Catholic Schools Week 2011
Catholic Schools Week (30th January – 5th February) 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. In our parish we give thanks for parents and teachers, members of the boards of management and parent’s associations, special needs assistants, people who work as secretaries, all who are involved in cleaning and maintenance, priests and the many others who give their time and energy in ensuring that our children receive the best education possible and are given the ability to realise their full potential as human beings and as children of God. This year’s theme, Catholic Schools - Rooted in Jesus Christ, is inspired by the Letter of Pope Benedict to the Catholics of Ireland.
St. God of God Girls’ School
The St. John of God Girls’ School will celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a Mass at St. Patrick’s Church at 1.15pm on Friday next. Parents and grandparents of the children are especially invited to attend as are all members of our parish community.
Senior Citizens’ Party
The annual dinner and party for the senior citizens of St. Patrick’s Parish will be held at the Parish Centre on Monday week, 7th February. Good food and a great night’s entertainment is guaranteed. Tickets €10 at the Sacristies and Parish Office. Please help the organisers by booking as soon as possible.
World Youth Day 2011
Young people from the Diocese of Ossory are invited to attend World Youth Day in Madrid in August. Pope Benedict invited the young people of the Church to gather in Spain this year at the end of the WYD celebration in Sydney in 2008. Ossory will be there! If you are 18 years or older on the 1st August 2011 and would like to be part of this world wide pilgrimage please contact Fr. Richard Scriven on 087 242 0033 or rscriven2009@gmail.com
Pray for our Deceased FriendsRecently Deceased: Maureen Barry, Maidenhill, Kells Road. Reposing at her nephew’s home at 3 Castleview, Castle Road from 4.00pm on Sunday. Prayers at 7.00pm followed by removal to St. Patrick’s Church. Requiem Mass at 11.00am on Monday followed by burial at Danesfort Cemetery. Mim Keane, Liscarroll, Cork. Sean Kelly 14, St. Francis Terrace. Dick Brennan, 45 Wolf Tone Street; Requiem Mass at 12 noon on Sunday in St. John’s Church. Anne O’Shea, College Gardens. Dympna O’Byrne, 9 St Fiacre’s Gardens. Seamus Holohan, Dunmore. Michael Peters, formerly Callan & London. William McGarry, Gas House Lane & Brownstown.
Anniversaries: Pauline English (Sat 6.15), Kathleen Hickey (Sat 7.00), Paddy Delaney (Sun 9.30), Mary Costello (Sun 10.00), Ann & John Waldron (Sun 10.30), James Loughlin (Sun 11.00), John Hennessy (12.00), Michael Moore (Sun 12.30), Con Noonan (Mon 9.30), Kathleen Codd (Tues 10.30), Daniel ‘Algie’ Lanigan (Wed 10.30), Monica, Gerard, Bridie & Mary Dooley., Elizabeth Kavanagh, Derek De Loughrey, Ann Kenny, Margaret Fanning, Rev. John Nyhan, William Culleton, Moya Bligh, Gretta Phelan, Kit O’Carroll, May & Paddy Morris, Nell Grant.
Intentions for next weekend: John O’Rourke (Sat 6.15), Joseph Kirwan (Sat 7.00), Eamonn & Frances Costello (Sun 9.30), Noeline Flood (Sun 10.00), Pat Kearney, Waterford Road, (Sun 10.30), Dr. Richard Purcell (Sun 11.00), Paddy Burke (Sun 12.00), Rory Quinn (Sun 12.30).
In Church This Week
Monday: St. John Bosco, Priest
Tuesday: Saint Brigid, Secondary Patron of Ireland. She was a woman who gave witness to her faith by her welcome, generosity and care for all with whom she came in contact.
Wednesday: Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas Day). Observes the ritual purification of Mary after the birth of Jesus. Feel free to bring family candles to church for blessing at Masses.
Thursday: St. Blaise, Martyr. Throats will be blessed at all Masses in our parish.
