Parish of the Assumption Area Code: 057 Tel: 93 21587 - 93 22415 Fax: 93 51510 8th January 2023 ~ Fr. Joseph Gallagher, P.P., V.G. GET IN TOUCH St Mary’s Parish Centre, Benburb St, Tullamore, Office Hours: Mon-Thurs, 9.30-1; 1.30-5pm. Phone: 0579321587 Web: www.tullamoreparish.ie Reception service Friday, 9.30-5. Priest available for emergencies 24 hours daily.Meeting Rooms available: Contact Administrator for details of availability, rates, etc. Teas after 10.00am Mass Tuesday, Thursday & Friday Bereavement Listening Support: Ph 0579326604. WEEKEND MASSES Church of the Assumption:(Vigil) 6.30pm Sunday 8.30am, 10.00am, 11.30am & 1.00pm Durrow: Sunday 11.30am WEEKDAY MASSES Monday-Friday 7.45am, 10.00am Saturday 10.00am First Friday 7.45am & 10.00am JOIN US ON PARISH WEBCAMS ON PARISH WEBSITE. CONFESSIONS Saturday 2.00-3.00pm in the Day Chapel. LIVING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS Matthew 3:13-17 The Baptism of Jesus marks a turning point in his life, and the start of his public ministry. Recall moments when your life changed and you moved into a new phase. The experience was one in which Jesus had a new sense of his own identity. What have been the experiences which have helped shape your sense of who you are? How have you come to an awareness of being a child of God, beloved by God, and one on whom rests the grace of God? It is surprising that Jesus, the Saviour of the world, asks to be baptised by John. The request symbolizes his desire to identify with us. At the same time he is filled with the Holy Spirit. That step of identifying with us is an important element in his being able to help us. Have you ever found that when someone identifies with you, it is easier for him/her to help you? Has your ability to empathise with others had any impact on your effectiveness in helping them? John Byrne osa, Intercom Jan 2023 BISHOP ROBERT BARRON - FAREWELL TO POPE BENEDICT One of the most consequential churchman of the last hundred years has died. Pope Benedict XVI (formerly Joseph Ratzinger) leaves a remarkable legacy in both the Church he served and in the wider society. Often pilloried by his opponents as a fire-breathing conservative, he was in fact one of the most balanced, nuanced, and stabilizing figures within the Catholic ambit. The defining event of his life was the Second Vatican Council, the gathering of bishops and theologians from 1962 to 1965 that placed the Catholic Church in a renewed conversation with the contemporary world. Though only thirty-five when he was tapped to be theological advisor to one of the leading German cardinals, Ratzinger proved to be a consequential player at Vatican II, contributing to the composition of many of its major documents and explaining its teaching to the wider culture. At the council itself, he proved adversarial to those conservative forces who were resisting the renewal which the majority of bishops favoured. One of the ironies of his life is that, in the wake of Vatican II, he found himself standing athwart progressives who wanted to push beyond the council documents and compromise the integrity of Catholicism. Thus, the “liberal” of the Council became the “conservative” of the post-conciliar years, even as, in his own judgment, his views never changed. It is obvious that Ratzinger, as priest, bishop, theologian, and pope, was a man of faith. But it is perhaps equally important to point out that he was one of the great defenders of reason on the world stage. At a time when many of the representatives of the secular culture were questioning our capacity to know anything as true, Ratzinger resisted what he termed “the dictatorship of relativism.” He claimed, in line with the great Catholic tradition, that certain truths—moral, intellectual, and aesthetic—can be known and that this knowledge in fact serves to unite people across religious and cultural divides. This was precisely the point of his controversial Regensburg Address in 2006. The Christian belief that Jesus is “Logos” or word effectively builds a bridge between Christianity and any religion, philosophy, or science that deals in truth and makes “logical” assertions. In line with this instinct, Ratzinger happily engaged some of the leading atheist and skeptical philosophers of his day. I alluded above to his reputation in some circles as Panzerkardinal (the tank-Cardinal), an uncompromising, even