THANK YOU FOR LAST WEEK’S COLLECTION: €1630.

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THIS YEAR’S PARISH PILGRIMAGE to Medjugorje will leave please God from Shannon airport on Wednesday, August 28^th to Wednesday, September 4^th. There will be no Masses on the weekdays. Weekend Masses will be celebrated by Fr. Denis Luddy (Redemptorist Father). His number is 087 2230493.  In case of emergency, please contact Fr. Richard Flanagan in Ballyvaughan on 086 0235313.

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RELICS OF ST. BERNADETTE OF LOURDES will visit Galway cathedral on September 5th and 6th.

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TO BOOK MASSES: please text Mary on 0868236596 or myself. The newsletter for the weekend we are away will be prepared early, so please text us early for Mass intentions. During that weekend you can also pop in to Fr. Denis before the Mass and ask him to include your loved ones.

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HOLY MASS AT ST. AUGUSTINE’S WELL, KILSHANNY: (Biddy McGann, Smithstown, and Patrick Nestor) Tuesday, Aug 27^th at 7pm (feast of St. Monica, Augustine’s long-suffering mammy), as we will be going to Medjugorje on the following day. We will move to Kilshanny church in case of inclement weather.

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WE WELCOME OUR GUEST PREACHER THIS WEEKEND: Mr. Will O’Shea. Will hails from Co. Cork. After a few years as a primary schoolteacher, he heard the call of Jesus to shepherd His people and now Will is studying for the diocesan priesthood in Maynooth. He will share his inspiring story with us.

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REGARDING THE WEEKLY COLLECTION-ENVELOPES: first of all, thank you so much for your support of our parish. God bless and reward you. If you are kindly contributing after a few weeks’ gap, it’s not necessary to send in all the envelopes! Just put your contribution into one, please.

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REGARDING YOUR OFFERINGS FOR MASSES FOR YOUR LOVED-ONES: once again, thank you for your generosity and support of the parish. When kindly giving your offering, would you mind please writing the name of your deceased loved-one on the envelope, and the name of whichever of our four churches the Mass is being offered in? Thank you. This will really help with record-keeping.

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FR. PAUL MURPHY: thank you most sincerely for your payers for our colleague in Galway-Kilfenora diocese, military chaplain Fr.Paul Murphy, who was stabbed last week in a terrorist attack. Did we ever think we would see the day when this would happen in our own country, and our own diocese? I have had the privilege of meeting Fr. Paul and others of our gallant peacekeepers abroad while visiting the Holy Land. They came down from Camp Shamrock in the Golan Heights to meet us for coffee in Tiberias, on the shores of the beautiful Sea of Galilee. The Lord Himself said: “blessed are the peacemakers.” What a cruel irony that Fr. Paul had to come home to Ireland to experience the very opposite of peace. I hope that our legal system will send the message to the perpetrator of this potentially fatal act that his behaviour will not be countenanced, and that it will not be explained away or minimalised by well-intentioned but naïve people.  While we must have compassion and understanding for all, we stunt someone’s maturity and do them no favours if we absolve them of responsibility for their actions. Suchan attitude will eventually result in a society lacking a moral compass and a spiritual back bone.

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GORTA-SELF HELP AFRICA wish to thank you for your contributions last week of €262.65 (Lisdoonvarna); €240 (Kilshanny)

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ENNISTYMON CREDIT UNION have kindly awarded our parish a Community Investment Fund grant of almost 5,000. This will be used please God for the installation of audio-visual equipment and seating in our newly refurbished church community-room. Thank you so much to them for this, and for their wonderful service.

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