No. 1988 ~ TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
PARISH CONTACT DETAILS
Fr. Peter Madden PP VF
31 Sixtowns Road
Telephone: 79628376
Fr Dermot McGirr CC
50 Tobermore Road, Desertmartin
Telephone: 79632196
PARISH OFFICE
OPENING HOURS: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm.
9 High Street
Phone: (028)79628248
NOTICES FOR THE BULLETIN
Notices for the Bulletin should be received by 1.00 pm on Wednesday, preferably by email.
SAFEGUARDING
The Diocesan Designated Liaison Person (DLP) is Marie Gormley. To contact Marie Tel: 07596500793, or Email: mariegormley@derrydiocese.org
SVP HELPLINE
Helpline telephone number: 07710838050
SPERRIN FOODBANK
Tel: 07543420639
BALLINASCREEN COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROUP
Please click the link https://www.parishofballinascreen.com/ballinascreen-community-support-gro for full details of Ballinascreen Community Support Group.
SUNDAY VIGIL MASSES
Holy Rosary: 6.00 pm
St Patrick’s, Keenaught: 7.30 pm
SUNDAY MASSES
St Columba’s, Straw: 9.00 am
St Mary’s, Coolcalm: 10.00 am
St Patrick’s, Sixtowns: 11.00 am
St Eugene’s Moneyneena: 12 noon
DAILY MASS TIMES
Monday October 9:
Holy Rosary Church ~ 10.00 am
Tuesday October 10:
Holy Rosary Church ~ 10.00 am
St Mary’s Coolcalm ~ 10.00 am
Wednesday October 11:
Holy Rosary Church ~ 10.00 am
Thursday October 12:
St Mary’s Coolcalm ~ 10.00 am
Friday October 13:
St Mary’s Coolcalm ~ 10.00 am
Holy Rosary Church ~ 7.30 pm
ST MARY’S P.S. SCHOOL MASS
Opening of the School Year Mass for St Mary's Primary School in Holy Rosary Church on Tuesday 10 October at 10.00 am. All welcome.
FEASTS OF THE WEEK
Monday 9: St John Henry Newman, priest.
Wednesday 11: St John XXIII, pope.
DEATHS
We extend our prayerful sympathy to the family and relatives of:
Dan Kelly, Glenelly Vilas;
Donna Kelly, Campbelltown;
Kathleen Hoare nee Bradley, Sheffield formerly from Cahore;
Ann Hughes, Portadown.
MONTH’S MIND MASS
Felix McAllister, Cookstown on Friday 13 October at 7.30 pm in Holy Rosary Church.
ANNIVERSARIES
First Anniversaries:
Delphanine McKenna;
Susan Murray.
Anniversaries:
Sheila Bradley;
Agnes Gray;
Patrick McCullagh;
Anthony Rooney;
Sean McCullagh;
Richard Edwards;
Peggy Sargent;
Mickey McGlone;
Ellen Murray.
BAPTISMS
We welcome into God’s family through the Sacrament of Baptism:
Charlotte Mary Devine Hegarty, Ranaghan Road.
PARISH COLLECTIONS
Weekly Collection: £2191
Renovation Collection: £804.
Thank you for your generous support which is greatly appreciated.
CONFIRMATION 2024
Confirmation will be celebrated in Ballinascreen Parish on the following dates:
Saturday 2 March at 12 noon for children attending Gaelscoil na Speiríní.
Saturday 9 March at 12 noon for children attending St Columba’s P.S., St Eoghan’s P.S. and St Mary’s P.S.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2024
First Holy Communion will be celebrated in Ballinascreen Parish on the following dates:
Saturday 27 April at 11.00 am for children attending Gaelscoil na Speiríní and St Eoghan’s P.S.
Saturday 11 May at 11.00 am for children attending St Mary’s P.S.
Saturday 18 May at 11.00 am for children attending St Columba's P.S.
MASS FOR DECEASED YOUNG PEOPLE AND CHILDREN
This annual Mass will be in St Eugene’s Cathedral on Sunday 12 November, at 7.00 pm.
PRISONERS' WEEK 2023
From 8 to 14 October we are asked to remember in our prayers those who are in prison. Praying for those in prison does not in any way condone the actions that brought them there. But from the beginning of his ministry Jesus reached out to those who were in prison and invited us to do the same.
