Come on the Village!
All associated with St. Patrick’s Parish wish the members of our parish hurling team the best in Sunday’s St. Canice’s Senior Hurling Championship Final against Ballyhale Shamrocks at Nowlan Park. The match begins at 3.00pm. Let’s go along and support our men as they aim for their 9th County Championship. Come on the Village!
Love is all you need
The Beatles got it right: all you need is love! Trouble is, they didn’t say where to get it. Neither does Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. A lawyer tests him with a question. Is it a genuine one to assess his depth of understanding or a trick question to make him look foolish? It could be either. It’s not the Ten Commandments that Jesus is quizzed about, but the Torah with its 613 commands. Of these 248 are positive, ie, have a ‘you shall’ form; 365 are negative and have a ‘you shall not’ form. So, just imagine being asked which of those is greatest. Jesus, however, remains unfazed. He ignores any deviousness on the part of the questioner. Taking the question at face value, he answers it: love God and love your neighbour. Could anything be simpler of clearer? Why then are there so many problems with human relationships and so much suffering in our world? Can loving God and our neighbour be that difficult? Not at all! But many people prefer complexity to simplicity. Simplicity scorns wiggle room, dislikes nitpicking, finds defining and qualifying things until they’re beyond recognition distasteful; and if offers no excuse for foot-dragging when action is called for. By putting Jesus to the test, that lawyer unwittingly puts himself to the test also. Now he can never claim ignorance of what is expected of him. He has no excuse for not allowing the information he was looking for to be his guiding light. Come to that, neither have we.
Fr. Tom Cahill
All associated with St. Patrick’s Parish wish the members of our parish hurling team the best in Sunday’s St. Canice’s Senior Hurling Championship Final against Ballyhale Shamrocks at Nowlan Park. The match begins at 3.00pm. Let’s go along and support our men as they aim for their 9th County Championship. Come on the Village!
Love is all you need
The Beatles got it right: all you need is love! Trouble is, they didn’t say where to get it. Neither does Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. A lawyer tests him with a question. Is it a genuine one to assess his depth of understanding or a trick question to make him look foolish? It could be either. It’s not the Ten Commandments that Jesus is quizzed about, but the Torah with its 613 commands. Of these 248 are positive, ie, have a ‘you shall’ form; 365 are negative and have a ‘you shall not’ form. So, just imagine being asked which of those is greatest. Jesus, however, remains unfazed. He ignores any deviousness on the part of the questioner. Taking the question at face value, he answers it: love God and love your neighbour. Could anything be simpler of clearer? Why then are there so many problems with human relationships and so much suffering in our world? Can loving God and our neighbour be that difficult? Not at all! But many people prefer complexity to simplicity. Simplicity scorns wiggle room, dislikes nitpicking, finds defining and qualifying things until they’re beyond recognition distasteful; and if offers no excuse for foot-dragging when action is called for. By putting Jesus to the test, that lawyer unwittingly puts himself to the test also. Now he can never claim ignorance of what is expected of him. He has no excuse for not allowing the information he was looking for to be his guiding light. Come to that, neither have we.
Fr. Tom Cahill
Our Lady’s Apparitions
An evening of videos (large theatre screen) and a talk on Our Blessed Mother’s apparitions around the world, along with her important and urgent messages for us today, will be presented by Mr. Tony Murnane from the Apostolate for Mary’s Messages in Melbourne, Australia. Over many years, Tony has spoken in over 400 parishes and towns throughout Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Tony Murnane will make his presentation at the St. John of God School, New Street. Kilkenny on Sunday, 2nd November at 2pm. All welcome.
Holiday Arrangements
As Monday is a public holiday the only public Mass in the parish will be at St. Patrick’s Church at 11am.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will take place as usual at St. Fiacre’s Church.
4-2-1 Parish Drugs Initiative
Because of the public holiday the 4-2-1 Group will not meet on this Monday evening. Next meeting on Monday, 3rd November between 7.30 and 9.30pm.
Parish Draw
The October Draw will be held at the Parish Centre, Loughboy at 8.30pm on Tuesday. This is the first function we are holding so if you would like to get a first-look at the centre then do come along. Entry is through the red door in the middle of the Parish Centre and is accessible both from the road and the parish car park. The Parish Draw is our main fund raising event and we are grateful to all who run and support this event. So, come along and join in the celebrations.
Parish Cookery Book
Copies of our parish cookery book, Good Food for Healthy Living, are available at the sacristies and the presbytery, Ormonde Road. The book is good value at €10 and money raised goes to parish funds.
Pray for our Deceased Friends
Recently Deceased: Patrick Brennan, 16 Wolfe Tone Street. Funeral prayers at 6.15pm at Johnstown’s Funeral Home on Sunday followed by removal to St. John’s Church. Funeral after 10.30am Mass on Monday to St. Kieran’s Cemetery. Isma Haughton, England and Danesfort. Funeral prayers at her brother Billy Ireland’s Home, Danesfort at 6pm on Tuesday followed by removal to St. Michael’s Church, Danesfort. Requiem Mass at 12 noon on Wednesday followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. Tom Maher, Waterford. Patrick Hogan, Fr. Murphy Square.
