Family of Parishes

The priests of our family of parishes met last Monday to explore the possibilities offered by this new association of parishes. The main outcome was to offer the next Alpha programme to the three parishes: See details below. A meeting will be held shortly with representatives of the three parish assemblies. Fiacra Bracken and Maeve Kennedy will represent our parish.

Fr Pat Stevenson, the new Assistant Priest for the family of parishes, will celebrate the Vigil Mass next Saturday. He is a native of the parish and is looking forward to coming here.

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).

Novena

A novena in preparation for the feast of St Thérèse of Lisieux will take place in St Joseph’s SMA Church, Blackrock Road, beginning on 23rd September and continuing until 1st October. The novena will be celebrated each evening at 7.30 pm, except on the Saturdays when it will be at 7.00 pm.

New Rotas for Ministers of the Word and Eucharist are available in the sacristy. They take effect from next weekend.

First Communion 2024: 18th May, at 10.30 am.

Recent Deaths:

Mary Dineen, Derrynane Road; Rena Murphy, Percyville, South Douglas Road; Robert Barrett, O’Connell Avenue. We pray for them and sympathise with their families. May they rest in peace.

Christian Witness in Nigeria

Last weekend Revd Dr Paul Kangkai spoke to us about the situation in the North East of Nigeria. He has sent us this summary of his talk:

Nigeria is a huge country with an estimated population of 223,804,632 people. The north east of Nigeria has a population of over 26 million people. These 26 million people have been the ones most affected by the deadly activities of an Islamic group known to the world today as Boko Haram. They are a new arrival on the religious landscape of the north east of Nigeria. The word Boko Haram in the local Hausa language means “western education is forbidden”. However, they define themselves as “people committed to the propagation of the Prophet’s (Mohammed) teaching and jihad.” The scale of their terrorist activities is enormous. According to the figures given by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, 2020), 35,000 people were killed. In 2022, UNDP updated their figures to 350,000 people. 13,000 Churches, 1500 schools were destroyed. 611 teachers lost their lives. Thousands of Mosques were destroyed too since Boko Haram attacked other Muslims who were not members of their sect. Most of the killings and destruction took place within the span of twelve years (2009-2022).

The good news is that despite all these challenges, the faith of our people remains strong. Our churches are full every Sunday and most times when we celebrate masses. The crisis has led to an increase in vocation to the priesthood and Religious life. Our lay people have become more involved in our parishes. Our first reading highlights the challenge of being God’s witness in difficult and violent circumstances with the story of Jeremiah. The Gospel of Matthew describes how being true disciples of Jesus includes carrying our crosses. For us in the north east of Nigeria, violent Islamic terrorism has been our cross. There are many types of crosses for you in Ireland today. However, the call to true witness in love, according to the mind of Christ, is the same. We are asking you to continue to pray for us; for our people, priests, Religious and volunteers from around the world who are still working there. Thank you.

Parish Assembly meets on Monday 11th September, at 8.00 pm.

Recent Death: Rita Kehoe, Hawthorn Villas, South Douglas Road. We pray for her and sympathise with her family. May she rest in peace.

Family of Parishes

We are now part of a family of parishes with Douglas/Rochestown and Frankfield/Grange. We still retain our identity as Christ the King Parish, Turner’s Cross but the three parishes will support each other in different ways. We hope that increased cooperation between the parishes will benefit us all. We have seen how the Alpha programme is not confined to the parish where it takes place. Last year it met in Douglas but had parishioners from the different parishes. Similar programmes and projects are possible. One parish on its own may not be able to organise and carry out a pastoral project but with the cooperation of the three parishes much more is possible. Similarly, the priests of the family of parishes will support each other.

The priests of our family of parishes are:

Canon Teddy O’Sullivan, Douglas (Moderator)

Fr Pat O’Mahony, SMA, Rochestown

Fr Ray Riordan, Frankfield

Fr Noel O’Sullivan, Turner’s Cross

Fr Pat Stevenson has been appointed as an assistant priest to the three parishes, having retired as PP of Crosshaven. He is a native of this parish.

 First Wednesday: On Wednesday next, the first Wednesday of the month, the Marian Novena will be led by the Legion of Mary at 10 am

Parish Assembly meets on Monday 11th September, at 8.00 pm.

Wedding: Congratulations to Ian James (Ashdale) and Kate Prendeville (Bishopstown) who were married here on Friday.

Recent Deaths in Christ the King Parish (since the last bulletin):

Josephine McCarthy, Capwell Road; Brian Lynch, Greenhills Estate; Stephen Leonard, Cross Douglas Rd and Crosshaven; Carmel Sheehan, St Anne’s Park; Norma Burton, Curragh Road. We pray for them and sympathise with their families. May they rest in peace.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This is the final bulletin until September

Synodality continued…

The 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will take place in Rome from 4 to 29 October. Commenting on the working document which has just been published in preparation for this Synod, Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick said: “In looking at what has happened so far, we can be very grateful for the commitment of so many. The journey continues and I wholeheartedly encourage Catholics across Ireland to continue to engage with the universal synodal process through ongoing prayer and discernment… We are awaiting the official confirmation from the Holy Father of the various delegations to the October assembly in Rome. That gathering, of course, isn’t just for those going to Rome. Each of us can continue to contribute in prayer and reflection to what is this Spirit-led ongoing conversation of renewal that aims to generate a pastoral and structural conversion in the life and mission of the Church at every level.”

