Parish of the Assumption Area Code: 057 Tel: 93 21587 - 93 22415 Fax: 93 51510 Easter Sunday ~ 12th April 2020 Fr. Joseph Gallaghar P.P MASS TIMES WEEKEND MASSES Church of the Assumption: Saturday (Vigil) 6.30pm Sunday 8.30am, 10.00am, 11.30am & 1.00p.m St Colmcille’s Church Durrow: Sunday 11.30am WEEKDAY MASSES Monday-Friday 7.45am & 10.00am Saturday 10.00am First Friday 7.45am & 10.00am CONFESSIONS Saturday: 12 noon-1.00pm, 3.00-4.00pm GET IN TOUCH St Mary’s Parish Centre, Benburb St, Tullamore Phone: 0579321587 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Web: www.tullamoreparish.ie Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm; 1.30-5pm to book weddings, baptisms, certs, etc; Reception service 5-9pm. Priest available for emergencies 24 hours daily. Parish Shop selling a selection of religious items. Teas after 10am Mass Mon, Wed & Fri. Meeting Rooms available: Contact Administrator for details of rates, availability etc. Parish Support Services: Bereavement Listening, etc. For appointment, ph 0579326604, Monday-Thursday 9.30am-1.00pm; Wednesday & Thursday 6.00-8.00pm. EASTER MESSAGE OF HOPE 2020 This is an Easter that we will remember and it is very different from anything we have ever known. We have all experienced great disruption and worry as this crisis continues. During Easter we can use the events of Christ’s Passion as a source of focus during these troubling times. Easter can become a wellspring of hope and renewal. The Easter message is about the triumph of life over death. In the darkness of Good Friday there was very little cause for hope and Jesus cries “My God, why have you forsaken me”. It looked like the end but it was not. Into that darkness there came a light, and Jesus was raised from death and his resurrection gives us hope and the reality of new life. This is the story of salvation. These last few weeks have shown us that we are not in control. We have lived as if we can do everything and we have exploited the earth for our own comfort. We thought that advanced science would solve our problems and that we had conquered the earth with our knowledge. We are now at the mercy of an invisible enemy. We have reached our limits and now we must look beyond ourselves and look to God who is our redeemer and saviour. That is the great lesson we are learning and it is also our way forward. There is a great sense that we need to support one another and there are some people making heroic efforts. This time, like the darkness of Good Friday, will pass and we will be different people and the light of Easter will show us the way. Thank you for your support of one another and thank you for your support for the Parish. I wish you every Easter blessing. Trust in the Lord. Fr Joe Gallagher PP PARISH COLLECTIONS Envelopes €1590. The Parish also wishes to acknowledge generous donation received from Durrow Pattern Committee. You can donate to the parish in a number of ways:- 1) Parish Envelopes, Cash or cheque donations can be left into the Parish Centre or Parochial House or into the Yellow Collection Box at the Harbour Street entrance to the Church. 2) Credit card donations can be made by phoning the parish office at 057-9321587 4) Credit Transfer to Tullamore Parish Account. Bank of Ireland, Tullamore, Co. Offaly IBAN – IE34 BOFI 9019 0987 1557 41 BIC – BOFIIE2D Please include your email or postal address so that we can acknowledge your donation. Thank you most sincerely for your continued support. PARISH GOLF CLASSIC The annual Parish Golf classic has been deferred due to the coronavirus. We thank all the sponsors, players and TullamoreGolf Club for their support in running the classic every year and we look forward to being able to have it again. PRAYER TO ST. ROCH (St Roch is patron saint of people suffering from infectious diseases) O Blessed Saint Roch, Patron of the sick, Have pity on those Who lie upon a bed of suffering.
Your power was so great When you were in this world, That by the sign of the Cross, Many were healed of their diseases.
