Clonmacnois Parish Newsletter

Sunday 30^th De 2012 – Holy Family C

Tel (090) 9674125.  Email: jimboclonmacnois@gmail.com

Mass times: Shannonbridge: Weekend, 8pm (Sat), & 12 noon, Sun;

Weekdays, 10am.                  Clonfanlough – Sunday, 10.30am

Shannonbridge

Next Tues is New Year’s Day – A day of Prayer for peace --

Feast of Mary Theotokos; Mass @ 12noon

Adoration on First Fri 4 -5pm

Masses: Each day, except Tues, @ 10am

Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €502.   Many Thanks

Church Cleaners:  A. Ryan, L.Turley, M.Mitchell

Ministers of Holy Communion: Group 4

Readers for next Weekend: Group 3, M.Killeen, O.Costello

Altar Servers for this week: Group 3, Alisa, Jack, Katie

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Clonfanlough

Mass for New Year’s Day @ 10.30am

Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €224.   Many Thanks

Church Cleaners: N.Egan, A.Rohan

Readers for next Sunday: H.Coughlan

Altar Servers for next Sunday: Group 1

Minister of Holy Communion for next Sunday: P. Darcy

I will visit the sick & housebound on Thursday

Questions people ask                                      (Fr O’Flynn – Intercom)
Q. Easter is supposed to be the high point of the Church’s year. How is it that Christmas seems to mean more to people?
A. In the realm of theology Easter is the most important feast but it seems to pass over the heads of many people. Christmas appeals more powerfully to the human heart. The Christmas story touches the familiar world of family, birth, animals, travelling, looking for accommodation, rejoicing and rejection (Herod). It brings the story of God’s intervention into human history with the naming of Roman rulers and local bosses. It locates the incarnation in places that can be visited to this day. Christmas appeals to the child within each of us.

Q. When Jesus was growing up in Nazareth did Mary and Joseph knows that he was the Son of God?
A. The revelation of the divinity of Jesus was not yet complete. Because of the virgin birth and the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel, Mary and Joseph certainly knew that Jesus was a very special person sent from God. Yet we read in the Gospel that they did not understand what the twelve year-old Jesus meant in saying that he must be busy about his Father’s business. Mary and Joseph went forward in faith, accepting the mystery of what they did not fully understand.

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 Athlone Community College
Open eve on Thurs 10^th Jan @ 7pm. Pupils in their year in Primary Schools, together with their Parents/ Guardians are invited to attend.

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Annual Mummer’s Festival

In New Inn leisure centre on Fri 4^th Jan @ 7.30pm for junior groups;

On Sat night 5^th Jan for senior groups.

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Congratulations & best wishes to Micheál Molloy and Rita Gorman, who were married last weekend in Twomile House. Ad multos annos!

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The name "January" comes from the Roman god Janus, the god with two faces, one looking to the past and the other looking to the future. This is indeed a time to look back at the year that has just ended and to look forward to the New Year ahead of us.  Happy New Year!

Shannonbridge GAA Club

Shannonbridge / Doon Lottery.

Congratulations to Michael Molloy, Glebe, winner of last week’s jackpot of €3,400. There was no jackpot winner, or match threes, this week. The numbers drawn were 1, 12, 15 and 16. An extra €200 has been added to make next Sunday’s Jackpot €2,400.

Gallen Community School, Leinster Champions.
Congratulations to Gallen Community School, Ferbane, who won the Leinster Vocational Schools Junior Championhip last week, when they overcame the challenge of Cnoc Mhuire, Granard by 4-14 to 2-5.

Christmas Greetings.
A Very Happy Christmas from Shannonbridge GAA Club to all, especially to those club members and parishioners who are away from home at this time. Many thanks to everyone who helped in any way during 2012 and here’s looking forward to a successful New Year.

Clonmacnois Parish Newsletter

Sunday 23^rd Dec 2012 – 4 Adv C

Tel (090) 9674125.  Email: jimboclonmacnois@gmail.com

Mass times: Shannonbridge: Weekend, 8pm (Sat), & 12 noon, Sun;

Weekdays, 10am.                  Clonfanlough – Sunday, 10.30am

Shannonbridge

Masses: Mon,Thurs-Sat @ 10am; Tues, Wed @ 12noon

Mass on Christmas Eve @ 9pm, on Christmas Day @ 12noon

Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €520.   Many Thanks

Church Cleaners:  K.Price, C.Curley, P.Anderson

Ministers of Holy Communion: Group 3

Readers for next Weekend: Group 2, M.Anderson, E.Quinn

Altar Servers for this week: Group 2, Ciarán, Róisin, Saul, Ffion

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Clonfanlough

Mass on Christmas Eve @ 7pm, on Christmas Day @ 10.30am

Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €266.  Many Thanks

Church Cleaners: A.Walshe, R.Gunning

Readers for next Sunday: A.& L.Devery

Altar Servers for next Sunday: Group 3

Minister of Holy Communion for next Sunday: N.Egan

 Mass on Christmas day will be said for the late Michael Kelly (Lakefield)

