| St
Mary’s Church Bocan
9th
November 2008
32nd
Sunday in Ord. Time.
Dedication
of the Lateran Basilica
Jesus answered the
Jews: “Destroy this
sanctuary and in three days I will
raise it up.” ‘But he
was speaking of the sanctuary that
was his body’. Buildings
are a very important part of every
aspect of human life. They provide
shelter. They give dignity to people.
They give people a place where they
can feel at home. But when a building
becomes more important than the people
themselves it loses its meaning. In
the practice of our Christian faith
our buildings are also very important,
and we are blessed to have so many
beautiful places of worship in our
communities as well as worldwide.
But, beautiful and all as these might
be, they have to be at the service
of the dignity of every human person.
Our churches have to be places where
people can feel at home because of
the care they experience there. That
can only happen when we are working
at building a community of care. And
our homes have to be at the service
of love for each person who lives
there. That is true reverence for
the presence of Christ.
Fr. Johnny
Doherty, C.Ss.R.
The Church
of St John on the Lateran
is 'Mother and Head of all the churches
of the City and the World'. It is
the cathedral church of the Bishop
of Rome, and was called 'St John'
alter the two monasteries once attached,
dedicated to St John the Divine and
St John the Baptist. It is however
dedicated to the Most Holy Saviour.
 |
The
waters of a river give joy to
God’s city, the holy place
where the Most High dwells. |
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DUAL PURPOSE
DRAW
St Mary’s
Church
A few years ago a
very successful draw raised €60,000
for renovation of Bocan Hall and €30,000
for Gleneely School.
This time the proceeds
will be divided between the parish
and St. Boden’s School, Culdaff.
The Church, to meet
health and safety standards, has to
be rewired. This work will also include
external lighting, the fixing of the
bell and a central vacuum system.
The Parish Council is responsible
for the selling of tickets in the
Gleneely school area of the parish
and the Parents Committee in the St
Boden’s school area.
St Boden’s
N.S.
Opened for the first
time in September 1982 with an enrolment
of 139 pupils. The school has great
recreational facilities with a huge
field at the back and large playground
at the front. In 1985 the numbers
had increased to 175. Since that there
has been a steady decline, and our
present numbers are 86.
Unfortunately,
the funding from the Department is
linked to the numbers on roll, but
the school still requires the same
maintenance.
We applied to the
Department for grants to replace the
windows, which are leaking and are
in a bad state of repair. But due
to the present financial situation
no grants are available. Hence the
need to fund-raise for this work.
The Parish Council was approached
by the Parents Committee, who kindly
agreed to support them.
P.S. Prize Fund of
€22,000 [includes the top prize
of €10,000].Tickets cost €50
and can be bought on an instalment
basis—e.g. €10 per month,
which could be collected in Bocan
Hall on Sundays after 11 am Mass.
The Draw will
take place on Friday, 24th April,
2009 in McGrory’s Backroom,
Culdaff.
Please
Support Us In These Important Projects
MASS
TIMES
Monday,
Tuesday [ Mary Doherty],
Wednesday,
Thursday, [Brian Lloyd],
10 am .
No Mass on Friday
or Saturday morning.
Saturday, Vigil, 8
pm;
Sunday,
8.30 am & 11 am.
Saturday,
7.15 pm—7.45 pm.
Anniversary Masses
Vigil Mass: Brigid
McDermott, Drumley;
Sunday 11 am, Dan
Ruddy, Ballybawn.
Next Weekend
Vigil Mass:
Memorial Mass for Noel O’Reilly.
Sunday,
11am Mass for Joseph Ruddy, Dunross
[Anniversary].
Weekly Offering: €1,585;
Development Collection, €1,000;
Extra Mission Collection, €163.
Thank you for your generosity.
All the sick of the
parish will be
attended on Wednesday
& Thursday at the usual times.
Parish Council
Meeting on Wednesday, 12th
November at 7.30 pm in Bocan Hall.
All members are asked to attend.
