Grove; Olive McConnell, Tober; James McBrearty, The Common.
May they rest in peace.
COLLECTION:
THANK YOU for your generosity to the collection last week, which amounted to €1,998. Envelopes / weekly contributions can be left in the baskets inside the doors any morning of the week at Mass time. For those unable to attend Mass you can drop your envelope into the Parochial House letter box at any time. Your ongoing generosity to the weekly collection is very much appreciated.
THANK YOU also to those who returned ‘Gift Aid’ Forms in the last two weeks. It is greatly appreciated. Our first Gift Aid claim has been submitted this week and I will be in a position to update you on this within the next couple of weeks. Anyone else who has a Form that they would like to return can still do so, as supplementary claims can be made at any time. It is a great source of income for our parish – at no extra cost to you!
Download our Standing Order Form here.
You can also request envelopes by simply clicking on this link: ‘Get in Touch‘ and then select Parish Envelopes from the drop-down menu.
PLEASE NOTE:
In the case of an emergency this week (Sunday afternoon – Friday evening), you can contact:
Fr Ciaran Hegarty (Doneyloop) on (074) 9146183, Fr Patsy Arkinson (Killygordon) on 0857471625 or
Fr Thomas Canning (Sion Mills) on (0044) 81658264. Thank you.
PARISH OFFICE – TEMPORARY CHANGE FOR SUMMER MONTHS:
Please note that, for the months of July and August, the parish office will be closed on Mondays but will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays as normal.
SACRAMENTAL DATES:
Confirmations will take place the weekend of 4 and 5 September.
First Holy Communion will take place on Saturday 11 September.
(Classes will be informed of the times in due course).
FOR ATTENTION OF THE PARENTS OF THE SACRAMENTAL CHILDREN:
Dear Parents of the Sacramental Children,
As part of the children’s preparation for First Holy Communion and Confirmation, I encourage you to bring the children along each week to one of our three Sunday Masses. The children are preparing for very important milestones in their faith journey, and all of us who teach and encourage them in the faith have a responsibility to ensure that the children are very familiar with the church and the celebration of Mass, and are adequately prepared to receive the sacraments. Many thanks. Fr Colm.
IRISH CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER:
IRISH CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER is available in the church this weekend for sale. Cost €2.
ANNUAL CROAGH PATRICK PILGRIMAGE: – REEK SUNDAY:
This year, an extended version of Reek Sunday will be available for the month of July, from Wednesday to Saturday each week. Mass on the summit (weather permitting) Wednesday-Friday at 12.00noon and on Saturdays at 10.00am.
OUR PARISH – GROWING IN FAITH TOGETHER:
I introduced this ‘Growing in Faith Together corner’ last week on the theme of ‘beginning again’, especially in the context of Church and, in particular, our own parish, as we start to come out the other side of Covid-19.
It’s fair to say that we often like to stay within ‘comfort zones’ and avoid change – until it is forced upon us! In a strange way, the pandemic, which forced so much change, taught us to ‘think in new ways’. It taught us to be innovative. In the Church, for example, ‘online liturgies’ very quickly became the new norm and parishes introduced fresh ideas for reaching out to their parishioners via the various social media platforms.
Pentecost was a new beginning for the apostles. With Jesus no longer among them in person, change was, in effect, forced upon them. They had to think of new ways of doing His work. We can only say that they did a good job – the Good News spread throughout the known world and, very early on, reached our own shores. 2,000+ years later, it is the turn of our generation to hand on the faith that, through the love of God and the love of our ancestors, was handed down to us.
This week, we are invited to focus on the privileges and responsibilities that are ours, as baptised Catholics, as today’s apostles, in our own parish. Think especially in the context of how you, in your individual circumstances, could be part of a team that contributes in new ways, to building and developing our parish as we move forward.
I encourage us to pray for one another and our parish in these coming weeks. I invite you to make this Parish Prayer part of your daily prayer:
PARISH PRAYER
God our Father,
pour forth Your Holy Spirit on our parish.
Guide us in Your ways, grant us Your vision. Be our wisdom.
Open our hearts and minds to Your Holy Word,
strengthen us with the Holy Eucharist,
our food for the journey.
Help us to be people of prayer,
trusting in Your constant presence
in the challenges that we face.
With Your help,
may our parish always be a place where
Your love is known, Your light shines
and our parish families grow together in faith and mission.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
St Patrick, pray for us.
Next Sunday, 18 July, is the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), with our Scripture readings on the theme of ‘Jesus, the Good Shepherd’. If you would like to have a look through the Readings in advance, you can access them on our parish website:
https://clonleighparish.com/sundays-mass-readings/
I hope that having the Readings available on our parish website is also helpful to our Scripture readers, for the purpose of checking them out in advance. The Daily Mass Readings are also on our website: https://clonleighparish.com/todays-mass-readings/ . Alternatively, just google Clonleigh Parish readings.
ONLINE CONTRIBUTIONS:
You can donate to the Church via The Parish Envelopes or by Standing Order. Download this easy to fill form: Standing Order Form – & send to or email the Parish Office: clonleighparish@derrydiocese.org
Parish Contact Details:
Parish Priest: Fr Colm O’Doherty Parochial House: 074-9142022
Mobile: 0833665530
Parish Office – Secretary: Lorna Porter @ 074-9142001
Email: clonleighparish@derrydiocese.org
Parish website: www.clonleighparish.com
Follow us on Twitter: @clonleighparish
Find us on Facebook:. Clonleigh Parish
Join our free Clonleigh Parish Text Service on WhatsApp. We will text you when we update our website with the Parish Newsletter etc. And you can link in to read the latest updates.
SAFEGUARDING:
The Derry Diocesan Liaison Person, to whom any safeguarding concerns or allegations should be
communicated is: Ms Marie Gormley, Email: marie.gormley@derrydiocese.org Tel: 07596 500 793