Pope Francis when addressing the International Organisation of Penal Law said; 'Torture occurs not only in clandestine detention centers or in modern day concentration camps but also in prisons, institutes for juveniles and other centers and institutions of detention and punishment.'
BALLINASCREEN CREDIT UNION
September Quarterly Cash Draw Winners:
1st Prize: £10,000 - Mr Eunan Lindsay, Lisnaragh Road, Plumbridge.
2nd Prize: £7,000 - Mrs Angela O’Kane, Moybeg Road, Tobermore.
3rd Prize: £5,000 - Mr Michael J O’Kane, Cahore Road.
4th Prize: £3,000 - Mr John McEldowney, Mulnavoo Road.
Next Quarterly Cash Draw will be held on Saturday 16 December 2023.
ANCESTRAL FAMILY NAMES
Glór na Speiríní are delighted to announce our new and exciting project in partnership with all schools in Ballinascreen. Please note that pupils from all the schools will be visiting family members, elderly neighbours and collecting information on family ancestral names, the link to the past and the history behind them within the family. Our primary aim is to log and retain our rich heritage before it's all lost which then be then published in the form of a booklet.
PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS
Weekend Retreat at Ards Friary, from 8 to 10 December. Led by Philip McParland. In the weeks leading up to Christmas there is usually a lot going on in our lives. This weekend will offer you an opportunity to focus on your spiritual preparation. It will be both reflective and practical, suggesting ways to keep in touch with Jesus. To book contact Ards Friary Phone: 00353 749138909 or email info@ardsfriary.ie
ST. PEREGRINE DAY RETREAT
In Carmelite Centre Termonbacca on Thursday 19 October from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm. Cost including light lunch £15. Please bring a bottle of olive oil to be blessed in honour of St. Peregrine. A first class relic of St. Peregrine will be available. To book phone 71262512.
TRÓCAIRE
Trócaire seeks people to join its team of Christmas fundraisers to help respond to the urgent need of poor communities around the world, including the millions of families caught in conflict across Ethiopia, South Sudan and Ukraine. You can make a difference through a range of activities, including promoting Gifts of Change – training and support provided. To find how you can help now or over Advent and Christmas please email Mark McMahon on infoni@trocaire.org or call 90808030.
SPERRIN FOODBANK
Foodbank now operates Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. If you or someone you know requires assistance please call 07543 420639. No questions asked or criteria to meet. facebook page Sperrinfoodbank, email: foodbank@theworkspacegroup.org
PARISH ANNIVERSARY AND MONTH’S MIND MASSES
If parishioners wish to have their loved one prayed for at any Anniversary Friday Mass, you MUST please email their name to Ballinascreen Parish Office by noon on Thursday of the relevant week.
Notices for First Anniversary and Month's Mind Masses should be received before the Wednesday of the previous week so they may be printed in the Bulletin the weekend before the Anniversary Mass.
KNOCKNAGIN HALL
Hall Committee AGM: Tuesday 10 October at 7.30 pm. All welcome. It is important that the services and activities offered meet the communities’ needs, many volunteering opportunities for all ages, so come have your say or find something to get involved in.
Dance Friday: 13 October. Music by Peter McCloskey and Hugh Turner. Dancing from 9.00 pm until midnight. Admission £7 which includes a light supper.
Christmas Craft Fair: Sunday 12 November. Only 1 table left (£20).
SPRED Group: Thanks to the organisers and supporters of the recent Pony Drive. £1,320 was raised.
Chair exercises: Tuesdays at 10.00 am followed by a short walk. Admission £4.
Knit & Natter : Tuesdays at 7.30 pm. Bring your own project or you can help with knitting for local charities.
Line Dancing: Wednesdays at 7.30 pm.
Bowling Club: Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm.
If interested in any of the above please contact Olive 07887614094, Kathleen 07764277809 or Anne 79 642711
A collection of books from wellness experts, doctors and bestselling authors available to borrow for free in the Hall, during any of the activities.
Sarsfield’s Band Practice on Thursdays at 7.30 pm. New and past members welcome.
Winner of £50 in the October Draw: Liam Bradley Longfield.
ST COLM’S HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY MESSAGE
As many of you are aware there has been a gate erected on the Magherafelt Road entrance beside our school canteen.
This gate was part of a minor works project and we have been waiting for its installation since 2016. The funding for the gates was requested due to the safeguarding/child protection risks to the students in St. Colm’s. Schools have a duty of care to control and monitor all entrance and exits to their school thus ensuring the safety of their young people. This was impossible without the installation of the gate and some additional boundary fencing.
We have also been unable to protect the physical health and wellbeing of our students in the school grounds due to excessive dog fouling. We cannot allow young people and members of the community to use our outdoor facilities if they are not clear of dog foul. This has led us to make the St. Colm’s school site a dog free zone.
Please be assured that when we have staff in the school building, be it term time or otherwise the school site is still accessible to pedestrians. However, we would ask that no member of the public accesses the school site during the hours of the school day i.e from 8.30 am until 3.10 pm. Access in the evening is determined by bookings from community groups and sports teams.
I am confident that you will understand that St. Colm’s must make the safety of our students our top priority and ask for your understanding if this restricts access to the school grounds or inconveniences you.
St. Colm’s remains committed to serving our school and local community while keeping our students and school site safe.
NATIONAL SYNTHESIS OF THE SYNODAL PROCESS
The Irish Bishops' Conference has published the National Synthesis of the Synodal Process conducted across the Church in Ireland from Autumn 2021. The National Synthesis is the fruit of a wide-ranging process of listening and consultation and is based on the syntheses produced by the 26 dioceses in Ireland, as well as those submitted by religious congregations and other interested groups. The National Synthesis will be forwarded to Rome as part of the worldwide synodal process of listening and discernment launched by Pope Francis in October 2021 and which will culminate in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in 2023.
To view this document click HERE
SYNODALITY
Synodality is about seeking together to discover God’s way forward in a new time and place.
This is not just a time of change but a change of time.
It is about learning to journey in hope from the great figures of the Advent liturgy: Isaiah, John the Baptist, Mary and Joseph.
We are a pilgrim people, following the voice of God who calls us one step at a time.
We are moving beyond a Church where everything depends on ‘Father’.
Pope Francis has asked us to rediscover the Advent spirit of leaving our secure base and trusting that the Lord will guide our feet into the way of peace.
We aim to have a time of local listening to one another in January/February, building towards a diocesan submission to an Irish national response.
All national responses will be considered by the Vatican and a Working Document sent back for local reflection and comment in late 2022 – building towards the Synod of Bishops’ meeting in October 2023, and beyond.
This is the beginning of a new way of being Church. It is not just a passing initiative. It is facing the future together, open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Advent is not just a season of the year. It is a permanent part of our identity as Church.
PRAYER FOR THE SYNOD
We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.
THE SYNOD PRAYER ~ IRISH TRANSLATION (Paidir an tSionaid)
Seasaimid i Do láthairse, a Spioraid Naoimh,
agus muid ag teacht le chéile i D’ainm
Agus Tusa amháin mar threoraí againn
socraigh Tú féin síos inár gcroíthe;
Múin dúinn an tslí a chaithfimid dul
agus conas is féidir linn leanúint di.
Táimid lag agus claonta chun peaca;
ná lig dúinn ainriail a chur chun cinn.
Ná lig don aineolas sinn a chur amú,
ná don chlaonpháirtíocht ár ngníomhartha a mhúnlú.
Lig dúinn teacht Ort inár n-aontacht
chun go dtriallfaimid le chéile chun na beatha síoraí
gan dul ar strae ó bhealach na fírinne ná ón cheart.
Iarraimid é seo uile Ort,
Tusa a bhíonn ag obair de shíor agus i ngach uile áit,
i gcomaoin an Athar agus an Mhic,
trí shaol na saol.
Amen.
To learn more about the Synodal Pathway for the Catholic Church in Ireland please visit:
To learn more about the worldwide Synod please visit: https://www.synod.va/en.html
Please say each day in your prayers the following prayer for the success of the Synodal Process which is both old and new.
PRAYERS FOR OUR PROTECTION
The Irish Catholic Bishops have asked for prayers for those affected by the Coronavirus. Placing all our trust in the Lord, and asking Our Lady to intercede for us, the bishops invite everyone to pray these prayers:
EXTRACT FROM SAINT PATRICK’S BREASTPLATE
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
MEMORARE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you,
O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer. Amen
