Parish News for Sunday 22nd March 2009

Vol.36 No.12

The 4th Sunday in Lent.

PRIESTS OF THE PARISH
Very Rev Michael Canny Adm
Rev David O'Kane CC
Rev Daniel McFaul CC

Listen to the Light

Not listening to God is not a good thing. We all know that, but the readings on this Fourth Sunday in Lent drive the point home. The people of Judah “added infidelity to infidelity,” the First Reading says, worshipping false gods, polluting the sacred temple, ignoring the real God with vigour.

Out of compassion God had sent prophets to warn them, but each received only scorn. The people would not listen. “There was no remedy,” the author says: the people were condemned by their own actions. God’s love remained constant, but theirs did not. The invading force took them as captives into Babylon, where they remained in exile for seventy years until the good and just King Cyrus conquered Babylon and let them go.

John’s Gospel tells us that a person is condemned because that person “has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” God has no desire to condemn, but people condemn themselves by walling God out.
At the end of the Gospel reading there is a very interesting, wise saying that sums up the message of the readings:

Light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.

Maybe these sentences reveal the heart of sin itself. Light reveals too much of our life. We become ashamed. We hide our sinful selves. Yet we are built to seek the light.

Excerpt from article by Fr. John Foley, S. J. of the Center for Liturgy

The Priests of St Eugene’s Sponsored Parish Walk of the Two Bridges

The Sponsored Parish Walk of the Two Bridges will take place on Saturday, 28th March leaving from Sainbury’s car park at 11.00 am. Funds will be raised by either (a) sponsoring the priests by leaving donations in the Cathedral during Mass times or in the Parochial House or (b) Parishioners are invited and encouraged to join the priests on the walk by giving at least £5 per individual or family group for these worthy causes. There will be no door to door collecting of sponsorship. During this season of Lent the walk is an opportunity for us to think of people less well off than ourselves and to raise much needed funds for Trócaire and Parish Missionaries Overseas.

Sympathy

We offer our sympathy to the family and friends of:

Seamus Doherty,
Rosemount Gardens.

Freddie Boyle,
5 Brewsters Close.

Karen Hargan,
5 Osborne Street.

Jackie Hutton,
22 Rossville Street.

May they rest in peace.

Readers

Weekdays
10.00 Rita McCauley
07.30 Adele McCauley

Readers on duty next Weekend
06.15 pm Roisin Bonar
07.30 pm Kieran Kehoe
09.30 am Brendan Burns
11.00 am Terri Willman-Gallagher
12.30 pm Adele McCauley

Eucharistic Ministers
Team *B* begins its rota
at the 6.15 pm Vigil Mass
next weekend.

Appreciating the Passover - This evening is a great opportunity to understand the Jewish Passover and the significance it has for Christians in this Holiest of Weeks. Date: Tuesday, 7th April from 7.30-9.30 pm in Thornhill Centre. Suggested donation: £7.

Special Diocesan Mass: The Annual Diocesan Mass for those with special needs, and their families and friends, will take place in St Joseph’s Church, Galliagh on Saturday, 9th May at 3.00 pm. Bishop Hegarty will celebrate the Mass. If you have a child who wishes to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation or First Communion at this Mass please contact the Catechetical Centre on 71264087.

Bus to Knock for Divine Mercy Weekend Saturday/Sunday, 18th/19th April. Overnight stay. Full cost €90 or equivalent to be paid in full one week in advance. Enquiries: phone 00353749320734 or Mobile 00353862415156.

Dreams Workshop - Exploration of the Dream World from the Christian Perspective (8-session course). Evenings begin on Thursday, 23rd April from 7.30-9.30 pm in Thornhill Centre. Places limited. Cost: £50. For more details phone 71351233.

Fr Canny acknowledges with thanks donations for:

Sponsorship for the Parish Walk of the Two Bridges totalling to £500. Upkeep of Cathedral: £1000. St Pio: £20.

Last Week’s Collection
amounted to £3,689.

Trócaire Lent 2009

Help Rebuild Lives Torn Apart by Conflict

This year, Trócaire’s Lenten campaign is about people who have been forced from home by war. 26 million people have had to abandon their homes because of conflict to seek safety elsewhere within their country.

• Worldwide 67 million people have had to flee their homes against their wishes.
• 51 million of these have resettled in another region of their home country.
• Two-thirds of people forced to move are women and children.
• Some 26 million of these have had to abandon their homes because of war to seek safety elsewhere within their country.
• People flee their homes because of conflict, persecution of their religion or ethnicity or natural disasters.
• Whole generations of people in Africa, Asia and the Middle East have known no other life than that lived in a refuge or camp.
• While many people travel outside of their home country becoming refugees, many more settle in other areas within their country. Unlike refugees, these people have limited protection under international law.

Sudan, Colombia, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Zimbabwe have the highest number of people who have been forced to re-settle within their home country.

In World War Two  5% of casualties were civilian; today it is estimated that between 80% and 90% of casualties are civilian. As a result of this increased risk of attack during conflict, families and communities are fleeing to protect themselves and settle in safety elsewhere.

Glendermott Parish Youth Retreat in the Church of the Immaculate Conception begins at 7.00 pm this evening (Sunday) - Faith Journey; 7.00 pm Monday - Self Esteem. 7.00 pm Tuesday: Peer Pressure and Life Choices and 7.00 pm Wednesday - Reconciliation.

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