Sunday Newsletter

Masses Today

6.30: Brendan O'Donnell, (Anniv).
11.00 Andy McGinley, (Month's Mind).
6.30: Sean Fahy, (Anniv).

As I Was Saying...

Oban in Scotland will not be familiar to many Galway people. Yet both places have much in common. Both are picturesque towns on the west coast, looking out to offshore islands. Naturally, both towns are heavily dependant on tourism. While Galway has its 'City Tribune', Scotland has its 'Oban Times'. But, unlike our staid and sober local paper here, The Oban Times is a campaigning newspaper. It publishes on its front page a weekly list of those individuals who, worsened by drink, have been discovered urinating in public places. And if this does not deter offenders, the editor threatens, compromising photographs will follow! Now, there's a thought, with Paddy's Day around the corner, a day that sees Buttermilk Lane transformed into an open sewer annually.

Successive Irish governments have commissioned a variety of reports addressing alcohol-related problems. The latest, dealing with suicide, was presented by Dr Dermot Walsh of the Health Research Bureau this week. He said, however, that "failure to implement measures that do work, such as increasing prices, reducing the availability of points of sale and tightening controls on advertising, is disappointing, and means that we are not dealing with a known and preventable factor in suicide".

The government will never 'take on' the drinks industry. There are too many vested interests involved. It is also highly unlikely that 'naming and shaming' will become a major plank in its campaign. Binge drinking thrives in an atmosphere of anonymity. People who commute from the suburbs to the city centre for a night on the town have no connection to the place where they will exercise their freedom to drink as much as they want, and to misbehave as they see fit.

This cavalier behaviour is not as evident on the continent, whose drinking culture we were at one time so keen to emulate. But then, in a city like Rome or Paris, there are few 'Super Pubs'. People tend to sit in terraces, served by waiters, and watch passers-by, rather than get squeezed into a pressurised, sweaty drinking-coop where the level of noise militates against decent, entertaining conversation.

Nor is behaviour such as this so evident in Australia. Sydney, for example, has pubs where licensees employ someone to inform those who look the worse for wear that they've had their last drink. This is but a proactive measure which ensures a pleasant environment, and prevents licensees from being prosecuted for any anti social behaviour caused in the streets by their customers.

What we urgently require are places where people can gather to be humanised. We need a 'personalised' relationship between staff and customers, not just a financial transaction between a vendor and a consumer. The 'Super Pub' militates against this personal touch. However, we must not despise the personal touch of the 'The Oban Times'

-Dick Lyng

Seder Meal

Why a Seder Meal? This celebration will demonstrate in a practical manner the extent to which our Christian traditions, both Protestant and Catholic, are derived from our common Jewish origins.

Ticket Holders Only: There are two considerations here. First, we will incur considerable expenses in putting on the meal. Consequently, we are asking those attending to pay €20 each for the night. For that you will get a good meal and a glass or two of wine. Second, it is essential that we know the numbers attending well in advance. So we have fixed a deadline in stone! It is: 8.00 on Thursday night, March 13th. And the most effective way of organising this is to issue tickets for it. Tickets will be available after all Masses this weekend, and in the Priory Office throughout the week.

Lenten Programme: 2008

We are approaching the end of our Lenten Course on the Apostle Paul. The sessions were well attended (over thirty each night) and the entire experience was quite enjoyable. There is a tremendous educational value in two Churches sharing different experiences. The visual material (DVDs) took much of the pain out of learning! I think we all have a greater appreciation of the colossal contribution of Paul to the Christian dispensation after these sessions.

The remaining sessions are:

Patrick's Day

Despite rumour to the contrary, Church celebrations of St Patrick's Day will take place on Saturday next, 15th March. The reason for this change, as you know, is that the traditional date of the 17th falls in Holy Week.

Easter Sunday is on March 23rd, the second earliest date it could be. The earliest date is March 22nd, as Easter Sunday - since the Council of Nicea in AD325 - always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring equinox.

It means that Holy Week begins on March 17th, the Monday after Palm Sunday. For the first time since 1913, and the last time until 2160, St Patrick's Day will fall in Holy Week this year.

Fr Paddy Jones of the National Centre for Liturgy at Maynooth said: "The days of Holy Week and Easter Week rank above all others" and so St Patrick's Day (and St Joseph's) must be transferred.

The Vatican had intended transferring the celebrations to early April, after Easter week, but at the request of the Irish bishops it agreed to the March 15th date as this would be closer to the civic celebrations of St Patrick's Day. As a transferred feast, St Patrick's Day this year will not be a holy day of obligation.

Holy Week & Easter, 2008

Penitential Services: Spy Wednesday8.00
 Holy Saturday4.00
Confessions: Holy Thursday11.00-12.30; 4.00-6.00.
 Good Friday11.00-12.00; 6.30-8.00
 Holy Saturday11.00-1.00; 2.30-3.30; 5.00-6.00
Easter Ceremonies: Holy Thursday The Lord's Supper: 8.00
 Good Friday Stations of the Cross: 12.00 Midday.
  The Lord's Passion: 3.00
  Tenebrae: 8.00
 Holy Saturday Easter Vigil: 9.00.
 Easter Sunday: Easter Mass: 11.00 & 6.30

Since Monday, March 24th is a Public Holiday, there will be no 8.30 Mass and the Priory Office will remain closed all day.

An Taisce

An Taisce is the National Trust for Ireland and they manage a number of heritage properties in Ireland, with the participation of local communities. There will be a lecture on their work here locally in Galway on Wednesday next, March 12th in the Harbour Hotel at 8.00. All are welcome.

Youth Pilgrimage

The Irish Augustinians are planning a pilgrimage for 18 to 25 year olds to Italy. The plan is to travel to places of Augustinian interest, like where the Order was founded in Tuscany, and on down down to Rome. It is hoped that we can link another generation to our Augustinian traditions. It will take place during the October 2008 mid-term. If you are interested contact Fr. Niall Coghlan in the Priory or leave your name and number in the Mass office with Gearoidin.

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