ALPHA 3
A new Alpha course, organised by the Douglas Parish Assembly, starts on Thursday, 12 October, in the Parish Rooms, St Columba’s, and runs for 10 weeks, from 7.30 to 9.00pm each Thursday night. Alpha is an opportunity to explore your faith in an informal and friendly environment. If you’re asking: Who is Jesus? Why did he die? What relevance does Jesus have for our lives today? How can I make the most of the rest of my life?, then Alpha is for you. To register, contact the Parish Office (parishofdouglas@gmail.com / 021 489 4128) or Brian O’Kane (alphateam2023@hotmail.com / 086 244 1633).
Feast of St Finbarr, Gougane Sunday
You are invited to the celebrations at Gougane Barra on Sunday 1st October marking the 1400th anniversary of the death of St Finbarr. Mass at 3pm preceded by the Rosary at 2.30 pm. Fr Bernard Cotter will preach this year. Bishop Fintan will celebrate the Mass.
Altar Servers
Children who have already received their First Communion may become altar servers. I would ask parents and grandparents to talk to their children about altar serving. There have been no altar servers since 2019 – prior to Covid – so children are not familiar with the role. This could be a good opportunity for children to make connection with the Mass. Application forms available in the Sacristy.
Autumn Dues
Many of you will have received a request for Autumn Dues this past week. The Dues is the means by which the priests receive an income. Priests are not paid by the diocese as some may expect. I am well aware that the people of this parish are very generous but the number who contribute has greatly reduced in recent years. At one time the parish supported three full-time priests in Christ the King, now the parish just about manages to support one priest. This year the dues will also help finance the assistant priest in the family of parishes. Each of the three parishes will make a contribution to ensure that the he has an income. This will be taken from the dues, not from the offertory collections. These weekly collections go directly into the parish account to finance the running of the parish: heating, lighting, salaries, upkeep, etc.I sincerely thank all of you in advance for your support of the Autumn Dues.
First Wednesday Novena prayers will be led by the Legion of Mary at 10.00