Now that you are in heaven, Your power is not less. Offer, then, to God Our sighs and tears And obtain for us that health we seek Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St Roch is a powerful patron against plagues. During the 14th century there was a plague in Italy, and St. Roch came upon one of the towns most affected by it.According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, he “devoted himself to the plague-stricken, curing them with the sign of the cross. He next visited Cesena and other neighbouring cities and then Rome. Everywhere the terrible scourge disappeared before his miraculous power.”He eventually contracted the plague himself, but after retreating to the forest, he was also cured from the disease. After his death, St. Roch’s intercession was invoked when a plague struck Germany in the 15th century. Time and time again he was invoked during various medieval plagues and is why he is labeled a patron against plagues. A PRAYER AT THIS TIME OF CORONAVIRUS Jesus Christ, you are our refuge from one generation to the next. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of this virus, that we may experience your healing presence. * Heal those who are sick with the virus. * Heal us from our fear and worry. Stay by our side in this time of uncertainty. * Be with those who have died. May they be at rest in your eternal peace. * Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals. May they know your inspiring presence. * Be with us that we may act with care. * Be with the leaders and those who have responsibilities. Give them the wisdom and insight to make good decisions. Be with us in our time of need, calm our anxieties and bring your healing and peace.Amen. CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA! What must it have been like for the followers of Jesus who having stood at the foot of the cross on Good Friday, then placing His body in a tomb, returning a couple of days later to discover the sealed tomb was empty? If Jesus had not risen from the dead and appeared to His followers it is very possible we would never had heard anything further about Jesus. His disciples were a sad, sorrowful and despairing group struggling to cope with Jesus’ death. However, the reality of the resurrection of Jesus not only brought intense happiness, joy, belief and courage to His followers but also a realisation that the resurrection of Jesus is the core belief at the heart of both their faith and ours. On this Easter Day, let us renew our relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Let us open our minds and hearts to receive the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection with faith and joyful wonderment. Let us remind ourselves that God through the birth, death and resurrection of His son will never forsake us. DIVINE MERCY NOVENA At 7pm each evening, commencing on Easter Sunday, we will live stream the Divine Mercy Novena culminating on Divine Mercy Sunday. OFFALY COVID-19 COMMUNITY RESPONSE FORUM: A dedicated community support helpline will be established in Offaly County Council to assist at risk members of the public in accessing non-emergency and non-medical supports and advice during the current public health emergency. The confidential free phone line service 1800-818181 and email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is being established by the new COVID-19 Offaly Community Response Forum, which includes over a dozen agencies and organisations. The helpline is focused primarily on ensuring that vulnerable members of the community or those living alone can access deliveries of groceries, medicine and fuels. The role of the Forum is to ensure that there is a co-ordinated community response and to enable all voluntary statutory agencies to collaborate in support of our communities and particularly of our most vulnerable members. COVID-19 SUPPORT LINE FOR OLDER PEOPLE: ALONE support line and additional supports for older people who have concerns or are facing difficulties relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Ph 0818 222 024, Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm. RELIGIOUS SERVICES ON RTÉ: Mon-Fri, 10.30am, RTÉ News Now broadcasts Mass from Letterkenny. RTÉ News Now can be received on Saorview channel 21; Virgin Media 200; Sky 521; Eir 500 and on the RTÉ News Now App. GROW Community Mental Health Movement support group, Ph Michelle 0864183805. DOCHAS OFFALY CANCER SUPPORT GROUP: 057 9328268. OFFALY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT SERVICES: Helpline 9351886 for information or to make an appointment. SEXUAL ABUSE & RAPE CRISIS CENTRE: Confidential Counselling Service, Helpline 1800323232. MIDLAND LIVING LINKS (Supporting the suicide bereaved). Ph 0861600641. AA: Offaly House, Offaly St, Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat 8.15pm; Tues, Wed, Fri 1pm; Sun 12noon, 8.15pm. AWARE: Support for those who have depression, Ph. 18008048 DEATHS We offer our sympathy to the families of Bridget Byrne, Fr Tom Scully OMI & Charlie McIntyre MASS INTENTIONS Mon 13 10.00 Denis Bergin Tues 14 10.00 Eileen & Patrick Boland Wed 15 10.00 Mikey McDonagh Thurs 16 10.00 Patrick, Kieran &BrigidMcDonagh Fri 17 7.45 John Monaghan & Family 10.00 James Bracken & Family, Spollenstown Sat 18 6.30 Peter Cronly, Mon Mem Sun 19 8.30 Valerie Neary& Noel Clancy 10.00 Paddy Egan, Marian Place 11.30 Emma Rice, 1st Ann. Gerard Murray, 1st Ann 1.00 Barbara Cassidy, 1st Ann & mother Kathleen
Shared Mass, Sat 18, 10am: May Brickland; Bernard, Angela & Edward Caulfield; Bridie& Dick Loughman; Mary Moran; Patrick &Phylis Mitchell; Joseph Buckley; Suzanne Heffernan; Julia Keoghan; Rory McEvoy; Michael Halpin; Edward & Annie Dowling & son Michael; John & Christina Kavanagh; Joseph Ryan; Peter Vicars; Bridget Monaghan &Cattigan Family; Joseph & Annie Coughlan; Michael Duffy; Daniel & Kathleen Hayden; Brigid& baby Thomas McDonagh; Matthew, Lily, Lelia& Tom Gallagher; Kathleen & Christopher Dwyer; Michael Flavin; Matthew & Patrick Conway; Kathleen, Joseph & Sonny O’Neill; Joseph & Catherine O’Connor; Jack & Kathleen Egan; John & Maureen Maloney; Pat Jennings & Family, Cummins Family & John Quinn; Anne & James Martin; Marian & Vincent Mullarkey; Patrick & Catherine Sullivan; Stephen & John Lynam& Family; Prendergast Family; Owen & Kathleen Marron; P J & Annie Sheehy; Herbert, John, Eva & Pat Marron; Sean, Dooley, John & Mary Moriarty; Tom Murray. |