13th November 2022, Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Your Diary

 

Night for Fr Billy:

Friday, 25th November in Nemo

 

 

 

Thanks

to all who ensured that our celebration of the Novena for the Holy Souls was special. May it bring great blessings on all of us. We continue to pray for our dead throughout the month of November.

 

Parish Assembly

Meeting this Monday, 14th at 8.00 pm

 

Feast of Christ the King next Sunday 

We remember the foundation of the our Church on this day 1931. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the huge renovation that was completed in 2002.

We welcome the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles from Ardfoyle, Cork to our Parish next weekend to promote Mission Awareness at all Masses.

 

Blessings: Who can bless?

I was impressed by the parish custom of families blessing their own graves with holy water last Sunday in St Joseph’s cemetery. In other cemeteries teams of priests race around the graveyard, the assumption being that only ordained priests can bless. Not so in Turner’s Cross!  So, what is a blessing? It is a ritual, using holy water or the sign of the cross, to invoke God’s blessing. It is God who blesses. When you take holy water to your family grave and ‘bless’ it you are externalising your inner desire that God bless your loved ones who have died. It is a priestly act and you can do so because all baptized people share in the priesthood of Christ. This has always been the faith of the Church but it has been all to infrequently aired. In 1979 Pope John Paul II called on the Church to reactivate the priesthood of the baptized. He was implying that it is not a new idea but part of the Tradition of the Church. A powerful expression of this belief comes from Pope St Leo the Great (5th century):

‘In baptism the sign of the cross makes kings of all who are reborn in Christ, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates them priests… any Christian who has the gifts of rational and of spiritual understanding knows he/she is a member of a kingly race and shares in the priestly office.’

So what of the ordained priest? That’s for another day…

 

Baptisms

From 1st December Baptisms will be held on the first and third Saturday of each month at 4.30 pm.  Application forms are available from the Sacristy.

Baptism Preparation

Each couple will be contacted to inform them of the date for the Baptismal preparation prior to the baptism itself. This preparation takes place in the Parish Centre. It is important that this meeting be led by parishioners and not just the priest. Please let us know if you would like to be part of this ministry.    

 

Thank You

Fr Noel would like to thank parishioners for the response to the request for Autumn Dues. He finds the speedy and generous response a sign of a very warm welcome to Christ the King parish. May we grow as a caring and joyful community in the months and years ahead.

 

The ALPHA COURSE in Douglas

Turner’s Cross Parish is helping the Parish of Douglas and Rochestown to run their first Alpha Course starting this week. Turner’s Cross parishioners are welcome to attend.  Starting on November 17th  sessions will be held in in the Parish Centre at St Columba’s Church on Thursday evenings from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm, concluding in February.

Alpha creates a space for a conversation about faith, life, and God in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Sessions cover topics such as: Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How does God guide us? Why and how do I pray?  We don’t assume any background knowledge or belief. Alpha is for everyone, no question is out of bounds and you are free to discuss as much or as little as you wish.

Friendships are made at Alpha