Your Bottom Dollar
Gambling is one of our growing problems. You can bet your bottom dollar on that! It’s estimated that in 2008 punters risked losing about €3.6 billion in the nation’s 1,093 betting shops. That’s €300 million more than the previous year. No recession there! This, alarmingly, doesn’t include on-course betting, gambling on the National Lottery or online. Many people relish risk, crave for chance and feed on fickle fate instead of solid faith. For some people there can be nothing odd with the odds when it comes to risk-taking for money. What, in sober moments, most of us would count as throwing money away gung-ho gamblers see as a prelude to a victory parade.
Today’s Gospel reading doesn’t deal with chance, though there may be some risk later down the road. It presents us with odds-on certainty: the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah in the person of Jesus. He was prophesied as the one who brings news of freedom to captives and those oppressed because the Sprit of God rest on him. In other words, because God is with Jesus he can enable us to live free of addictions, compulsions and false values. It’s a totally upbeat prophecy, and indeed Jesus is totally upbeat about it. Question is: are we?
Do we accept Jesus as he who brings us freedom? Or, do we see him as cramping our style? But there is nothing that is moral and legal that we can’t do as a Christian that we could do were we not. You can bet your bottom dollar on that too.
Fr. Tom Cahill SVD
Senior Citizens’ Parish Party
The annual party for the senior citizens in our parish will be held at the Parish Centre on Monday, 8th February. With music by Marble City Sound a great evening is promised in our new Parish Centre.
Tickets will be available at the Parish Office and sacristies in all our churches from next week. Tickets cost €10 and booking is essential to enable efficient catering.
You are witness to these things
This phrase, from St. Luke’s 24:48, is the theme of the 2010 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which draws to a close on Monday of this week. To mark the annual week of prayer and to remind us that we are commissioned by Christ to promote Christian unity there will be an exchange of greetings at all City churches this weekend.
This Saturday evening our parish welcomes Canon Ivor Power of the Church of Ireland who will visit St. Fiacre’s Church for the 6.15pm Mass and the Rev. Dr. Joe Burke of the Kilkenny Methodist Church who will be present at the 7.00pm Mass at St. Patrick’s Church. Fr. Dan will take our greetings to the congregation at the Kilkenny Presbyterian Church service on Sunday morning. Among the other visits this year Bishop Séamus will attend the Sunday Service at St. Canice’s Cathedral while Church of Ireland Bishop Michael Burrows will speak at the 7.30pm Mass on Saturday at St. Canice’s Catholic Church.
Please keep this intention in your prayers.
Parish Centre Opening
We would like to thank all who helped in any way with the official opening of the St. Patrick’s Parish Centre, Homes for the Elderly and Presbytery on last Sunday. We are glad to say the event was a great success.
Parish Draw
The next draw in the present series will take place on Tuesday, 26th January at 8.30pm in the Parish Centre. The draw is always held in public and all are invited to come along.
St. Vincent de Paul
The members of the local conference wish to thank all who contributed to their Christmas appeal. In difficult financial times members of our congregations were not found wanting. Thanks, too, to those who made substantial anonymous donations to the funds. All money will be used wisely to help those most in need in the locality.
Questions People Ask
Q. This is the year of the Gospel of Luke. What is special about Luke?
A. The opening words that each evangelist quotes from Jesus are a good indication of that writer’s special insight and purpose. In Luke the first words we hear from the adult Jesus are about the Spirit anointing him for a mission to the poor and those who are generally regarded as less favoured. He is the evangelist of the Holy Spirit. Luke emphasises compassion and mercy. Among those blessed by God are people regarded as outsiders… sinners, lepers, Samaritans, women, shepherds, tax collectors.
Watch the verbs in Luke as he tells of the gracious actions of God and the prayerful reactions of people. (Fr. Silvester O’Flynn)
Pray for our Deceased Friends
Recently Deceased: Fr. Loughlin Campion, Crosspatrick & Dalgan Park, Navan. Bridget Corr, Castlewarren. Maura Tobin, Johnstown.
Anniversaries: John Bradley (Sat 6.15), Kathleen Hickey (Sat 7.00), Christy McLoughlin (Sun 10.00), Norah Foley (Sun 10.30), Kathleen O’Neill (Sun 11.00), John Hennessy (Sun 12.00), John Collins (Sun 12.30), Kathleen Kelly (Tues 10.30), Liam & William O’Connor (Thurs 9.30), John, Ellen & Pat Butler (Fri 10.30), Frank Nolan, Albert & Bridget Downes, Martin Coyne, Fr. John Nyhan, Annie Delaney, Michael McDonald, Brendan McKenna, Billy Burke, Frank Moran, Michael Lanigan, Orla Roche, John & Catherine Curry, Christina Murphy.
