SUNDAY 28th May 2023:
PENTECOST SUNDAY:
On the Feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives; Pentecost is known as the ‘birth’ of the Church. Rather than marking the birth of the Church as institution, Pentecost really marks for us the birth of a way of being communities of faith, guided by the Holy Spirit, and following in the footsteps of Jesus.
We pray today for ourselves, for our own families and the families of our parish that, guided by the Holy Spirit, we will be faithful witnesses to our baptismal call, making Jesus known and loved through our actions and words, in our homes and in our faith communities. We remember especially the children who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this year.
‘Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your love.’
MASS SCHEDULE THIS WEEK:
Friday: 10.00am and 7.00pm (Month’s Mind, Josephine Clarke)
Please note: there is no Mass in St Patrick’s on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
Rosary: Each morning, twenty minutes before Mass.
Saturday: Vigil Mass, 6.30pm. Sunday morning: Mass at 9.00am and 11.00am
All Masses are livestreamed on our webcam; 11.00am Mass on Sunday is broadcast by Finn Valley Radio, 95.8FM
MASS INTENTIONS:
Friday 2 June: 10.00am, Martin Connolly, Porthall; 7.00pm, Month’s Mind – Josephine Clarke, Moneen
Saturday 3 June: 6.30pm, Martin Brennan, Coneyburrow. (First Anniversary)
Sunday 4 June: 11.00am, Johnny McGinley, Letterkenny Road (First Anniversary).
ANNIVERSARIES:
We pray for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May they rest in peace:
Cassie Melaugh , Croaghan Heights; Ellen Kelly, Braide; Eileen Devine, Strabane / Braide
John Kelly, Braide / Porthall; Patsy Friel, Coolatee; Richie & Sarah Porter, Main Street.
THANK YOU for your generosity in last week’s collection, which amounted to €2,290. Sincere thanks also to those who contribute by Standing Order.
TODAY WE WELCOME THE 6TH CLASS CHILDREN at our 11.00am Mass. On Pentecost Sunday, , we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the start of the sacramental church. In thanking God for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the 6th Class children in the Sacrament of Confirmation, we have a special blessing of the children today. May they be guided by the Holy Spirit always and strengthened in their journey through prayer and through the Eucharist.
Please note: I am on annual retreat this week from Sunday afternoon until Thursday evening. In the event of a ‘sick call’, you are asked to contact one of the following priests: Fr Malachy Gallagher, 07500 426553, Fr Ciaran Hegarty, 074 9146183 or 087 7031847, or Fr Michael Doherty, 048 71882648.
PARENTS OF FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CHILDREN, PLEASE NOTE:
The final Sunday of the Do This In Memory programme is on the Feast of Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ), Sunday 11 June. On that day, the children will be invited to participate in a Corpus Christi procession. They are asked 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, at our 11.00am Mass.
LEAVERS MASS for the 6th Class children will be celebrated in our church on Thursday 15 June, at 1.30pm, in St Patrick’s Church. Parents, grandparents, and family members are invited to attend this Mass, offering our prayerful support to our 6th Class children, who will embark in a new chapter in their young lives in the new school year. Everyone in the parish community is welcome to attend.
THANK YOU very much to all who came along to Our Lady’s Grotto, Porthall, on Monday evening to pray the Rosary. It was a lovely, prayerful occasion and it was really nice to see so many families, and the different generations, gathered together in prayer, in honour of Our Lady, in this Month of May. Sincere thanks to those who worked in the background to organise the event, to those who helped on the evening and to those who prepared and adorned the Grotto so beautifully. Sincere thanks also to An Garda Síochána and stewards for traffic control and helping to keep everyone safe. Our Lady, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us.
BLESSING OF THE GRAVES will take place on Monday 12 June, at 7.00pm. Please bring rosary beads and each family should bring a small bottle of holy water. If you do not have holy water, please bring a small container and holy water will be available for your use, outside the church. Each family is also invited to come along (beforehand, if you can), and light a candle for your loved one(s). I very much look forward to this prayerful occasion in our parish when, in time-honoured tradition, we honour our beloved deceased and pray together, as families and friends, for the happy repose of their souls.
PARISH VOLUNTEERS – Come to the Water:
Derry Diocesan Youth Ministry is hosting a four-week programme in June 2023, for parish volunteers, of all ages. The programme is aimed at building inter-generational collaboration and faith community amongst parish volunteers involved in parish ministry in the parishes of the Diocese of Derry. During three online and one in-person session we will come together in prayer, learning and support, sharing best practice. The programme will explore: Different ways to pray; Themed talks: ‘Where have the young people gone?‘; ‘How well do we welcome?’; and practical ideas on what help and programmes are on offer in the diocese, including an in-depth look at best safeguarding practices for both online and in-person gatherings in our parishes. The first three sessions will be via Zoom; for the last session, we will come together in-person for an intergenerational gathering of prayer and food. Come to the Water will begin on Monday 5 June , 7:30pm-9:00pm and continue each Monday over four weeks. It will be delivered via Zoom. The last session will be held in person. To participate, please contact Lizzie Rea at lizzie.rea@derrydiocese.org.
CLONLEIGH PARISH CHURCH OF IRELAND FUNDRAISER:
Afternoon Tea in Lifford Old Courthouse on Saturday 3 June, 1.00 – 4.00pm. €15 per person: to book telephone 074 9141733. All proceeds will go towards the Church Restoration Fund.
JUNE – MONTH OF DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART:
This week we enter June, month of devotion to the Sacred Heart. You are invited to place each day in the care of the Sacred Heart, by praying this simple but powerful Aspiration:
“Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee.”
Parents, you are invited to teach this Aspiration to your children,
inviting the children to name the prayer intention for each day.
You may also wish to create a Sacred Space in your home devoted to the Sacred Heart with, perhaps, some red and white material, a statue of the Sacred Heart, a crucifix, some holy water and a candle (to be lit and burnt under adult supervision). Again, you are asked to include children in creating your Sacred Space.
For the nine days leading into the Feast of the Sacred Heart which, this year, falls on 16 June, we will pray a Novena at our 10.00am Mass (8 – 16 June). It will consist of the Novena Prayer, a short Scripture passage and a short Meditation on the passage. All of us carry our own prayer petitions in our heart: you are invited to come along to our 10.00am Mass on those days, if you can, and join in the Novena, placing your special intentions in the care of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
UPCOMING DATES OF NOTE FOR OUR PARISH:
Sunday 11 June: Corpus Christi Procession with the First Holy Communion children, 11.00am Mass
Monday 12 June: Blessing of the Graves, at 7.00pm. Please let your relatives and friends know.
Saturday 12 August: Second Annual Parish Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine. Full details will follow.
Access the Readings on our parish website:
The Daily Mass Readings are also on our website: https://clonleighparish.com/todays-mass-readings/ . Alternatively, just google Clonleigh Parish readings.
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
SAFEGUARDING NOTICE:
If you have any concerns about safeguarding children or adults in need of protection within the Church, please contact Marie Gormley, the Diocesan Designated Liaison Person, on 07596 500793 or by email on marie.gormley@derrydiocese.org