Tag: News

Blessings for the New Year

Blessings for the New Year

Fr. Paddy

On behalf of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), and indeed all involved in our parish community, Fr. Paddy extends prayers for the blessings of health and happiness to all our parishioners, and indeed the whole community. May the New Year be a peaceful and joy-filled time for us all.

Fr. Paddy shared part of this reflection for the first Masses of the New Year.

God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact
and our words carry power.

May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.

Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed
every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.

May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honor rather than destroy.

Lover of all souls,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.

May we welcome your lavish love.
In this new year, may the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead.

With the help of God, in 2022 we will deepen our faith in God, and come closer together as a community of faith.

There are some exciting projects in the pipeline for this year, so please do continue to connect with us and thank you for your support of our Parish.

Christmas Blessings

Christmas Blessings

Fr. Paddy

Happy Christmas!

Hope you enjoyed this special time of the year – despite the difficulties in the country and the world at this time.

Fr. Paddy used a reflection at his Christmas Masses, and some people have asked for it to be shared;

A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE INCARNATION

The Incarnation is no mystery, Jesus. You make it easy to understand.
Because you walked our earth, we are to see the face of the Divine in every person we meet:

the friend who betrayed;
the family gathered for a meal;
the mother on welfare;
the man on death row;
the server in the store;
the teenage thug on the corner;
those society tells me are different from me, and my enemy
and trains me to treat that way.

Every time I love, the mystery of the Incarnation happens.
Every time I love, I birth you on earth, Jesus.

I fall on my knees and beg you, Jesus, deepen my living of the Incarnation.

Slightly adapted from ‘Prayers for A New Millennium’, by Mary L .Kownacki

Fr. Paddy also acknowledged all those who helped in the parish throughout the year;

I think of all those who have helped keep our parish going this year; You, our Parishioners; Our Sacristans; The Parish Pastoral Council; The Parish Finance Committee; The Covid-19 Committee; Stewards; Ministers of the Word & Eucharist; our Secretaries; and all those who helped in any way. I am so grateful for your support.

Happy Christmas

So, on behalf of all, may you and your families experience the many blessings of Christmas and have a joyous and grace-filled new year!

Parish Arrangements for Christmas 2021

Parish Arrangements for Christmas 2021

Fr. Paddy

Update – as of 12.30am Saturday 18th December 2021;

The first two Masses of Christmas Eve – 5pm & 6.30pm Tenure)- are now completely booked out.
Please DO NOT turn up without having booked a ticket. Capacity limits will be in operation.
Nb – There is a waiting list, and we appeal to anyone whose plans have changed to release their tickets back into the system for re-distribution, thank you.

The third Mass (8pm, Fieldstown) is 80% booked (Only 20 tickets remain)

The final Mass for Christmas Eve (9.30pm in Fieldstown) still has 75% Availability

The Christmas Day Mass (9.45am in Fieldstown) is only 12% booked (88 Tickets remaining)

The 11.15am Mass in Tenure on Christmas Day is 42% booked (87 Tickets left)

Post of 11th December 2021

Covid-19 continues to impact on our lives, especially when considering large gatherings. After some reflection, and adhering to Government guidelines, the following times are proposed;

Christmas Eve (Friday 24th) Masses:

The Crib in The Church of The Immaculate Conception, Tenure

Tenure – 5pm & 6.30pm – max 150 at each Mass
Fieldstown – 8pm & 9.30pm – max 100 at each Mass

Christmas Day (Saturday 25th) Masses:

Fieldstown – 9.45am & Tenure – 11.15am

This schedule will facilitate 750 people to attend Mass for Christmas (almost 5 times the number that attend each week currently). While I understand that you may not find the time/Church that you normally attend. Please try to be flexible and you must follow all guidelines.

You must book a FREE ticket to attend.

As with last year, tickets will be available online at Eventbrite and will be released on Wednesday 15th December at 9am. Bookings will close on Tuesday 21st December at midnight.

The Sanctuary of The Church of The Nativity of Our Lady, Fieldstown, Advent 2020

For those without internet access, please contact the Parish Office (Mary/Ann 087 379 1443 or Fr. Paddy 086 880 7470) ONLY on Tuesday 14th December from 2.30 – 5.30pm.

The most important thing is that we continue to do everything we can to keep each other safe over Christmas. Thank you for helping to achieve this. 

May the peace of the Christ-child be in your hearts and homes this Christmas. Happy Christmas!

St. Buithe’s 1500th Anniversary

St. Buithe’s 1500th Anniversary

Fr. Paddy

In our parish, we had hoped to commemorate him with a Triduum of Prayer, however, in recent weeks, as Covid numbers continued to rise, we felt it wouldn’t be good to be promoting gatherings for extra events. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to do something more significant in the spring/summer.