Diocesan Mass
for deceased teachers takes
place in the Immaculate Conception
Church, Strabane on Wednesday 12th
November at 7 pm. Bishop Lagan will
celebrate the Mass and all are welcome.
Diocesan Mass
for deceased young people
takes place today, 9th November at
3 pm in the Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty,
Derry. The Mass is an opportunity
for family and friends to come together
in a spirit of prayer and hope. All
are welcome to attend.
The whole community
was stunned at the sudden death of
Shane McGonigle [formerly
of St Boden’s Tce.] in an accident
– so soon after the death of
Steve. Our deepest sympathy goes to
his mother, Kathleen; his father,
Anthony; his brothers, Mark, Gavin,
Keith, Kenny and Pearse; and his sisters,
Joanne, Donna and Keri and to his
young son, Kai. May the
God of all consolation be with them
in their sorrow. And may Shane rest
in peace.
Whist
1st Ellen
Ann Lafferty, Glengad
2nd Vera Deeny, Terrawee
3rd Seamus Coyle,
Buncrana
Tickets
Sarah McDermott, Carn; Patricia Harkin,
Muff; Pat Mills, Culdaff,
Other Winners
Seamus Harkin, Gerard Doherty, James
McLaughlin, Mary Ellen Ruddy &
Patricia Harkin.
Whist
every Friday night at 8.45 pm in Bocan
Hall. Snowball €50 for 188 or
more.
25-Card Drive
– Change of Date: Saturday,
29th November in the Malin Hotel beginning
at 8 pm. All proceeds are in aid of
classes for children in Action Inishowen.
Ceile Mor
There will be a Ceile Mor in Bocan
Hall on Friday, 21st November. Music
is by Martin Duggan. Admission: €5
[inc supper].
Serenity House
– Women’s Bible Study
in Serenity House on Monday, 10th
November at 10.30 am. All women are
welcome.
Active Retirement
– Evening of Music
and Dancing in McNamara's Hotel on
Wednesday, 26th November from 9 pm
– 12 midnight. Music by Dominic
McDaid. Admission €5 and everyone
is very welcome.
ECDL
– A few places remaining on
this course on Thursday morning's
from 10.30 am-12.30pm. More details
from 9382945.
Derry Diocesan
Lourdes Pilgrimage –
Gift Vouchers [£25/£50]
for the Pilgrimage are now available
from the Pilgrimage Office. More details
from 04871 260293.
Irish Wheelchair
Association Angel Campaign
- Angel pins will be available nationwide
for €2 and monies will go to
fund service for the 20,000 members
throughout the country. More information
about the campaign from 9157393 /
087 9975459.
The
Deep End – The Mother of all
Churches
This church is prayer-conditioned,
the sign outside it read. Clearly,
it was purpose built. So too are we,
as temples of God’s Holy Spirit.
We too are dedicated as God’s
dwelling – at our baptism. But
how aware of it are we?
In Jesus’ time Temple commerce
seemed more important than Temple
‘Presence’, God's presence
among God's people. Today’s
Gospel [John 2: 13-22] tells us as
much. In the Temple people sold cattle,
sheep and doves; and money changers
thrived.
With a vengeance Jesus drives out
the lot of them, animals and humans
alike, dumps the moneychangers’
money unceremoniously in the dirt,
and upends their tables. This is not
the Jesus – gentle, meek and
mild – that we fancy at times.
Yet, this is still Immanuel, he who
is God-with-us – and with us
in ways, we least expect or even want.
It’s shock therapy to bring
us too our senses. How could we focus
more on animal sacrifice than on God,
more on profit than on prayer?
The Lateran Basilica may seem a long
way from this, but its symbolism isn’t.
In commemorating the dedication of
this church at a distance in terms
of time and place, we acknowledge
the importance of suitable places
to worship God. Though each of us
is an Immanuel, we still need places
to worship. We are not isolated units
in which God dwells. We are a community
in which God dwells. A community compelled
to worship that inner Presence through
a practice of religion that’s
both public and prayerful.
Fr Tom
Cahill SVD
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