cruel, reactionary. Those who knew Joseph Ratzinger personally could only shake their heads at such a characterization. For he was, in fact, a gentle, very kind, soft-spoken academic, whose particular gift was the finding of common ground. The thousands of bishops who came to Rome for their ad limina visits during Ratzinger’s years as prefect were typically impressed by the man’s extraordinary capacity to listen to all perspectives and then to find an illuminating synthesis. Pope Benedict said that Christianity is not an ideology or a philosophy, but rather a relationship to a person, to the living Jesus Christ. In his bearing, his gaze, the tone of his voice, and his manner, I could sense that he believed this, more to the point, that he lived it. Thank you, Pope Benedict, for the thousand ways that you have blessed the Church. And may God grant you peace. SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Baptisms take place monthly on the first Sunday in Tullamore, second Sunday in Durrow, third and fourth Saturday in Tullamore. Contact the Parish Secretary. SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE To book the Church for weddings, contact the Parish Secretary at least three months in advance. All couples getting married must complete a pre-marriage course. Contact ACCORD 0579341831 or www.accord.ie. ACCORD also provide couple and relationship counseling In-Person and Online in Tullamore. Phone 057 9341831 or 0864669926 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it NB: NOTICES FOR THE BULLETIN MUST BE IN THE PARISH CENTRE BY 9.30AM WEDNESDAY. Only notices from parish groups, non-profit making organizations & clubs included PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR FIONA PENDER, OUR PARISHONER WHO HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE 22nd AUGUST 1996 MASS INTENTIONS Mon 9 10.00 Nevin Family Tues 10 10.00 Ned & Eileen Grennan, Loughaun Wed 11 7.45 Hugh Lynch, Kilbride St Mary Vickers, Park Avenue 10.00 Patrick A Wrafter Thurs 12 10.00 Jim Clarke, Moylena Fri 13 10.00 Nolan Family Kathleen Claffey Sat 14 6.30 Paddy Minnock, Arden View, 1st Ann, parents Jimmy & Judy, brother Peter Sun 15 8.30 James, Kathleen & Joseph Kelly, 95 O’Molloy St, Frs Michael J, Robert & Joe Kelly SJ 10.00 Pat Smyth, Rahan Rd Molly & Paddy Dunne, Paddy Muldoon & Maureen Halewood, Marian Place 1.00 Vincent Brennan, 1st Ann & son Thomas
Shared Mass Sat 14, 10am: William Walsh; Patrick & Annie Pidgeon; Robert Alexander; Tommy Deevy; Mike & Julia Egan & Paddy Cunningham; Marie McIntyre; Stephen, Harry & John Lowbridge; Dermot & Gerardine Cusack; Paddy, Sheila & John O’Reilly & Dooley Family & Molly & Jimmy McGarry; Margaret Carroll & Bessie Dowling; O’Callaghan Family; O’Connor & Purcell Families; John O’Hanlon & Family & O’Hare Family; John, Margaret, Sean & Paschal Murray; Nan & Ned Egan; Thomas McDonagh; Frances Keoghan; Tom Kelly; Kathleen Lynam
Durrow Sun 15, 11.30: Vera & baby Arthur Waters; Edel Buggy; William Treacy, Teresa & Malachy Keenan; Brenda Quinn DEATHS We offer our sympathy to the families of Maureen Herley Deevy, Margaret McDermott, Ann O’Brien & Deivis Lukosius. COLLECTIONS Plate: Tullamore €2944; Durrow €319 Envelopes €2026 Thank you for your continued support. COMMUNITY NOTICES ST PADRÉ PIO: Mass, Tues 10, 7.30pm, Tullamore Church. All are welcome. MEN’S ROSARY: Sat 14, 1.15pm, Digby Bridge (Canal Walk), for Ashling and Fiona. All are welcome. READY: Dinner Dance, Town House, Sun 8, 8pm sharp. TULLAMORE ACTIVE RETIREMENT ASSOC: Resuming Tues 17, Charleville Centre. MABS: Helpline 0818 07 2710 Mon to Fri 9am - 8pm. AA: Offaly House, Offaly St, Mon, Wed, Thur, Sat & Sun 8.15pm, Tues, Wed, Fri & Sun, 1pm. AL-ANON for families of those suffering from addiction, Thurdays, 8pm, Darmagh Community Centre, Tihilly, Lanello, Clontarf Rd. TULLAMORE RAPE CRISIS CENTRE: Opening times Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm.Ph 0579322500; Freephone 1800323232 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it OFFALY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT SERVICES: For confidential advice and support call 0579351886 or 0860419154. www.odvss.ie DOCHAS OFFALY CANCER SUPPORT GROUP: For individuals with cancer or their families/carers; Mon–Fri, 9.30-5pm. Ph 0579328268. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .; www.dochasoffaly.com |