Bereavement Support One—to—one

Bereavement Support - confidentiality

assured. No appointment necessary and

no costs involved. At the Armagh

Diocesan Pastoral Centre, The Magnet,

The Demesne, Dundalk, every Thurs

morning from 10.30am – 12.30pm

Enquiries please call 042 - 9336393

between 10am – 2pm.

Drogheda Accord

Marriage Preparation courses for 2014.

Courses will take place over the coming

year on the following dates:

January 17 & 18 February 7 & 8

March 7 & 8 April 11 & 12

May 16 & 17 September 19 & 20

October 10 & 11 November 14 & 15.

To book please call 041-984 3860.

Website -accorddrogheda@eircom.net.

Clogherhead Credit Union

Christmas Opening Hours

27th Dec (Fri) 4.00p.m. to 5.00p.m. 7.30p.m. to 9.00p.m. 28th Dec (Sat) 10.00a.m. to 12 noon 30th Dec (Mon) 10.00a.m. to 11.00a.m. 31st Dec (Tue) 10.00a.m. to 12 noon 1st Jan (Wed) CLOSED

Ministers of the Eucharist for January

7.30pm Saturday Ollie Gaynor

11.30am Nan McCormack

Ministers of the Word for January

7.30pm Ann Wilkinson

11.30am David Byrne

10.00am Walshestown Sandra McDonnell

Church Altar Society Team for January

Jean Boylan, Mary King & Catherine Kirwan

St. Patrick’s College, Thurles Mr. Ruairí

Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills,

has decided to allow St. Patrick’s College,

Thurles to accept another intake of students

on their four teacher education programmes

in September 2014.

All programmes are accredited by the

University of Limerick and approved by the

Teaching Council. Students interested in

becoming second-level teachers should

contact phourigan@stpats.ie (Paula

Hourigan at 087-7117772) for further

details.

Christmas Prayer

May the light of your word guide us to him as

the star guided the wise men; make us

generous with the gifts you have given us,

just as the wise men were generous. Teach us

to ponder all these things in our hearts, as

Mary did. Amen

Urgent Call For 40 Days Of Prayer And Fasting- Precious Life Ministries invite you to

unite with them in 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting beginning on Wednesday 1st January

(Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) to Sunday 9th February. You can participate by

offering up your daily Mass; daily Rosary; daily Divine Mercy; daily Holy Hour; and

fast from a favourite food – imploring Heaven to protect Ireland from the scourge of

abortion. For further information please contact: Precious Life (048) 9027 8484

Mission Calendar 2014 available as a little

gift from Fr Martin. Please take one for anyone

who can't get out to Mass or anyone who

doesn't come to the Masses in the Parish.

Happy New Year one and all!

‘Parenting with Maisie’ -Need help being the

best Parent you can be? Courses begin Wednesday

15th January 2014 @ 10am or 7.30pm. For details

phone 042-937 1491 or 087-210 0620.

ARCHDIOCESE OF ARMAGH

Clogherhead Parish St Colmcille’s Pastoral Area

Mission Statement - To b u i l d b r i d g e s , b r i n g t o g e t h e r a n d r e n e w t h e p a r i s h c o m m u n i t y in a spirit of faith, trust and hope through loving service of God and our neighbour

www.clogherhead.myparish.eu E-mail: clogherheadparish@hotmail.com

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS FRANCIS

FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE

WORLD DAY OF PEACE 1st

JAN 2014

FRATERNITY, THE FOUNDATION AND

PATHW AY TO PEACE

In this, my first Message for the World Day of

Peace, I wish to offer to everyone, individuals and

peoples, my best wishes for a life filled with joy

and hope. In the heart of every man and woman is

the desire for a full life, including that irrepressible

longing for fraternity which draws us to fellowship with others and enables us to see them not as

enemies or rivals, but as brothers and sisters to be accepted and embraced.

Fraternity is an essential human quality, for we are relational beings. A lively awareness of our

relatedness helps us to look upon and to treat each person as a true sister or brother; without

fraternity it is impossible to build a just society and a solid and lasting peace. We should remember

that fraternity is generally first learned in the family, thanks above all to the responsible and

complementary roles of each of its members, particularly the father and the mother. The family is the

wellspring of all fraternity, and as such it is the foundation and the first pathway to peace, since, by

its vocation, it is meant to spread its love to the world around it. Christ embraces all of humanity and wishes no one to be lost. “For God sent the Son into the world,

not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:17). He does it

without oppressing or constraining anyone to open to him the doors of heart and mind. “Let the

greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves” – Jesus Christ

says – “I am among you as one who serves” (Lk 22:26-27). Every activity therefore must be

distinguished by an attitude of service to persons, especially those furthest away and less known.

Service is the soul of that fraternity that builds up peace.

May Mary, the Mother of Jesus, help us to understand and live every day the fraternity that springs

up from the heart of her Son, so as to bring peace to each person on this our beloved earth.

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 29 Dec 2013

Sunday Cycle A Psalter Week 1 Weekday Proper

St Michael Clogherhead Sts Peter & Paul Walshestown

Parish Contact Detai ls

Fr. Martin McVeigh P.P. Parochial House 041 982 2438

Fr. William Murtagh P.E. A.P. 041 982 2224

Parish Secretary – Ann McEvoy at Parochial House Wednesday 9.30-12.30 & Friday 2.30 – 5.30 pm

041 982 2438 or 087 648 6809

Mass Times

Clogherhead — St Michael’s:

Vigil (Sat) 7.30pm Sunday 11.30am

Walshestown — Ss Peter & Paul’s:

Sunday 10.00am ______________

Weekday Masses St Michael’s:

Monday 9am.

