CLONMACNOIS PARISH BULLETIN  MARCH 29TH 2020

Clonmacnois Parish

Fr. Tom Cox (Adm) Tel. 090 9674125/  0868319500

Email: clonmacnoiseparish@gmail.com

     WEB  shannonbridge.blogspot.ie

www.facebook.com/Parish-of-Clonmacnois      

             

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT LAZARUS

If only Lazarus had given an interview! We are all fascinated by what lies beyond the grave, and would love to know something of that ‘undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns’. The raising of Lazarus from the dead was another one of the ‘signs’ given by Jesus. In this extraordinary episode He appears to be teaching us two things. Firstly, He is showing us that, where there is death He brings life. Secondly, He seems to be telling us that we can be in death even this side of the grave. The images underline the message. The stone is removed; the bindings are cut; Lazarus goes free. Whenever we are tied-down by pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy or sloth we are already dead. We need the Lord to come to help us to remove the obstacles and cut the bindings that prevent us from living life to the full and becoming the kind of people we were meant to be. The name Lazarus means ‘the one whom God helps’. So, Lazarus is you and me. Is gaire cabhair Dé ná an doras!

AN POST -NEW INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT THE VULNERABLE

 Launching March 30th Postal delivery staff will check-in on or older/vulnerable customers along their postal routes across the country: Postmen and postwomen across the country will call into the front doors of older and vulnerable customers along their delivery route, particularly those who are living alone in isolated areas. They will check on their well-being by way of a set of standard questions and any requests for provisions or medicines will be relayed directly back to the local HSE team.

 A FREE mails and parcels pick up service for these same housebound customers: The postwoman/man can also take any post this community might have for free and put it into circulation for them. The postal delivery staff will apply a postage mark in the local mail centre before onward circulation. If an elderly person has a mail item they need collecting, they can put a sign in their window that says I HAVE MAIL and the postal delivery staff will collect it on their route.

Newspaper delivery service: An Post is working with newspapers to develop a delivery service for customers who cannot get to shops to get their daily newspaper. This initative will be launched in the coming week and more details will be shared once available. The health and safety of our staff is paramount and An Post delivery staff will be adhering to HSE protocols at all times.

PRAYER IN PANDEMIC TIMES

May we who are merely inconvenienced, remember those whose lives are at stake. May we who have no risk factors, remember those most vulnerable. May we who have the luxury of working from home, remember those who must choose preserving their health or making their rent. May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close, remember those who have no options. May we who have to cancel our trips, Remember those who have no safe place to go. May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market, Remember those with no margin at all. May we who settle in for a quarantine at home, Remember those who have no home. As fear grips our country, Let us choose love. During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbours. Amen.

God of Love and Mercy

We pray for our world - for all of us, each one now in some way impacted by COVID-19:

but especially for those persons who are ill, those who have lost loved ones

and those whose personal and work lives have been severely disrupted by the reach of this virus.

We give thanks for the tender care of the sick by doctors, nurses and health care workers,

for the generous and willing service of volunteers and for the imagination and dedication

of researchers seeking a cure. We are grateful for those who share wise advice with us;

those whose work creates healthy environments for us; those who put our needs before theirs,

our safety before theirs, our well-being before theirs. May we each be supportive of one another, considerate of one another and generous to one another in this difficult and uncertain time.

-Amen

 WORD FOR THE WISE  If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere. (Seamus Heaney)

Seamus Heaney

Mass Broadcasts

 UMASS will be available by webcam at St. Mel’s Cathedral www.longfordparish.com each day— 8am, 10am, 1.05pm weekday 7.30pm Saturday; 8am, 10am, 11.30am and 1.00 pm Sundays.www.cloghanbanagherparish.ie  6.30Sat 106.6FM

URTE Television  will air Masses every weekday at 10.30am from St. Eunan’s and St. Columba’s Cathedral, Letterkenny on RTE News Now which can be accessed on Saorview (channel 21), Sky (521), Virgin Media (200), Eir (517).

MOORE CHURCH 104.1fm Saturday’s @ 7pm and Sunday’s @ 11.30am on 104.1fm radio.

FERBANE CHURCH Mon-Sat 10a.m Sun 11:00a.m. on 106.5FM  ATHLONE 88.4FM Mon-Fri 9:30am , Sunday 11am

URADIO MARIA IRELAND Daily Mass at 10a.m. on television on Saorview 210. Listen via TV on Saorview

UBoth Clonfanlough & Shannonbridge As I write (Sat 28th) our Churches remains open every day for those who wish to drop in to offer a prayer. (Use good hand hygiene at Door handles, Candle Shrines please & use sanitiser provided.) You can pray the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, or just sit in silence and let the Lord Jesus speak quietly into your heart; you are encouraged to continue to pray at home with your family and especially for those who are sick and those who care for them

HAVE A RELATIVE IN  TULLAMORE HOSPITAL? If you do and need to get clothes etc to them. Staff Member Joey Rigney 086-1608398 has volunteered to help. Many thanks to our terrific HSE staff.

