Pastor’s Desk: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Welcome everyone to our Masses on this, the last Sunday before Lent begins. Our Gospel today is one that is very familiar to us; it is Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. We are probably more familiar with Matthew’s version which lists eight Beatitudes whereas Luke only gives us four and four antitheses. While the two gospels differ is some ways the ultimate meaning remains the same in both. For the Jews, a person’s standing before God was shown in the blessings they enjoyed in this life; wealth, power, public standing etc. Jesus now turns all that on its head and tells people that God’s favour is to be found among the poor, the hungry, those who are weeping and those who are despised by their fellow man because of their faith in God. This was really radical thinking for that time and in fact is also radical today. We can only live this kind of life if we put our trust in God and that is the message of our first reading today.

Valentine’s Day

Many of you will be celebrating your love for one another today on what is commonly called St. Valentine’s Day but, as you probably already know, St. Valentine was dropped from the Church’s calendar of Saints in 1969. This is what the online Catholic Encyclopaedia has to say; “At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February. One is described as a priest at Rome, another as bishop of Interamna (modern Terni), and these two seem both to have suffered in the second half of the third century and to have been buried on the Flaminian Way. Of the third Saint Valentine, who suffered in Africa with a number of companions, nothing further is known.” Because there was so little factual information, the feast of St. Valentine was dropped. But where did the link with romance come from? It seems that it was from authors in England and France noting that the birds seem to pair off from around St. Valentine’s Day i.e. midway through the second month of the year. “For this reason the day was looked upon as specially consecrated to lovers and as a proper occasion for writing love letters and sending lovers’ tokens.”

Wedding Bells!!

Love is definitely in the air in Holy Trinity as Maureen, our Candidate Parish Pastoral Worker, prepares for her wedding day which takes place this coming Friday, 19th February, back home in Merseyside. Maureen is marrying Jim Darcy who hails from Co. Tipperary and I know the whole Parish joins me in congratulating Maureen and Jim and wishing them every happiness for the future.

Ash Wednesday and Lent

Please see the panel below for details of Masses and other services for Lent.

Have a great week.
Fr. Eoin

Haiti Collection

I want to thank everyone who contributed to last week’s special collection for Haiti which took place at all our Sunday Masses. The extraordinarily generous sum of €6,883 was collected in our parish. At a time when finances at home are under strain it is wonderful to see such generosity and concern for others.
Fr. Eoin

Ash Wednesday & the Lenten Season

1. Wednesday next is Ash Wednesday and so begins the Season of Lent. Ashes will be blessed and distributed at three Masses: a special 7.15am Mass on Ash Wednesday only, and the normal 10.00am and 7.30pm Masses. Ash Wednesday is a day of FAST and ABSTINENCE. Weekday Masses during the season of Lent will be at 10.00am and 7.30pm, Monday to Friday.

2. Each Monday during Lent, you might like to come to church for a time of personal prayer and reflection before the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the Altar from 10.30am to 7.15pm.

3. Night Prayer of the Church will be celebrated after the 7.30pm Mass each weekday evening.

4. The TROCAIRE Lenten boxes are available at the doors of the church for those families who did not get one through the schools.

Temperance Sunday

Today is known as Temperance Sunday. We are asked to pray for all those who suffer with an addiction to drink and drugs and for their families too. Any parishioner who would like to take the pledge, even just for the duration of the Lenten Season, can leave their name in the Sacristy.

Share/Save/Bookmark  February 13, 2010  Posted in: Pastor's Desk  No Comments

Pastor’s Desk: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Welcome everyone and I want to thank Fr. Gary for looking after this space last week. Inadvertently last week’s piece was accredited to me in the print edition of the newsletter but as all of you, I am sure, know I have no clue as to the form of racing horses (I always find the dart and the newspaper method profitable!) and certainly I wouldn’t have endorsed his choice in the Championship!! That said we will be watching those predictions very carefully.

“You will be fishers of men”

There is a common theme in our three scripture readings today and that is that the central figures in each of them feels unworthy of the task that is placed before them. Isaiah is given a vision of the glory of God and responds “I am a man of unclean lips” and yet have seen the Lord. St. Paul tells us in the second reading “I hardly deserve to be called an apostle” and finally Peter in the Gospel says to Jesus “Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man”. All three knew they were unworthy but yet God called them for His mission. It is a reminder to each one of us of our role in the mission of the Church today. The fact that we are unworthy is not the starting point, but that we have been called as who we are. Let us find that space in our week to hear Jesus call us.

