We remember in prayer:
Boherlahan
Sat 18 Dec 7.30pm Niall Dunne, Thurlesbeg & dec. members of the Hayes & Dunne families
Sun 19 Dec 11.00am Jerry, Bridget, Aileen & Timmy Coffey and dec. members of the Coffey and Maher families
Wed 22 Dec 10.00am Kit Colton (née O’ Dwyer) Ballyroe & Barnsley, England
Fri 24 Dec 5.00pm Catherine Moloney, Ardmayle & Clonmel
Sat 25 Dec 11.00am Willie Dwyer, Ballytarsna
Dualla
Sat 18 Dec 6.30pm Willie & Joan Maxy, Ballinure
Mon 20 Dec 9.30am Deceased members of Ryan family, Rathclough
Pray for: Bridie Heffernan, Bown (Mass offered); Daniel McCarthy, Bawnmore (Mass offered); Tom Brennan, Clonmel, Synone and Wakefield, England, who was interred last week.
Blessing the Christ Child: This beautiful Advent tradition was instituted by Pope St John Paul II during his papacy. For many years in Rome children have brought their Baby Jesus figures to St Peter’s Square where the Pope blesses them. We share in the spirit of that tradition in our own homes. Use the blessing that follows at home with all the family gathered around your crib.
Bambinelli Blessing: Dear children, gathered with all the family, we ask God to bless our Baby Jesus figure. + May the protection of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph protect us all. The crib in our home reminds us that Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem. May Jesus bless us and our families with joy and peace. When we pray at our family crib this Christmas, may we be thankful for the gift of each other. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Holy Communion Ministers (on duty next weekend)
Boherlahan: Mary Coman; Marie Ryan
Dualla: Ann Barry Ward; Joanne Flanagan
We need new volunteers in Boherlahan to help as Communion Ministers. We hope to have a meeting of the new ministers soon and will include them in the roster for January.
Christmas Masses next weekend:
- Fri 24 Dec (Christmas Eve): Dualla 4.00pm; Boherlahan 5.00pm
- Sat 25 Dec (Christmas Day): Dualla 9.30am; Boherlahan 11.00am
- Sun 26 Dec (St Stephen’s Day): Dualla 9.30am; Boherlahan 11.00am
Note the earlier Mass times on Christmas Eve and no vigil Masses on Christmas Day.
Christmas Confessions: Confessions will be heard after the Masses in both churches each weekend during the month of December.
Ministers for the Month of December:
Boherlahan (We invite those normally collectors to act as ushers.)
Readers: Sat. eve. Corinne O’ Connell: Sun. Morn. Ann Murphy
Stewards: (Sat) John Foley; Kevin Maher; (Sun) Johnny Ryan; Philip Bargary; Mary Maher (Clareen)
Dualla
Readers: Noel Hayes; Chris Hayes
Stewards: Bernie Sheehy; Thomas Heffernan; Tommy Walsh; Kieran O’Connor
Altar Society: Ann Ryan; Breda Ryan; Eleanor Dwyer; Nora Moloughney
Diocesan Pastoral Plan: This plan was launched recently and it gives guidelines on future developments in the Diocese. We hope to call a meeting as soon as possible to discuss and plan how our parish here can play its part. We also plan to distribute some literature on the plan “Seeds of Hope” in the coming weeks.
Ninth Collection: This was traditionally the Priests’ Christmas Collection, and it was taken up last weekend. If you were away or missed out you may hand in your contribution at any time. We sincerely thank all who support our parish collections.
Christmas Church Decorations: Our sincere thanks to Mary Kevin and all her team for their help in decorating the church in Boherlahan for the feast of the Nativity. Kathleen O’ Donnell and helpers have done likewise in Dualla church. We greatly appreciate the work of the Altar Societies in both churches. Your work gives praise and glory to God.
Boherlahan-Dualla End of Year Parish Report: The annual Parish Report is ready for distribution and is available in the sacristy of the church. In the report you will find the Parish Calendar, the End of Year Letter, a Financial Statement and a packet of envelopes for each week or a single envelope incorporating all collections. We express our sincere and heartfelt thanks for your support, your friendship and your loyalty. Every year different people from the parish help in the distribution of the envelopes. If you would like to help in this work, please come to the sacristy after Mass and pick up the envelopes for your townland or estate. This will be a great help to us. We are also very grateful to all those who helped us in the preparation of the Report.
Covid and Safety in Church
- We ask those coming into the church to wear a face covering.
- We again encourage you to follow the direction of the stewards/ushers at each Mass.
- Please sanitize your hands entering and leaving the church and at all times respect appropriate distancing.
- The Collection Box is in the porch of the Church if you wish to make a contribution.
- At the end of each Mass, we are hoping for volunteers to help in sanitizing the pews and seats. Some cloths and sanitizing liquid are available in the church.
- We ask everyone to use good common sense in respecting all the protocols. We thank you for your wonderful cooperation thus far.
Advent & Christmas Thought: Someone was once asked why people go on pilgrimage- the Camino, Lough Derg and many other places. A common sometimes unconscious reason is ‘they want to learn what they believe’ (in Guy Stagg, The Crossway)…At Christmas you can give a bit of time to ‘learning what you believe’. This is different to believing what your have learned! It’s finding out what keeps us going in faith and in life. Advent and Christmas can be annual stages on a pilgrim journey of life. The crowded churches at Christmas are made up of all sorts of people- the regulars, the occasionals, and the annuals. Maybe a question for Christmas in the middle of all the secular and religious celebration is ‘what do I learn about my faith?’ In discovering why I go to Mass at Christmas maybe I discover what I really believe in! A pilgrimage ends with what we bring home with us. Christmas ends with what we bring with us through the year, -if we are extra kind at Christmas, we can be so for the rest of the year. If we worship or pray, why not during the year? If we do things that help us enjoy family life, we can do the same. As we move home from a pilgrim place, we move into the New Year that follows. We bring the spirit of our pilgrimage with us all year. (Donal Neary SJ)