New book to be published shortly with a parish connection. See website!

For the next few weeks the Mass leaflet will be available as

usual but it will not be accompanied by a bulletin on the

back

Second Collection next weekend will be for the diocese. There are four such collections in the course of the year.

Ministers of Word and Eucharist

The new rotas are available in the sacristy this weekend. May this ministry bring many blessings to you and your families.

Recent Death: The death has occurred of Owen Casey, aged 26, from Montenotte. We sympathise with his family, especially with Alan Casey here in Turner’s Cross.

Synodality

Pope Francis has put forward the idea of synodality to highlight that all of us together form the Church and that life in the Church is a journey. The term ‘synodality’ owes its origin to two Greek words sun (with) and hé hodos (the road/journey): we journey on the one road together. The basis of synodality is the incarnation: the Son of God became one of us and joined us on the journey of life with its joys and sorrows, until he met with a most brutal death. And he continues to journey with us: ‘And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Mt 28:20). We too need to journey together. Though we have different functions in the Church and different vocations, nonetheless, we are all travelling together. The Church is a body, as St Paul highlights (1Cor 12:12-27), but she must give a place to each of her members: the inarticulate, the poor, those in precarious situations. As the preparatory document affirms: “I]t will be of fundamental importance that the voice of the poor and excluded also find a place, not only that of those who have some role or responsibility within the particular Churches.” (Synod 2023 Preparatory Document: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission (Vatican City, 2021), 31). Synodality is not a new pastoral experiment which gives a platform to the theologically articulate. It is a constitutive dimension of the Church and always has been. St John Chrysostom (347-407) stated that ‘Church and Synod are synonymous’ (St John Chrysostom, Explanation of Psalm 149, Patrologia Graeca 55, 493, quoted in Synod 2023, 11). Pope Francis has proposed three pillars of synodality: communion, participation and mission. I like to think of these as synodal signposts: they indicate the way forward.

Local Application

In the Autumn of this year our parish will become part of a Family of Parishes with Douglas/Rochestown and Frankfield/Grange. We will retain our individual identity and structure but we will move forward as a wider community.

Recent Deaths:

Ray Cowhie, Green Lawn; Br Jeremiah Finbar (Br de Lellis) O’Sullivan, Maiville. Ken Moore, Montenotte. Mary O’Dwyer, Derrynane Road. Leaba i measc na naomh go raibh acu. We sympathise with their families and with the Presentation Brothers.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mass at St. Michael’s Cemetery, Blackrock

Wednesday 28th June, at 7.30 pm.

Family members, friends and neighbours of all those buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery are invited to attend. Please bring your own chairs as seating will not be provided. In the event of bad weather Mass will be celebrated in Holy Cross Church.

Considering the Priesthood?

The Diocese of Cork and Ross will host a special ‘Come and See’ event for men considering the priesthood on Sunday, July 2nd. It will take place in Mardyke House (T12 W8RP) from 2pm to 5pm. It will be an opportunity to take a gentle initial step and to pray, share and explore if the Lord might be calling you to the priesthood. To register simply email vocations@corkandross.org A short invitational video has been prepared for the event and I ask that you would share this widely. The video link is https://youtu.be/kXlhv-XeKyU

Worth Reading

Bishop Michael Smith. Vatican Council Memories. Dublin: Veritas, 2022. The retired bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith, was a student in Rome in the 1960s and was invited to attend all four sessions of the Vatican Council (1962-65), to help compile the official record of the council. All the debates were through the medium of Latin, so this tells us something of this young man’s ability in language and theology. In this new book he tells the story of the debates that took place at the different sessions and how the bishops in attendance came to agree on the sixteen documents which were then promulgated by Pope Paul VI. The book is very readable and most informative. Vatican Council II is of major significance and it is only recently that its importance is being appreciated.

Vatican II Documents: 4 Constitutions; 9 Decrees; 3 Declarations

Cork Alzheimers Café Last Friday of each month 11am to 12.30pm in St Finbarrs Hospital Activity Centre, Douglas Road. Light refreshments provided free of charge. Friday 30th June the next meeting.

Recent Death: The death has occurred of Barra O Tuama, South Douglas Road. Leaba i measc na naomh go raibh aige.

Trocaire Lenten Collection

The parish raised €2,144 for Trocaire. Sincere thanks to all who made this possible.

