Clonmacnois Parish

October 25th 2020

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

Email: clonmacnoiseparish@gmail.com

     WEB  shannonbridge.blogspot.ie

www.facebook.com/Parish-of-Clonmacnois                   

 

 
MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS
St. Ciaran’s Church Shannonbridge
Saturday Vigil) 25th October. 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. 7:00p.m. Kieran Rock (1st Anniv)
Monday 26th Oct   10a.m.
Tuesday 27th Oct (St. Otteran) 10a.m.
Wednesday 28th Oct ( SS Simon &Jude) 10a.m.
Thursday 29th Oct (St. Colman) 10a.m.
Friday 30th Oct  10a.m.
Saturday 31st Oct (Vigil) All Hallows Eve
7:00p.m Peoples Intention
  St. Ciaran’s Church  Clonfanlough
Sunday 25th October  30th Sunday
10:30a.m. Edward & Bridget Mannion
Sunday 1st November  All Saints
10:30a.m. Peoples’ intention
3:00p.m. Diocesan Remembrance Service   (http://www.longfordparish.com/stmelstv.htm)
OFFERTORY Oct 17th/18th  €325
[Will publish October Returns next week]
NOVEMBER REMEMBRANCE  One of the important dates in our Calendar has been the annual Mass for the bereaved celebrated in November. This  year we will have to celebrate this Mass online. I invite you to join us on the 2nd November, the Feast of All Souls at 7p.m. for this Mass. I ask you to inform other family members and friends who may wish to join in.
CHURCH COLLECTIONS
I list the ways people donate.
Moran’s Shop I am indebted to Fergal & Linda Moran of Moran’s Gala shop & Post Office who continue to offer a drop in facility.
Presbytery Letterbox Some leave envelopes in my door which I secure right away! Or to me in person.
Clonfanlough Box Sunday 10:30-12:15 at pier
Bank Transfer  There is the option of Electronic Transfer  which some have chosen to sue. I just leave the details below and a request that you put your name or box number in the reference section. Instructions below.
Name of Account Clonmacnois Parochial Account.
BIC-BOFIIE2DXXX    
IBAN-IE90BOFI90368011629381 Please put your name and/or your box number in reference section. 
 30th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR -
In today’s extract from Matthew’s Gospel Jesus reduces the 613 regulations of the Old Law to just two basic commandments: Love God and love your neighbour. The two are closely intertwined and Victor Hugo expressed this truth quite beautifully at the end of his classic work ‘Les Miserables’: ‘To love another person is to see the face of God’. American author Kyle Idleman annunciates the same truth from the other end of the spectrum by saying ‘we love others best when we love God most’. It begins with God. All we have and are comes from Him and awareness of that fact is the wellspring from which love of self and neighbour flow. If we accept that God has fashioned man and woman in His own                                                                                                                                                                                                                             image then all people are loveable. What then does love of neighbour look like? The answer lies close to home! The wonderful Musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ contains a memorable and touching scene where the husband Tevye asks his wife Golde, ‘do you love me’? Her reply is powerful in its’ simplicity: ‘for twenty five years I’ve washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked the cow… If that’s not love, what is’? Indeed!
 World Mission Sunday: On behalf of Pope Francis and the poorest and most vulnerable communities in our wider Church family, thank you for supporting World Mission Sunday last weekend. Your kindness &  prayers for our overseas missionaries and the people they serve are  appreciated &  needed. To donate go to www.wmi.ie/mission, call Fiona on 01 4972035, or lodge directly: IBAN—IE12 BOFI 9007 5456 9616 36, BIC—BOFIIE2D,  A/c name—Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
 CLOCKS GO BACK—don’t forget to put your clocks back one hour  at 1am on Sunday Morning.
CONGRATULATIONS to Jim Killeen & Ciara Finn who married recently
 
