Parish Contacts –
Fr Peter Finnerty, PP, Ph: 01-832-3150.
Fr Séamus Connell, Ph: 087-702-5120.
Fr Cathal Price, Ph: 01-832-3683.
Janice Dornan, Parish Sec, Parish Office, Ph 01-839-0433.
Email info@kilbarrackfoxfieldparish.ie
www.kilbarrackfoxfieldparish.ie
Mass times – Mon-Wed 10am; Thurs, 7.30pm; Fri 10am. Sat 6pm. Sun 9.30am and 12 noon. Bayside– Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri &-Sat 10am; Sat 7pm. Sun 8am and 11.00am
THE PARISH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY 6TH JANUARY 2025.
Our parish is part of the partnership in the Howth Deanery as follows – Baldoyle, Bayside, Howth, Kilbarrack/Foxfield, Sutton. Registered Charity Number 20016166.
| Masses for the coming week | ||
| Day | Date | Time |
| Intentions for Fr Eoghan O’Cadhla | Tues. 24th | 10am |
| Bernie Hanley (A) and remember her husband Cathal Hanley | Fri. 27th | 10am |
| Sally Butler (A) | Sun. 29th | 9.30am |
| Isabel O’Neill, Month’s Mind | Sun. 29th | 12pm |
Recently Deceased
We remember in our prayers,
Doreen Nolan, RIP, late of Foxfield St. John.
Doreen was a much-loved parishioner and our Church florist for many years. Each year, she designed beautiful displays for many occasions such as Communions, Confirmations, Easter, and Christmas, volunteering her own time to enhance our celebrations. We will miss Doreen’s gentle, unassuming presence. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family
friends and neighbours. May she rest in peace.
Christmas Schedule 2024
Tues. 24th Confessions: 10.30 am – 12 noon.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Resumes on Tues. 7th Jan.
A communal Penitential Service: Mon. 23rd Dec at 10am
Christmas Masses
Christmas Eve: Tues. 24th Dec. 10am and 6pm (Mass of the Nativity)
Christmas Day: Wed. 25th Dec. 9.30am and 12noon
Mass (10am): Thurs. 26th Dec. and Friday 27th Dec.
Thurs. 26th Dec. No Divine Mercy Hour.
Normal Mass Times: Sat. 28th/Sun. 29th/Mon. 30th Dec.
New Year’s Masses
Tues. 31st Mass 10am and Mass of Thanksgiving 9pm.
Normal Mass Times
Wed. 1st, Fri. 3rd and Sat. 4th/Sun. 5th Jan. 2025
Thurs. 2nd Jan. at 7.30pm. Divine Mercy Hour.
Feast of the Epiphany Mon. 6th Jan. Mass at 10am.
Vigil Sun. 5th at 7pm including Healing of the Generations Mass. All Masses on Webcam. See www.kilbarrackfoxfieldparish.ie
Happy Christmas
We extend very best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas to all our parishioners and their families. We keep in mind the family members who are far away and unable to travel this year and will include them in our prayers.
We send a big welcome and Christmas wishes to all those who have joined our parish recently.
Those who were bereaved during the last year will have a special place in our thoughts and prayers during this Christmas season which is a difficult and sad time for you.
May the peace of Christ spread throughout our Parish in the year ahead.
Frs. Peter, Séamus, Cathal and Paul
Fourth Sunday in Advent – ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!’
With their themes of obedience to God’s will and faith in God’s promises, today’s readings are full of expectant hope.
The prophet Micah (First Reading) foretells the birth of the Messiah. Jesus will come from the small town of Bethlehem: he is the new king who will reunite and rule all the people, as a shepherd guides his flock. The Psalm reminds us to call on God as our shepherd, placing our trust in his power and strength, especially when we face struggles. The Second Reading highlights the obedience of Jesus to God’s will. In offering himself as a sacrifice, Jesus brings salvation from sin to all who have faith in him. The Gospel describes Mary’s visit to her cousin, Elizabeth, and their mutual greeting. Jesus is recognized as the Messiah even before his birth. Elizabeth sings Mary’s praise because Mary bears the Lord, and Elizabeth’s own unborn child, John the Baptist, ‘leaps for joy.’
We pray: ‘Lord, help us, like Mary, to be humble and obedient to your will. Help us to see your presence in our daily lives and recognize and welcome you in every moment.’
