Sunday Newsletter
Masses Today
6.30: (Vigil) Sisodia family (RIP), (Anniv).
11.00: Joe, Lily & Lucia Magliocco, (Anniv).
6.30: Sarah & Josie O'Toole, Quay Lane, (Anniv).
- Masses for next Sunday, March 7th: 6.30 (Vigil) Brendan O'Donnell and family members (RIP); 11.00: Gerry Colgan and Maureen Kieran; 6.30: John Gavin and deceased family members.
- RECENTLY DECEASED: Please pray for the late Anne O'Rourke, sister-in-law of Noel, who died recently in Dublin. She is survived by her husband Alfie and their five children. May she rest in peace.
- COLLECTION: The collection last Sunday was €1,391.
- FIRST FRIDAY: Next Friday, March 5th, is the First Friday of the month and Holy Communion will be brought to the sick and the housebound that morning. Again, if you are aware of anyone who is confined to their homes and is not receiving a First Friday call, please notify one of the priests.
As I Was Saying...
A new study on marriage and family life, by the ESRI, was published this week. It deals with the years 1986- 2006, and it is based on census returns.
The report identified a five-fold increase in marriage breakdown. But this threat to marriage comes from the other end of the spectrum too: a pronounced move towards co-habitation and away from marriage among young adults.
- Between 1986 and 2006 the total number of people whose marriages broke down jumped five-fold in that 20 years, from 40,000 in 1986 to just under 200,000 in 2006. Nonnationals accounted for 18% of the 2006 figure.
- Among those aged 25 years, twice as many are now cohabiting as are married, with the number of people cohabiting overall jumping four-fold since 1986.
- The number of same-sex couples jumped from 150 in 1996 to 2,090 in 2006.
- Most women are waiting until they are in their 30s to have children; and the higher her educational attainment, the longer she is likely to delay motherhood.
- There are 10,000 lone fathers, almost all from broken marriages. There are about 100,000 lone mothers. So almost 10% of the 114,000 lone parents are men. Yet only 2% claimants of the lone parents' allowance were men.
- In 2006, 57pc of lone parents had never married, 35pc had experienced marital breakdown and 8pc were widowed.
These figures show an unprecedented level of change over the 20-year period, so much so, according to experts, that it might never be surpassed. We are dealing here with nothing short of a revolution in attitudes to marriage and family life.
If you were the marketing manager for Marriage, these would be depressing sales figures. Put simply, the general public are not buying the product in the way they once did. What would be even more puzzling for our mythical marketing people would be their despair at not being able to market such a safe and reliable product - stable and trustworthy, tried and tested, good for health and education, long-running.
There is a debate taking place in Ireland between what we might call the 'family diversity' position on one side, and the 'pro-marriage' position on the other. Many 'progressive elements' argue that the former 'flexible model' should embrace 'gay marriage'. In proposing a 'Civil Partnership Bill', the government have gone some way towards meeting their demands. The 'family diversity' argument states, broadly, that changes to family patterns are neutral in their effects on people and society, and that the State and society should not encourage one family form over another.
The pro-marriage argument, which the Catholic Church promotes, will hold that marriage is the best way of committing both parents of a child to its welfare and it believes that all the evidence supports this. While all families should be helped, there is still a strong, child-centered argument for both State and society favouring marriage over other 'family diversity' unions. Prepare to hear much more on this topic!
-Dick Lyng
Items of Great Interest
- SOCIAL EVENING: Tickets are available in the Church this weekend for our shared social evening with the parishioners of St. Nicholas' on St. Patrick's Eve, March 16th at 6.30 for 7.00. Fork Supper will be served at 8.00. Bring your own wine. Tickets: €12.50 (€10 Concessions).
- BIBLICAL STUDIES: On Monday night, March 1st, at 8.00, Bishop Martin Drennan will lead a reflection on the Gospel reading of the weekend of March 6 & 7 in the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Newtownsmith. Martin's area of expertise is biblical studies. He was Professor of New Testament Studies in Maynooth before his appointment as bishop. This course is a new initiative and, depending on the level of interest, it may become a monthly event.
- MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE MEETING: We will meet on Thurday next, March 4th, at 7.00, just before the Steering Committee meeting. Membership of our Maintenance Committee is as follows: Peter Cunnane, Pascal Leahy, Jimmy Mannion, Harry O'Connor, Gerry Ferguson, Cathal Cunninghan, and the Augustinian community.
- NEW WEBSITE: There is now a new Augustinian Youth Website, www.aye10.org. It's a resource for all those interested in Youth Ministry. It covers News, Views, Opinions, and more. You can explore the work of the Order throughout the world. The Forum will allow you discuss issues ask questions.
- AUGUSTINIAN YOUTH: The English Augustinians will host the 10th annual Augustinian Youth Encounter from 9-15 August 2010 in London. They look forward to welcoming 350 young adults from around the Augustinian world. There you can share with other young people through prayer, workshops and socialising. Check out the website mentioned above, at www.aye10.org or contact Noel Hession through this website... just hit the contact button.
- STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING: We will meet on Thursday next, February 25th, at 7.30. At our last meeting, we discussed the broader notion of the 'Augustinian Project' that we had originally adopted. With all the 'comings and goings', this seems to have fallen through the cracks in the floorboards. We will return to this idea on Thursday evening next. To help us with this task, Joe McKenna has agreed to come along to the meeting to provoke discussion and to stimulate ideas. Joe was at one time Executive Director of Galway University Foundation, and he helped us greatly as we embarked on our Church renovations and our fundraising. Our full team is: Gerry Ferguson (Chair), Patricia Lally (Secretary), Brigid Headon (Treasurer) Peter Cunnane, Cathal Cunninghan, Pádraig O Gormaile, Micheál Hayes, Edward Jones, Pauline Staunton, Des Foley, and Dick Lyng.
- LITURGY GROUP: Thanks to all who attended our Liturgy meeting on Tuesday night last, not a nice night! We did a bit of work on the Easter ceremonies.
Lenten Programme
Our Lenten Scripture programme on St. Luke's gospel began on Wednesday last with twenty-one people in attendance. It continues with our second session on Wednesday evening next. Each session begins at 8.00 and ends at 9.30.
Next Wednesday March 3rd: Second session: "Luke's Portrait of Jesus".
Wednesday, March 10th: Third session: 'Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road?' Revisiting the Road to Emmaus.
Monday, March 29th, first day of Holy Week: Seder Meal in the Augustinian Priory. This is a shared effort between ourselves and the parishioners of St. Nicholas'. Tickets allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis. While tickets are not yet available, we are already taking names for the event. Give your name to the Parish Priest.
Crying Babies
The number of small children in our Sunday congregations seems to be on the increase, or is it just the volume? This development is of course welcome. But small children do as small children must and they scream their heads off from time to time. But they usually reserve their most raucous renditions to coincide with the preacher's punch line!
But, on a helpful note, the big dining room in the Priory, and the parlour are always open on Sundays now for that very purpose. Have no hesitation or embarrassment whatsoever about taking up junior and retiring to the dining room for as long as is necessary. All the facilities you need are available there. In fact, why not chill out with a cup of soothing tea as junior bawls himself to a serene standstill! Seriously though, the facilities are there. Why not use them? But the choice is yours. You and baby are welcome, whether or which!
Promoting Marriage
Accord, based at Newtownsmith, provides pre-marriage courses for Catholic couples, as well as ongoing counselling services for those going through difficult times in their relationships. At the moment, they are really in dire need of new members if this valuable service is continue.
If you have been married for a few years, and you are interested in working at this level with couples, why not offer your services? They are badly in need of pre-marriage course facilitators. All training will be provided.
The burden is falling on a very limited number of shoulders at the moment. They are especially short of men. Why not give it a try?
Contact Newtownsmith (091- 562331) directly and find out more about the position.
'FINDING HOPE IN LENTEN TIMES'
SECOND LECTURE Dr. Enda McDonagh March 3rd, at 8.00p.m
THIRD LECTURE Deirdre Ni Chinneide March 10th, at 8.00p.m.
Venue: Croi Nua, Rosary Lane, Taylor's Hill: 087 6833195.