18th June, 2023

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Diamond Jubilee of Priestly Ordination

This month Fr Kerry Murphy O’Connor and an tAth. Tomas O Murchu (a native of Derrynane Road) celebrate sixty years in the priesthood. A special Mass will be celebrated today, 18th June in Our Lady Crowned Church, Mayfield, at Noon. It was in this church that they were ordained on the 8th June, 1963. Included in this celebration is Fr Colin Doocey who was ordained 30 years ago. These three priests have 150 years of ministry between them. We are all invited to this Mass and to the open-air party afterwards. Mass at St. Michael’s Cemetery, Blackrock Wednesday 28th June, at 7.30 pm. Family members, friends and neighbours of all those buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery are invited to attend. Please bring your own chairs as seating will not be provided. In the event of bad weather Mass will be celebrated in Holy Cross Church.

Reflection on Today’s Gospel:

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles What does the term ‘apostle’ mean? It is someone who is sent. Jesus himself was sent by the Father to reveal God to the world and to redeem humanity. Jesus chose twelve of his followers and they acted as his core group of collaborators. They knew Jesus better than anyone else. Their closeness to him over the time of his public ministry was a preparation for their mission in life. Just as Jesus had been sent by the Father, Jesus in turn sent out his twelve disciples to make him known, initially to the Jews and eventually to the whole world. In today’s gospel he tells them: ‘And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand’ (Matthew 10:7). Later in that gospel we read the Great Commission, i.e. Jesus’ final sending out of his apostles: ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Mt 28:18-20) This commission is now the responsibility of the whole Church, not just the successors of the apostles. Pope Francis proposes this extension of the apostolic mission to all Christians as synodality. This important insight and proposal of the pope needs extensive reflection at some future date.

Recent Deaths.

The deaths have occurred of Michael (Frank) O’Leary, Greenhills Court and Thomas (Tom) O’Leary, Greenhills Court. We pray for them and sympathise with their families.

Trinity Sunday

We believe in One God, not three! But God is not an isolated individual. God is a community of love: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We acknowledge that in so many of our prayers: the Sign of the Cross, the Glory be…, the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed. The prayers of the Mass are all addressed to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.

Eucharistic Procession next Sunday, 11th June.

We are invited to assemble at 2:30pm at the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne to begin the Procession at 3pm. This year, we will follow a new route concluding at the Ss. Peter and Paul’s Church for a Homily and Benediction celebrated by Most Reverend Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork and Ross. All are invited to join to be part of a Diocesan Faith Community walking together in Procession. First Holy Communion children and their families are especially welcome. Wednesday: Rosary and Miraculous Medal Novena prayers at 10.00 am on Wednesday led by the Legion of Mary members. All welcome.

Pope Francis on the difference the Holy Spirit makes:

“Without the Spirit, Jesus remains a person from the past; with the Spirit, he is a person alive in our time. Without the Spirit, Scripture is a dead letter; with the Spirit it is a word of life. A Christianity without the Spirit is joyless moralism; with the Spirit, it is life.”

CONNECT Summer BBQ

There will be a special CONNECT Summer BBQ on Thursday June 8th at 7pm in Mardyke House (T12 W8RP) for Young Adults (18-35 years). To register simply visit www.corkandross.org. Please do spread the word.

Recent Deaths:

Abina Phelan, Greenhills Estate; Eileen O’Brien, Tyrone Place. May they rest in peace. Our sympathies are with their families.

Pentecost Sunday

With joy we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. This feast commemorates the event that took place fifty days after the resurrection which transformed the apostles from being frightened, hunted men into fearless missionaries and eventually martyrs (The word ‘pentecost’ comes from the Greek for ‘fifty’). Jesus had already imparted the Spirit to them on Easter Sunday evening: ‘He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven…”.’ However, they had yet to receive the fullness of the Spirit. This was the dramatic, transforming event that took place at Pentecost.

The Spirit has been given to us at Baptism and Confirmation, but we have yet to receive fully this gift of God. Today’s feast is an occasion to reconsider our Confirmation and, in particular, the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, good judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, wonder and awe in God’s presence.   Like any gift these can remain in their packages, unopened, unused. It is useful occasionally to open up one of these gifts and to see where we need it in practical situations. Try it!

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit
and they shall be created.
And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit,
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant that by the same Holy Spirit
we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations,
Through Christ Our Lord.

For the diary: Eucharistic Procession on Sunday, 11^th June.

Pioneer Mass

The annual Diocesan Pioneer Mass will be celebrated by Fr John

Newman PP in St Patrick’s Church in Bandon on Friday June 9th at

7.30pm. Refreshments will be served in the Parish Centre after Mass.

Anyone due for silver, gold or diamond (60 yrs.) pins which will be

presented at the Mass please contact your local Pioneer Centre, Teresa

Mc Carthy between 10.00am and 12 noon, Aislinn Cogan 087 9699 or

Sheila Murphy 087 768 6112. Anyone wishing to join the Pioneers,

contact the above. All are welcome to attend the Mass

Recent Death: Ruth Cullen, Wynneville, Evergreen Road. May she rest in peace. We sympathise with her family.

Next Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Trinity