The relics of St. Bernadette of Lourdes will be in Clonakilty on Oct 31st and Nov 1st.
All the details of the pilgrimage can be seen here.
Author: Fr. Tom Hayes Page 1 of 8
On a weekend when heavy rain and winds had blown across his diocese, it seems more than coincidence that a new pastoral message from the Bishop of Cork and Ross should begin with a scripture quote: “Even the winds the seas obey Him”.
Bishop Fintan Gavin read his message on Sunday to pilgrims attending the annual Mass at St. Finbarr’s Oratory, Gougane Barra.
Bishop Fintan’s message is a call to the people of the diocese to commit to a year-long time of prayer, listening and discernment about the future of the Catholic Church in the parishes and chaplaincies of the diocese.
In a time of unprecedented change in society and the Catholic Church in Ireland, people are understandably concerned about their parish’s future, he said.
“Many have a strong attachment to their local church, some worry about the sustainability of their preferred Mass times, and some communities miss having aresident priest,” Bishop Fintan said.
Priests across the diocese contunue to deal with unprecedented changes.
“I recognize and appreciate the selfless generosity of our priests as they meet increasing demands to provide sacramental and pastoral care,” he said.
Bishop Fintan Gavin
Looking to the future and considering our current situation, Bishop Fintan says, we believe the Holy Spirit is guiding us to be faithful and courageous in new ways sothat we can carry on the mission of the Church.
While posing central questions to the people of the diocese about the importance of Baptism and Eucharist as foremost among the sacraments – and outreach to young people – the bishop says that it is clear that the Church of the present and the future will have an enhanced role for lay leaders.
“We can only answer these questions and challenges together,” Bishop Fintan said.
“The Holy Spirit guides us as we listen to one another. To respond to the mission of the future, we need a period of prayer and listening.”
Each Family of Parishes will be invited to participate, priests and people, in Spring-time gatherings focused on prayer, listening and discernment during the year ahead.
Meetings with priests have already been held to prepare for these gatherings, and planning meetings with representatives from all the Families of Parishes will be held in November and December.
There will also be engagement with schools, chaplaincies, apostolic groups, and religious communities.
The bishop’s message is being read at all Masses in the Diocese of Cork and Ross this weekend and printed copies are available. The accompanying prayer card is also being widely distributed.
You can also download the Bishop’s Message and the Prayer Card at this link on the diocesan website
Agreed Minutes
- 16 people attended.
- Chairperson Sheila Jennings welcomed everyone.
- Fr. Tom Hayes led the opening prayer.
- Minutes of previous meeting were read by secretary Susan O’Brien. Nellie O’Mahony thanked Tim & Sheila Coughlan for their help with the bunting for the Eucharist Procession in the Parish Centre.
- The recent Eucharist Procession was discussed, it was suggested that perhaps the route for next year’s procession could go through Pearse Street. It was acknowledged that it was well attended and good to see First Communion children in attendance. It was also suggested that perhaps adoration could be held after the procession.
- Blessing of the Beaches 2024 was discussed. It was suggested that people would be invited to bring sand from different beaches to be blessed at Mass. All agreed with this suggestion. It was decided that this would be announced at Masses in Clonakilty Parish on weekend of 29th/30th June and would be held at Masses in Clonakilty Parish Church only on the weekend of 6th /7th July.
• It was decided that meetings would be changed to the 2nd Monday of each month beginning in September. The next meeting is to be held on the 9th of September.
Thanks to all who made our Procession so prayerful and beautiful.
Time to say yes!This weekend and next our parishes are inviting people to consider becoming involved and serve as a Minister of the Eucharist, Minister of the Word, Collector, Choir member, etc. Training will be provided for these roles. The more people who become involved in parish, the lighter the time commitment for everyone. All of these roles are open to people from 16 years upwards.
Fill in the form below and email it to office@onefaith.ie
There’s a long tradition of people remembering our people who have died in prayer and at Mass. Many people ask for Mass to be offered for their loved ones to mark anniversaries.
People are also added to a list of people who are prayed for at each of the weekend Masses in the parish. Until now, this has been done by calling in person to the sacristy.
Beginning this week, the Mass Diary for the parish (Clonakilty and Darrara Church) will be kept at the Parish Office. In this way, it is available over longer hours and people can call in person or by phone.
A name can also be added to the list by clicking on the “Donate” button on the parish website. The offering for a Mass can also be given at the Parish Office.