 DOON/SHANNONBRIDGE GAA CLUB LOTTERY Draw held 19.10.2020 Winning numbers 3-12-16-28 No Jackpot winner. One Match 3 winners. Jackpot now stands at €4,000. Draw  online on Facebook Live Oct 26th
WEST OFFALY TRAINING - West Offaly Training has some great courses coming up via ZOOM - this month we have Infection Control, Meet & Code on the 27th, 28th & 29th which is free, Halloween class for the kids on the 30th. Computers for older children (13+), Manual Handling, Train the Trainer, More About Autism and many more all coming in November - the best thing about all of our courses is that you can participate from anywhere. Call 0579152003 or email carmelwestoffalytraining@gmail.com to find out more.
 An uplifting letter from the oldest person in Ireland—Nancy Stewart My name is Nancy Stewart and I was born on the 16th of October 1913. This weekend I turn 107 years of age. Imagine turning 107 in a world pandemic. This definitely is something very unusual even for me and all I have been through. I live in Clonard in County Meath and have lived in my home for over 83 years. I lost my husband in a car crash in 1989, and lost my twin daughters Margaret in 2007 to motor neurone and Anne in 2010 to utter heartbreak of losing her sister. I’ve lost all my friends throughout the years which comes with living so long on this earth. I’m very lucky to still have three daughters Kathleen, Mary and Olive and one son Finian and I have 84 grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren. I have faced many heart-breaking moments and also have seen many hard times in our country witnessing world wars, division in our people and numerous sad times for our nation. I write to you today to send you my love and to offer you my prayers. We are in a very difficult time at the moment in our country, in our lives and in our world. But I reach out to you in this letter to offer you hope, faith and belief that everything will be ok in the end. We are in another stage of this battle against the virus but we will get through this. Like everything I’ve been through since the day I was born in 1913, no matter how bad things have got, I’m the living proof that we can survive and in years to come, this will just be a distant memory. I have a great faith and it has helped me keep positive throughout the struggles I’ve met. I thank you for keeping your faith and for keeping your resilience strong, through this hard time. Sadly for the moment, we can no longer stretch out to a friend and embrace them nor can we call to each other’s houses. But I’m here to share my story. I have been in lockdown in my house since March, alongside my granddaughter Louise and even though it has been a tough time, we have got through it together. We drink tea. We say prayers. We bake. We laugh. We make phone calls. I can even video call lots of my family and friends and am making new friends everyday that God gives me on this earth. And that’s a very important thing to say. If you are feeling low, make sure to try call someone or even go for a walk. I also ask God to help me if I’m feeling low. This is a hard time for everyone but please make sure you keep yourself well and wear your mask. If you keep healthy, your mind will stay healthy too. Keep talking to one another. All my life I have always believed in chatting and drinking tea and saying a prayer or a decade of the rosary and it has got me through. This is our moment to keep our faith and to keep believing that everything will turn out ok. We must try to make sure we leave nobody behind and also that we don’t lose sight of each other. This is a moment for humanity to step forward to take care of the other. We must mind ourselves but we must also mind all those around us. Look up and smile even if you have your mask on. Your eyes will smile and that might be all someone needs to keep going. No good deed ever goes unnoticed so try your best to keep being good. We are not here to live for ourselves but to live for each other. I can’t believe I’ve made it to this age, I only feel like I’m 50 but now that I’m here, all I can say is please God I’ll be here for my next birthday. We must always look forward. I can’t believe I’m the oldest person in Ireland living in my own home, I don’t feel that old. When God wants me, he will come take me but for now I will keep enjoying my life, I’ll keep loving my family and I’ll keep saying my prayers day by day…..oh and not to forget eating lots of good wholesome food is my tip. Good food and lots of tea is my secret to a long life as well as keeping positive as best we can. We must always look forward and hope for the best. Thank you for thinking of me in your prayers and your thoughts and I promise I will think of you in my many rosaries I say everyday. Thank you so much for reading my letter also and I hope I have, in even a little way, helped you feel less alone in this moment. There is always hope and once we keep talking to one another, no day will seem empty and we can get through this together. It only takes a small candle to take away the dark and in each of us, we can be that light in the world. This hard time will indeed pass like all the rest and all that matters is that we helped each other through. Many blessings &much love,Granny Nancy x Clonard
RECENT DEATHS June Gilson 22 Oct (London & Tullamore)  Mother of Alan Gilson (Glebe)