Your Parish Newsletter for Sunday 26th September 2021:
TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)
GOSPEL: ST MARK 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Following Jesus is not a ‘tick-box’ exercise where we say yes or no to certain questions about faith and then go about our daily lives. Following Jesus is proved in the ways of our daily lives, in seeing Christ in the face of others. We build God’s kingdom when our actions and words are building blocks rather than stumbling blocks.
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
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 10.00am. Tuesday: 9.30am
The Rosary will be recited on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9.40am (before Mass)
and, on Tuesday, at 9.10am
Saturday, Vigil Mass: 6.30pm Sunday: Masses at 9.00am and 11.00am
†
Margaret Doherty, late of 7 Cluain Laoi, Lifford, and formerly The Fields, Porthall whose requiem mass took place on Saturday of this weekend.
As a parish faith community, we offer our sympathy and our prayerful support to her family,
MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK:
Sunday 3 October, 11.00am: Margaret Friel, Braide.
ANNIVERSARIES:
Fr William McGaughey; Jimmy Lawrence, Drumleen; Christopher Lawrence, Drumleen
John James McDermott, Rossgier; Donal McCauley, Rossgier; Tommy and Lily McDermott, Glenfad
Elizabeth O’Kane, Castlefin.
May they rest in peace.
COLLECTION:
THANK YOU for your ongoing generosity to the weekly collection which, last week, amounted to €2,609. Thank you also to those who faithfully contribute by Standing Order and Online. Please note: Envelopes / weekly contributions can be left in the baskets inside the doors any morning of the week at Mass time, or through the Parochial House letter box.
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.
ENVELOPE BOXES:
ENVELOPE BOXES for the coming year (starting Sunday 3 October) will be distributed to your homes this week. I am very grateful to those who undertake this task. If there is anyone who has not had an envelope before and is now in a financial position to start contributing to the weekly collection, please let Lorna or myself know and we will be glad to provide you with an envelope box.
Returns for some envelope boxes have not been made for some time and, in such cases, no envelope box will be delivered this year. However, if you would like to receive one, with a view to recommencing contributions, please let Lorna or myself know and we will be more than happy to provide you with a box. I very much appreciate that, with all the Covid disruption and the church having been closed for public worship for so much time, it has been very inconvenient for many of you to make contributions.
You can also request envelopes by simply clicking on this link: ‘Get in Touch‘ and then select Parish Envelopes from the drop-down menu.
CHARITABLE DONATIONS (GIFT AID) SCHEME:
If anyone else who is eligible to participate and has not yet signed up, but would like to, please contact Lorna at the parish office and she will be happy to facilitate you. Eligible donors are those who: 1) contribute €250 or more in a tax year and, 2) pay income tax / capital gains tax on €250 or more in the tax year. Under the current rate set by the Revenue, €250 in contributions in the year ends up being €362 for the parish!
WALK-IN FLU’ VACCINATION CLINIC, for the 70-79 years age group only, will be held in the CPI Centre in Castlefin this Wednesday, 29 September, from 2-4pm. If you are not in this age group, please do not attend! Further details will follow regarding the other age groups.
GROWING IN FAITH TOGETHER:
You may recall that, over the summer weeks, our parish newsletter included an introduction to how we might grow in faith together in our parish in the coming weeks, months and years. We also launched our Parish Prayer, which we now regularly pray together. The newsletter articles suggested some possible ways in which we might engage together in building and developing our parish and gave some suggestions as to how parishioners might be part of a team that contributes to the various aspects of the life of our parish, in new and existing ways. To take this venture forward, I am proposing that we have an initial Parish Assembly in Mission Month, in the Parish Community Hall, Lifford, on Sunday 17 October, starting at 3pm and finishing in less than one hour. Our Guest Speaker on that afternoon will be Mr Brian McKean, from the Diocese of Raphoe, who will help us to launch our Growing in Faith Together project.
This is an open invitation to all parishioners to come along on that afternoon so that, together, with the support of Brian, we can start to consider the priorities and direction of our parish at this time and for the future. We are already indebted and very grateful to those who currently give of their time and talents to various aspects of parish life.
World Day of Migrants and Refugees:
Sunday 26 September 2021
Theme: “Towards an ever wider ‘We’ “
In the Catholic Church, World Day of Migrants and Refugees is celebrated today. As we focus today on those fleeing in desperation from hunger, war and other grave dangers, in search of security, dignity and a safe life for themselves and for their families, we pray the following Prayer from Pope Francis’ Message for World ay of Migrants and Refugees (visit www.vatican.va to read the Pope’s Message for this Day):
Holy, beloved Father, Your Son Jesus taught us that there is great rejoicing in heaven
whenever someone lost is found, whenever someone excluded, rejected or discarded
is gathered into our “we”, which thus becomes ever wider.
We ask you to grant the followers of Jesus, and all people of good will,
the grace to do your will on earth. Bless each act of welcome and outreach
that draws those in exile into the “we” of community and of the Church,
so that our earth may truly become what you yourself created it to be:
the common home of all our brothers and sisters. Amen.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM:
As part of the initiatives I hope to start in our parish in relation to the Sacrament of Baptism, I intend, from now on, to visit the homes (in advance) of the parents of the children who are to be presented for Baptism so that, together, we might be adequately and spiritually prepared for your child’s first Sacrament of Initiation and the start of his / her journey as part of the family of God (see further detail in last week’s newsletter).
Also, from October onwards, a Baptism Tree will be on display on our sanctuary, which will display the names of the children who will be baptised in our parish in the coming year. During the year, the baptised children, their parents and their families will be remembered in our prayer and, in due course, a special liturgy will be celebrated in our church for these children and their families, in which we will call on the care and protection of the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus on these and all our families.
Please book your baptism date well in advance, if possible, through Lorna in the parish office, leaving your name, address and contact number with Lorna when you ring, so that I can arrange a pre-baptismal visit to your home in advance of the date. I will contact you to arrange a mutually suitable time/date to call with you. Thank you !
SEASON OF CREATION: 1 SEPTEMBER – 4 OCTOBER (FEAST OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI):
Creator God, we thank you for the miraculous gift of creation. We thank you for the changing seasons;
for the colour and scent of flowers and herbs, of the grass and trees;
we thank you for sun and rain which ensure the never-failing fruitfulness of the earth.
Make us more conscious of our responsibility to respect and care for Your creation.
We confess that the way we live today is changing the climate, the seas, and the balance of life,
dispossessing the poor and future generations.
Help us to be good neighbours and to recognise that our relationships are broken,
and the planet’s ecosystems are fractured. Help us to recognise that our lifestyles already threaten
the livelihood of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens of the world.
Help us to recognise our responsibility to seek global justice,
so that all citizens of the world may live in justice and peace. Creator God, hear our prayer.
Monday of this week (27 September), is the Feast Day of St Vincent de Paul, patron saint of charitable works and societies. We take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to those in our parish who help others on an ongoing basis through their work with the St Vincent de Paul Society, and to say thank you to all who support the Society through donations of any kind. The helpline number for SVP is 087 4647 991. St Vincent de Paul: pray for us. “Go to the poor: you will find God” St Vincent de Paul
Friday of this week (1 October) is the Feast Day of St Thérèse of Lisieux, Patron Saint of Missions and the start of the month universally celebrated in the Catholic Church as Month of Mission. St Thérèse of Lisieux: pray for us.
“Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will, and being just what God wants us to be” St Thérèse
Please pray for one another and for our parish. Please pray the Parish 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.
Sunday, 26 September, is the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time ). You can access the Readings 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
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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.