Catholic Schools Week

Our week celebrating the work of our Catholic Schools concludes today with the 12.30pm Mass of Enrolment for those receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this April 30th. I think this Mass is very powerful as we see the parents step up from the seats of our church and present the enrolment form to the priest, formally declaring that they wish their child to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We will pray for the girls and boys and their families, that the time of preparation will be a time of grace. Our thanks go to our great team of Faith Friends who are assisting the families along this road. Our celebrant on the 30th April had been earmarked to be Bishop Dermot O’Mahony but as you will be aware, the Archbishop has instructed Bishop Dermot not to perform Confirmations. Since then there has been no instruction from Archbishop’s House to the parish so we await clarification.

Candidate Parish Pastoral Worker

Finally, we welcome among us Maureen Darcy who is our new Candidate Parish Pastoral Worker on placement till June. Maureen hails from Liverpool but much to Fr. Gary’s dismay, she supports Everton!! I will try keep them separated on Saturday when the two teams meet. We look forward to working with Maureen over the coming months.

Have a great week
Fr. Eoin

Special Haiti Collection

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has announced that there will be a special collection at all Masses in the Archdiocese of Dublin on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th February to contribute to relief assistance and the reconstruction in Haiti.

While most of the collection will go towards relief work it is hoped it will also be possible to provide support for parishes and religious institutions which have been destroyed. This can be done through some religious communities which have Irish links.

Mass-goers in Dublin and are being asked to give their support generously on the weekend of the 6th and 7th.

Share/Save/Bookmark  February 6, 2010  Posted in: Pastor's Desk  No Comments

Pastor’s Desk: 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Allow me to begin my few words by welcoming back our Parish Priest Fr.  Eoin after his few days off.  Thankfully we managed to keep everything running smoothly in his absence!

Catholic Schools Week

This coming week we celebrate what is called Catholic Schools Week. This week provides us with an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the tremendous contribution that our Catholic primary and post-primary schools make, not just to Irish society, but to the mission of the Church. It is therefore important that we maintain the presence of Jesus in our schools and allow the children of all ages to experience a faith based on love and reconciliation, a faith that is a positive source of well-being in their lives. This is the responsibility of us the parish team, each board of management, principals, teaching staff and parents of the children attending our schools.

Here in Holy Trinity the occasion will be marked beginning with our family Mass this coming Sunday where students from our post-primary schools will be directly involved in our liturgy. On Monday next the Feast of St. Brigid, Scoil BhrĂ­de Junior school staff and students will join us for the 10am morning Mass celebrating and honouring the life of St. Brigid who according to tradition was born in the middle of the fifth century near Faughart in County Louth. The week of celebration ends on Sunday 7th February with our senior primary schools’ sacramental classes’ enrolment into our Confirmation programme at the 12.30pm family Mass. So come along and join us when you can.

Liturgy of the Word

The second reading of our Sunday Mass liturgy clearly tells us that the greatest gift we have is to be loved. In practical terms that means feeling affirmed, supported and appreciated, in essence to be respected as human beings and allowed the time and space to grow and blossom. It is a nice reminder that we are a people not only of faith and hope but especially of love. Love is the greatest gift which the spirit of Christ gives to us his people. This gift breaks down human barriers and division; it brings about unity and peace, creating more fully the awareness and presence of Christ in our world.

Sporting matters!

First I want to congratulate Craig O’Reilly and Dean Kelly, two of our footballers from Trinity Gaels GAA Club, for their recent involvement with the Dublin senior football team. We wish them well in the months ahead and acknowledge the tremendous honour it is to wear one’s county jersey. Well done lads!

Just as a little interest I want to list some of my sporting predictions for the year ahead:
• Chelsea to win the Premiership – the ‘Pool claiming fourth place!
• Barcelona to defend successfully the European Cup
• Gary Neville to leave Man U!

Festival tips:
• Champion Hurdle: Solwhit
• Queen Mother’s Chase: Master Minded
• Cheltenham Gold Cup: Denman

All-Ireland Championships:
• Football: Meath
• Hurling: Tipperary

Anyway, that’s all for now and have a great week.
Fr.  Gary

Share/Save/Bookmark  January 30, 2010  Posted in: Pastor's Desk  No Comments

Pastor’s Desk: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Welcome everyone to our Sunday liturgies. Our Gospel today is a very powerful text from Luke’s Gospel where Jesus visits his home town and is invited to read the sacred scripture. Jesus is offered the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and reads the beautiful passage which says:

“The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour”.

