Parish News for Sunday 7th Oct 2007

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

PRIESTS OF THE PARISH
Very Rev Michael Canny Adm
Rev David O'Kane CC
Rev Gary Wade CC

Vol. 34 No. 40

‘Ten cells old…’

In 2004 a Scottish poet called Kate Clanchy published a beautiful collection of poems entitled Newborn. She began writing the poems when she discovered she was pregnant, and her book describes the roller-coaster of human emotions she experienced from that first moment
through the first years of the child’s new life. The first poem describes the author looking at a photograph of herself standing in a church doorway leaning down to fasten her sandal strap. She remembers that the church stood between two rivers and she even remembers their names:

“I’ve even noted their names,
And the date, which says you, love,
Are perhaps ten cells old.”

As she bends down to fasten her sandal she is conscious of the presence of her child within her, and speaks as if to the child:

“…You/are putting me on, easily,
The way a foot puts on a shoe.”

It is a beautiful poem where the writer surprises us by telling us that the child is only ‘ten cells old’. When we speak of the age of a child we talk about ten days or ten months, but ‘ten cells’ reminds us beautifully that the child’s life begins in the womb. And it is the child who ‘puts on’ the mother ‘…the way a foot puts on a shoe’. The child is at the centre of the mother’s world as a wonderful gift. On Life Sunday, we remember that every child, born and unborn, is a gift from God.

St Eugene’s Parish Draw
The profit (averaging £30,000 a year) from the Parish Draw has been an important and necessary fundraising venture at St Eugene’s. The Parish is very indebted to all who have contributed especially the Promoters who week in and week out, summer or winter, collected the money and brought it to the Cathedral.

Regrettably over the years a number of the bigger Promoters have, for a variety of very genuine reasons, had to give up the Draw. As a result the potential profit from the Draw next year would not justify the time and efforts of the Promoters. This current draw year is the last in the present format.

I am proposing that all involved take a well-earned break over the Christmas/New Year period and then in mid-January we get together to plan for a ‘£100 ticket Draw’.

Sympathy
We offer our sympathy to the family and friends of:
Margaret Campbell, 12 The Village.
Kathleen Harkin, 9 Glenbank Road.
Tom McCafferty, 19 Marlborough Avenue. May they rest in peace.

We pray for the parents of Baby John Doyle, 45 Glenvale Park who died during the week.

Baptism
We welcome as members of the Christian community
Freddie Edward McGlinchey, 25 Marlborough Street.
Finn Adam Roberts, 4 Laburnum Terrace.
Caolán Thomas McGill, 6 Glenview Street.
Amelie Ana Le Clercq, 43 Cornshell Fields.
Cara Anne Wilson, 120 Grangemore Park.

Readers on duty next Weekend
06.15 Rita McCauley
07.30 Charlie McDermott
09.30 Rosemount P S
11.00 Gráinne Nugent
12.30 Michael Wilson

Weekdays
10.00 Jimmy Doyle
07.30 Mary McGoldrick

Team *A* begins its rota at the 6.15 pm Vigil Mass next weekend.

Sick Visitation
Fr David O’Kane will visit
the sick this week as follows:
Mon 10.00 am: The Village, Rosemount Gdns, Montrose Gdns, Ernest St: Grafton St, Park Ave, Rosemount Ave, Academy Tce, Tutor Close, Creggan Rd, Forest Pk, Nicholson Tce.
Mon pm: Lower Nassau St, Glen Road, Ardglen Park, Glenbank Rd, Glenside Rd, Northland Road, Edanmount Park.
Tues am: Meadowview Cres, Osborne St, Norcross St: Baldrick Cres, Upper Nassau St, Cedar St, Glasgow Street, Argyle Tce, Argyle St..
Tues pm: Glenbrook House.
Fri am: William Street Home.

Fr Gary Wade will celebrate Mass in Lavery Fold on Friday at 2.30 pm

Mass in honour of the Blessed Alexandrina Maria Da Costa at 7.30 pm in Termonbacca today (Sunday).

Thank you
Fr Canny acknowledges with thanks donations for: Trócaire: £10, £100, £20.
St Pio: £5. Ethiopia: £100. Darfur: £40, £100.
Fr Canny will forward a donation of £30 to LASCO.

Last Week’s Collection amounted to £3,336.

St Eugene’s Parish Hall:
Sunday: Long Tower Bingo 8.30 pm.
Tuesday: Long Tower Bingo 9.00 pm.


St Eugene’s Parish Draw: Winners Week 47
£1,000 (1784) Margaret Semple, 26 Norburgh Park.
£100 (1735) N. O’Hagan, 96 Drumard Park.
£50 (2416) “Bonner”, 3 Rosemount Ave. (1849) Frank Gillespie, c/o Promoter. (1250) Mrs M. Johnson, 4 Rosemount Ave. (3127) Eileen McCartney, c/o 29 Academy Rd. Promoter’s Prize: Kathleen Lock, 6 Donegal Place.

My Song of Today

Oh! how I love Thee, Jesus! my soul aspires to Thee -
And yet for one day only my simple prayer I pray!
Come reign within my heart, smile tenderly on me,

Today, dear Lord, today.

But if I dare take thought of what the morrow brings -
That fills my fickle heart with dreary, dull dismay;
I crave, indeed, my God, trials and sufferings,

But only for today!

O sweetest Star of heaven! O Virgin, spotless, blest,
Shining with Jesus’ light, guiding to Him my way!
O Mother! ‘neath thy veil let my tired spirit rest,

For this brief passing day!

Soon shall I fly afar among the holy choirs,
Then shall be mine the joy that never knows decay;
And then my lips shall sing, to heaven’s angelic lyres,

The eternal, glad today!
Poem by Saint Teresa of Lisieux, June 1894

Prayer for Priests

Eucharist: a prayer inspired by the Mass

O Lord!
Look into our hearts this day and read us
Look in our souls this day and hear us
When we thrust out our hands for help - hold us
When we open our arms for love - embrace us
When we bow our heads to thee - bless us
When we give of ourselves - come to us. Amen.
Judith Ann Pounder

Lord Jesus, bless all priests and give them grace to do your great work on earth. Keep them, Lord, close to your heart and under the shadow of your protection. Bless their labours for you and grant that their harvest of souls may be a source of joy and consolation to them during life and may merit an everlasting reward for them in death, that having led many souls to you they may see you to face to face. Amen.

Hospital Visitation: If you would like a priest to visit a relative in hospital or in a nursing home, please fill in the card at the back of the Cathedral and leave it at the Parochial House. It is the only way we will have of knowing who is in hospital and who would like a visit.

New Parishioners: We welcome you to the parish and invite you to leave your name and address at the Parochial House and one of the priests will arrange to visit your new home for a chat and to bless the house.

Telephone numbers if you feel you cannot cope

Samaritans - 0845 790 9090

Zest - a counselling service offering free support to those who feel suicidal, friends and loved ones who have been affected by suicide and those who self harm. Telephone 7126 6999 or e-mail. zestni@yahoo.co.uk

Prayer for the Suicidal

O Eternal Father, we pray for all those who are suicidal.
May Your loving hand guide and protect them
so they receive the help they need,
preventing them from dying from suicide.
Let them know that we need them and love them,
show them Your love Lord Jesus.
Remind them that they are very special people,
filling their minds with beautiful memories.
Give them everything they need so as to ease their pain,
grant that they may find hope, comfort, guidance
and healing in every way possible.
Let them feel our love, and Your love,
carry them when they are weary.
Embrace them and let Your love
shine down upon them always. Amen.