May 9th 2004 – 5th Sunday of Easter

How do you live?
In the urban landscape, sound is everywhere. Burglar and car alarms go off routinely – unheeded if not unnoticed by passers by. This scenario of apparent indifference is explained by diffusion of responsibility’. The theory runs that the greater the number of bystanders or witnesses, the more everyone will presume that someone else’ will do the needful. You don’t feel as personally responsible. Put simply, this means that the fewer people are around to help, the better the chances of receiving help. So pray that your car breaks down only in the countryside!
Even in Church life, we can have a ‘diffusion of faith’. A Church growing in numbers can be a burden rather than a blessing. Do we reason: ‘there are plenty other people in the church to help, so why bother?’ If we are, we don’t have the spirit of Paul and Barnabas who put ‘fresh heart’ into their listeners (first reading).
Why do it? Why care? Well. Jesus himself says that people will know we are his followers by our love for one another. Parents can get away for a while with the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ approach. Take time today to wonder as we strive to pay the mortgage and bills, doing our best to keep the kids and a relationship on the road – exactly what messages are we sending out?

The Celtic Tenors
This Thursday 13 May at 8 pm
in Christ the King Church, Turners Cross
Tickets €20 available from Parish Office after Mass today and during the week 9 am — 1 pm, in Parish Centre from 1pm – 9pm also Pro Musica, Oliver Plunkett St. and Veritas, Carey’s Lane.
Except for invalids, parking will not be permitted in Church grounds. Parking will be available in the Girls & Boys Primary Schools, Evergreen Road.

Cork Annual Eucharist Procession
Sunday 6th June 2004
The Preacher this year will be
Archbishop Dermot Clifford, of Cashel & Emily.
The monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament will be carried through the City by Bishop John Buckley.
Fiona O’Reilly is the special invited soloist this year with the Choir of Christ the King Church, Turners Cross.

St Joseph’s Young Priests Society
Monthly meeting this Tues. 11 May 8 pm Parish Centre.

Wonderful what we can do – SVP and you
This year, Ireland’s largest volunteer organisation, the St. Vincent de Paul Society celebrates 160 years of unbroken service to the poor and vulnerable.
Every year, the Society touches the lives of 200,000 people. Every day, we visit families, people in hospital and people in prison. We run 600 housing units and 18 hostels providing 1,200 beds for people in need of housing. We run 120 good as new shops around the country, 9 holiday homes, 12 day care and family resource centres, almost 40 breakfast clubs and many other services.
SVP would like to use this occasion to thank the many thousands of Irish people who support the Society during the year and to invite all members to a special Members Day Event which will take place in the RDS on May 30th. For further information contact your local conference.

Exams
The 10.30 am Mass on Sunday 6th June will be offered for all those doing exams.
Special Mass Cards are available in the Parish Office.

Summer Recreation Scheme, South Parish/Turners Cross
Registration Night Thursday 13th May, in the South Parish Community Centre, Sawmill Street, at 8 pm.

Parish Visitation
Fr. Kerry will visit St. Anne’s Park.

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I’d finger-paint more and point the finger less.
I’d do less correcting and more connecting,
I’d take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites,
I’d stop playing serious and seriously play,
I’d run through more fields and gaze at more stars,
I’d do more hugging and less tugging,
I'd be firm less often and affirm much more,
I'd build self-esteem first and the house later,
I’d teach less about the love of power
and more about the power of love.

LOTTO DRAW May 4th
Numbers drawn: 6, 16, 20, 27.
NO WINNER
€35 CASH
U, O’Leary, S. Quinn, J. Holland, O’Sullivan
THIS WEEK’S JACKPOT : €2300
Last week’s net “take” €2,766
Last week’s second Collection €1,270
Anonymous Donations: €1,000, €20
Seat Sponsorship: €400
The Old Money is still welcome for the Restoration Fund. Box at back of the Church.