Shockingly, Jesus tells the congregation, his childhood neighbours, that “this text is being fulfilled even as you listen”. What Jesus says to them he says to us. This year is the Lord’s Year of Favour. It can be hard for us to see this with so many worries and uncertainties in our individual lives but it is true, this is the Lord’s year of favour.

And there is more; each one of us has a role to play in the year of favour. In our second reading St. Paul speaks about the human body and its constituent parts. Taken in isolation the parts are not much use but put them together and you have a formidable entity. We are the means by which the Lord’s Year of Favour is going to be actualised; what we say and do as individuals is vitally important.

In this Year of Evangelisation each one of us is called to be a “part of the body”. Each one of us has a role to play. A committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Fr. Gary to plan initiatives for the Year of Evangelisation but they need each of us to play our part if the year is to be a success. So when you hear of events being put together, don’t leave it to others to attend or offer support, YOU are needed yourself!

Pastoral Placements

As you will recall our parish was asked to take those preparing for ministry in our diocese on placement again this year and we welcomed among us in September last Kevin Mullally as a Candidate Pastoral Worker and Paul Ludden who is studying in Maynooth. Well the time has come for them to move on to other pastures. Paul leaves us this Sunday and Kevin finishes up next Sunday so we can say more about Kevin then. I want to thank Paul for the work he did here in the parish, particularly in relation to schools and assisting at Mass and funerals. Many of you would have got to know him during his time here and will want to join with me in wishing him every happiness, health and success for the future.

I am away for my “Christmas” break over these days but will be back for next Sunday.
Have a great week.
Fr. Eoin

Share/Save/Bookmark  January 23, 2010  Posted in: Pastor's Desk  No Comments

Pastor’s Desk: World Day for Migrants & Refugees

Welcome everyone and thank God we have a very different landscape to the one that greeted us last Sunday! That said, our problems continue with the water shortage of all things being the next thing to challenge us. This is certainly proving to be a tough winter.

Day for Migrants & Refugees

Today, the Church around the world celebrates a Day for Migrants and Refugees. It is an opportunity for us to remember those people who have had to leave their homeland for economic and security reasons. Ireland has a long history of emigration and we as a nation know the pain of separation. I am sure each of you who are reading this piece has had a family member set up a new life in another country. I am thinking today of my sister in Vancouver, Canada and my nephew in the Isle of Man. We also remember those who have arrived on our shores with the same hopes and dreams of creating a better life for themselves and their families. St. Paul in today’s second reading speaks about the variety of gifts that each of us have received from God and there is no doubt that our Parish Community has benefitted from the presence among us of those from different lands. The theme of this year’s Day for Migrants and Refugees is the children who have to make that journey. For them there can be many dangers as we see from our own Social Worker Reports; many children have gone missing from State Care in recent years and their fate is unknown. Let us support all migrants to our country with our prayers this day.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Tomorrow is the first day in the octave of prayer for Christian unity from the 18th–25th January. At no time has the need for greater unity of all who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ been more necessary. Our disunity is an affront to the wish of Jesus that his followers may be One. Across many fronts there has been a lot of progress made in clarifying and emphasising what we hold in common; indeed, Pope Benedict has made this a central task of his pontificate. In our diocese of Dublin we see a lot of collaboration between Archbishop Martin and Archbishop Neill of the Church of Ireland. At a parish level we have a very good rapport. Our prayer over the next eight days is that we will build on these good foundations and that we will be led in the way that Jesus would wish us to go.

Have a great week.
Fr. Eoin

 

Irish Episcopal Council for Immigrants

Today is Refugee and Migrant Sunday when we are reminded to celebrate with thanks the diversity of peoples in Ireland. The Church, like the nation, is made up of peoples from many different countries with different languages and customs. We are also invited today to pray for migrants and refugees that they may be welcomed warmly into our midst. This year’s World Day for Migrants theme – “Minor migrants and refugees” – touches an aspect that Christians view with great attention, remembering the most vulnerable people in our midst, children. Children are dependant on others for food, shelter, and guidance. Children often suffer the most in times of trial and difficulty. Guide and bring those children who are strangers in our land to a place of peace and safety and help us comfort them and bring help in their time of need.

 

Share/Save/Bookmark  January 16, 2010  Posted in: Pastor's Desk  No Comments