SUNDAY 29th MAY 2022
ASCENSION SUNDAY
On the Ascension of our Lord the Church celebrates the completion of Jesus’ earthly mission and His glorification with God the Father in heaven. The Ascension was indeed a changing moment in the lives of the apostles, marking the beginning of their mission to continue the ministry started by Jesus, bringing the Good News to all nations. This was going to be no easy task, but they would do so fortified and guided by the promised, Advocate, the Holy Spirit. The Ascension marks a new chapter in an everlasting story and we, as baptised Catholics, are the story-tellers of our time. It is our mission today to live and communicate the Good News, by the way we live:
O God, giver of the Holy Spirit,
open our eyes to Your vision, open our ears to Your holy Word,
open our hearts to Your gift, open our lives to Your direction.
Clothed with the Power from on high, may our ears, eyes and hearts be guided and directed
so that our lives will convey the Good News of the Gospel in all situations. Amen.
MASS SCHEDULE THIS WEEK:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 10.00am. Tuesday: 9.30am
Please note, there is no Mass in our parish on Thursday of this week (2 June)
The Rosary is recited twenty minutes before each weekday Mass.
Saturday: Vigil Mass, 6.30pm. Sunday morning: Mass 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, 95.8FM
MASS INTENTIONS:
Saturday 4 June ,6.30pm: Martin Connolly, Glenfad
Sunday 5 June, 9.00am: Danny Matthewson, Gortin North.
ANNIVERSARIES:
We pray for the following, whose anniversaries occur at this time:
Lettie Crotty, Coneyburrow; Dean Gormley, England; Patrick Friel, Coolatee; Cassie Melaugh, Croaghan Heights.
May they rest in peace.
COLLECTION:
THANK YOU for your generosity in last week’s collection, which amounted to €2,702. Thank you also for your generosity in the Diocesan Purposes collection, which amounted to €933 and in the Trócaire collection which amounted to a fantastic €5,815. The focus of this year’s Lenten Campaign is Zimbabwe; it is through our generosity that families, so badly affected by climate change and Covid-19, can have a chance to build a better tomorrow.
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.
CHARITABLE DONATIONS SCHEME (GIFT AID):
CHARITABLE DONATIONS SCHEME (GIFT AID): Our Gift Aid claim for 2021 will be claimed shortly. Last year, we boosted our parish funds by just short of €10,000 through the scheme. If you are a tax payer, have paid €250 or more to the collection in the year 2021 (ie, €5 per week or more), and have not already signed up for the Gift Aid scheme, then please contact Lorna in the parish office who will be pleased to provide you with the registration form. It is a great source of income for the parish and, remember, it is at no extra cost to you! We would greatly appreciate your participation. Sincere thanks to all who are already part of the scheme and to those who signed up in the last week.
PARENTS OF CONFIRMATION CHILDREN, PLEASE NOTE:
The children of our three schools who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this year are invited to come to the 11.00am Mass next Sunday – Pentecost Sunday – 5 June. On Pentecost Sunday, as you know, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. In thanking God for the coming of the Holy Spirit on these children in the Sacrament of Confirmation, each of the children is asked to bring along either a symbol or a drawing that represents one of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, or perhaps a short prayer to the Holy Spirit (that they have written). The children will be invited to present their creation at the foot of the altar during Mass.. There will be a special prayer and blessing of the children on the day. The children are invited to wear their Confirmation outfit to Mass (although not essential).
PARENTS OF FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CHILDREN, PLEASE NOTE:
The children of our two schools who received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion this year are invited to celebrate the great gift of the Eucharist in their young lives by participating in a Corpus Christi procession at our 11.00am Mass on Sunday 19 June – Feast of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ). The children will be invited to wear their First Holy Communion outfit for this special occasion. Weather permitting, we will have an outside procession, which I will lead, carrying the Blessed Sacrament. The Corpus Christi procession, as some of you will know, is a great tradition of our faith on the Feast of Corpus Christi, and I am delighted that our Liturgy Working Group have proposed holding this event for our First Holy Communion children this year. Fuller details will be published in next week’s newsletter.
