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Parish Priest
Rev James McGonagle PP

 


Parish Secretary
Miss Caroline Catterson


The Parochial House

Culdaff

County Donegal,

IRELAND.

 

Telephone
00 353 (0)74 - 9379107
00 353 (0)74 - 9379835

 

E.mail: info@culdaffparish.com

 

St Mary’s Church Bocan

 

11th May 2008 - Pentecost Sunday

 


Come, Holy Spirit, Come

 

Come, O Creator, Spirit blest,
And in our souls take up thy rest;
Come with thy grace and heavenly aid,
To fill the hearts which thou hast made.

Great Paraclete, to thee we cry,
O highest gift of God most high,
O Fount of Life, O Fire of Love,
And sweet anointing from above!

Our senses kindle from above,
And make our hearts o’erflow with love;
With patience firm and virtue high
The weakness of our flesh supply.

Drive far from us the foe we dread
And grant us thy true peace instead;
So shall we not, with thee for Guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.

All glory while the ages run
Be to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death; the same to thee,
O Holy Ghost, eternally!

 

 

Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth


Our Parish Mission


Pentecost Sunday—Trinity Sunday
11th—18th May 2008

 

It's a busy world today: we need time to step back, to think of what it is all about.
It’s a noisy world today: we need to sort out whose voice we follow, whose values we pursue.
It’s a distracted world today: we need encouragement and help to pray.

A Parish mission is an opportunity to clarify our vision of life and our values.
It is a week to come closer to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.
It is a week of hope and encouragement.

I look forward to a great week with you -
a week of celebrating the presence of Jesus Christ among us:
a week of mercy, healing and hope:
a week of renewal of faith, hope and love.


Yours in Christ,
Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap.

 

MISSION PROGRAMME

 

Masses: Monday—Friday, 7.30 am & 10 am;
Evening Service 8 pm each day.
Fr O’Flynn will visit the two schools and attend the sick also.

 

MONDAY
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6)
Where have I come from? Where am I going?

TUESDAY
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:2).
The astounding mercy of God.

WEDNESDAY
“Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest.”

Healing Service

THURSDAY
“Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)
Instruction on prayer.

FRIDAY
“Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke: 22:19)
An understanding of the Mass.

 

 

Collections:

Weekly Offering €1,510 Development Collection, €1,005. Thank you for your generosity.
N.B. The Diocesan Purposes Collection will be taken up next weekend along with the Weekly Offering [no Development Collection next week].

 

Today’s Readings
1st Luke describes the experiences of the apostles as they set about taking up where Jesus left off;
2nd Paul writes to the community at Corinth in an effort to shore up their faith;
Gospel Today’s gospel focuses on the appearance of the Holy Spirit as the gift of God empowering the ‘apprentice’ disciples as they grow in awareness of their emerging identity.

Attending the sick
The sick will be attended on Wednesday & Thursday by Fr O’Flynn

Hall Committee Meeting


There will be a meeting of the Hall Committee on Monday evening [after evening service, approx 9.15 pm], to make arrangements for the car boot sale on 1st June. Anyone wishing to reserve a pitch should contact Angela on 087 9028930 or Caroline on 086 8872073.

Whist
1st – Mary McDermott, Falmore
2nd – Gerard Doherty, Ourt
3rd – Corney McFeeley, Culdaff
Tickets: James McConalogue, Mickey O’Donnell & Seamus Harkin
Other Winners: -, Mickey O’Donnell, Mickey McCormick, Patricia Harkin & Ernie McLucas..
€45 for 187 or more. Whist every Friday night at 8.45 pm in Bocan Hall.

Blood Donations
Carndonagh Community School on Wednesday, 21st May, 3 pm-4.45 pm & 7 pm – 9.30 pm;
Thursday, 22nd May, 2 pm – 4.45 pm & 7 pm – 9.30 am. New donors are urgently needed so bring a friend along.

Concerned about Rural Transport?
Then come along to a meeting in Bocan Hall on Tuesday 13th May at 7.30 pm.

AWARE – Public Lecture
In the Inishowen Gateway Hotel, Buncrana on Thursday, 15th May at 8 pm. The lecture is entitled ‘Depression and Alcohol: A Complex Interaction’ and will be given by a panel of speakers. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. For more details contact 9735030.

Serenity House

Trip to Wexford – Balance now due and can be paid in full at Serenity House.
Trip to Belfast 19th June. Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Bookings to 9382945.
Bible Study – Women's Bible Study in Serenity House on Monday 12th May at 10.30 am. All women welcome.

Engaged? Getting Married within the next year?
An engaged encounter weekend is a recognised form of marriage preparation. It is a communication workshop designed for couples preparing for marriage. It is a non-residential weekend and will take place in the Thornhill Centre, Derry on 14th/15th June. Early booking is advised. Contact 048 71350612 / 048 7638512.

World Youth Day Experience in Lourdes July 08

 

 

As an alternative to World Youth Day in Sydney, Lourdes has been nominated the European Centre for WYD and the diocese will be taking a youth group to experience these days of celebration. The trip will be from 16th – 21st July for 20-35 year olds and will travel as part of the larger Diocesan Pilgrimage the cost is £449. there will be a set program for this group for the 5 days including live screen link-up to Sydney, International Youth Masses, concerts drama and much more.


If you are interested in going or finding out more please contact the Pilgrimage Office on 04871 260293 or pick up a form from the parish office.

Riverdance

 


Riverdance returns to Letterkenny Aura Centre from Thursday 22nd May to Sunday 25th May. Show times are 8.30 pm and 2.30 pm on Sunday for Matinee show. For more information contact Aisling on 0749102107.

 

The Deep End – The Language of Love


I’m not one to criticise God, but I’ve always thought that he got it wrong with the Tower of Babel. When it comes to languages I’m a hard core pragmatist. Give me one. Any one. For all people. I abhor having to babble incomprehensibly on a trip when trying to communicate in another tongue. Gesticulating with gusto and giggles is no substitute for conversation. Mutually intelligible words are vital for long-term healthy relationships. In his book Sing a New Song, Timothy Radcliffe OP claims: ‘Part of our deep social crisis is that we have lost confidence that words really show things as they are.’


Part of the deep spiritual crisis of the disciples, sheltering behind locked doors ‘for fear of the Jews’ [John 20:19], is that the words they have been hearing don't show things as they are.


Feeding on reports, rumours and gossip about a society hostile to them doesn’t really show things as they are. Just as today, feeding from a constant stream of bad news in the media gives a distorted image of society, so too with the disciples at that time. The all important God-factor has not been pencilled in.


Then it comes. Eyes are opened, tongues are loosed, and words gush forth. Words, whose meaning is clear to all, because they flow from the one language known by all: the language of love.

 

Fr Tom Cahill SVD

 

 

 

Blessing


Lord we bless you
for the freedom you have given us.
We praise you
for our understanding and free will.
Bless us with true wisdom.
Bless us with a great sense of your presence
so that we may exercise our freedom
in response to you.
Keep us safe in your sheepfold
where we can be nourished.
Lead us through every
difficulty and uncertainty
to the fullness of life for which we long.

Amen