Clonmacnois Parish
June 4th 2023
Trinity Sunday (A)
Fr. Tom Cox (Adm) Tel. 090 9674125/ 0868319500
Email: clonmacnoiseparish@gmail.com
WEB shannonbridge.blogspot.ie
FACEBOOK www.fb.me/saintciarans.
FEAST OF THE
BLESSED TRINITY
‘Gloir don Athair agus don Mhac agus don
Spiorad Naomh’
Here we are at the heart of the mystery of our
God. The human tongue can never speak the
final word about God; the human mind can never
fully understand the mystery of the Trinity. ‘The
man who tries to understand it fully will lose his
mind, but the one who would deny the Trinity
will lose her soul’. Many people have used images
through the ages to help us to ponder the mystery.
St. Ignatius of Loyola spoke of three distinct notes
being played together to form one harmonious
chord. Theologian Frank Sheed used the image of
water, which can manifest itself as rain, ice or steam.
St. Patrick pointed to the shamrock with its’ three
shoots emerging from a single stem. We will never
fully understand the arithmetic of heaven, but we
Suffice it to say, that when we make the Sign of the
Cross we make real our relationship with Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. We touch the forehead to ask
the Father to make our thoughts noble; we touch
the breast to ask the Son to make our hearts pure; we
touch both shoulders to ask the Holy Spirit to make
the work of our hands fruitful and worthwhile.
Is leor e sin. We will never fully understand the
arithmetic of heaven.
SHANNONBRIDGE (Eircode N37 FV05)
Sat 3rd June 7pm Darren Egan (15th) Johnny Nally (4th A)
Prayers for all undertaking exams You could bring a pencil case to have it blessed
Monday, 5th June.10am St. Boniface,
Tuesday,6th June10am St. Norbert St Jarlath
Wednesday, 7th June. 10am St. Colman
Thursday, 8th June. 10am
Friday, 9th June. 10am St. Columba, abbot and missionary
Saturday, 10th June. St. Ephrem
7pm Mary & Thomas Coleman & dec’d family members
CLONFANLOUGH (Eircode N37 XR81)
Sun 4th June 10:30am
Prayers for all undertaking exams
Sun 11th June 10:30am
Sunday, 11th June. Corpus Christi
Janet Droll & Kelly family dec’d Clonfanlough
CORPUS CHRISTI First Communicants are invited in their Communion attire to attend the 10:30am Clonfanlough Mass on June 11th. To be part of a “Corpus Christi Procession” simply around the Church and to the Outside Grotto for short prayers immediately after this Mass. .
CLUAIN CHIARAIN Fr. Paddy Kenny’s Anniversary Mass will be on Wednesday 7th June @ 7:30pm. Also celebrating 25 years since opening of the Prayer Centre N37 P406). All are welcome on this special occaions.
COLLECTIONS - We greatly appreciate your continued contributions. May 28th - €460Euro
Dues: Pentecost €615
BAPTISM -We welcome into our Christian community Tommy Patrick Loonam
Daniel Kevin Loonam
YEAR OF VOCATIONS 30th April 2023 - 30th April 2024
Diocesan Retreat June 4th-June 8th at Knock Shrine. For Emergencies: Fr. Michael Molloy Moore 090 9673539
IRISH CATHOLIC 3Euro ... If anyone would like to subscribe ..let me know.
CEMETERY MASS CLONMACNOIS Saturday 29th July @ 7pm As we prepare for the Blessing of the Graves, please remove all dead wreaths. All clay hard core material should be removed from the Graveyard Family Graves are sacred places, all blessed– the final resting place of loved ones. Please respect all graves
3 day Birr Pilgrimage to Lough Derg, July 24/25/26th bus from Emmett Square, Birr. Enquiries to Parish Office 057 9122028
Remembering those taking Emmxams The state exams begin on Wednesday of this week. We remember all our young people who will be sitting their Junior Cert and Leaving Cert exams. A “Book of Intentions” where you are invited to write the names of those you wish to be remembered during these days is in front of the altar. You are invited to take one of the prayer cards and remember the intentions of all. Prayer Before an Examination
Dear Lord, as I take this exam, I thank you that my value is not based on my performance, but on your great love for me. Come into my heart so that we can walk through this time together. Help me, not only with this test, but the many tests of life that are sure to come my way. As I take this exam, bring back to my mind everything I studied and be gracious with what I have overlooked. Help me to remain focussed and calm, confident in the facts and in my ability, and firm in the knowledge that no matter what happens today you are there with me. Amen.
ANAM CARA MIDLANDS - The organisation that supports bereaved parents, is holding its monthly Parent Evening for bereaved parents on Wednesday 14th June at 7.15pm in the Mullingar Park Hotel. This event is FREE and open to all bereaved parents regardless of the age your child died, the circumstances of their death, or whether their death was recent or not. We also offer an online service. For more info call 01 4045378.