GROCERY DELIVERIES—MORAN’S GALA

In light of current situation & if you feel wary of coming into the Shop, phone us  090 9674124

SHANNONBRIDGE/CLONFANLOUGH MASS I celebrate Mass for your intentions daily  at 10am  (Mon –Fri 10am, Sat 7, Sun 10:30am and it is streamed & recorded  on  Facebook “Parish of Clonmacnois” and hopefully soon (a few teething problems) on  my channel on www.youtube.com . I can send Video link to Whats App & Messenger if anyone asks. Let me know . You can view anytime. Bulletin in Churches, Morans Gala & online

Palm Sunday Next Sunday is Palm (Passion) Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. It is our ‘passion’ time now and, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are invited to unite this passion or time of suffering with that of Christ. This time calls for a deep faith or a rekindling of faith where it has waned. As there will be no Mass, I ask you to cut a piece of palm, place it in a vase, place that in a prominent place in your house and bless (sprinkle) it with Holy Water at lunch time. With your family, pause and reflect for a quiet moment.

Act of Spiritual Communion “My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You have already come , and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen”

SUMMER TIME begins this Sunday 29th March at 1am. Please remember to put your clock forward an HOUR!!!

WANTED FOR HOSPITAL PATIENTS  in Tullamore Hospital both 2nd hand and new pyjamas/night dresses for patients who may have no family member to bring in fresh ones. They can be left into Paul Flynn’s newsagents.. Banagher

CLONMACNOIS PARISH BULLETIN MARCH 22nd 2020

Clonmacnois Parish

Fr. Tom Cox (Adm) Tel. 090 9674125/  0868319500

Email: clonmacnoiseparish@gmail.com

     WEB  shannonbridge.blogspot.ie

www.facebook.com/Parish-of-Clonmacnois                   

 FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

‘I CAN SEE’

The Lenten gospels have common threads running through them. We heard about the disciples on Mount Tabor; the woman at the well; the blind man on the road. In all these cases Jesus takes the initiative; the encounter occurs in the solitude; people are changed. Today the blind man is healed but Jesus does much more than heal the man’s blindness. He takes him on a journey from darkness through sight to insight. He enables him to see with the ‘eyes of the heart’. As the story unfolds the blind man moves from referring to Jesus as a man to recognising him as a prophet to finally worshipping Him as Lord. In the end he comes to understand who Jesus is. The best vision is insight. In these strange and challenging days could our God be leading us from sight to insight? Is He asking us to think again; to listen again; to see with the eyes of the heart? Might He be calling on our world to make different choices; to walk different paths? Perhaps He is reminding us that life is very fragile, that we are indeed our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, that we are not masters of time, and, above all, that He alone is the Way the Truth&the Life.‘We are stewards, not masters of the earth’. (Pope Francis).

 U  All Mass intentions which have been booked over the next weeks have been deferred and may be re booked at a later date, if and when the situation changes.

UReaders and Ministers of Holy Communion will be alerted also when the situation changes.

USHANNONBRIDGE GAA Club 23 members have kindly volunteered to assist any member of our community, especially Seniors to collect shopping, prescriptions etc. Contact me 086 8319500 for a local Club contact.Keep Safe&warm– you’re not alone. We will get through. I pray Mass daily for you.

U The Parish Newsletter will continue to be published with copies available in both Churches and  online.  FREE ONLINE  RELIGIOUS EDUC Classes on www.growinlove.ie password growinlove

UCOVID-19 Support Line for Older People: ALONE has launched a national support line and additional supports for older people who have concerns or are facing difficulties relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).  staff are available to answer queries and give advice and reassurance where necessary.The support line is open Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm, by calling 0818 222 024. Hours may be extended to meet the demand.

 Mass Broadcasts

 UMASS will be available by webcam at St. Mel’s Cathedral www.longfordparish.com each day— 8am, 10am, 1.05pm weekday 7.30pm Saturday; 8am, 10am, 11.30am and 1.00 pm Sundays.www.cloghanbanagherparish.ie  6.30Sat 106.6FM

URTE Television  will air Masses every weekday at 10.30am from St. Eunan’s and St. Columba’s Cathedral, Letterkenny on RTE News Now which can be accessed on Saorview (channel 21), Sky (521), Virgin Media (200), Eir (517).