“Many thanks for your generous donations to the St Vincent de P:aul Soc, which realised €725 in Shannonbridge”

From Bishop Colm o’ Reilly

‘Some people who are promoting healthy eating habits like to tell us that “we are what we eat”.  At Christmas there is a different way of describing what we are which appeals to me.  It says: “You are what you give”.  This appeals greatly to me because it is close to the essential meaning of Christmas.  What we celebrate at this time is the greatest gift of all, the gift of the Son of God who gave himself to us.

It is my hope and best wish for all of you that whatever you give to others may contain something of yourselves.  Gifts and messages which clearly show our love, our care and even our forgiveness can be especially welcome.  When this truly happens both the giver and the receiver are the richer for the gift.

I wish you every blessing and happiness for your Christmas and for the year which follows’.

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 From Offaly Co Council

“This Winter, only the busier roads in Offaly will have salt applied during all ice and snowy weather. The salting operation can take up to 4 hours. If journeys must be undertaken in cold weather, drivers should try to plan their journeys to travel salted roads.

 But be Careful – The decision to salt or not is mostly dependent on the weather forecast. It should never be assumed that roads are salted and, even if they are, drivers should always drive with care during adverse weather conditions”.

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Beannachtaí na Nollag agus Síocháin san Ath Bhliain do gach duine

A special word of thanks to all who contribute to the various collections during the year, and to all who help out in any way in the Church and community.  It is much appreciated.

  

Clonmacnois Parish Newsletter

Sunday 16^th Dec 2012 – 3 Adv C

Tel (090) 9674125.  Email: jimboclonmacnois@gmail.com

Mass times: Shannonbridge: Weekend, 8pm (Sat), & 12 noon, Sun;

Weekdays, 10am.                   Clonfanlough – Sunday, 10.30am

Shannonbridge

Masses: Mon-Thurs. Sat @ 10am: Fri @ 9.30am

Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €446.   Many Thanks

Church Cleaners: M.McManus, C.Slattery, A.Corbett      

Ministers of Holy Communion: Group 2

Readers for next Weekend: Group 1, D.Finnerty, P.Corbett

Altar Servers for this week: Group 1, Andrea, Stephanie, Jennie

Mass on next Sat eve for the late Ciaran, Maryanne & Brian Flannery

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Clonfanlough

Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €147.   Many Thanks

Church Cleaners: M.Guinan, A.Guinan

Readers for next Sunday: N.Kenny

Altar Servers for next Sunday: Group 1

Minister of Holy Communion for next Sunday: D.McEvoy

Penitential Services

Wed 19^th Dec:  Clonfanlough, 7pm; Shannonbridge, 8pm

Night Prayer Vigil in Clonmacnois Prayer Centre

Fri 21^th Dec, beginning with Mass @ 10pm.  Adoration follows and finishes at 3.10am.  All welcome.  Enquiries Dave 085-7746763

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 'Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate.  It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.'                  (A survivor of Auschwitz)

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Pope Benedict XVI Sends out Inaugural Tweet

Pope Benedict XVI sent out his first tweets on Wednesday 12 on Twitter. The Twitter account, @pontifex, which was announced December 3 by the Holy See Press Office, is being used as a way for the Holy Father to communicate with the faithful and answer their questions on faith.

In two hours, the first papal message was re-tweeted, or shared by followers, over 27, 000 times. Currently, Benedict XVI has well over 700,000 followers since the account was opened a little over a week ago.
Shortly after his first tweet, Pope Benedict sent out a second tweet, relaying one of thousands of questions sent by his Twitter followers regarding the Year of Faith. "How can we celebrate the Year of Faith better in our daily lives?" was the question that was posed.
Responding to the question in a third tweet, the Holy Father stated: "By speaking with Jesus in prayer, listening to what he tells you in the Gospel and looking for him in those in need."
Questions people ask

Q. When John the Baptist baptised people, was it the sacrament of Baptism?

A. The sacraments as we know them did not exist before the ministry of Jesus. Baptism originally meant having a bath or a good wash. John was called the Baptiser, the Bath-man, because he used a ceremony of washing by which people might express a moral conversion from the ways of sin. Jesus took this ritual washing to a new level when he told the disciples to baptise ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’. Christians recognise this as the institution of the sacrament.