Sunday of the Word of God – In an Apostolic Letter of 30th September last, Pope Francis established the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as the Sunday of the Word of God, a day when we pray and reflect on the celebration, study, and spreading of the Word of God. Pope Francis emphasises that the relationship between the Risen Lord, the community of believers, and the Bible is essential.Our Sunday Mass is the unique moment in the week when our identity Christians is nourished by Word and Sacrament. Our celebration is founded on the Word of God, and every proclamation of the Word of God is itself sacramental. This is not a new feast! The Word of God is proclaimed at every Sunday Eucharist, and one of the great blessings of the liturgical reform and renewal is a greater appreciation of the foundational role of the Word of God in every liturgical celebration, and we are reminded of the role of the Word of God in the life of faith. This Sunday we are called to give greater attention to the Word of God and to honour that Word in our celebration of the Mass.
Death: We pray for Michael B. O’Shea, Doyle Road, who died recently. We extend our sympathy to his family.
Anointing of Sick on Saturday 1st February after 10.00 am Mass. Consider offering a lift to a housebound neighbour
“Do this in Memory” Mass next 2nd February at 10.00 am. Meeting of parent class representatives on this Monday 27th January at 7.30 pm in the Parish Centre.
Anam Cara Cork the organisation that supports bereaved parents, is holding a Parent Evening on 5th February at 7:20pm in The Clayton Hotel, Cork City . This is a free event and open to all bereaved parents.
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Fr Kerry and Fr Charlie Kiely are planning another Pilgrimage in Early November 2020. Those interested should contact Fr Kerry on 087 2202022 or Fr Charlie on 086 8672377. A Trip of a Lifetime!
Cork Alzheimers Café a safe place for people with Alzheimers and other dementias, their carers, family and friends along with social and health professionals to meet. Last Friday of each month 1.30 – 3.30 pm in St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road. Light refreshments provided free of charge. All welcome. Next meeting January 31st.
Totus Tuus Pilgrimage to Fatima. September 5th to 12th. Flights from Cork. Day trips to Balasar, Valinhos/Aljustrel, Eucharistic Miracle of Santarem, and St Anthony’s birth place in Lisbon. Limited places. Spiritual Director: Fr Marius O’Reilly. Price €699 if booked before Feb 10th. Call Damien on 087 204 9048.
South Parish Historical Society Meeting at 7.30 pm Wednesday 5th February, St. John’s College, Sawmill Street. John Mulcahy will talk on “Jailbreak: The Rescue of Donnacadh MacNelis from Cork Prison 1918. All welcome – Fee €5 for non-members.
Conclusion of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity This year the theme of the week of prayer for Christian Unity is Hospitality, showing Unusual Kindness.. As we pray for unity among the followers of Christ it is good to reflect on our connection to one another. We may rejoice in our diversity and in the richness that the different traditions bring to the Church as a whole. We can and must take care that our attitudes and relationships are based on respect and a genuine desire for the unity for which Christ prayed. We realise that the scandal of disunity between the churches is a rejection of God’s will and a rejection of the prayer of Jesus to the Father, that all may be one; and that as individuals we do not have to buy into that rejection. St Paul’s appeal to the Christians at Corinth is addressed to all of us; to be united in our belief and practice. We are called to a practical unity, not to be a matter of words only, it is a question of real love and service, of responding as followers of Jesus to his prayer that “all may be one.” We are concerned with unity among Christians, relationships between the different Christian churches and within those churches, unity within our own church, in our local community and in our parish. We pray for unity within our immediate circle, in our family, our workplace, our neighbourhood, among our friends. In the end the call to unity is very personal.