Advent in our Church
‘Come Lord Jesus’ is the focus for 4th week of Advent. Our time of waiting is almost over and we will celebrate the birth of Jesus soon. We light the candle of love this week and those of joy, peace and hope. The Jesse tree symbols are – sandal, saw, crown and Chi Rho reminding us of John the Baptist, Joseph, Mary and Jesus.
Praying Christmastide with St Ignatius: The Holy Trinity looks upon the world
For Christmas reflections, we are invited to walk in the footsteps of St Ignatius as he asks us to meditate on the mystery of the Incarnation made possible by Mary’s fiat: ‘Let it be done unto me.’ He suggests that in the company of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – we might imagine looking upon this earth. Then we ponder how Jesus – the Word made human for us in a stable in Bethlehem – entered our world. Jesus brings hope to all, this Christmas and always, as the Incarnation still goes on: Christ the Word made flesh, living in the hearts, hands and minds of all people of goodwill.
A booklet to help with this can be viewed online and/or can be printed at https://stbeunosoutreach.wordpress.com/
Bayside Christmas Schedule
Tuesday 24th December Vigil Mass 9pm
Christmas Day Masses 8am. 9.30am and 11am (children).
St Stephen’s Day, Friday 27th, Saturday 28th Mass 10am.
Saturday 28th 7pm. Sunday 8am and 11am.
Feast of Epiphany Monday 6th January Mass 10am. No vigil.
Access www.newpilgrimpath.ie for two beautiful musical compositions for Christmas – ‘The Virgin is with Child’ and ‘Ceremony of Carols’.
Christmas Masses
We look forward to seeing everyone at the Christmas ceremonies. As the Christmas Eve Mass is at 6pm, it might suit some parents to bring children there to see baby Jesus placed in the crib and to join in the carol singing.
O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the Wise Men from Orient land
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Come Lord Jesus. Come Lord Jesus. Come Lord Jesus
Come and be born in our hearts.
Come Emmanuel. Come Emmanuel. Come Emmanuel.
Come and be born in our hearts.
Come O Prince of peace. Come O Prince of peace. Come O Prince of peace. Come and be born in our hearts.
Forgive Yourself This Christmas
This Christmas, forgive someone, or yourself, for something that is no longer worth the precious head and heart-space.
This Christmas, build a broken bridge, but don’t hesitate to add an emotional boundary, at your side.
This Christmas, spend more time on those little kind deeds than on shopping, or lay an extra placemat at your table. Your food will stretch, if your love does.
This Christmas, refuse to berate yourself for being gloriously human, for over-indulging, for enjoying the moments that matter, and stepping off the crazy treadmill of life.
This Christmas, resist the urge to speed up and instead, slow everything down, because it’s in the slowing down of the chaos, we really come alive.
We are not allocated unlimited Christmases my friends, but we do have this very one.
Jump in. Feet first, heart next, head later.
Life will yield, if you do. – Donna Ashworth
A Christmas Letter from Jesus
When you look for me at Christmas,
you won’t need a special star.
I’m no longer just in Bethlehem.
I’m right here where you are.
You may not be aware of me
among the celebrations.
You’ll have to look beyond the stores
and all the decorations.
But if you take a moment
from the things you have to do
To close your eyes and say a prayer,
I’m waiting here for you.
You’re the reason that I want to be here,
you’re the reason that I came.
And you’ll find me in your stillness
where I’m whispering your name.
If I Could Have Just One More Day With You
If I could have just one more day with you, I would hardly speak. I would simply listen to your voice and commit every tone of it to memory until it became my favourite melody.
I would look at you. I would study your eyes and your mouth, and I would learn every angle, every pane of your face until I could see you perfectly with my eyes closed.
I would hold your hand in mine. I would trace all the lines on your palm until they became a trail – a map – that I could retrace on my own palm every time I felt lost.
I would soak you up and breathe you in until there was not a single thing that I could not recall at a moment’s notice.
But more than anything, if I had one more day with you,
I would hold you.
I would hold you so tight, hoping that maybe if I didn’t let you go, You wouldn’t.
Yes, if I had just one more day with you, I would hope… I would hope so hard…
that you wouldn’t have to leave again.
Thought For the Week
“Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humour to lighten the burden of your tender heart.” – Maya Angelou