Wed. — New Year’s Day 11am

Thursday and Friday 9am

We pray for our deceased relatives & friends, the Parish List of the Dead, deceased benefactors

of the Parish, the recently deceased: Clare Haughney, Kevin Murphy, Sheila Devine,

Freda Doherty, Kevin Stanley, & the Masses offered this week:

M a s s

Intentions

St Michael, Clogherhead

Vigil Joe Flanagan (1st Anniversary),

Kieran Kirwan, Val & Clare Reilly

Sunday Peter & Alice Conry, Joan Hodgins,

Paddy & Mary O’Halloran, Oliver Mulroy,

Philomena (Mena) Byrne.

Monday 9am Paddy & Ciss Gallagher

New Year’s Eve No Mass

New Year’s Day 11am John Farrell

Thursday 9am Lynch Family &

Maureen & John Robbins

Friday 9am Paddy & Amy Johnstone

Next Vigil Maureen Kirwan, Laurence Kirwan, Paddy,

Angela & Mary Gorman, Christy O’Neill

Next Sun Freda Doherty (Month’s Mind)

Prayer for Vocations

O Jesus, send labourers into your fields

which are awaiting holy apostles, saintly

priests, heroic missionaries and dedicated

sisters and brothers. Enkindle in the hearts

of men and women the spark of a vocation.

Grant that Christian families may desire to

give your Church helpers in the work of

tomorrow. Amen.

St. Vincent de Paul: Assistance available

Contact 086 — 039 0612 or 041 — 983 5914

Sts Peter & Paul, Walshestown

Sunday Joe, Mary & Peter Meegan

Next Sun

May the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God,

rest in peace. Amen.

Parish Safeguarding Representative Nora Molloy 086 894 9320

Diocesan Safeguarding Officer Pat McGlew 0044 784 110 1687

Last week’s Sunday Church plate &

envelope collection for the Parish

Development Fund totalled €1,280.41, made

up of envelopes receipts of €789.00 & loose

Plate of €491.41 . Grateful thanks.

You are warmly invited to come along to

Mass on New Year's morning in

St Michael's at 11am.

New Year's Day is also the solemn

feast—day of MARY, MOTHER OF GOD.

What better way to begin the New Year!

First Friday Calls: The monthly visits will take

place on Thursday & Friday. If you or a

member of your family is unable to get to

Sunday Mass and would like to be included in

the visit, please phone or call to the Parochial

House.

SEEING YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPELS

Matthew 2:13-23

1 The threat to the child Jesus put Joseph in a situation where he had to make a quick and yet wise

decision. Perhaps you have also had to make a speedy response to an unexpected crisis. Who were

the ‘angels’ who guided you to wise decisions? Remember them and give thanks.

2 The whole narrative is designed to bring out the guidance of God’s providence for the child

Jesus. Have there been times when you have been grateful that things worked out well for you

despite adverse circumstances or experiences?

3 External forces forced migration on Joseph and his family, until he came to establish a home in

Nazareth. What have been the places in which you have lived before coming to the place you now

call home? How has this journey helped to fashion the person you are now? Perhaps you have a

mixture of gratitude and regrets as you look back. Give thanks for the good memories. What helps

you to deal with the disappointments and hurts in the past? Bring them to God with a prayer for

further healing.

4 The story and today’s feast remind us of the importance of the family in nourishing and fostering

new life. Recall and give thanks for those in your own childhood who helped you to find your way

in life.

john byrne osa

When do you take down the Christmas Decorations? After the annual celebration of the paschal mystery, the Church has no more ancient custom than celebrating the memorial of the

Nativity of the Lord and of his first manifestations, and this takes place in Christmas Time, a period that lasts at least 13 days as you will see below.

Christmas Time runs from First Vespers (Evening Prayer 1) of the Nativity of the Lord — 24th Dec. — up to and including the Sunday after Epiphany, 6th January — in 2014: this will be 12th January, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. So Christmas time not only runs over the TWELVE DAYS OF

CHRISTMAS but it extends beyond the twelve days to the feast of the Baptism of the

Lord on the Sunday following the feast of the Epiphany.

So when should we take down the decorations? (Traditionally they’re first put up after 8th Dec. Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Well, certainly NOT BEFORE THE END OF THE 12th Day of Christmas (6th January, “Old Christmas Day”, the Feast of the Epiphany when the Wise Men come to the Manger). And the decorations could even be left in place until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord

(which will be January 12th in this New Year), a feast that brings to an end Christmas Time.

Thanks be to God for your turning out in such large numbers for the four Christmas Masses in our Parish. It was heart-warming for us all! Don’t forget the New Year Resolutuion “to give an hour to God at Mass every Sunday” (or Vigil). We’ll really MISS YOU at Mass if you don’t! On a personal note, thank you for all your kindness to me in the past 5 months in the Parish & thanks too for your greetings, cards and gifts for Christmas from the four corners of the Parish. As we stand on the threshold of 2014, may God make you and me still more firm in our Catholic

faith, joyful in our hope and untiring in our love. Míle buíochas — Thanks so much. Fr Martin