Masks -although not now compulsory to be worn inside Churches, masks should be worn when attending Mass. Please observe social distancing inside and outside the Churches. Those receiving Holy Communion can only do so on the hand – as has been the norm since March 2020. Like our homes, it is important to keep our Churches clean and hygienic. Attending any of the weekday Masses fulfils the Sunday obligation which has been suspended for the foreseeable future so please plan which Mass suits you or your family.
Saturday 8th Church of the Immaculate Conception 7pm*
Bridie Turbitt
Sunday 9th St Matthew’s Church 11am
Saturday 15th St Malachy’s Church 7pm
Fr Michael Seery First Anniversary, Tommy & Mary Traynor, Noleen McCaffrey,
Michaela McAreavey, Anna McGirr
Sunday 16th St Mary’s Church 11am
Patricia, Francie, Kathleen, Declan McGarrity, Michael McCrory, Maggie & Francis Conroy,
Kathleen McGarvey, Michael Mullin, Rose Ann McElhill
Tuesday 18th Church of the Immaculate Conception 7pm*
Wednesday 19th St Mary’s Church 10am
Thursday 20th St Malachy’s Church 7pm
Friday 21st St Matthew’s Church 7pm
Eamon Pearson Month Mind
Saturday 22nd Church of the Immaculate Conception 7pm*
Mackie First Anniversary & Alice McGirr, Hughie & Teasie Nugent,
Patricia, Michael, Brian McDonnell, Michael McMullan
Sunday 23rd St Matthew’s Church 11am
*webcam available via Parish website parishoferrigalciaran.com or mncmedia.com
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: St Mary’s Church Wednesdays 10.30-11am; Church of the Immaculate Conception Thursdays 10.30am to 6pm; St Matthew’s Church Fridays 10.30am to 2pm.
The prayer of adoration is the prayer that makes us recognise God as the beginning and the end of all of history. And this prayer is the living flame of the Spirit that gives strength to witness and mission.
Pope Francis.
Rosary recited 20minutes before each Parish Mass starts.
Lately deceased: Eamon Pearson, Annie Mulholland, Nathan Corrigan, Peter Finnegan, Petey McNamee,
James Hughes, Bernadette Grimes.
Sacrament of Marriage: congratulations to Justin McKenna and Aimee Harte who were married recently.
Saturday evening/Sunday morning Parish Masses – the schedule changes this weekend 8th/9th January. Ballygawley and Ballymacilroy will alternate on Saturdays and Garvaghey and Dunmoyle will alternate on Sundays. This will mean every Church will have Mass every two weeks and will allow anniversaries to be spread over more celebrations. It should be an easier rota to remember. For January/February:
Saturday 29th 7pm St Malachy’s Church Sunday 30th 11am St Mary’s Church
Saturday 5th February 7pm Church of the Immaculate Conception Sunday 6th February 11am St Matthew’ Church
Saturday 12th 7pm St Malachy’s Church Sunday 13th 11am St Mary’s Church
Saturday 19th 7pm Church of the Immaculate Conception Sunday 20th 11am St Matthew’ Church
Saturday 26th 7pm St Malachy’s Church Sunday 27th 11am St Mary’s Church
Saturday 5th March 7pm Church of the Immaculate Conception Sunday 6th March 11am St Matthew’ Church
The weekday rota will remain as is.
Feasts of the Week: Sunday 9th The Baptism of the Lord; Thursday 13th St Hilary; Saturday 15th St Ita; Sunday 16th St Fursa; Monday 17th St Anthony; Thursday 20th Sts Fabian & Sebastian; Friday 21st St Agnes; Saturday 22nd St Vincent.
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord concludes the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany Season. Ordinary Time begins on Monday 10th – Sunday readings from Cycle B and Weekday readings from Cycle 2. Green vestments are the norm at Mass.
18th-25th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – the theme for this year is ‘We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship him.’ It is a call to unity, to those from North and South, from East and West, old and young, men and women.
Sunday 23rd – Catholic Schools Week begins.
Synod – Bishop Michael Router, Auxiliary Bishop of our Archdiocese wrote: On October 9-10th in Rome Pope Francis launched the theme of the 2023 Synod of Bishops – For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission. The diocesan phase will involve the largest consultation with the lay faithful ever to take place and will examine what life is like in the Church at this moment in time. How do we make decisions? How do we create community? How welcoming are we? Do we provide opportunities for people to participate in the mission of the Church to bring the love of Christ into every corner of the world? And again, he wrote recently: We hope that each parish, religious community, association of lay catholic faithful, or any relevant group, will organise at least one in person gathering before the end of February to examine and answer the questions.
Our Parish meeting will take place on Wednesday 26th January 2022 in St Ciaran’s Hall at 7.30pm.
A buff-coloured page available in the Churches has the four questions that have been sent out by our Diocesan Committee headed by Bishop Router. The responses can be anonymous – which allows people to respond truthfully and honestly on their experience of Church now and where they would like to see the Church in the future. Responses can be taken to the above meeting for general discussion or returned to Mod or sent directly to Armagh Diocesan Office, Ara Coeli, Armagh.
Legion of Mary: the blessed statue of Our Lady of Fatima is available for Parishioners/families to have in their home on a weekly basis. Please contact 07517141439 or 07517456305.
Jive Course beginning Wednesday 19th January for 4 weeks. St Ciaran’s Parish Hall. Prebooking Required Call between 4pm – 6:30pm 07715393101
Bulletin – the next bulletin will be published on 23rd January.
SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time — 23 January 2022
Saint Luke tells us that, just before his Ascension, the Risen Lord appeared to the apostles, and broke bread with them. ‘He then opened their minds to understand the Scriptures’ (24:45). This is how Pope Francis begins his apostolic letter, Aperuit illis, issued 30 September 2019, the feast of St Jerome, instituting the Sunday of the Word of God. ‘The relationship between the Risen Lord, the community of believers and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians. Without the Lord who opens our minds to them, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures in depth. Yet the contrary is equally true: without the Scriptures, the events of the mission of Jesus and of his Church in this world would remain incomprehensible. Hence, Saint Jerome could rightly claim: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”‘
At the end of the Year of Mercy Pope Francis had proposed setting aside ‘a Sunday given entirely to the word of God, so as to appreciate the inexhaustible riches contained in that constant dialogue between the Lord and his people.’ He declares the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (this year: 23 January 2022) to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God. He notes this as a fitting time ‘to strengthen our bonds with the Jewish people and to pray for Christian unity.’ As well as highlighting the proclamation of the word of the Lord and emphasising it in the homily he suggests a celebration of the commissioning of readers, renewed efforts to provide them with ‘training needed to be genuine proclaimers of the word’ and the giving of the Bible or one of its books to the entire assembly ‘as a way of showing the importance of learning how to read, appreciate and pray daily with sacred Scripture, especially through the practice of lectio divina