However, we didn’t want to let the moment pass without some commemoration, therefore we have decided to hold the following;

1. Sunday 5th December – Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 7pm, from the Church of The Nativity of Our Lady, Fieldstown – commemorating the life of St. Buithe. Available on the ‘Fieldstown’ tab of this website https://www.churchservices.tv/monasterboice

2. Monday 6th December – Online reflection on the life of St. Buithe and the prayer and work of Monasterboice in the 6th Century – at 7pm on Zoom. Meeting ID: 862 9538 8975. Passcode: 730302

3. Tuesday 7th December – Rosary from the Round Tower at Monasterboice – at 7pm, live on the Monasterboice Parish Facebook Page.

We would like to invite you – and anyone you wish to share the information with – to join us for any/all of the events

He was born in 445, and probably met St. Patrick as a youth. Leaving Ireland, he was trained and ordained in Italy, and after a stay in Germany travelled to eastern Scotland, where he encountered King Nectan of the Picts

It is said that Buithe raised Nectan from the dead, and in gratitude the king gave the saint the land for the Church of Buithe (Kirkbuddo).

Returning to Ireland in about 500 AD, Buithe was given land at Monasterboice by the local King Eoin O’Cassidy, and founded a monastery and school at Monasterboice. This was one of the most important sites in ireland for six centuries, becoming known as An Manistair (The Monastery)

This school was known for its sculpture; the Crosses of Monasterboice are world renowned. They incorporate representation of Biblical subjects directly on the Crosses, visual lessons for the faithful and less likely to be destroyed than were books. Two of these crosses, including the Muireadach Cross dating from 923, survive at Monasterboice.

Around 1097, there was a massive fire at the site, and many of its treasures of books and art were destroyed. And in the year 1142, a new Monastery was established at Mellifont.

St. Buithe/Boice died on 7th December 521, & foretold the birth of St. Colmcille, who was born on the day Buithe died.

We have close ties with the people of through the work of Rev. Allan Webster, a Church of Scotland mInister and historian, who worked with Fr. John Hanratty, PP, and along with the local communities they set up a twinning between Monasterboice and Letham (nearest town to Kirkbuddo). Most recently visitors from Letham visited Monasterboice.

You can hear/see Maria Callery (Monasterboice) speaking about St. Buithe here

Towards Healing

Towards Healing

Fr. Paddy

This weekend (10th October), Fr. Paddy spoke about the terrible news which emerged during the week about the revelations of Clerical abuse in France.

He reminded us of the words from Pope Francis in 2018 condemning these crimes;

“Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated. The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults”. (Pope Francis)

He went on;

“With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them”. 

Finally, the Holy Father said;

“I am conscious of the effort and work being carried out in various parts of the world to come up with the necessary means to ensure the safety and protection of the integrity of children and of vulnerable adults, as well as implementing zero tolerance and ways of making all those who perpetrate or cover up these crimes accountable”…”It is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable. Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others”.

Please read the Holy Father’s full letter here

There is an excellent interview with a senior Cardinal on the report from France here;

If you, or anyone reading this has been affected by the issues raised here, please find help and support in the ‘Towards Healing’ organisation. The Towards Healing Counselling and Support Service reflects the commitment of the Catholic Church in the thirty two counties of Ireland to meet the support needs of survivors of Religious, Institutional and Clerical Abuse and their families. The Towards Healing Counselling and Support Service was established in February 2011.

Covid-19 Restrictions Ease

Covid-19 Restrictions Ease

Fr. Paddy

The parish Covid-19 Committee met this week to discuss the recent easing of restrictions (6th September – see here for webpage), and what that means for the parish – especially for the liturgies in the Churches.

50% Capacity (regardless of immunity status of attendees)

The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Tenure can now accommodate up to 150 members of the congregation.

The Church of Our Lady of the Nativity, Fieldstown can now accommodate up to 75 members of the congregation.

Photo by Griffin Wooldridge on Pexels.com

Stewards will be on hand to assist parishioners find a place that is comfortable for them.

Protective Measures

Masks will still be required, as will hand sanitising. Please try and maintain as much social distancing as possible, especially when moving in/out of the Church, and while receiving Holy Communion.

Distribution of Holy Communion

Holy Communion will now be distributed at the traditional time in the Mass – ie, at The Communion Rite, following the Lord’s Prayer, and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)

Please follow the direction of the Stewards.

Please allow as much social distancing as possible while preparing to receive and following reception of the Eucharist.

Please only receive Holy Communion in the hand

Please try and sanitise your hands (gels will be freely available throughout the Church) after touching your mask.

After Mass

Please do not linger inside the Church after Mass is concluded.

The Church will be sanitised after each Mass.