OFFALY U20’s HURLING ALL-IRELAND - This Sunday is a very proud day for the county, with Offaly playing Cork in the Under 20 Hurling All-Ireland. We wish the lads and all involved with the Offaly panel and management the very best of luck
BIRR THEATRE Hosting superb reviews, Mojo Mickybo, a play about a couple of boys growing up in Belfast from opposing sides of the sectarian divide are “as thick as two small thieves” Birr Theatre & Arts Centre Saturday 10 June, 8pm more details and to book, www.birrtheatre.com
Episcopal Ordination: Fr. Paul Connell will be ordained Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois on Sun. 18th June at 3 p.m. in St. Mel’s Cathedral, Longford. There are 41 parishes in the Diocese and each parish has been allocated a small number of tickets (4 in our case.)If you would like to include your name in a draw, email/text me (details in masthead) or drop a name and contact in the wall box in either church before Wed. 7th June. (RSVP is 9/6//23)
West Offaly Training is running this Summer’s Computer Camp in the Crank House, Banagher from the 3rd to the 7th of July - €70. They are also running a 4-week Computer and Smartphone course, Friday 2nd of June from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. €60. Call 057 9152003 or for more information email Admin@westoffalytraining.com
SHANNONBRIDGE/DOON G.A.A. CLUB LOTTO Results 29/5/23 Numbers drawn 13-20-27-28. No Winner, Two Match 3 Next draw 5.6.23 Jackpot €8,000
Prayer for Road Safety Sadly this year, up to this morning, there have been 78 road fatalities in the Republic, an increase of 14 over 2022 (64 deaths), and of 16 in 2021 (62 deaths). Over the same period this year the number of road fatalities in the North of Ireland has been 31. This loss of life is a tragedy for our society and is particularly devastating for the families and loved ones of the deceased
A contemporary prayer Holy Mother, hear our prayer, Keep us in your loving care, Whatever the perils of the way, Let us not add to them this day. So to our caution and attention, We add a prayer for your protection, To beg God’s blessing on this car, To travel safely near and far. Amen.
MINISTRIES Readers: 10/6/23 @7pm Ciara Macklin (SB)/ 11/6/23 @10:30am Noelle Daly (Cf) Communion 10/6/23 @7pm Fergal Moran 11/6/23@10:30am Anne Rohan Church Care Dolly Deeley, Veronica Hynes SB:Leanne Quinn/Breda Maleney (June) (CF) Counters: Shannonbridge (June) Servers; 10/6/23 @ 7pm Shannonbridge Liam Fitzpatrick, James Darcy 11/6/23 @ 10:30am Clonfanlough Eva Seery, Daragh Seery, Oisin Shrahan, Ella Shrahan
BLESSING OF BISHOP ELECT PAUL’S ’EPISCOPAL INSIGNIA’:
A special Mass will take place on Tuesday 13th June at 7.30pm in the Cathedral. During this Mass Archbishop Francis Duffy will bless the Bishop’s Crozier, Ring, Cross and Mitre. The Crozier reminds us of the bishop’s ministry as Shephard of the flock. The ring symbolizes the bishop’s nuptial bond with the Church here in Ardagh and Clonmacnois. The Cross expresses the Good News of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, which the bishop is called to proclaim. The Mitre is an ancient vestment of bishops which signifies the call of Christians to pursue holiness. Everyone is welcome and refreshments afterwards in the Crypt.
Thoughts on the Census Part 1 Some returns from the 2022 Census emerged this week. The inexorable decline of religion in Ireland dominated the headlines (again!). This Census recorded that 14 percent of the population identified as having 'No Religion', the second largest group after Catholics. Those who identify as Catholic have fallen from 79 per cent in 2016 to 69 per cent in 2022. As Irish Times columnist Finn McRedmond noted in a perceptive article, the decline is not just in the figures. There are no longer many devoutly Catholic public intellectuals; Mass attendance has collapsed; theological literacy is certainly waning. And this is not just an Irish story. Britain and the United States are seeing the once colossal influence of religion ebb. Just watch any popular quiz programmes (Chase etc) to have those suspicions confirmed re poor religious knowledg A King’s College London study found just 49 per cent of British people believe in God, down from 75 per cent in 1981. In 2023, only 39 per cent of Americans said religion was important to them, compared with 62 per cent in 1998. The West can no longer be regarded as "The Kingdom of God.
This decline of religion has featured in every Irish Census since 1961. McRedmond asks THE important question: are we ‘barrelling headfirst’ into a secular Utopia? And if so, what will that Utopia be like? She is rather skeptical on this point. True secularism -if even attainable - is a long way away. Religion is hard to avoid no matter how much we try. But should we even want to? The forces of liberalism have enthusiastically welcomed religion’s decline. In that view, It was the Catholic Church, that impeded all the sacred liberal causes: gay marriage, oppression of women, abortion, the persecution of unmarried mothers. This view of things would hold that A religion-less society then would be fairer and freer, or would it……
To be Continued…..!!!!
obviously. The sea change in Ireland over the past two decades has encouraged that mode of thinking. McRedmond
is not at all happy with this ‘lazy’ conclusion. The church may have a lot to atone for. But when we lose religion, she says, we risk losing good things too. Human beings have always turned to forces outside of themselves for inspiration and consolation. It is unlikely that we will be the first people in history to rid ourselves of the need for some kind of larger, common entity to turn towards. It is arrogant to think so. McRedmond proposes a ‘civic religion’, a ‘half-way house’ between rigid Catholicism and flexible liberalism. Civic religion embraces communal religious values which are not tied to any one denomination. Yet these values are as relev as ever. Moreover, it is reasonable to suggest that without parishes and shared activity such as church going, society may become coarser, more atomised, preferring individuality over community. We can spend hours rehashing all the harms the church has wrought, and lamenting the damage done by religious extremism. But we must remember that atheism is as doctrinaire an idea as any traditional faith. And that an atomising society- where self-interest reigns - is as unpleasant as it is dangerous. Ireland more than anywhere understands the ugly consequences of overbearing doctrine. So, we should not be too quick to celebrate the decline of religion. Who knows what might replace it. -Dick Lyng.
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