VOLUNTEER STEWARDS are required for our Blessing of the Graves on Monday 13 June, at 7.00pm. If you would like to help on the evening, please let me know during the week. Those who offer their services will be asked to stay for a short meeting after the 11.00am Mass on Sunday 12 June, so that we can organise ourselves in preparation for the Monday evening. Thank you!
LOUGH DERG THREE DAY PILGRIMAGE runs from Wednesday 1 June until 15 August (Saturday 13 Aug is the final day to begin the Pilgrimage). Cost €80. Booking advised. Concessions available for students, seniors and groups. All booking information, including information on organised groups, is available at www.loughderg.org, email info@loughderg.org or telephone 071 9861518.
‘PRAYER BY TELEPHONE’:
The Sisters of Mercy, Bethany House of Prayer, Dundalk, welcome any person who may wish to request prayer. All requests are confidential. Tel 0035342 9331602, between 9am – 9pm every day. One of the Sisters will be happy to listen and pray with you.
DROMANTINE SUNDAY:
OPEN DAY & FAMILY FUN DAY: Dromantine Retreat Centre, Newry, Sunday 12 June, 1.00pm – 5.30pm. £5.00 admission for each car (regardless of the number of occupants in the car). Tel: 028 30821964 for more information. Everyone welcome.
WELLNESS CAFÉ, Old Courthouse, Lifford, is now open each Wednesday from 11.00am – 12.30pm. The main objective is to provide a safe, friendly space for those who are feeling isolated within their communities. A local Community Mental Health Nurse will be there to offer support. Everyone welcome to drop in for a chat, tea/coffee. Enquiries can be made on 074 914 1430.
WISE – Women’s Integration Skills and Employment is a FREE service to unemployed women in Donegal who are looking for employment now or in the future. Are you a stay-at-home mum, a carer, a single parent or on a disability payment? Do you lack confidence and find interviews daunting? We provide FREE courses, create/update your CV, help you excel in interviews, find your ideal job and much more! Contact us by Facebook – The WISE Project (https://www.facebook.com/WISE 500/) or call Penny on 086 145 2250 or Breege on 086 145 2252.
Many of our young family members and parishioners are preparing for or starting exams at this time. Please keep them in your prayer in these coming days and weeks.
PRAYER FOR EXAM STUDENTS:
Lord, pour out your Spirit of wisdom on all students doing exams at this time.
Help them to remain calm, to attend carefully to the questions asked,
to think clearly, to remember accurately and to express themselves well.
Grant that they may reflect the best of the work they have done,
and the best of the teaching they received.
May your love be upon them, O Lord, as they place all their trust in You. Amen.
WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY:
CELEBRATED EACH YEAR ON ASCENSION SUNDAY,
World Communications Day was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967, to encourage us to reflect on the opportunities and challenges that modern means of social communication afford the Church to communicate the Gospel message. In 1967, the methods and means of instant communication that we enjoy today could not have been anticipated. And yet, Pope Francis notes in his Message that many people ‘are quickly losing the ability to listen to one another.’ His Message, with the theme ‘Listening with the ear of the heart’ reflects on how listening involves more than simply the sense of hearing.
Pope Francis highlights the importance of listening in the context of the Synodal Process, in which the Church is currently engaged, at local and universal level. He asks that, to make it a successful journey into the future, we will be prepared to listen to others ‘with the ear of the heart’ .
The full text of the Pope’s Message can be viewed on our Parish Facebook Page.
BLESSING OF THE GRAVES:
Monday 13 June, at 7.00. Please make your family members aware. Also, if you know of any family, perhaps not from our parish, who would like to attend, please let them know and the date and time.
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.
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: 0044 7596 500 793