Friday: First Friday. Priests will visit the sick.
Saturday: St. Agatha, Martyr.
Kilkenny Gospel Choir
The choir will sing at the annual Service associated with St. Brigid at St. Fiacre’s Church at 8.00pm on Tuesday. Red flannel and blessed water from St. Brigid’s Well in Kildare will be available during the service. There will be a collection to support Suicide Awareness Campaigns.
Parish Choirs
A meeting of the leaders of all the Parish Choirs will take place in the Parish Centre on Wednesday, 2nd February at 8pm.
First Saturday Devotion
Devotion will take place in St. Fiacre's’ Church on Saturday, 5th February after 6.15pm Mass and will end at 9pm. All are welcome.
Young at Heart Club
The Club will be reopen on Wednesday, 2nd February at 2.30pm in the Parish Centre. New members always welcome.
Ladies’ Friendship Club
The Club will reopen on Wednesday, 2nd February in St. Joseph’s at 8.30pm. All welcome.
Support Group
Support Group for Parents and Carers of Children with Special Needs takes place on the first Wednesday of every month. Next meeting will take place on Wednesday, 2nd February from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. in St. Patrick’s Parish Centre. All welcome. Please contact Noreen at 087 958 1315 or 087 904 0208.
The Samaritans are Recruiting
The Samaritans in Carlow/Kilkenny branch are currently recruiting for Listening Volunteers. If you have time to spare weekly and feel you have an empathetic ear we would love to hear from you. Training and ongoing support is provided to all volunteers.
Recruitment begins soon so please get in touch with Bridget our Recruitment Officer on 087 638 1668. Bridget will send you out an application form and we will be in touch!
Family Relationships
A presentation entitled Understanding Family Relationships and how to live peacefully in our Families will be given at Village Business Centre, Patrick Street, Kilkenny on Thursday, 3rd February at 8pm. Dr. Fergus Heffernan. Cost: €10. Booking 087 927 7479 (Essential). This night gives us insight into how the Family is constructed, How to live in harmony in a Family, How to create the Family System and rules, just by understanding the dynamics and relationships in family life.
Kilkenny Medjugorje Youth Group
The Youth Group would like to say thank you to all who supported their recent collection.
Movement/Dance to Music for Over 50s
Thursday mornings at St. Patrick’s Parish Centre 11-12 noon. €30 for 6 lessons RSA/YMCA/Extend/Qualified Teacher. Starting 3rd February (wear loose clothing and trainers). For information: Kate 085 111 4107.
Short Courses for Spring!
Kilkenny Campus at St Kieran’s College has new afternoon and evening courses in Literature, Philosophy and Local Folklore & Song, beginning in early Feb. Courses run for 8 or 10 weeks, 2-4pm or 7-9pm. For more information call 777 5910 or 087 2630999 or see www.nuim.ie/kilkenny. Course fees €120/€150. Closing date for applications Feb 2nd.
Church Gate Collection
The Annual Church Gate Collection for Enable Ireland, O’Neill Centre will take place on the weekend of 12th & 13th February 2011.
Looking for a career in Elder/Child care?
FETAC Level 5 Courses running in February: Communications Module Feb 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 14th. Safety & Health at work Module Feb 16th, 17th, 18th and 21st . Both modules will be held in Carlow from 10.00am to 4.00pm. Contact 059 91 42208 or visit www.visiontraining.ie to book.