Anniversaries: Anthona Burke (Sat 6.15), Breda Hehir (Sat 7.00), Michael Davin (Sun 10.00), Gerard Moynihan (Sun 11.00), Mary McCormack (Sun 12.00), Henrietta Hyland (Sun 12.30), Gary & Nora Dunne (Thurs 10.30), Ned Mahon, Margaret Skehan, Josie & Dick Walsh, Kathleen & Laurence Tynan, Patrick Cantwell.
Next weekend: P.J. Marrinan (Sat 6.15), Michael Phelan (Sat 7.00), Jack Garrehy (Sun 10.30), Jennifer Mulhall (Sun 11.00), Tom Shanahan (Sun 12.00), Ann Roche (Sun 12.30 Month’s Mind).
Feast of All Saints
The 1st November is the Feast of All Saints on which we honour those men and women who have dedicated their lives to God and are now recognised as saints. This feast is an ideal time to honour the saint whom we may be called after or whom we have chosen at Confirmation.
The feast of All Saints is a holyday of obligation and all who are able are asked to attend Mass. Masses for the holy day follow the same schedule as our weekend Masses.
November Remembers our Dead
Next Saturday marks the beginning of November, our special month in which we remember our faithful departed. Sheets for writing the names of deceased loved ones for inclusion in November Masses are available at the churches. Inscribe the names of loved ones and place in baskets before the altars in any of our churches.
Remembrance Celebration
The staff in the Paediatric Unit of Waterford Regional Hospital have organized a special Children’s Remembrance Celebration for families and relatives who have suffered the death of a child. The service will be held in the hospital chapel on Saturday, 8th November at 3.00pm. All are welcome to come along to the celebration.
Parish Remembrance Service
Our annual Remembrance Service for our beloved dead (especially those who died during the past twelve months) will be at St. Patrick’s Church at 7.30pm on Thursday, 27th November. More details later.
St. Vincent de Paul Collection
The monthly collection for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will be taken up as part of our second collection at all Masses this weekend. The extra money you donate is used to help people in need in our parish.
The local conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul can be contacted by writing to them. Put your details in a sealed envelope, mark it ‘St. Vincent de Paul Society’ and leave it into the parish office
Altar Servers
Due to the mid-term break, the publishing of the new altar servers rota has been delayed. It will be available soon. If you are not a student in our parish schools, are in 4th class or above and would like to serve at the Mass at you normally attend with your family, then you can collect an application form from any of the sacristies.
Parish Website
We hear news this week of former parishioners now living in California keeping abreast of all that’s happening in St. Patrick’s Parish by checking our website. Why not encourage your relatives and friends abroad to have a look at our site at www.patricksparish.com. We would love to hear from them.
St. Martin De Porres Novena
The annual St. Martin De Porres novena will be held in the Black Abbey between Sunday, 26th October and Monday, 3rd November.
Daily Devotions include Solemn Opening of Novena 12 noon and 6pm on Sunday, 26th. Rosary (10.15am and 7.15pm) and Mass (10.30am and 7.30pm) each day. See posters on notice boards for details. Preacher: Fr. John Harris OP. All welcome.
Year of St. Paul
The Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin has invited Bishop Tom Wright, Anglican Bishop of Durmam, will speak in Carlow Cathedral on 10th November on “Paul: faith and hope for tomorrow's world”. The presentation marks the Year of St. Paul and it should be an excellent talk and all are most welcome. Details available at www.kandle.ie/2008/08/31/bishop-wright-paul-cathedral/
Another feature of the Year of Saint Paul will be a pilgrimage from Kildare and Leighlin to some of the Pauline sites in Turkey. The itinerary includes a visit to Tarsus and along the path of Paul’s first missionary journey. Bookings should be made as soon as possible. Contact Map Travel, 36 O’Connell Street, Dublin 1. Tel. 01- 878 3116.
Church Gate Collection
In aid of the Susie Long Hospice Fund will take place next weekend, 1st and 2nd of November at all Masses.
Diabetes Federation of Ireland
The Kilkenny branch of the Diabetes Federation of Ireland will hold a public education meeting on Wednesday, 5th November at Hotel Kilkenny, College Road, at 8pm. Admission is free and all are welcome. These meetings are designed to encourage people with diabetes to become more knowledgeable about their condition so they can more effectively work with their diabetes team in order to maintain good control of their diabetes. Our speakers are Dr. Colm McGurk, Consultant Endocrinologist, St. Luke’s Hospital, and Ms Kate O’Connor, Dietician, St. Luke’s Hospital. Dr. McGurk will speak extensively on “The Challenge of Diabetes” and Ms O’Connor will focus on the “Management of Diabetes with Diet and Lifestyle”. For further information contact 021 4274229 or 1850 909 909 or www.diabetes.ie
Volunteers Needed
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Kilkenny urgently requires suitable volunteers with three hours or more per week to staff their charity shop “Fred's Fashions” at the Butts Green Kilkenny. If interested in doing this very rewarding work please contact the shop on 056 770 2637 or 087 212 0201.
Have a Safe Weekend
We welcome all who have come to our parish this holiday weekend. Please God locals and visitors will have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
