Remembrance Sunday
Our Masses this weekend are times for reflection and prayer when we remember our dead and the previous times spent with our loved ones. It is an opportunity to recall the good days and the difficult days when we shared our hopes, dreams and our actions together. Watching a memorial service recently  on TV for the victims of a horrific plane crash.  I realised that those who survived, those who lost their beloved and the traumatised were being as remembered as those who died. The same will be the case in our Masses this Remembrance Weekend. It is also an opportunity to give thanks for the wonderful gifts of family, kind neighbours and friendship.
All of us are shaped today by all that has happened in the past. We need to realize that the life, culture and experience of those gone before us still have an influence in our lives. That is why during this month of November we pray for those who have died in a special way. Some might ask why March or April wasn't picked when new life is in abundance all around in nature. But November has been picked so that we are indeed in touch with the darkness of our own lives and our own significant losses. In remembering all those who have died we acknowledge their influence in our own lives today.
Thank you for taking the time to come to share our Masses this weekend.

Remembering
Everyone loves to be remembered
But if we want to be remembered
We have a duty also to remember
Memory is a powerful thing
Wrongly used it can bring death rather than life
It keeps the past alive
Those we remember never die
They continue to walk and talk with us
There is nothing stronger or more helpful
than a good remembrance.
Dear departed friends, we want you to know
that we haven't forgotten you
We remember you
and your memory most definitely brings life to us today.
May it also assure us of life for you,
that eternal life Christ came on earth to give us.

Reflection
In the rising of the sun and its going down………………….
   We remember them
In the blowing of the wind and the chill of the winter…..  
   We remember them
In the opening of the buds and the warmth of summer..
   We remember them
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of Autumn..
   We remember them
In the beginning of the year and when it ends………………     
   We remember them
When we are weary and in need of strength………………..
   We remember them
When we are lost and sick of heart……………………………   
   We remember them
When we have joy and yearn to share ………………………..
   We remember them
So long as we live, they too shall live for they are part of us     We remember them
When we grow old and forgetful we still   know ……. 
   God remembers them

Parish Mini Mission
Sun.11th to Wed.14th Nov
A time of Prayer, Reflection & Celebration
conducted by the Redemptorist Team.
The opening event will be on Sunday 11th Nov at 7pm
Celebrating the many aspects of our Community
Each day at 10am & 7.30pm
All are welcome.

Prayers and Blessing of Graves
will take place in St. Joseph?s Cemetery, Tory Top Rd. this Sunday 4th Nov. at 2.30pm. Bring a small container to take some of the water blessed at the ceremony to bless your family grave.
Times of Prayers & Blessings at other Cemeteries this Sunday:
Douglas Cemetery 3.00pm. St. Michael's Cemetery  3.00pm   St. James' Cemetery, Chetwynd, – 3.00pm.  St. Finbarr's Cemetery, Glasheen Road  3.00pm

Indulgence for the Holy Souls
You can gain an indulgence for the Holy Souls from 1st to 8th November by visiting a cemetery and saying the Our Father, Hail Mary and a prayer for the Pope's intentions.

The Novena of Masses for the Holy Souls 
continues until 10th Nov. There will be Masses each day of the Novena at 10am and 6pm. – Envelopes for those who wish to have their dead remembered in the Novena are available at the back of the Church and may be returned to the box at the Altar Rails.

'Do this in Memory' Parents – class representatives – will meet in Fr. Charlie's house at 8pm on Mon. 5 Nov.

The Parish Steering Group will meet in the Parish Centre on Mon. 5th Nov. at 8pm

A Thought
It is always difficult to understand death or make sense of the loss of a loved one. Death is not an end, only a beginning. We trust, hope and pray that all who have died are at peace and happy. Today and throughout this month of November we remember them in a special way.
Lord, we miss our loved ones who have died.
Sometimes words fail to express the sadness we feel,
particularly when our loss is recent.
We trust and believe that they are now in a loving relationship with you.
May all our loved ones who have died rest in peace.