All other measures (ie seats cordoned off, collection baskets at the Church doors, one way systems) will remain in place until the 22nd October, at the earliest. A further review will be held by the Parish covid-19 committee at that time.

Thank you to our committee members, our stewards, and indeed to all our parishioners for co-operating with these measures designed to keep the Church as safe a space as possible.

Swapping Pulpits

Swapping Pulpits

Fr. Paddy

Last weekend saw the first in a new initiative among the parishes of St. Colmcille’s Pastoral Area, where the local priests celebrated Masses in neighbouring parishes. It seems to have gone very well, and we would love to hear your feedback about the initiative. Please feel free to contact any of the parishes by email.

This is part of a process to facilitate closer collaboration within the Pastoral Area as the future of all our parishes will lie in this direction.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The area takes in the four parishes on the east coast running from Togher in the North to Termonfechin in the South. Clogherhead in the East, and Tenure in the West. An area approximately 190 sq. Km. There are over 2,500 catholic families in this area. The area has 9 Churches, 9 schools, and is served by 4 active priests, with 3 priests ‘in residence’ in the area. Each parish has an active Parish Pastoral Council, and the four parishes together have a Pastoral Area Resource Team (PART), who along with the Vf (Vicar forane – an appointment by the Archbishop) promote closer working together of the Pastoral Area.

Many of the structures we have at the moment evolved in an Ireland where most people walked to Church, and at a time when there was a period of expansion in the Catholic faith in this country.  Now we have entered a new phase.  

There is a need for consolidation to take account of how faith practice has developed and will continue to develop into the future. The Covid-19 Pandemic has also had a significant effect with many people still choosing to engage with Church via webcam, and as priests become older and fewer in number, more  things will happen together, rather than in individual parishes.  

Facing the Future: 
As we go forward, it will be unlikely that there will be sufficient priests to replace all those who retire. Therefore, remaining priests will become responsible for larger areas. In order to best prepare for this eventuality, we must begin now by working together on the things we can, and putting into place the structures which will help us meet the challenges of the parishes of the future. 

Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com

Change is not easy – for any of us! It can bring many challenges, and often make people very fearful. However, it is important to remember as a people of faith that we do not face these realities alone. God’s Spirit is with us as we seek to navigate the way forward, especially in these post-pandemic times.

While the future will certainly bring change, there will be many things which will stay the same, and there will be new opportunites to engage with faith and Church both in our own parish and the wider Pastoral Area.

1. Praying for the future;

2. Taking part in the life of your parish/pastoral area using your gifts/talents to benefit the life of the parish/area;

3. Share your faith in Jesus with those around you;

4. Keep yourself informed and up to date with developments on this front.

Cemetery Sunday Blessings of Graves 2021

Cemetery Sunday Blessings of Graves 2021

Fr. Paddy

Will NOT take place this year because of the restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19.

People may wish to bless their own graves at this time.

Fr. Paddy, in consultation with the committees of each graveyard; Mullary, Monasterboice & Ballymakenny, will arrange to hold the traditional graveyard Mass at a later time (possibly October), or if restrictions still remain, Fr. Paddy will celebrate the Masses privately, and record them, as happened last year;

Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Mullary 2020 Blessings
Monasterboice 2020 Blessings
Ballymakenny 2020 Blessings
World Day of Prayer for Grandparents & the Elderly

World Day of Prayer for Grandparents & the Elderly

Fr. Paddy

Pope Francis has established a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will take place for the first time on Sunday 25 July 2021 on the theme ‘I am with you always’ (Mt 28:20)

Today is a day of joy and hope for all of us in celebrating and giving thanks for our grandparents and the elderly. 

Pope Francis has also granted a plenary indulgence to grandparents, the elderly, and all those who participate in a solemn celebration of this day as well as to those who spend time (actually or virtually) with an elderly brother or sister in need on this day.

Grandparents Day Prayer

I thank You, Lord, for the comfort of Your presence: even in times of loneliness, You are my hope and my confidence, You have been my rock and my fortress since my youth!  I thank You for having given me a family and for  having blessed me with a long life. 

I thank You for moments of joy and difficulty, for the dreams that have already come true in my life and for those that are still ahead of me. I thank You for this time of renewed fruitfulness to which You call me.  Increase, O Lord, my faith, make me a channel of your peace, teach me to embrace those who suffer more than me, to never stop dreaming & tell of your wonders to new generations. 

Protect & guide Pope Francis and the Church, that the light of the Gospel might reach the ends of the earth. Send Your Spirit, O Lord, to renew the world, 

that the storm of the pandemic might be calmed, the poor consoled & wars ended.

Sustain me in weakness & help me to live life fully in each moment that you give me, in the certainty that you’re with me, until the end of the age.  Amen.