MOORE CHURCH 104.1fm Saturday’s @ 7pm and Sunday’s @ 11.30am on 104.1fm radio.

FERBANE CHURCH Mon-Sat 10a.m Sun 11:00a.m. on 106.5FM  ATHLONE 88.4FM Mon-Fri 9:30am , Sunday 11am

URADIO MARIA IRELAND is an Irish-run Catholic Talk-Radio Station. Prayer, Catechesis, Uplifting music, Talks, Interviews and Testimonies – all commercial free – Listen via TV on Saorview - Channel 210 and Freeview - Channel 826; Download our FREE APP - “RADIO MARIA IRELAND”, streaming on www.radiomaria.ie

UBoth Clonfanlough & Shannonbridge Church remains open every day for those who wish to drop in to offer a prayer. The heating will be on from 10.30 to 12.30 each day. You can pray the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, or just sit in silence and let the Lord Jesus speak quietly into your heart; you are encouraged to continue to pray at home with your family and especially for those who are sick and those who care for them

 Diocesan Regulations Updates

Because of the requirements that indoor gatherings of more than 100 people be avoided, and the difficulties that may arise in achieving this, and always mindful of public safety and those with underlying medical conditions, the following arrangements are to be followed in all parishes:

 UBecause of the emergency situation, all parishioners are dispensed from the obligation to physically attend Sunday Mass. UBe assured that priests will continue to celebrate Mass privately and pray for the needs of their parishioners.

UAll non-essential pastoral gatherings and meetings, such as formation gatherings, retreats and seminars are cancelled.

UAll Confirmations are postponed until further notice.

 UEvery Catholic is entitled to a dignified Christian burial. Attendance at Funeral services and Masses should be limited to close relatives and must not exceed 100 attendees within the Church building.

USimilarly, Church weddings and baptisms may be celebrated on condition that the attendance in Church does not exceed 100 people.

UIn these difficult and uncertain times, people find strength, consolation and hope in prayer. Churches should remain open for prayer each day.

LOCKDOWN

Yes there is fear.

Yes there is isolation.

Yes there is panic buying.

Yes there is sickness.

Yes there is even death…...But,

They say that in Wuhan after so

many years of noise You can hear the birds again. They say that after just a few weeks of quiet The sky is no longer thick with fumes

But blue and grey and clear. They say that in the streets of Assisi People are singing to each other

across the empty squares, keeping their windows open so that those who are alone may hear

the sounds of family around the

They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland

is offering free meals and delivery to the

housebound.   Today a young woman I know

is busy spreading fliers with her number

through the neighbourhood

so that the elders may have

someone to call on. Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples are preparing to welcome and

shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary.

All over the world people are slowing

down and reflecting.

All over the world people are looking at

their neighbours in a new way

All over the world people are waking up

to a new reality. /To how big we really are.

To how little control we really have. /To what really matters. To Love./ So we pray and we remember that / Yes there is fear. But there does not have to be hate. Yes there is isolation.

But there does not have to be loneliness.  Yes there is panic buying. But there does not have to be meanness. Yes there is sickness.

But there does not have to be disease of the soul.

Yes there is even death. But there can always be a rebirth of love. Wake to the choices you make

as to how to live now. Today, breathe.

Listen, behind the factory noises

of your panic. The birds are singing again,

The sky is clearing, Spring is coming,

And we are always encompassed by Love.

Open the windows of your soul

And though you may not be able

to touch across the empty square,. Sing

Brother Richard Hendrick, 13 March 2020

Spiritual Communion

The tradition of Spiritual Communion, whereby those who cannot directly receive the Eucharist, can by their desire to receive it, also gain its benefits. Although unable to receive the Eucharist in person we are not separated from it, but drawn into a deeper appreciation and desire for its grace, which continue to poured out to each of us.

Act of Spiritual Communion “My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You have already come , and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen”

 HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

...Without mothers,  not only would there be  no new faithful, but the Faith itself would lose a  good part of its simple

and profound warmth.. Dear mothers: thank you! Thank you for what you are in your family and for what you give to the

Church and the world". Amoris Laetitia

Prayers

Bless mothers for their unfailing dedication and tenderness through which they reflect your unconditional  love for us even when we have made  ourselves unlovable Keep them joyful and fulfilled in their  motherhood.

Help them in their task of communicating your presence in the  life of the family.

Be with those mothers whose  lives are made difficult by lack of resources or support as they seek to provide the best care for their families and the future of their children. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen