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No. 1953 ~ FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
PARISH CONTACT DETAILS
Fr. Peter Madden PP VF
31 Sixtowns Road
Telephone: 79628376
Email:ballinascreenparish@gmail.com
Fr Dermot McGirr CC
50 Tobermore Road, Desertmartin
Telephone: 79632196
Fr John Downey Priest In Residence Moneyneena
PARISH OFFICE
OPENING HOURS: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm.
9 High Street
Phone: (028)79628248
email: ballinascreenparish@gmail.com
NOTICES FOR THE BULLETIN
Notices for the Bulletin should be received by 1.00 pm on Wednesday, preferably by email.
Email: ballinascreenparish@gmail.com
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.
FEASTS OF THE WEEK
Monday 6: St Paul Miki and Companions, martyrs.
Tuesday 7: St Mel.
Wednesday 8: International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking.
Friday 10: St Scholastica, virgin.
Saturday 11: Our Lady of Lourdes.
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 MASSES FOR THIS WEEK
Monday: Holy Rosary Church - 7.30 pm. (Padre Pio Mass).
Tuesday: St Mary’s Coolcalm - 11.00 am
Wednesday: Holy Rosary Church - 11.00 am
Thursday: St Mary’s Coolcalm - 11.00 am
Friday - Parish Anniversary Masses: St Mary’s Coolcalm 11.00 am & Holy Rosary Church 7.30 pm
PADRE PIO MASS
Monthly Mass in honour of St Pio of Pietrelcina will be celebrated on Monday 6 February at 7.30 pm in
Holy Rosary Church. Novena prayers and Rosary 7.10 pm.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
NO Eucharistic Adoration on Monday February 6.
BAPTISMS
We welcome into God’s family through the Sacrament of Baptism:
Daithi Jon Lanigan, Cordarragh;
Katie Eileen Crozier, Sixtowns Road;
Rosie Teresa Mary McKenna, Ranaghan Road.
DEATHS
We extend our prayerful sympathy to the family and relatives of:
Anne Marie Pruznak, America;
Teddy Copeland, Belfast,;
Frances Hamill, Clonore Portadown.
FIRST ANNIVERSARY MASS
Francis Costello, Cahore on Friday 10 February at 7.30 pm in Holy Rosary Church.
ANNIVERSARIES
First Anniversary:
Francis Costello.
Anniversaries:
Philip Donnelly;
Peter Girvan;
Helen Kelly;
Bridie Lagan.
WEEKLY PARISH COLLECTIONS
From the weekend of 25/26 February, the weekly parish collection will be taken up during Mass at the beginning of the Offertory.
Anyone who can help is asked to please forward their name to the Parish Office, stating which Mass they are available to collect at. There will be only one collection and all envelopes should be placed in the one basket.
If you would like to have a box of envelopes please email the Parish Office with your name and address.
PARISH COLLECTIONS
Weekly Collection: £1565
Renovation Collection: £1510.
Thank you for your generous support which is greatly appreciated.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Fr Madden would like to thank Ballinascreen Credit Union for donating the interest accrued in 2022 on the parish savings which amounted to £1646.08.
Thanks also to the collectors and all who saved in the Savings Scheme.
SVP RECYCLING SCHEME
SVP have organised a First Holy Communion and Confirmation Dress/Suit Recycling Scheme. Dresses/suits will be available for viewing and collection today, Sunday 5 February from 12 noon – 2.00 pm in the basement of Holy Rosary Church (bottom of the car park). Donation to SVP of £5 per suit/dress welcome.
LOURDES DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE 2023
Pilgrimage from 3 to 7 July 2023. The Pilgrimage Office at 164 Bishop Street, Derry, BT48 6UJ will be open to the public on Saturdays only from 11.00am until 1.00 pm commencing on Saturday 11 February. Intending pilgrims can also leave a message on 028 7126 0293 with their full postal address and the number of booking forms required, or email these details to derrypilgrim@outlook.com or write to the above address to request booking forms.
The organizing committee very much much regret that once more they are not in a position to provide medical, nursing and personal care as was customary in the past. It is their earnest hope and prayer that these services will be restored in 2024.
MONEYNEENA BIG BREAKFAST
Big Breakfast takes place in An Ráth Dubh on next Sunday 12 February, with breakfast being served from 9.00 am until 1.00 pm. Fundraising event by donations. Everyone welcome!
BALLINASCREEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
A presentation entitled ‘Bygone Days Through Local Postcards’ by David Lennox will be held on Tuesday 7 February at 8.00 pm in the Community Hub (beside the library).
The AGM will follow this meeting. Everyone welcome.
SIXTOWNS COMMUNITY HALL
Anyone interested in carrying out work to repair the field behind the hall, please contact Harold Sinclair at 07710132099, before 28 February.
WARM WELCOME WEDNESDAYS
In Community Hub every Wednesday from 11.00 am – 1.00 pm during these colder months, to provide a warm space, free tea / coffee and some chat. Arrange to meet friends, call in to read the newspapers or if you just fancy a change of scenery. Free of charge and open to everyone.
No need to book, just drop-in.
GAELSCOIL NA SPEIRÍNÍ
Special Needs Classroom Assistant required. 30 hours per week. Please visit the Education Authority to apply
ARDS FRIARY RETREAT
Ards Friary will host a residential retreat on Things that Matter’ on the first weekend of Lent 24-26 Feb.
It will be led by Philip McParland. Cost €175. To register, phone 074 91 38909 or email: e info@ardsfriary.ie.
For more details please email philipmcparland@hotmail.com .
CARMELITE RETREAT CENTRE
Silent Retreat for men and women 10 - 12 February. Cost £90.
Ladies Lenten Retreat Friday 24 - Sunday 26 February. Cost £90.
To book please phone 71262512, Retreat Centre Termonbacca Derry.
PILGRIMAGE TO SAN GIOVANNI AND ROME
As part of St Eugene’s Cathedral 150th Anniversary Celebrations, Bishop Donal McKeown will lead a pilgrimage to San Giovanni and Rome from 25 – 30 September 2023. Visiting the birthplace of Padre Pio, Shrine of St Michael Archangel, St Peter’s Basilica and other important sites. Cost is £879 p.p.s. (Single room supplement is £150) For more details please email info@marian.ie or call Belfast on 956 80005 or Dublin on (01) 878 8159
DRAPERSTOWN LIBRARY
Scam Awareness talk on Tuesday 7 February from 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm. To book: call into the library or phone 79628249
Need help on a one to one basis with IT, phone, lap top, iPad etc. The library has an IT manager who is available every month to give help and advice. Contact library staff to book a slot.
Knit and Natter continues every Tuesday from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm.
Rhythm & Rhyme for babies and toddlers on every Friday at 11.30 am.
Are you feeling lonely or bored? Draperstown Library would like to set up a Chatty Corner on a Friday morning where you can read the papers, tackle a jigsaw or crossword, do some mindful colouring, have a chat and a cuppa. If interested please contact the library.
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 12 noon on Thursday of the relevant week. Email address is: ballinascreenparish@gmail.com
PLEASE NOTE: First Anniversary and Month's Mind notices should be received before the Wednesday of the previous week in order for them to be placed in the Bulletin the weekend before the Anniversary Mass.
KNOCKNAGIN HALL
Social Dance on Friday 10 February. Music by Colin Harney. Dancing from 9.00 pm until 12 midnight. Admission £7 - includes light supper.
SPRED Group meeting on Monday 6 February.
Chair exercises with Thomasina every Tuesday at 10.00 am followed by a short walk. Admission £4.
Knit and Natter - Tuesdays at 7.30 pm.
Line dancing - Wednesdays at 7.30 pm. Admission £4.
If interested in any of the above activities please contact Olive 07887614094, Kathleen 07764277809 or Anne 79642711 to register.
Sarsfield’s Band, practice continues every Thursday at 7.30 pm. Only 6 practice nights left until 17 March. All members are asked to please make a special effort to attend in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day. Tickets for the 2023 Monthly Draw are now on sale. Tickets cost £1 per month or £12 for the year and may be bought from any band member. £50 prize draw every month, plus an extra free draw in December for fully paid up members.
TRÓCAIRE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
On the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in 1973, the Irish Bishops wrote to the Christian people of Ireland establishing Trócaire.
As we mark 50 years of Trócaire, we mark 50 years of perseverance, courage, participation, accountability and solidarity. From supporting human rights defenders in Central America, to leading the relief effort in Vietnam following the war, to providing essential emergency assistance in the midst of crisis, Trócaire has been proud to work on behalf of the people of the island of Ireland in fighting injustice across the world. We thank God for our supporters and partners who empower us to do this vital work. We pray that the next fifty years will see all the people of the world working together for a more just world, and that the fruits of this work will be clear to see.
50TH ANNIVERSARY PRAYER
We pray for God’s blessing on the work of Trócaire.
We pray that all people may continue to work together for the respect of our shared human dignity and shared human rights.
We thank God for the partners and generous supporters who have enabled Trócaire to continue their work for over fifty years, empowering communities to work together for a just world.
We pray for peace and may that peace be mine and yours, and with all people experiencing crises in our world.
Amen
SPERRIN FOODBANK
Sperrin Foodbank has been established by the community for the community. If you are experiencing difficult times or struggling to make ends meet please do not hesitate to call 07543 420639.
If you wish to donate food, donation points can be found in all local schools, Lynch’s Eurospar, Centra and Devlin’s in Moneyneena. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far.
WORLD YOUTH DAY PILGRIMAGE - LISBON 2023
The Diocese of Derry is inviting any young person who is over 18 or will be 18 by July 2023 to join their Pilgrimage to Lisbon for World Youth Day. World Youth Day (WYD) is the gathering of young people from all over the world with the Pope. It is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world. This pilgrimage will take place in August 2023. For now, they are taking expression of interest until they have more information on dates, times and prices. Spaces are limited so signing up now is essential. You can register your interest on the derrydiocese.org website or on the @derryyouth Facebook page Any questions regarding this pilgrimage, may be emailed please to Lizzie Rea, Youth Coordinator at: lizzie.rea@derrydiocese.org
IOSAS CENTRE MUFF
Iosas Centre Café Muff: Sunday Carvery from 12.30 until 3.00 pm. Delicious starters, mains and desserts, using their own organic vegetables. Booking recommended and take away is available. Phone 00353 749384866
(1 course €12.50 ~ 2 courses €15.50 ~ 3 courses €19.50)
Finish your afternoon with a walk in the beautiful Celtic Prayer Garden.
PARKRUN AND PARKWALK
Parkrun and Parkwalk at Derrynoid Forest every Saturday at 9.30 am.
Come along and walk, jog or run on Saturday mornings at Parkrun Derrynoyd Forest, Derrynoyd Road.
Suited to walkers and runners of all abilities, to boost fitness for free. Children and dogs on leads welcome. Parkrun is a free community event and is a timed 5km walk or run. Walkers, runners and new volunteers all welcome. To join register online: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/register/
For more details see: www.parkrun.org.uk/derrynoidforest/
Follow on Facebook: Derrynoid Forest Parkrun
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