Pilgrimage to Lourdes 2011
The annual Ossory diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes takes place from 22nd to 27th May 2011. Telephone Eleanor on 051 880 414 between 10.30am and 2.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Croagh Patrick Heritage -
Trail Waking Festival: 18th—20 march 2011. Includes 3 great days of guided moderate to challenging walks. Transport from meeting point and start point each morning. Great value of €15 per day. For further information and registration contact: info@groaghpatrickheritagetrail.com or Tochar Valley Office 094 9366709
Hungry Hearts
A recent study found that almost 40 per cent of the Irish population is now overweight, with almost a quarter being classed as obese. As we enter a new year, newspapers and magazines are awash with articles about the latest miracle diet, the best way to lose weight and achieve the perfect look. We live in a culture obsessed with body image and dieting. But, unlike many of the world’s poor, the majority of us have never known real hunger. Today’s Gospel speaks of a different type of hunger – ‘Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right’. The Beatitudes are one of the passages in Scripture most familiar to us – so familiar perhaps that they can fail to make an impact. When is the last time we considered what is meant by ‘poor in spirit’, ‘pure in heart’. In this, his first address to a crowd, Jesus describes his vision of life in the kingdom of God. The Beatitudes offer a new way of looking at the world. And as radical as these words of Jesus were in his time, they are even more radical today. They speak of attributes of the heart, perhaps less often celebrated in our culture than physical characteristics and outward beauty. Jesus often favoured the less obvious choice, turning traditional wisdom on its head. Or as St. Paul tells us, ‘It was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning....those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything.’
Triona Doherty.
Questions People Ask
Was it foretold in the Old Testament that the Messiah would live in Nazareth?
It wasn’t foretold. In fact Nazareth is never mentioned in the Old Testament. It was a good place for Joseph to get a job as it was close to the new town of Sephoris which Herod was constructing. The Gospel of Matthew has an outrageous pun on the word nazir which means somebody consecrated to God. People were so gobsmacked at the notion that the Messiah might come from Nazareth that it was remarked, ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth.’
Fr. Silvester O’Flynn OFM Ca
BISHOP’S MESSAGE FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
27th January 2011
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we launch Catholic Schools Week in our diocese we take time once again to reflect on the immense contribution our schools make to the education of children and young people. It is also an opportunity to give thanks for the commitment of all involved in our Catholic Schools in Ossory and to pray that together we will continue to grow in our appreciation of the gift that they are to our diocesan community.
This year the theme of Catholic Schools Week is ‘Catholic Schools – Rooted in Jesus Christ’. We all know that strong roots are important in shaping our identity. Our roots in family, community and the culture in which we live provide the foundation on which to build our lives. The same is true of our schools. Pope Benedict reminds us that a good school provides a rounded education for the whole person. And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints (cf. Address to Pupils at Twickenham, England). This might seem a very tall order and yet it is the call of every Christian. It becomes possible only when the ethos of our schools is firmly rooted in Jesus Christ the Teacher par excellence.
When a school is rooted in Jesus Christ the fruits are clearly seen: there is a special relationship between school, home, and parish community particularly in the area of preparation for the Sacraments; liturgical celebrations that begin and end the school year and mark other important milestones are a central part of school life; teachers witness to the teachings of Christ in their own lives and by so doing play their part in nourishing the seeds of faith in the hearts of children and young people, seeds that will grow to develop strong roots and produce a rich harvest; young people grow to understand the value of prayer which in turn moves them to actively respond to the gospel with energy and enthusiasm using the many gifts and talents that God has blessed them with.
However we must never become complacent or neglect the task of continually reflecting on our roots and making every effort to renew and strengthen them. In a message for Catholic Schools Week Fr Michael Drumm, chairperson of the Catholic Schools Partnership reminds us that “plants, trees and flowers that lose their roots are blown hither and thither. We too can be uprooted, lacking any true guidance in our lives, drawn this way and that, unsure how to respond” (cf. Welcome, Resources for Catholic School week, Primary & Post Primary 2011).
During Catholic Schools Week I encourage all of you at home, in the school and the parish community to reflect once again on our roots and to use the resources provided for Catholic Schools Week to create a space where all of us as partners in the task of Catholic education can joyfully celebrate this special gift and ensure that we shall be like ‘a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.’ (cf. Jeremiah 17:8 (NRSV))
Thank you for your continued commitment to our Catholic Schools and may God continue to bless all of us as we look to the future with faith in Christ in whose love we are all rooted.
Yours in Christ
Bishop Seamus Freeman SAC
