Parish Newsletter

Masses Today

Easter Vigil: John, Bridget and Paddy Gannon; (RIP)
11.00: Mary Mahoney, (Anniv).
6.30: Siobhán Hanley, (Recently deceased in the USA).

The Masses for next weekend, April 3rd: 6.30 (Vigil): Bernard Coyne; 11.00: Mary & John Lovett.
The collection last Sunday was € 961.00
The annual Good Friday Collection (for The Holy Places of Jerusalem) was € 610.00

AS I WAS SAYING.....

The last few days have been dominated by two powerful, if tragic images: the broken body of the American woman, Terri Schiave, sustained for some 18 years now by advancing medical technology; and the ailing figure of the once vigorous John Paul Wojtyla, now an obviously reluctant prisoner in a body broken by age and infirmity. Both images highlight what we all know but would much prefer to forget: medical science is limited, and human life is vulnerable and finite. Nothing can camouflage this harsh reality, not even such pious phrases as 'serene abandonment to the Father'. John Paul's personal history of determination and defiance would suggest that his demeanour at this time is far from one of 'serene abandonment'.

As a poet, he is probably very familiar with the words of Dylan Thomas:

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds may have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

For most people, Holy Week is business as usual. For Christians (in theory at any rate) it is the most important week in the entire calendar. But, in reality, it is a festival that doesn't fit neatly with what people want and how we focus our lives. Most people, understandably, want happy festivals: something to celebrate, with lots of eating and drinking and getting together. We want festivals that take us out of ourselves, offer us a bit of escapism, let us know that underneath all the mess of the world we live in (an ailing Pope John Paul, a broke Terri Schiave, the suicide bombers, deportations, child murderers, family break-up, and so on).......assure us that, despite all this, things are basically good. We want festivals that lift us up and make us cheerful.

But in Holy Week, that's not what's on offer. In fact Holy Week can be most profoundly depressing. For what it commemorates is awful. There's betrayal: a man who sold his mentor to enemies, colluding with ruthless people against someone who had only ever shown him love. Or corruption: people willing to ignore justice and pay bribes or seek out liars who can turn a trial into a mockery. Or desertion: trusted friends pathetically withdrawing support, even to the extent of denying that there was ever a relationship. In Holy Week we see the mess of human failings; the havoc caused by people with entrenched positions who can't back off from their view of things, and end up killing. I understand why Holy Week is not in vogue in our culture today. For it contains far too much reality! It's much more palatable to move to the celebrations of Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs as quickly as possible.

And yet the realism of Holy Week is much more hopeful than the escapism we often prefer. For it allows us to see that God has entered into our reality fully. This is no 'divine escapism'. He counters evil with love and, through his suffering, set an infinite value on all suffering, and an infinite value on every human being, however frail or broken. John Paul now teaches that message daily. Have a very happy Easter.

-Dick Lyng.

BITS & PIECES

MANY THANKS: Easter is a hectic time around the Church. It consists of four days of frenetic activity. (And that was only the tip of the iceberg!) And there were so many, many people involved throughout! Were it not for our wonderful choir, our liturgies here in the Augustinian would be very pedestrian indeed! Thanks first of all then, to Pat Lillis, Sonny Molloy and the whole choir. Thanks also to the ladies who prepared the Church with the beautiful floral display, and the Sacred Heart Chapel which served this year as an Altar of Repose. And of course thanks to all who prepared the Ceremonies themselves. We are grateful in a particular way to Gerry Ferguson, to Cathal Cunningham and to Gearóid Lacey who put enormous time and energy into the liturgical side of the Holy Week and Easter celebrations. Your efforts are very much appreciated.
EASTER MONDAY: Bear in mind that tomorrow, Easter Monday, is a Public Holiday and there will be no 8.30 Mass here. In addition, the Priory Office will be closed all day.
TWO EASTER REMINDERS: Don't forget to return your Trócaire Family Fast Boxes during this Week. In addition, the Easter Dues envelopes are now available at the Priory Office and in the Church Porch.
EASTER WATER: There is a Blessing of Water during the Easter Vigil. It is a traditional practice in the Irish Church to take this water to your homes. It is a symbolic way of incorporating your homes and families into the mystery of Christ's Death and Resurrection. You will find the water in a vat inside the altar rails on the Sacred Heart side. Feel free to take some to your homes. Finally, a happy and a holy Easter to all of you!
YARD SALE: There is a lot of stuff around the Priory and Church that we will not be using again. Rather than throwing it out, or paying for its storage, we are offering it in a 'Yard Sale' in the Priory Car Park on Saturday next, April 2nd between 12.00 noon and 2.00pm.
CHURCH PEWS: We are still 'on track' for disposing of the church pews for the originally promised € 100.00. However, there is a catch! The pews, for insurance and logistical purposes, will have to be delivered by a competent delivery company. So, if you have already put in your name for a pew, get in touch with one of the Steering Committee for further clarification about deadlines for delivery and that sort of thing.
CAR PARK & DISCS: Our St. Pat's Carpark owner wishes all who use the car park on Sundays to update their parking discs. He asks us to stress that 1.15pm is the deadline for Free Parking. After that, you pay!

