Sunday Newsletter
Masses Today
6.30: Michael & Paddy Hernon, and Kathleen Kelly.(Anniv).11.00: Margaret Tierney; Muriel Roche & Pa Morrissey, (Anniv.)
6.30: Larry O'Donnell, (Anniv).
- Masses next Sunday, May 13th: 6.30: Margaret Egan; 11.00: Philomena Naughton and Charlie McDermott; 6.30: Month's Mind Mass for Gerry Gilmore.
- THE DEAD: Pray for the soul of Tom Murphy, The Claddagh, who died on Friday. May he rest in peace.
- THE SICK: Remember in your prayers those who are hospitalised. Noel Heaney, (Bohermore), Richard Jenkins (Fat Freddies), and Annie O'Connor (Whitehall). Dolores Glynn was discharged from hospital this week and is doing well at her home in Kingston. Bishop Eamon Casey, who damaged his hip in a fall last week, was discharged from hospital on Thursday. He is now recuperating at a Nursing Home in Limerick. Please keep them all in your prayers.
- COLLECTION: The collection last Sunday (Vocations Sunday) was €1,300.00.
As I Was Saying...
It was the custom in Imperial Rome, that when the emperor was riding through the city in a victory procession, acknowledging the cheers of the crowds, he was accompanied by a slave who whispered into his ear, again and again, "Remember that you, too, are mortal". In a modern democracy, the slave is redundant; the polls spell out the same message.
A corrosive cynicism attaches itself to politics today. Too often we assume that those who offer themselves for election are self-centred individuals hungry to gain and keep power. I think our cynicism comes as a result of inflated expectations. What are politicians for? The obvious answer to that question is 'to make and implement just laws'. Their virtue -or lack of same, is not a primary concern.
However, one of their most important functions is to promote the conditions in which virtue can flourish. And, in the struggle for a more just and humane society, there is absolutely no substitute for political activity.
And how do the politicians see themselves? They seem to have got the message that their real job is to be examples of upright living, as if we can only be upright if they are. Since they devise health plans for us, they must therefore prove themselves healthy and not overeat, smoke or drink. As green issues become important, their choice of car and 'green lifestyle' become relevant. They must tell the truth at all times and be utterly transparent in all things. Otherwise, we accuse them of hypocrisy, the deadliest of the Seven Deadly Sins today! Clean living, nice hair-dos, and good looks are prerequisites for election.
We, the electorate, have responsibilities too. What do I expect of my representatives? I want them to be people of sound judgment and some wisdom. They should be competent. They must be capable of rational argument and human sympathy. But, apart from that, I want them to be ordinary human sinners. I don't want them to be our spiritual and moral guardians. Once they take on that role, they (and we) are in real trouble. The regime in Iran comes to mind! Politicians become a secular priesthood who always know best. Big brother creeps in to the garage, the fridge, the piggy bank, and the bedroom, at first with advice, then later with rules and penalties. From all that and worse: O Lord, Deliver us. Enjoy the three weeks!
-Dick Lyng
Items of Some Interest
- The Play: Congratulations to Gerry Ferguson and the Augustinian Playactors' on their wonderful performance of "The House at Moneen" at An Taibhdhearc on Sunday and Monday night last. It was great fun. Besides, a very welcome €1,200.00 was collected for the Augustinian Restoration Fund. Thanks very much, and congratulations to you all on a job well done.
- Sponsored Fast: Towards the end of Lent, Cathal organised a 'Sponsored 24-hour Fast' for Trocaire. The following seven parishioners participated: Peter Flynn, Sylvie Nshimirimana, Betty Ferguson, Helen Ibhijie, Bernadette Whyte and Gearoidin Nic Aodha, and Cathal Cunningham. The exercise brought in €2,381.00. Trocaire has acknowledged the receipt of this sum. Well done to all involved, and thanks especially to Cathal.
- First Holy Communion: For over two months now the Church here looked and sounded like a harmonious beehive every afternoon. The First Holy Communion class from St. Patrick's were being put through their paces. Their 'Big Day' arrived on Saturday morning. All 49 of them were like well-drilled angels during their wonderful Liturgy! It was so obvious that enormous work went into the preparations. Some evidence of that work still remains in the Church in the form of the exquisitely prepared art work. Ms. Barrett, Ms. O'Connor, Ms. Naughton and Fr. Niall Coghlan have every reason to be very proud of the protégées. Well done to everyone involved.
- Easter Liturgy Meeting: A few of us gathered on
Wednesday night last to review our Holy Week and Easter
liturgies. We went through all seven functions
individually. I will go through some helpful suggestions
made regarding three of these ceremonies:
- SEDER MEAL: Some worked better than others! General satisfaction was expressed with the Seder Meal which we celebrated on the Tuesday night of Holy Week with our friends from the Church of Ireland. The one criticism offered was that conditions in the Priory dining room that night were too cramped for comfort. So next year, we will either move the function out into the Church itself or else cut back on numbers. Most seemed to be in favour of the former.
- HOLY THURSDAY: It is difficult to improve on the ceremony as found in the Missal. Perhaps the 'Washing of the Feet' could be performed in such a way as to make it more obviously a 'mission of service'? If various representatives of the 'service sector' (like a Garda, a nurse, a teacher, a fireman, a Lifeboat person, a Red Cross person, a John's Ambulance person, etc.) could be persuaded to take part in the ritual, the underlying meaning of the exercise would become more obvious. It would also publicly acknowledge the great work done by these people for the community.
- GOOD FRIDAY NIGHT: During our 'Lenten Sessions' with the Church of Ireland this year, it was suggested that both Churches come together on Good Friday night for Tenebrae. Tenebrae Service works like this: it starts out with the church in candlelight. There are as many candles as there are readings, plus a white Christ candle. The readers go up one at a time, read their assigned selections, and extinguish one of the candles, until only the Christ candle remains. Then someone reads the first part of Psalm 22, which Jesus quoted on the cross. Then the Christ candle is put out, leaving the congregation in near total darkness. It is well worth trying this out next year.
- LOURDES PILGRIMAGE: The Pilgrimage takes place this year from July 1-6. Full fare is €680. Special accommodation and support is available to people with special needs at the special price of €555. Early booking is advisable. Information from Fr. Martin Moran at 091-550106. Reservations to Fahy Travel, Bridge Street at 091-594744. A place is reserved for one sick or invalided person from St. Augustine's here. This person will travel free of charge. If you can think of anyone, please give the name to me and I will make the necessary approaches.
- CONCERT: A fundraising concert in aid of Kilcuan Holiday Home for Young People with special needs will be held on Saturday May 12th in the Holy Family Church, Mervue. The concert will feature the very highly regarded Central Michigan University Chamber Choir from the USA together with Galway's Cois Cladaigh. parish. Doors open at 7.50 for 8.30. Tickets are €15 each and will be available at the door on the night.
- AL ANON: This is a support group for relatives and friends of problem drinkers. An open public information meeting will be held on Monday May 14th at 8.00pm in the Holy Family School, Renmore. Refreshments served.
A Seasonal Sonnet - XVIII
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
-William Shakespeare