Friday, November 16, 2012

Weekly Bulletin 17th & 18 November

Early and often!!

We were delighted to be a voting station in the Children’s referendum. It’s the first time that the Parish pastoral Centre was used for voting. It gave us an opportunity to show off the Centre and have tea and coffee available all day. Many people came in with no clue about the Centre and seemed quite impressed.

I regard myself as a tactical voter. I initially presumed that the referendum would be passed (my thinking was that any child who is abandoned by his/her parents should be able to be adopted), so I’d be glad that the referendum would be carried! When the discussions went on, I got more annoyed with what seemed to be muddying of the waters. I then decided I’d vote NO so that when the referendum was passed it wouldn’t be passed by a huge majority and so those in charge might take more care of referenda and children’s rights in the future.

As I got further confused I decided to look at the Referendum information. I couldn’t find where the ‘regardless of the martial status of the parents’ seemed to change anything as the info didn’t say that marital status was a problem to having a child adopted. (Are you confused? I was!)

Then came the Supreme Court decision about the 1.1 Mil of taxpayers (I’m one of those!) money miss –spent.

With Barnardo’s etc recommending a yes vote I still wanted it passed but, now with reservation. So I decided to vote NO in the hope that the lack of a good majority would get the Government to take some for the confusion and to put them on their toes re children’s rights.

Fr. Philip (on my toes?!)

Thank you for the €1,375 which you donated to last Sunday’s collection for the Support of Priests of the Parish (& Dioceses) and for the CYC Collection which amounted to €2899.

Our condolences to the family and friends of the late Liam Higgins whose funeral Mass took place here during the last week.

Family Mass /Children’s Liturgy of the Word: We invite parents of young children to a meeting in the Parish Pastoral Centre after today’s 10am Mass .We will be discussing a Parish Family Mass/ Children’s Liturgy of the Word. Our first project will be the Children’s Liturgy on Christmas Eve.

Envelopes are available at the back of the Church for those who wish to have their departed family members and friends included on our Altar List of the Dead.

Focus Ireland have cancelled their outdoor collection which was due to take place this weekend

Mission Sunday: The Society for the Propagation of the Faith thank the parishioners of Milltown for the generous donation of €3,105 to the recent collection.

All of our Eucharistic Ministers are reminded of the two night training course which will take place at 8pm in Avila on Monday 19th and Monday 26th November.

The local Focolare Group have invited Fr. Brendan Leahy, Professor of Theology at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, to speak on ‘The Year of Faith’ in the Parish Pastoral Centre at 8pm on Monday 19th. The specific aim of the Year of Faith is that every Christian may rediscover “the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ” (Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei, 2).
The Focolare Group also invites parishioners to their 4 Advent Refection Evenings which will commence in their home in Ramleh Close on Tuesday Nov. 27th. Further details of this programme are on the Parish Notice Boards

The Annual Mass for parishioners who have died during the past year will take place at 8pm on Tues. Nov. 20th. Parishioners are invited to attend this Mass and join with the families of the bereaved for light refreshments in the Parish Pastoral Centre after Mass.

The Parish Liturgy Group will meet at 8pm on this Thursday, November 22nd.

New members are invited to join the Parish Craft Group that meets at 10.30am on Thursday mornings in the Parish Pastoral Centre.

Next Sunday’s 10am Mass is part of the ‘Do this in Memory of Me’ programme for children who will be receiving their First Holy Communion in May. We welcome the children their parents and families

We are looking for offers for an excellent Stamp Collection which a parishioner kindly donated. Please contact the Parish office if you, or somebody you know, are interested in collecting stamps. The collection will be sold to the highest bidder.

The Parish Advent Programme will take place in the Parish Pastoral Centre at 8pm on Thursdays December 6th and 13th. Fr. Jim Corkery S.J. will be the speaker on these nights. Further details will follow.

The Annual Milltown Parish Christmas Fair :will take place from 10am – 2pm on Sunday, December 2nd.

We have received a donation of some dried fruit and cherries. Please collect some of this fruit if you would like to use it for baking that will be donated to the Cake Stall at our Christmas fair.

Also, we ask parishioners to start gathering their unwanted gifts and ornaments that could be donated to the Treasures Stall which was a great success at last year’s Fair.

Attractive Parish Christmas Cards are with our printers at the moment and will soon be available for purchase.

The Milltown Parish Active Retirement Group is having its Annual Christmas Dinner at 7.30pm on Saturday December 1st in Milltown Golf Club. Tickets cost €35 and are for sale in the Parish Centre.

The Film Show which was arranged by the Active Retirement Group for Tuesday November 20th has been rescheduled to take place in the New Year.

It’s a pity to see parents with their children standing in the porch during Mass. Why not pop over to the Parish Pastoral Centre if you feel your children need a little break? With the help of our newly installed speakers you will still be able to hear what is happening in the church. Feel free to return to the church after your children have had a little break. Fr. Philip Bradley

Weekly Bulletin 3rd & 4th November

YES TO CHILDREN”IN THE WOMB!

