Parish of the Assumption Area Code: 057 Tel: 93 21587 - 93 22415 Fax: 93 51510 5th Sunday of Easter ~ 29th April 2018 Fr. Joseph Gallaghar P.P MASS TIMES Weekend Masses Church of the Assumption: Saturday (Vigil) 6.30pm Sunday 8.30a.m, 10.00a.m, 11.30am & 1.00p.m St Colmcille’s Church Durrow: Sunday 11.30a.m Holy Days Church of the Assumption: 7.45a.m, 10.00a.m, 1.10p.m, 6.30p.m. St Colmcille’s Church Durrow: Vigil 8.00pm Weekday Masses Monday-Friday 7.45am & 10.00am Saturday 10.00am First Friday 7.45am & 10.00am CONFESSIONS Saturday: 12 noon-1.00pm, 3.00-4.00pm GET IN TOUCH St Mary’s Parish Centre, Benburb St, Tullamore, Phone: 0579321587 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Web: www.tullamoreparish.ie Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm; 1.30-5pm to book weddings, baptisms, certs, etc; Reception service 5-9pm. Priest available for emergencies 24 hours daily. Parish Shop selling a selection of religious items. Teas after 10am Mass Mon, Wed & Fri. Meeting Rooms available: Contact Administrator for details of rates, availability etc. Parish Support Services: Bereavement Listening, etc. For appointment, ph 0579326604, Monday-Thursday 9.30am-1.00pm; Wednesday & Thursday 6.00-8.00pm. JESUS – “THE TRUE VINE” For the apostles, the image of the vine reffered to in today’s Gospel would have evoked the whole history of God’s relationship with his people. They would have been well familiar with the reality of the vine that produces no fruit and that has its branches cut off, as well as with the fruitful vine that is pruned to produce even more and better fruit. They would have known that, in the past, for the prophets the vine most often came to mean Israel as sinful and unfaithful to the covenant, close to punishment, to having its branches cut off. Only with the passage of time could hope be entertained in a new vine, representing a people faithful to the covenant, and for whom the Lord would be a guardian day and night. Then at last and after a long wait, Jesus comes and announces, “I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser”. He is the true, loyal and faithful Israel, who by shedding his blood on Calvary has caused a new vine to bloom. We are the branches of this new true vine. To bear fruit, we must remain in the vine. Whoever remains in the vine, with Jesus and his words in him will bear fruit in plenty. We give thanks to God our Father, for Jesus, the true vine, and for the gift of the new wine that flows to us in the eucharist. SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPEL John 15:1-8 In a relationship, connectedness is important. Relationships cannot be taken for granted and need time and care to be life-giving. What does your experience tell you of the truth of this in your relationships with God? With your friends? With your family? With communities or groups to which you belong? In The Joy of the Gospel , Pope Francis wrote : ‘I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ.’ He goes on to suggest that when individuals, or groups, focus on Jesus there is an increase of energy and vitality. Have you seen this happen? The parable also reminds us that we are not the source of our own life. It is a gift from God, from our parents, and from all who have nourished us. Give thanks for those who have been a source of life for you. God is glorified by our being fruitful. When has human fruitfulness reminded you of God at work in our world? (John Byrne, OSA, Intercom April 2018) TWO LIVES ONE LOVE An expectant mother needs and deserves the care and support of everyone around her particularly if her pregnancy poses a serious crisis for her and her family. A mother may be informed that her baby faces serious challenges or is perhaps terminally ill. She might be pregnant as a result of rape. In such cases recommending abortion might seem like a gesture of compassion. Even in those tragic cases the unborn child needs to be loved and cherished. A compassionate society will do all in its power to support and love the mother and baby, and encourage responsible support from fathers. This vision of life makes sense to people of all faiths and none. While it is enriched by our Catholic faith, it is our common humanity that convinces us of the right to life of every human being. In the coming weeks, I invite you to pray earnestly that the people of Ireland will “choose life” and that the lives of all women and their unborn children will always be loved, valued, welcomed and respected in this country. (extract from Pastoral Letter of Bishop Alan Mc Guckian, Raphoe, full text available at www.chooselife2018.ie) The Rosary for life is offered every Monday evening at 6.30pm for the preservation of the 8th Amendment. Please join your prayers with this intention. WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES 2018 We are pleased to offer the following update and resources from the Media and Communications Office of WMOF2018. Registrations and Ticketing At the moment the tickets for the Festival of Families in Croke Park and the Closing Mass in Phoenix Park are not directly available on general release until we have completed our consultations with the relevant statutory agencies on capacity, transport, security, safety and other issues. When these tickets become available they will be free. In other words there is no change to the status on the general release of tickets. Registrations