April 24th 2005 – 5th Sunday of Easter

Pope Benedict XVI
For ten days we had prayed that God would give his Church “a shepherd who would be an example of goodness and reflect Christ’s love for us.” Now, with great joy, we receive our new Pope,
Benedict XVI.
He will lead the Church with holiness, clarity and courage. Pope Benedict is a man of profound spirituality, humility, courtesy, and simplicity of life. He is an outstanding theologian and a man of wide learning. It is with great confidence that we in Christ the King Parish welcome our new Pope with the assurance of our heartfelt prayer.
The 10.30 Mass on this Sunday will be celebrated as a Thanksgiving for the election of Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI has an email address which welcomes messages from the faithful.  benedictxvi@vatican.va

Congratulations
to the 122 young people from our parish schools who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Tuesday last. We thank Bishop Buckley for being with us and leading us in what was a very moving  ceremony. Those confirmed were a credit to their teachers, Phil O’Leary, Ann Murphy, Joan O’Shea, T. J. Coakley, Pádraig O’Driscoll, their parents and their schools. The singing of the hymns from the new confirmation programme was great. with Emma O’Leary at the keyboard and Máiréad Guard the recorder teacher. We thank the Ministers of the Eucharist who helped at the ceremony and the Good Lord for a fine day.

Bishop’s Pastoral
To mark the Year of the Eucharist, Bishop Buckley has written a Pastoral Letter ‘Treasure the Eucharist”. He would like a copy of the Pastoral to get to every home. If the good people who distribute the Dues envelopes could deliver the Letter it would be very much appreciated. They are available in the Sacristy.

Special Collection 
Irish Bishops Commissions
The second collection today helps to fund the Irish Bishops’ Conference and its agencies and commissions. These include Emigrants, Justice and  Peace, Communications, CURA, etc. A list of the agencies and commissions can be seen by visiting  www.catholiccommunications.ie

Turner’s Cross Gramophone Circle
Recital Tuesday 7.45 in the Parish Centre
Presenter — Jerry O'Brien.  All welcome.

Tramore Athletic FC
Race Night: The Club is holding a Race Night on May 27th.
Anyone interested in sponsoring this event can do so by contacting Derek on 086 – 3134431.

Be a Brick
Today Peter writes about our calling as Christians. He calls us to be the ‘Living Stones.’ A reminder that it is not bricks and mortar that count but human beings and living faith. You may be reading this in our church that is a testament to your ancestors’ generosity. In the 1930’s they built this Church. In recent years it has been restored thanks again to the continued generosity of the people of the Parish and beyond. A building we can all be proud of. But what about the spiritual structure of its occupants? The call is to be a ‘living stone’ (2nd reading). Being called a ‘brick” is a compliment; it means being reliable and present in times of need. We are called to be bricks, solid rocks of faith upon which others can build their faith. And we do that by standing our ground, by doing what is right even in the face of adversity, even in the face of adversity.

LOTTO DRAW April 18th
Numbers drawn:  1,  7,  18,  23.
€3,275 Jackpot Winner: M. O’Mahony
€35 CASH
P. Mulcahy,  S. Linehan,  J. Kelleher,  S. McCarthy
THIS WEEK’S JACKPOT :    €1,000
Last week’s net “take”       €2,453
Last week’s second Collection       €1,380

Many thanks for supporting the Parish Lotto in aid of the Church Restoration Fund.