Intentions for next weekend: Pauline English (Sat 6.15), Jim Loughlin (Sat 7.00), Noeleen Flood (Sun 10.00), Ann & John Waldron (Sun 10.30), Michael Moore (Sun 11.00), Jack Comerford (Sun 12.00), Michael Dollard (Month’s Mind Sun 12.30).
Bereavement Support Group
The St. Patrick’s Parish Bereavement Support Group offers one to one support to bereaved parishioners. Phone 086 162 9089 to make an appointment to meet members of the group, in the Parish Centre, Loughboy. This is a free and confidential service.
Catholic Schools Week 2010
Catholic Schools Week 2010 begins on Sunday, 31st January and concludes on Saturday, 6th February. The Pastoral Letter of the Irish Bishops’ Conference Vision 08 – A Vision for Catholic Education is a useful resource for those who wish to focus on the theme of the week. Copies were circulated in our parish last year and the pastoral may be downloaded from www.catholicbishops.ie - the website of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Catholic Schools Week gives us the 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. Last year marked a very successful beginning of an all-Ireland celebration of Catholic Schools Week and we hope this year to build on that foundation and continue to create a space where we can proudly articulate and celebrate our ethos and identity.
This year the theme for the week is ‘Catholic Schools – A Light for Every Generation’. Catholic schools are committed to the education and formation of the young person in every aspect of their lives. Thus Catholic schools are light for parents, pupils, staff and society in every generation. In selecting this theme we are clearly connecting the vision of Catholic education with the mission of the Gospel, to bring the light of Christ to the world and to allow that light to shine through and in all that we do in our work in Catholic schools. This theme reminds us that we are constantly challenged to let that light shine for the present generation and this will remain part of our task for future generations. It also allows us to remember with great gratitude all those who through their work in establishing schools and places of education brought the light of Christ to many generations of Irish people in the past.
Kilkenny Flower Club
A reminder for Kilkenny Flower Club Members: the club’s annual dinner is in The Kilkenny Rivercourt Hotel next Thursday, 28th January at 6.30pm.
www.patricksparish.net
For photos of the official opening of the Parish Centre and other news about the parish.
Angels & Demons - The True Story
St. John’s Parish Prayer Group invites you to a Lecture Series for Lent at St. John’s Day Centre (8pm - 9.30pm). Each meeting will consist of Worship and Praise followed by a lecture by Fr. Joe Delaney.
February 3rd: Paradise Lost. February 10th: Spiritual Warfare. February 17th: The Ministry of Angels (please note starting at 8.30pm). March 3rd: Demonic Entry Points: The Occult and Alternative Therapies. March 10th: The Effects of Generational Sin. March 24th: Testimonies and Prayer.
Earthquake in Haiti
Trócaire, the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland, helps the people of Haiti. To donate, please call 1850 408 408 or log on to www.trocaire.org
Loughboy Library
No Time to read? Loughboy Library has introduced a large collection of compact audio books called Play-a-way. They are the size of your mobile phone and can be used in the car, at home or out walking. They are independent pieces of equipment and all you need are batteries. New titles include A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and Marley and Me by John Grogan. Come in and have a look…
All-Ireland Talent Show
Ross Hennessy is from our parish and is a member of Na Fianna, a well-known local band which will compete live on this Sunday’s All-Ireland Talent Show at 6.30pm. Let’s give Ross and the band our fullest support by voting for them this weekend.
Hard luck to Aidan Byrne from the Parish Youth Choir and his mates in Pyrotechnix who were very unfortunate not to make it through to the semi-finals last week.
Diabetes - Kickstart The New Year
This meeting will now take place at 8.00pm on Wednesday, January 27th at The Newpark Hotel. Guest Speakers include Dr. Mary Ryan, Consultant Physician Endocrinologist, Aut Even Hospital and Ms. Irene Stokes, Podiatrist, The Foot Clinic, Kilkenny. All Welcome. Admission is free.
The Migraine Association of Ireland
The Migraine Association of Ireland [MAI] will hold a free information evening in the Kilford Arms Hotel, Johns Street, Kilkenny at 7.30pm on Monday, 25th January. The event is open to migraine sufferers and to all those who live, work and deal with migraine suffers on a regular basis – such as family members, employers, health professionals, etc. A presentation will be given by a specialist nurse – before the floor is opened for questions. For more information see: www.migraine.ie and to book call 1850 200 378 or email info@migraine.ie
