Weekly Bulletin 13th & 14th October

When God seems to be absent!!

I recently received an email on similar lines. Apparently the famous Billy Graham’s daughter was being interviewed about the attack on the twin towers and the direct question was put to her. “How could God let something like nine eleven happen?” Her answer was quite remarkable. Anne Graham said “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our Schools, to get out of our Government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

Then Ann mentioned an American campaigner who didn’t want prayer in schools and the school Boards agreed. This poor lady was murdered sometime later. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school…. And we said OK. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbour as yourself.

She continued: Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. And we said OK. Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “WE REAP WHAT WE SOW”.

And Ann concluded her remarkable answer by saying, Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world is going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

The email ended with a challenge for the reader to question themselves about how easy it is to talk about God in private and not in public,

Fr. Philip Adm (Worth a thought or two!?)

Thank you for the €1,339 which you donated to last Sunday’s collection for the Support of Priests of the Parish (& Dioceses) and for the Share Collection which amounted to €940.

Annual Day for Life:
The Irish Episcopal Conference has asked that today will mark the beginning of a special month of prayer dedicated to the theme ‘Choose Life!’ Day for Life is the day in the Church’s year dedicated to celebrating and upholding the dignity of human life. The Church teaches that life should be protected and nurtured from conception to natural death.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor once wrote that we need to build "an ethos of life that protects persons from womb to tomb - especially the most vulnerable" Consequently; the Catholic community gathers every year to pray for all who care for and nurture life from its very beginnings and growth to its final years. We also pray for legislators and those in authority that they respect and protect human life in all its stages.
Parishes and individuals are invited to pray a special ‘Prayer for the Child in the Womb’ during Masses throughout the month of prayer which will end on the Feast of All the Saints of Ireland on 6th November next. The prayer asks us to open our hearts to welcome every child as a unique and wonderful gift, and to help those who make our laws to uphold the uniqueness and sacredness of every human life from the moment of conception to natural death.
Copies of both the “Prayer for the Child in the Womb” and the Irish catholic Bishop’s Conference booklet on “Day for Life” are available at our entrance doors.

There will be an outdoor collection for the Peter Mc. Verry Trust after all Masses this weekend. This trust supports young homeless people to break the cycle of homelessness and move towards independent living.

Members of the Parish Pastoral Council are reminded that the October meeting of the Council will take place at 8pm on Tuesday next ,Oct. 9th.

The Milltown Parish Active Retirement Group has arranged a visit to Trinity College at 2pm on Oct. 9th. The visit will include a tour of the Library where the Book of Kells can be viewed. Please leave your name in the Parish Pastoral Centre if you are interested in going on this outing.

The Bethany Bereavement Support Group is hosting a Residential Weekend for the bereaved in Orlagh College during the weekend of November 3rd to 5th. This weekend explores the loss of our loved ones and the meaning of death from a Christian perspective through prayer, meditation, discussion, videos and sharing. Further details are available on the Parish Notice Boards.

We are encouraging parishioners to become involved in the Week of Directed Prayer which will take place in the parish during the week of Nov. 11 th – 18th. Participating in this week provides an opportunity for people to experience the gospel in their own lives. Further details of this week will be given at all Masses during the weekend of Oct. 20th & 21st.

The Milltown Parish Adult & Toddler Group meets in the Parish Pastoral Centre at 10.30am on Friday morning. All welcome.

On Thursday October 11th, Milltown Parish will mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican 11 by showing some films from the Radharc Trust on the life of ‘Good Pope John’. These films are ‘John XXIII- Man of the Century’, and ‘A Council in the Likeness of Pope John’. There will be time for discussion after the films. The evening will commence at 7.30pm in the Parish Pastoral Centre. All welcome to attend.

Kilmacud & Mount Merrion Parishes will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Vatican II on Mon. Oct. 8th. Donal Dorr will speak on “Called to be ‘The New People of God”. This talk will take place in the Church of St Laurence O’Toole Kilmacud. For full details on this speaker see www.dublindiocese.ie

All Hallows Lecture Series:
What has happened to Vatican II?
A series of lectures will take place during the month of October each Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. The Lecture Series takes place at Purcell House, All Hallows College, Drumcondra and admission is €10 or €30 for the series. For more details see www.allhallows.ie

Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed John XX111
O God who raised Angelo Giusseppe Roncalli to the dignity of the priesthood, and subsequently to the dignity of Archbishop of Areopolis, and subsequently to the dignity of being Vicar of Christ, Pope John XX111, thus showing the world a model of simplicity in greatness, grant that soon he may be canonized, raised to the honours of the altar, and grant that he may continually intercede for the poor of this world, and the reception of your love and mercy by all humankind.

Attractive church greeting cards are available for sale in the Parish Pastoral Centre, do drop in and have a look.