have increased again and we now have 17,994 people registered for the pastoral congress in the RDS. Some stats about this figure: • 7,803 are Irish based registrations • 10,191 are overseas registrations [19% from Spain; 15% USA, 9% Pakistan, 6.5% UK] • 28% of all registrations are for children under the age of 18 • 68% are adult registrations • 4% are registrations by clergy We are on target to have somewhere between 10,000 – 12,000 international visitors to the WMOF2018 which will mean that we will have double what they had for the last WMOF in Philadelphia in 2015. Volunteering We are about to reach the 2,500th volunteer mark. As you know we will need up to 10,000 volunteers around the events in August. Here is the link for everything to do with volunteering https://www.worldmeeting2018.ie/en/Get-Involved/Volunteer (Brenda Drumm, Media and Communications Manager World Meeting of Families 2018) SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM The next available Baptism dates are Sat 19th May, Sat 26th May & Sun 16th June in Tullamore & Sat 10th Jun in Durrow. The pre-baptism meeting for these dates is on Wed 16th May. To book in for the meeting and baptisms, contact the Parish Secretary, at the Parish Office, Mon-Fri, 9.30am-5pm. SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE It is advisable to give six months’ notice of your intention to marry to both the Church and the Registrar. To book the Church for weddings, contact the Parish Secretary, Monday-Friday, 9.30am-5.00pm. All couples getting married must attend a pre-marriage course. Contact ACCORD, 9341831 or www.accord.ie. ACCORD also available for marriage and relationship counselling. NB: NOTICES FOR THE BULLETIN MUST BE IN THE PARISH CENTRE BY 9.30AM WEDNESDAY Only notices from parish groups, non-profit making organisations & clubs included MASS INTENTIONS Mon 30 10.00 Mary & Tom Geoghegan Tues 01 10.00 Laura Murtagh Wed 02 10.00 Frances McCormack Thurs 03 7.45 Michael & Nora Hughes, O’Moore St 10.00 Kathleen Dunne, O’Molloy St Sat 05 6.30 Alice Murphy, 1st Ann Josie Smyth, 1st Ann, Rahan Rd Sun 06 8.30 John Brady, Patrick & Margaret Dunne 10.00 John Healy, Ballycommon SHARED MASS, SAT 05, 10am: Willie Carroll; John & Peg Deevy; Jack, Isabella & Sean Drumm; Nora, Peter & Mary Daly; Joe Heffernan; John & Mary Kelly; Marcella McNamara & McHale & McNamara Families; Ursula Hacker; Tom Kearney; Ken Cummins, Martin & Philomena Moore, Julie & Sylvester Cummins; Kathleen & Wiliam Jaffray; Frank Cunningham, Fr. Michael Conroy; Joseph & Elizabeth Waters; Mickey Colsh; Eddie, Johanna & Josie Keaney & parents Susan & John; Tommy & Bridget Keaney; Kathleen & Paddy Morgan; John & Annie Connolly; Sean, Ellen, Richard & PJ Pender, Thomas, Annie, Frank & May McCormack; John, Rose, Bobby, Philomena & Joe Kelly & baby Scully; Sean Larkin; O’Brien & Duggan Families; Mick & Lily Geoghegan & Drumm Fmaily; Mary Healy; William, Margaret, Sean, Maeve & Liam O’Reilly; Ian Dunne, Stephen & Sheila Egan, Irene Flanagan & Declan Devlin; Colm & Teresa McCabe & daughter Patricia; Spollen Famly; John & Esther Lawlor; Josephine Berkin; O’Reilly & Droogan Families. DURROW SHARED MASS, SUN 6, 11.30am: Michael Murphy; David, Margaret, David Jnr Waters & Margaret Kelly; Michael & Mary Heagney & their son Austin; John & Mary Murray & Family; Patrick & Pauline Kilroe & daughter Bernadette Rickard; Jenny, John, James Donoghue & Family; Jim & Nan Donoghue & Murray Family; Thomas & Margaret Sullivan; Kathleen Shiels; John & Mary Quinn & Quinn Family; Peter & Maryann Molloy; Michael & Brigid Fox & grandson Peter; Paddy & Brigid Mealiff, Betty Smith, James Craven & Elizabeth Quinn. PARISH COLLECTION Tullamore €2816; Durrow €164; Envelopes €2865; Vocations Tullamore €2780.35 Vocations Durrow €163.60 Thank you for your continued support PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR FIONA PENDER, OUR PARISHIONER WHO HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE 22ND AUG 1996 COMMUNITY NOTICES PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION HOSPITAL CHAPEL: Can you sit an hour with the Lord: Thurs Midnight-1am, Sat 2-3pm Sat Midnight – 1am or any other hour? Ph: 0851162668. LOURDES CHURCH GATE COLLECTION: Sincere thanks to all who supported our collection. €2575 was raised. 1ST FRI/SAT DEVOTIONS TO UNITED HEARTS OF JESUS & MARY: Fri 4, Parish Centre. Rosary 6.15pm, Mass 7pm. All Welcome. HOLY HOUR FOR PREVENTION OF SUICIDE: Thurs 3, 6.30-7.30pm, Day Chapel. All Welcome. ACCORD TULLAMORE: Recruiting for Certificate in Counseling training programme. Further info: www.accord.ie, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0579341831. MEETING OF SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER: Tues 1, 7pm Mercy Convent. New Members Welcome. MIDLAND LIVING LINKS: Suicide Grieving programme beginning in Tullamore. Further info ph: Rita 0861600641. MIDLAND CARDIAC SUPPORT GROUP ECUMENICAL SERVICE: Wed 2, Hospital Chapel, 7.30pm. IRISH MIDLANDS YOUTH ORCHESTRA with Scoil Mhuire Choir presents an evening of music, Tullamore Court Hotel Sun 6, 7pm. Tickets €10 from Scoil Mhuire /Court Hotel. C.N.G PILGRIMAGE TO KNOCK: Sat 5 May. All Welcome. Contact A. Boland 0877914828. ARK OF DIVINE MERCY 1st Sat devotions, St Ronan’s Church Taughmacconnell, Sat 5, 2.00pm. Details from Kathleen/Paul Woods 0877828283 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |