In memory of…These few words, and the symbols we use to recall departed loved ones, give us great comfort. It is important that we cherish the memory of those who have been truly significant and part of each one of us. The gift of memory brings us great consolation and healing. The more we invite memory the more we are gifted with healing.
This Thursday we invite you to gather at St. Fiacre’s Church to remember in a prayerful way your departed loved ones. We ask you to join with us as we recall those who have died, give thanks to God for blessings received through their presence in our lives and seek healing for our broken hearts and minds.
Our annual service begins at 7.30pm and will conclude with refreshments in the Parish Centre. Special prayers will be offered during the ceremony for those from our parish who died during the past twelve months. Please come and join with us.
Pray for our Deceased Friends
Recently Deceased: Peggy Costigan, Grovine. Kathy Larkin-McCall, Philadelphia. Thomas Doran, Florida and Drakelands Middle (Wed 9.30).
Anniversaries: Maura Leahy (Sat 6.15), Mark Butler (Sat 7.00), Joan Taggart (Sun 9.30), Bill Keogh (Sun 10.00), John Hand (Sun 10.30), Madge O’Brien (Sun 11.00), Eva Renehan (Sun 12.00), Deceased Members of St. Patrick’s Brass & Reed Band (Sun 12.30), Paul O’Dwyer (Tues 9.30), Paddy Murphy, Frank & Mary Purcell, Peg & Jack Robinson, Michael Beale, Joan Meehan, Michael Gibbons, Thomas & Owen Beehan, Patrick J. Crotty, Breda Walsh, Peter Blanchfield.
Intentions for Next Weekend: Una Heffernan (Sat 6.15), James Fox (Sat 7.00), Mairead & Ger Carmody and John & Nora Mullan (sun 9.30), Kathleen Brown (Sun 10.00), Thomas Dowling (Sun 10.30), Mamie Shortiss (Months Mind Sun 11.00), Kitty McMyler (Sun 12.00), Raymond & Breda Dowling (Sun 12.30).
Go Cosmic for Christ
Bye, bye ‘ordinary’ time. Welcome cosmic. The Church’s liturgical year ends this week – and with a bang by celebrating Jesus Christ as King of the Universe. And what a universe it is! Its sheer size, astonishing age and confounding complexity are beyond anything our minds can grasp. The more we see of it through the Very Large Telescope in Chile, or the Hubble and Kepler space telescopes, the more awesome it appears. From data obtained 22,000 light years distant, astronomers have lit upon a new class of star so colossal it shatters current theoretical limits as to how large a star can be. Then, last June in just one download of information the Kepler telescope doubled the number of known planets outside our solar system to 700. Just as scientists realise through their impressive discoveries how little they know compared to what can be known, so too should we as people of faith realise the same as far as our faith is concerned. Dogmas don’t close doors. They ensure that the right doors are opened. The door to the cosmic Christ is clearly marked in today’s Second Reading (Col 1:12-20). There we have the risen Christ described as the one in whom ‘all things in heaven and on earth were created’ – even these newly discovered colossal stars, and all things as yet undetected by human technology. There’s more to faith than morals. There’s the breathtaking, visionary, near cockeyed, mind-stretching promise of a fullness of life beyond death that no telescope could ever reveal. That’s what faith is for. Fr Tom Cahill SVD
Kermit High School Choir
The Honor Choir from Kermit High School, Texas, USA is touring Ireland at the moment. The choir will sing during the 6.15pm Mass at St. Fiacre’s Church on Saturday, 4th December. The choir will give a short concert for Advent and Christmas following the Mass. All welcome.
Weekly Envelope Collection
The envelope collection last week amounted to €1,990. Many thanks for your generosity.
Do this in memory…
We again welcome to our Masses those who will receive Holy Communion for the first time next Spring. They have come, along with their parents and guardians, to 10.30am and 11.00am Mass on this Sunday to continue their preparation for their First Holy Communion. We welcome them and continue our promise to pray for and with them during their time of preparation.
Questions People Ask
Q. Jesus said to the repentant thief, ‘I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.’ Doesn’t that mean there is no purgatory?
A. Hold on a second, it’s not so simple. The text is not clear whether today refers to the day when the promise was made or to the time when the promise would be fulfilled. It depends on where the translator puts the comma. Then again, what does today mean? Scripture tells us that with the Lord a thousand years is like a single day. Furthermore, the promise made to one man does not necessarily refer to everybody, especially since not everybody is as repentant as that dying man beside Jesus on Calvary.
Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap
St. Vincent De Paul Collection
The monthly collection for the local conference of the St. Vincent De Paul Society will be taken up at all Masses this weekend. We ask that you be as generous as possible in supporting this parish charity.
St. Vincent De Paul Bag Pack
The St. Vincent De Paul Society, Kilkenny is holding a bag pack in Dunne’s Stores Kilkenny from Thursday, 25th to Saturday, 27th of November and is appealing for volunteers to assist in raising vital funds for the Christmas and winter period. If you can spare an hour or two to help in this rewarding work please contact any member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society or telephone Liam 087 212 0201. Thank you.
Presentation Secondary School
Because of the feast of Christ the King the feast of the Presentation of our Lady is not celebrated on this Sunday. Presentation Secondary School, Loughboy pre-empted the event with a special Mass at St. Patrick’s Church on last Friday morning. In doing so the school community marked 210 years of Presentation education in Kilkenny and 25 years in their present school in our parish. A banner to mark the event remains in St. Patrick’s Church over the weekend. We join in congratulating all involved with the Presentation tradition in our city and parish.
Voices of Hope
St. Canice’s Parish presents a series called Voices of Hope – Reflections for November. The final event in this series will be a Service of Reconciliation and Healing which will take place on this Wednesday, 24th November at 7.30pm. Fr. Michael Drumm will speak.
Volunteer Appeal
Enable Ireland urgently needs volunteers to help with the running of their Charity Shop on High Street, Kilkenny. If you can spare two to three hours a week please drop into the shop or call (056) 776 1045 for more information. Thank you for taking action on disability.
Village E-Newsletter
James Stephens GAA has recently launched a new monthly e-newsletter which is being sent to all members, players, selectors and supporters of ‘The Village’. We wish to invite all people living in St. Patrick’s Parish and abroad to sign up to receive the monthly e-newsletter which will keep them up to date on all games, news, events and club development in James Stephens. To sign up, simply send your e-mail address to villageEnewsletter@gmail.com.
Coffee Morning
The School of the Holy Spirit coffee morning and sale of work will be held on Saturday, 27th of November in the school in Seville Lodge between 10.30am and 12.30pm. All welcome.
The Irish Catholic
The Irish Catholic newspaper is available each week at St. Patrick’s Church and St. Fiacre’s Church. Cost €1.30.
Peace in Christ
The Sisters gratefully acknowledge €758.00 from our parish at their recent gate collection.
Gala Concert
Please support a Gala concert in aid of Amber Women’s Refuge (Carlow/Kilkenny) on Saturday, 27th November in St. Canice’s Cathedral at 8.00pm. Guests include: Nóirín Ní Riain and AMEN; Soprano, Eve O'Connor (accompanied by Malcolm Proud); Alan Hayes, Size2Shoes and the Unity Singers. MC: John Murray (RTE). Tickets: €20.00 (including raffle) from Shortis-Wong Delicatessen, John’s Street or Ryan’s Electrical, High Street and at the door. Doors open at 7.30pm.
Loughboy Library
Register of Electors - check the draft register by 25th November at Loughboy Library.
Toddler Hour - join in the fun of Storytime and Make & Do every Thursday at 11.30am. Free.
Advent Series of Talks
The Diocese of Ossory has organised a series of talks for Advent entitled Look not on our sins but on the faith of Your Church. It consists of three reflections exploring what it is to be Church today. Our Church is sinful and broken – have we embraced this reality fully? What does this reality say about us? What impact does it, or should it have on us? Surely there must be hope but what is it?
Why not join us for the series as we explore these and other questions?
Tuesday, 30th November: “One of you is about to betray me: Acknowledging the Judas’ among us”. Speaker: Fr. Dermot Ryan.
Tuesday, 7th December: “Deciding to stay? Looking for a renewed vision of Church”. Speaker: Ms. Ann Daly.
Tuesday, 14th December: “The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light”: Our search for that light today”. Speaker: Fr. Dan Bollard
The talks will take place at St. Patrick’s Parish Centre and the format of each evening will be a short reflection for about 30 minutes and then the opportunity for discussion and questions. Time: 8.00 – 9.00pm each evening.
