SUNDAY 17th March 2024:
J U B I L E E Y E A R 2 0 2 4
May God bless all of us in this our Jubilee Year in the parish of Clonleigh.
May He bless our church, dedicated to St Patrick, and all who worship in it.
May He bless all the families of our parish.
We pray that, in our daily lives this jubilee year, we will do our best,
as individuals and as families, to see and seek Christ in all that we do and are:
Christ be within us, Christ be before us, Christ be behind us,
Christ be above us, Christ be beneath us,
Christ be on our right, Christ be on our left,
Christ be in our rising, Christ be in our lying, Christ be in our sitting,
Christ be in the heart of everyone of thinks of us,
Christ be in the mouth of everyone who speaks of us.
Christ be in every eye that sees us, Christ be in in every ear that hears us.
St Patrick, pray for us.
MASS SCHEDULE THIS WEEK:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, 10.00am
Tuesday, 9.30am
(The Rosary is normally recited by the congregation 20 minutes prior to the midweek morning Mass). As always, you are invited to come along to this special time of parish prayer
and blessing in our church.
Saturday: Vigil Mass, 6.30pm.
Sunday: Mass at 10.00am
All Masses are livestreamed on our webcam; 10.00am Mass on Sunday is broadcast by Finn Valley Radio, 95.8FM
†
Kathleen Hewitt (née Lynch), 12 Hollybush Park, Porthall (formerly Mullinagung, Lifford)
As a parish faith community, we offer our sympathy and our prayerful support to all who mourn the death of Kathleen: to Dessie and Pat, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to Colm and the wider family circle and friends of Kathleen, whose Funeral Mass took place in St Patrick’s on Wednesday. May she rest in peace.
ANNIVERSARIES:
We pray for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May they rest in peace:
Ethna Duffy, Liskey; Phonsie Quinn, Letterkenny Road; Mary Sarah Doherty, Porthall; Bell Patton, Rathmullan Ellen McDermott, Drumbuoy; John McNelis, Cavan Hill; Neily Doherty, Gortgrannagh
John Friel, Lancaster; Benny Gallagher, Manchester/Porthall; Bridie Kiernan (nee Gallagher) B’ham/ Porthall.
MASS INTENTIONS:
Saturday 23 March, 6.30pm: Kathleen Keeney, Legandara; Hugh & Margaret Crossan, Glenfad
Sunday 24 March, 10.00am:
Mary McBrearty, Letterkenny Road (Month’s Mind Mass); Anne Meade, The Diamond (First Anniversary).
WELCOME to everyone as we start our Jubilee celebrations of sixty years since the opening of our beautiful church and fifty years as an independent parish.
Welcome to Sion Mills Pipe Band and the Porter School of Dancing, who are helping us to celebrate at our 10.00am Mass today. Thank you to the school-children for their wonderful displays! Please take time to view them, at your convenience! You will see some information / displays on the history of the church and the stained-glass windows – please take time to peruse, when you get a chance.
HAPPY ST PATRICK’S DAY to all our parishioners. Enjoy your day. We thank God today for the gift of faith in our lives and for the witness of generations of people in our parish who handed on the gift of faith. As the disciples of our time, we pray that we will be strong in proclaiming the faith, and drawing others to Jesus, by our way of living, striving to imitate the virtues of Patrick:
Many young people have emigrated in recent times, to find work that matches their skills and qualifications. We remember them in a special way today, especially our own family members, friends and the members of our parish communities. We pray, through the intercession of St Patrick, that their experiences will be positive and joyful.
Lord God, bless all those who have left our country and now live in other lands.
Give them a strong faith, so that they will
enjoy the peace of Your enduring love and presence in their lives.
Grant that they will make You known by the example of their lives.
Console those who are lonely because they are separated from those they love.
Grant your eternal welcome to our emigrants who have died in foreign lands. Amen.
THANK YOU for your generosity in last week’s collection, which amounted to €1,628. Thank you, as always, to those who contribute by Standing Order.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION FOR EASTER:
Confessions will be heard next Saturday, 23 March and Saturday 30 March, in the sacristy of the church, from 11.00am – 12.00noon. It is hoped that many will take up the opportunity to receive the sacrament, ahead of the Easter celebrations.
THE SACRAMENT OF FIRST CONFESSIONS in our parish will be this Wednesday 20 March, at 6.30pm. Please pray for the children as they prepare to receive the Sacraments of First Confessions and the Eucharist, for the first time. May God bless them and their families at this time.
DO THIS IN MEMORY MASS for the First Holy Communion children takes place at 10.00am next Sunday, 24 March. Next Sunday is a very special day in the liturgical calendar, when we will celebrate Palm Sunday. The children will process with me, waving palm branches, reminding us of how the people waved and welcomed Jesus as He entered Jerusalem.
As we fast approach First Holy Communion Day in our parish and, indeed, the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week, it is important that all the children are given the opportunity to come along to our Do This in Memory Mass, where they can get to know the Mass better and enjoy the prayerful support of the parish community. Thank you, as always, to Louise and Patricia who co-ordinate the programme on our behalf and to the parents to help.
PARISH FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS 2023:
A Statement of Income & Expenditure for our parish for the year 2023 is displayed on our church noticeboard. You are asked to take the time to look through it, at your convenience.
Our main source of income, as the Statement confirms, continues to be our weekly collection (including Standing Orders), greatly enhanced by Gift Aid. Individual donations to the church have also remained high.
In the ‘day-to-day’ financial activities of the parish in 2023, our energy costs (heating / lighting) were well down on those of 2022 but remain high and we are looking at effective ways of reducing these further.
In 2023, we completed our indoor-toilet block project which, I hope you agree, was money well spent and is a great facility to have within the church building.
We do our best to monitor costs at all times and to make the best possible use of the money which you so faithfully contribute. If you have any questions at all on the Financial Statement, please do not hesitate to ask me, or to ask Lorna, and we will be happy to provide any further information or clarification you may seek.
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 X: @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