THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR C)
Gospel: St Luke 3:10-18
The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday, gaudete meaning “rejoice”! We rejoice at the imminent celebration of the birth of the Christ Child; we light the rose-coloured candle on the Advent wreath today to symbolise our joyful expectation. This joyful expectation is reflected in today’s Scripture readings.
Mass Schedule for the Parish this Week:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 10.00am. Tuesday, 9.30am
The Rosary will commence 20 minutes before Mass on each weekday.
Saturday, Vigil Mass: 6.30pm Sunday: Masses at 9.00am and 11.00am
For those who are unable to come out to church, all our Masses continue to be available on our parish webcam:
and our 11.00am Mass is also broadcast live each Sunday on Finn Valley Radio, FM95.8.
PLEASE MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING AT ALL TIMES IN THE CHURCH AND ENSURE THAT SEATS ARE NOT OVER-CROWDED. PLEASE ALSO WEAR A FACE COVERING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.
CONFESSIONS:
CONFESSIONS each Saturday from 11.00am – 12.00noon, from now until Christmas. In this penitential Season of Advent, please consider making the Sacrament of Reconciliation part of your spiritual preparation for the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child.
†
Margaret Giblin (née Doherty), late of 2 Townparks, Coneyburrow Road, Lifford
As a parish faith community, we offer our sympathy and our prayerful support to Nigel, Josephine, Helena, Deirdre, Michael, Treasa and Regina, to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to Agnes and to the wider family circle and friends of Margaret, whose Funeral Mass took place in St Patrick’s on Tuesday. May she rest in peace.
†
Anne Stewart (née Carolan), late of The Roughan, Lifford
We offer our sympathy and our prayerful support to Catherine, Hugo, Andy and Dermot,
to the grandchildren and great-grandchiildren, to Thomas, Margaret and Kathleen and to the wider family circle of Anne, whose Funeral Mass too place in St Patrick’s on Wednesday. May she rest in peace.
MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK:
Sunday 19 December, 9.00am: Kathleen Porter, The Common
Sunday 19 December, 11.00am: John King, Westport – Trillick, Co Tyrone.
ANNIVERSARIES:
Maurice McNulty, Porthall; Attracta Harron, Strabane; Vera Porter, Coolatee; John McCallion, Coneyburrow
Seamus McBrearty, Tamnawood; Richard McBrearty, Chestnut Grove; Akey Carlin, Coneyburrow.
May they rest in peace.
COLLECTION:
THANK YOU as always for your generosity to the weekly collection which, last week, amounted to €1,497. Thank you also to those who faithfully contribute by Standing Order/online.
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.
ADVENT ASSEMBLY with our schools:
The children of our three schools will participate via webcam in a special Advent Assembly tomorrow morning (Monday), at 11.15am. The children have been busy preparing beautiful displays for our church, ahead of our Assembly. We will focus on the Advent Wreath and the Jesse Tree. I invite parents, grandparents, family members and the wider parish community to join us, either in the church or via the webcam, for this short time of prayer and song, as part of our spiritual preparation for the celebration of the Birth of Jesus.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL:
The annual Christmas Collection will be taken up outside the church this weekend. We ask that you would be as generous as you can. If you prefer to pay online, please visit www.svp.ie: if making a contribution online, please allocate your payment to St Parick’s Conference, Murlog. Thank you.
The SVP helpline number, 087 4647 991, is available at all times to take calls. Please know that all calls are in the strictest confidence. St Vincent de Paul, pray for us.
LIFFORD CLONLEIGH RESOURCE CENTRE is delighted to announce the launch of its newly designed website:
www.liffordclonleighresourcecentre.ie
The official launch is this Tuesday, 14 December. You are invited to log in to the website and provide feedback. It will be updated regularly, including upcoming events.
VISITATION OF THE SICK AND HOUSEBOUND:
Will take place this week, as follows, starting at 12.00noon each day:
Monday (13 December): Ballindrait, Tober, Cloughfin
Wednesday (15 December): Rossgier, Coolatee, Porthall, Cavan Hill
Thursday (16 December): Murlog, Lifford, Coneyburrow
Friday (17 December): Letterkenny Road, Croaghan Heights
I would be grateful if family members or neighbours could let those whom they know to be visited aware of the arrangements, if possible. If there is anyone who is normally part of the visitation but does not wish to be visited for any reason, please let me know. Likewise, if there is anyone who is not normally visited but would like to be visited, please let me know and I will be more than happy to bring you the Eucharist. Please note: I will wear a face covering, use sanitiser and observe all the recommended Covid precautions, during visitation. Fr Colm
BAMBINELLI SUNDAY, BLESSING OF THE CHRIST CHILD:
Traditionally on Gaudete Sunday, Bambinelli Sunday – Blessing of the Christ Child – is celebrated. At our 11.00am Mass this weekend, the Baby Jesus figurine from our Crib will be brought to the altar to be blessed. It will then be placed beneath our Jesse Trees until the first of our Christmas Masses, when it will be brought to the Crib.
I ask that, in your own homes, a family member sprinkle Holy Water on the Baby Jesus figurine of your Nativity Set and then say this prayer together as a family:
God our Father, you loved us so much that you sent us your only Son, Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary, to save us and lead us back to you. We pray that, with your blessing,
this image of Jesus might be a sign of your presence and love in our homes.
Open our hearts, that we might receive Jesus in joy, do always what he asks of us,
and see him in those who need our love. We ask this in the name of Jesus, your beloved Son,
who came to give peace to the world. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
You are invited to then wrap the Baby Jesus figurine in wrapping paper and place Him under your Christmas tree, to be opened on Christmas morning (by the youngest member of the family if there are children in the house), as the first gift of Christmas, and place the Baby Jesus in your Nativity scene with the rest of the Holy Family.
CATECHESIS CORNER:
The “O” Antiphons of Advent
In the Octave leading into the celebration of the Birth of Jesus, the “O” Antiphons shape the Church’s liturgy (17-23 December). The “O” Antiphons are seven short verses, of ancient origin, said/sung on each of these days during Evening Prayer of the Church. They are also echoed in the verses of the Gospel Acclamation on these dates. In each Antiphon, Jesus is invoked by a different title, there is a reference to one of the Old Testament prophecies (taken mainly from the prophet Isaiah) and there is a plea for the Messiah to come. The seven “O’s” are:
O Wisdom O Adonai (Lord) O Root of Jesse O Key of David
O Rising Dawn O King O Emmanuel
The “O” Antiphons are the inspiration for the hymn, ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel,’ which we will hear sung at our Masses this weekend. If we were to listen to all of the verses of the hymn, we would hear that each verse parallels one of the Antiphons.
SACRAMENTAL DATES – 2022:
The proposed Confirmation and First Holy Communion dates for the coming year are:
Sacrament of Confirmation – Saturday 26 March 2022
Sacrament of First Holy Communion – Saturday 21 May 2022
God willing, we will be able to adhere to the proposed dates in 2022. I will be working closely with our three schools in the coming weeks and months as the children prepare for these important steps in their faith. Please keep the children, their teachers and their families in your prayer.
You can access the Readings on our parish website:
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.
CHURCH 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.