Church of St John the Evangelist Kilbarrack Foxfield Parish Newsletter Sunday 19th December 2021 Fourth Sunday of Advent

Fr Peter Finnerty, Administrator, 01-832-3150

Fr Finbarr Neylon, CC, 086-356-6380

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

 

Masses for the coming week
Ann Byrne (Living) Mon. 20th 10am
Deceased Members of the Crean Family Mon. 21st 10am

 

Mass Details

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 10am; Thursday 7.30pm (and Divine Mercy Hour). Saturday 6.30pm; Sunday 9.30am and 12noon. We encourage all to pray as below if joining in on webcam. www.kilbarrackfoxfieldparish.ie.

 

Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.  Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.  I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

 

Recently Deceased

Mary Caulfield, RIP, late of Thornville Avenue,

Peter (Peaud) McDonnell, RIP, late of Thornville Road,

and Peggy (Peig} Fitzgerald, RIP, late of Briarfield Road.

Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, and neighbours. May they rest in peace

 

Sacrament of Reconciliation

A communal Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated during the 10am Masses on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 20th, 21st and 22nd. Individual confessions will be available on Friday 24th 10.30am-12noon and on request.

 

Family Offering Boxes

Our new Family Offering Boxes for 2022 are ready and will be available on the back table during the week.  We are waiting for the Christmas Mailing to be complete before we put them out.  We ask if you would be kind enough to deliver the road you live on.  Each bag contains less than 10 boxes.  There are also a few single boxes for a few roads not in bags.  If you do not have a Family Offering box of envelopes and would like to start contributing, please contact Janice in the Parish Office on 01-8390433.

 

Synod Prayer

Copies of the Synod Prayer are available on the back table for all parishioners.

Christmas Schedule

Friday 24th Christmas Eve

10am Mass. 6.30pm, 9pm Mass of the Nativity.

Christmas Day Masses:

9.30am and 12 noon.

Sunday 26th

9.30am and 12 noon

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 10am, 27th, 28th, 29th, and 31st 10am. Evening of 31stMass of Thanksgiving 11pm. (No Divine Mercy Hour Thursday 23rd or 30th)

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will not take place.

 

Collection for St Vincent de Paul

The amount raised by this collection last weekend will be published shortly.

 

Photographs for collection

Photographs from our Annual Mass for the Dead may be collected from the Church.

 

Morning Prayer in our Church

Please join us for morning prayer in the Church on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9.45am.

 

Urgent Help Needed

Yet again we are asking for your help, while saying a big ‘thank you’ for all assistance during the year.  Our Christmas envelopes, which need to get to peoples’ homes quickly, are on the back table – we would really appreciate help with this delivery

 

Idea for Families during Advent from the Diocese

See https://dublindiocese.ie/advent-2021/ for some excellent ideas for families in Advent – a quiz, advent wreath etc.

 

Weekly Reflection on the Scriptures

Weekly reflection on Zoom will resume in January.

 

Advent in our Church

Today the pink and three purple candles are lighting on the Advent wreath – Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. The Jesse tree symbols: a sandal -John the Baptist; a saw – Joseph, a carpenter; a crown – Mary Jesus’ mother and Queen of heaven and Chi Rho – the symbol for Jesus.

 

Service of the Healing of the Generations

The next Service of Healing of the Generations (Family Tree) will take place on Sunday 2nd January in our Church, commencing at 7pm with Mass and concluding at 8pm. It will be led by Fr Cathal Price and team.

 

Tap and Go Machines

We now have two new easy to use Tap and Go machines – for help see Janice!

 

Reflection on Today’s Gospel
“Blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Christ is coming! The readings this weekend is full of an expectation.

In the First Reading, Micah proclaims that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem and lead his flock back to their land in peace.

The Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews emphasizes the fact that the Christ who redeemed us took on a human body, like ours.

The Gospel helps us gather all these themes: obedience to God’s will; faith in his promises; and especially faith in the Incarnation – Jesus our Saviour, already becoming flesh in Mary’s womb.

May we journey through these last days of Advent in Mary’s company, so that Christ may be born in us.

 

Pope Francis this Week

The Holy Father emphasized the importance of following St Joseph’s example “in recovering the contemplative dimension of life opened wide by silence,” but noted that it is not easy. Silence can be frightening, because “it asks us to delve into ourselves and confront our truest part.”

 

New Pilgrim Path

The Gospel reading, this Sunday, is the story of the Visitation. The superb Jesuit Advent online series, Arts & Faith, concludes with a glorious meditation on the 1910 painting, The Visitation, by Edward Ossawa Tanner – the first African American to gain international artistic acclaim.  See www.newpilgrimpath.ie

 

Crosscare Online Appeal to End Food Poverty

Crosscare is working with hundreds of families and children in who struggle to get basic food supplies. Due to Covid restrictions, the online appeal for donations replaces the food collection in previous years. Your support for Crosscare makes a huge difference to those most in need. Support this appeal to end food poverty by giving what you can online at www.crosscare.ie/donate .

 

Manresa Events

See www.manresa.ie for information. One event is a ‘Hop on-Hop-off retreat “Come for a quiet morning; an overnight or a day as time allows – to prepare for Christmas” – 10am Monday 20th– 9pm, Wed 22nd. Register at website or phone -01 552 9488.

 

Just Be There For Them

You can’t be everyone’s hero. You can’t take away everyone’s pain, solve all their problems, and make them feel happy with themselves and their lives. All you can do is love them, and that’s all you have to do. Just love them in their messiness, their confusion, their grief. See them, hear them, and accept them without judgment. Then let them know it’s okay to be right where they are, and if and when they need you, you’ll be there.   – Lori Deschene

 

Ten Commandments for Christmas

  1. Thou shalt not leave “Christ” out of Christmas.
  2. Thou shalt not value thy gifts by the cost, for many shall signify love that is more blessed and beautiful than silver and gold.

III. Thou shalt give thyself with thy gifts, thy love, thy personality, and thy service and shall increase the value of thy gifts a hundred-fold and they who receiveth them shall treasure them forever.

  1. Thou shall not let Santa Claus take the place of Christ, lest Christmas become a fairy tale, rather than a sublime reality in the spiritual realm.
  2. Thou shalt not burden thy servants, the salesgirl, the mail carrier and the merchant.
  3. Thou shalt not neglect the church. Its Christmas services are planned to help spiritualise the Christmas season for thee, thy family, and thy friends.

VII. Thou shalt not neglect the needy. Let thy bountiful blessings be shared with the many who will go hungry and cold unless you are generous.

VIII. Thou shalt be as a little child.  Not until thou hast become, in spirit, as a little child art thou ready to enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

  1. Thou shalt prepare thy soul for Christmas. Verily, most of us spend much time and money getting gifts ready, but few seconds in preparing our souls.
  2. Thou shalt give thy heart to Christ. Let thy Christmas list have “Christ in my heart” at the top as thy gift to Him this Christmas.         – Paul Ciniraj

 

This

Christmas

end a quarrel.

Seek out a forgotten

friend. Dismiss suspicion

and replace it with trust.

Write a love letter. Share some

treasure. Give a soft answer. Keep

a promise. Find the time. Forgo a grudge.

Forgive an enemy. Listen.  Apologise if you

were wrong. Try to understand. Examine your

demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind; be gentle. Appreciate. Laugh a little. Laugh a

little more. Express your gratitude.  Gladden the heart of a child.

Speak Your

Love. Speak

it again.

 

Thought for the Week

There is no greater gift you can give someone in grief than to ask them about their loved one. . .    And then, really listen.