The baby’s life in the womb is an astonishing odyssey of growth and development. As science makes clear, it is at fertilisation that a new, unique and genetically complete human being comes into existence. From that moment onwards, each of us did grow and develop into a human being. We grew and developed as a human being.
18 – 21 Days - after conception, before many women even realise that they are pregnant, the baby’s heart is beating.
At 8 weeks every organ to be found in a fully grown adult person is already formed.
At 11 weeks fingerprints and fingernails can be clearly seen.
At 12 weeks the baby’s lips open and close. The baby can turn her or his head and move around the womb.
At 16 weeks the baby reacts to sound, sucks, swallows and yawns.
At 18 weeks most mothers feel the baby moving. The baby exercises her or his developing muscles by pushing with the feet and head. The baby now sucks her or his thumb.
At 24 weeks the baby continues moving, hearing and perhaps even dreaming.
At 30 – 40 weeks the baby, if protected from harm, will continue to grow bigger and stronger until it is time to be born.

The Irish Catholic Bishop’s Conference has published a leaflet called ‘Day for Life’. Copies of this publication are available on the Church Book Stand. The special website www.chooselife2012.ie has additional resources and a video presentation which you may like to look at. You may also sign up to the ‘@chooselife2012’ Twitter account and by so doing you will receive regular messages on the ‘Choose Life’ theme.

The 32nd Anniversary Mass in commemoration of the Servant of God, Frank Duff , will take place in St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Marlborough St.
on Saturday, 17th November, at 3.p.m.
Principle Celebrant and Homilist: the Most Rev. Dr. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin. All are welcome to attend.

Thank you for the €1,208 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 €909. The Collections on All Saints Day, November 1st amounted to €386 and €250.

This weekends Share Collection will be replaced by the Annual Collection for CYC. Please be as generous as you can.

Florence Vickery was baptised in our church last weekend. We welcome her into our Christian community and congratulate her parents and Godparents

Congratulations to Kate Thornhill and Edmund Ryan, who were married in our church last weekend.

The following items were discussed at the November meeting of the Parish Pastoral Council: Child Protection, World Youth Day, and Children’s Mass booklet, Recruitment of Eucharistic Ministers, Parish Census and the Diocesan Pilot Programme for Baptism.

Envelopes are available at the back of the Church for those who wish to have their departed family members and friends included on our Altar List of the Dead.

Parishioners who have registered to participate in our Week of Directed Prayer are reminded that the initial meeting of their retreat will take place in the Parish Pastoral Centre at 6.30pm on this Sunday evening, November the 11th.

Focus Ireland will have volunteers collecting outside our church after all Masses next weekend.

The local Focolare Group have invited Fr. Brendan Leahy, Professor of Theology at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, to speak on ‘The Year of Faith’ in the Parish Pastoral Centre at 8pm on Monday 19th. the specific aim of the Year of Faith is that every Christian may rediscover “the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ” (Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei, 2).

The Annual Mass for parishioners who have died during the past year will take place at 8pm on Tues. Nov. 20th. Parishioners are invited to attend this Mass and join with the families of the bereaved for light refreshments in the Parish Pastoral Centre after Mass.

The Miscarriage Association of Ireland will have their Annual Service of Remembrance at 3pm on this Sunday, Nov. 11th in St. Teresa’s Church, Donore Ave. off the South Circular Road.

Parishioners, who last weekend kindly volunteered to become Eucharistic Ministers in our Parish, are invited to attend a short meeting at 8pm in the Parish Pastoral Centre on Thursday November 15th.
Both our newly recruited Eucharistic Ministers and our current Ministers have 2 nights training at 8pm in Avila on Monday 19th and 26th.

Wordonweb- Online Faith Formation: Details of the Orlagh Year of Faith Programme are on the Parish Notice Boards. You are invited to a workshop in Orlagh on Saturday, November 17th, where a demonstration and explanation of their new Wow Process will be held. This workshop will show how to use modern technology to nourish your faith.

Restorative Justice Week begins on Mon. Nov. 12th. Prisoners and their families are often the forgotten members of our communities and this is an opportunity for all of us to remember them. It is also a time to remember the victims of crime. During the coming week Restorative Justice will feature on The Living Word each morning.
The ‘International Charity Bazaar’ takes place on Sunday 18 November from 11am to 5pm at the Burlington Hotel, Dublin. The theme for this year’s bazaar is ‘Experience the World in a Day’ and more than 50 embassies based in Dublin are taking part. For more information visit http://www.internationalbazaar.ie

Family Mass /Children’s Liturgy of the Word: We invite parents of young children to a meeting in the Parish Pastoral Centre after next Sunday’s 10am Mass (Nov. 18th) .We will be discussing a Parish Family Mass/ Children’s Liturgy of the Word. Our first project will be the Children’s Liturgy on Christmas Eve.

Milltown Parish’s Christmas Fair: Sunday, December 2nd. We have received a donation of some dried fruit and cherries from a parishioner. Please collect some of this fruit if you would like to use it for baking that will be donated to the Cake Stall at our Christmas fair.
Also, we ask parishioners to start gathering their unwanted gifts and ornaments that could be given to the Treasures Stall which was a great success at last year’s Fair.

The Parish Advent Programme will take place in the Parish Pastoral Centre at 8pm on Thursdays December 6th and 13th. Fr. Jim Corkery S.J. will be the speaker on these nights. Further details to follow.