THE MOVE TO ST NICHOLAS

LAST MASS PARTY: The last Mass (for the time being!) in the Augustinian Church will be the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening next, April 2nd at 6.30. To mark this event, a small party will be held in the adjoining Priory immediately after the Mass. We would really love the members of the congregation to join the community for this short social celebration.
THE FIRST MASS: The first Mass in St. Nicholas' Church will be the 12.00 Mass on Sunday next, April 3rd, the Sunday immediately following on Easter Sunday, (traditionally known as Low Sunday). To mark the occasion, we will hold a procession, bearing at the head the new Easter Paschal Candle, from St. Augustine's Church, across to St. Nicholas' Church. We will assemble outside St. Augustine's, and, at 11.45, we will proceed as a community across to the Collegiate Church. The procession will be led by the Rector of St. Nicholas', The Very Rev'd Patrick Towers, and by the priests of St. Augustine's.
WEEKDAYS: From Monday, April 4th onward, the usual morning weekday Masses (8.30, 10.00 & 11.00) will be celebrated in Ozanam House, St. Augustine Street. (We are grateful to the Vincent de Paul Society for placing their premises at our disposal).
PRIORY OFFICE: We are delighted to inform you that the Priory Mass Office will remain open (and in its present location until such time as the new shop-cum-office is ready in its new location at the front of the Church.) All Parish business (e.g.. marriage papers, baptism certificates, and so on) will be conducted from there. This will go some small way towards minimising the disruption involved in the whole project.
NEWSLETTER: During the period of renovations, the Newsletter will be available in St. Nicholas' on Sunday, and from Ozanam House and the Priory Office during the week.
ORATORY IN FRONT PARLOUR: In order to maintain some routine of prayer around the Auggie during renovations, we will create a little oratory in the front parlour, the room to your left as you enter the front door of the Augustinian. The Blessed Sacrament will be reserved there, and a shrine to Our Mother of Good Counsel will be maintained there. The annual Novena will be reduced to 3 days this year for obvious reasons.

EASTER GREETINGS!

(Our parishioner and choir member Sophie Coyle sent this Easter greeting from Argentina.)

Dear Dick,
I'm sure you are up to your neck in Easter ceremonies, celebration, not to mention confessions! So I'm writing to wish you a smooth Holy Week and a very joyous Easter Sunday. And also, to say that I really miss the Auggies; even here in the middle of Argentina, it is still very difficult to forget that special place! It's nearing the end of the Summer here now. Yet there's a great feeling of Spring being in the air - that freshness and excitement and alertness of the people: that feeling of hope and new beginnings that I always associate with both Spring and Easter.

I miss the bustle of activity around the Church as things are being prepared for the different ceremonies, watching the place fill up with flowers, and the usual confusion in the choir loft! It just isn't the same thing here; they didn't even bother washing the feet tonight (or maybe I went to the wrong Mass!) God bless you and all the Auggie people this Easter.

With lots of love from,
-Sophie.