SYNOD: we pray for Pope Francis, Bishop Michael, and all at the church synod meetings this month in Rome. You know yourselves from recent meetings with Bishop Michael and local priests and people that it’s not just in Rome that they are calling on the light of the Holy Spirit and Our Lady His Beloved Spouse to guide our Church in the right way in these strange and uncertain times. It’s essential to listen to people and where they are coming from and what they feel their pastoral needs are, and to try to find new ways to evangelize in the modern world, for example, by the creative use of social media. I have invited the students of Mary Immaculate to develop a parish app. At the same time, we can derive great comfort from the fact that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We already have the Light, and the Way. His name is Jesus, Whose Church offers us a rich resource of teaching and guidance for living. Even just the section on prayer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church is so helpful. We should all have a copy. So while it’s great to listen to people, and this is largely the spirit of the age, let’s pray that the Synod will also keep in balance the Church’s essential mandate to teach, evangelize, and convert. Let’s all be humble enough to admit that “every day’s a school day,” and I always have something more to learn.

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ST. BRECKAN’S: lads, we are so proud of you. It was a great achievement to get so far, and your day will come.

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CONGRATULATIONS and blessings to Edel Geraghty and Niall Browne, the first couple to marry in the beautiful church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Toovahera, since it was renovated and reopened.

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PARISH MISSION: this Sunday is Mission Sunday. The word “mission” comes from the Latin term missio, meaning “to be sent.” The parish council know that, because of our Baptism, we are all sent in the name of Jesus to bring others to Him, to experience His healing and life-giving grace. To this end, there will be a parish mission on the week of Monday, November 6th, with nightly sessions in Lisdoonvarna church at 7pm, and morning Masses in the 4 churches. A collection towards mission expenses will be taken up the weekend before. Here are the themes and speakers: Coping with addiction: Damien and Mary Richardson, a married couple who have been through it themselves.  Healing and forgiveness: Fr. Oisin Martin, Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Fr. Oisin works in Moyross, Limerick, and has a great heart for young people. Coping with adversity: Antionette Moynihan, founder of Children of the Eucharist. Re-engaging with faith; how do you pray? Deacons John Taafe and Pat Butterly (they were here during the summer), and Faith of our Fathers and Mothers, the enduring values that got them through: Mary Mc Donagh, who lost her son Bernard to suicide.

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Offertory: Thank you for the offertory last week of euro 1465.

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Thank you to Fr. Oliver Ryan for covering Masses last weekend.

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SAFETY FIRST: for the next while, for safety reasons due to the scaffolding, Lisdoonvarna the church will be closed except for weekend Masses and daily Mass. For daily Masses, please enter and exit by the side door on the secondary school side.