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This the only piece of mosaic that survived the fire in 1983. It is currently in the Day Chapel at the exact location it would have been in in the old sanctuary. Articles on this page include: Preperations for the Year of faith, update 24th July 2011 Tullamore to celebrate year of Faith. Other related articles:
“Year of Faith” On Sunday 28th August 2011 Bishop Michael Smith will launch a “Year of Faith” to mark both the 25th Anniversary of the Church of the Assumption and the International Eucharistic Congress which will take place in Dublin next June 2012. The Parish Pastoral Council has set up a working Committee. This committee began its work in Early January. Its chairman Mr. Tom Whelan said that “The theme of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin June 2012 is The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another. In preparation for this, our group through various sub committees, are in the process of organising events which will demonstrate that Tullamore Parish is committed to the goals and aims of the international group”. Special effort will also be made by the committee and the parish team to engage with parishioners in the new estates in the parish. The Jubilee Mass Our year of Faith will open with a Silver Jubilee Mass in the Parish Church at 1.00pm on the 28 August 2011, celebrated by Bishop Michael Smith and past and present priests of Tullamore. The Mass will begin with the lighting of a candle to mark the Year of Faith. It is hoped that the Congress Bell will arrive on this day in our parish. At the end of the Mass the people of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise will be presented with a Book of the Gospels to show our solidarity with them in the loss of their Cathedral in Longford. After Mass a street party will take place, as we celebrate together as a parish community. Street Party The parish will hold a street party in St Brigid’s Place (front of Parochial House) after the 1pm Jubilee Mass on Sunday 28th August. It is hoped our parish community will come together to celebrate the silver jubilee of our church building. Refreshments will be served, face painting, cartoon characters, bingo musical entertainments and lots more will be available. Margaret Kelly, Chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council commented “ We are not just celebrating something that happened in the past but also things that are happening now, our parish fully alive”. August 2011 – August 2012 promises to be a busy year in the parish with the celebration of a “Year of Faith” to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the church of the Assumption and also to mark the 5oth International Eucharistic Congress. Septembers theme will be – We hand on the faith will see the launch of the parish preparation programmes for First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Youth Alpha will also be launched in some of our Post Primary schools. At the beginning of the month a parish prayer book will be launched, and we will also gather the 320 parishioners who are involved in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Octobers theme will be “We give God thanks and praise” A solemn Novena will be held in early October which will revive many great memories of the singing and praying done in the 1980s. The novena will be led by the Redemptorist Fathers. Also during the month a Mass of Thanksgiving for Farmers and all who live off the land will be held. It is also hoped to do some work on the Marian Shine in the Church grounds. A Choir from Denmark will perform a special concert in the Church on 16th October. November – “We honor and pray for our dead”. As well as the annual bereavement mass we hope to have another celebration where we remember those who died over the past 25years. In December we prepare for the Birthday of Jesus Christ. The theme we have chosen- We celebrate Christ’s birth by caring and sharing. A copy of Marks Gospel will be made available to all parishioners and a carol service will be held. In January –“We are God’s Family”. An ecumenical service will be celebrated, which will emphasise our gratitude to all the Churches for their support and help when we had no church building. The call to service has always been well and cheerfully answered in Tullamore parish and the last 25 years have been no exception. We will remember mass servers, Ministers of the Word, Ministers of the Eucharist, choirs and all the many parishioners who have contributed their time and talents to make this parish what it is today. February –“We are called to serve” We continue on from January as we encourage parishioners to become involved in the different ministries and groups in our parish. After the last success, the ‘Alpha Course’ will also be re launched. March -“We are called to Reconciliation”. Our usual Lenten programme will include mid-week events for the Primary and Post –Primary Schools. The sacrament of reconciliation will be celebrated with a particular focus on grudges towards those around us which we have allowed fester in our hearts for many years. It is hoped that the “Song of Mark” will be performed in the Church as a way of deepening our understanding of Marks Gospel, which is read at the Sunday masses this year. April’s theme –“We are a joy filled people”. This month we focus on celebrating our faith with openness and joy. The usual packed Easter schedule will be celebrated even more joyfully as we celebrate the Year of Faith. May –“Communion with one another”. This month’s theme focuses on part of the theme of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. The question “Who is my neighbour?” will be posed and answered on communion with each other as we join together in various neighborhood celebrations as we prepare for the Eucharistic congress and our annual Corpus Christ Procession. June –“ Communion with Christ”. It is hoped to celebrate a large open air Mass. During this month it is also hoped to celebrate in a special way those who were baptised, those who received their First Holy Communion, those who were confirmed and married during the first year of the life of the Church of the Assumption. In July “We are a Pilgrim people”. We hope to organize pilgrimages to some of the holy places in Ireland – Lough Derg, Croagh Patrick, Ballintubber) August –“Christ is our future”. August will see the close of this holy Year of Faith. The theme “Christ is our Future” reminds us to take pride in our parish and to continue to celebrate our faith with joy. Parish Prayer Book As part of the year of Faith, the Parish will launch a Parish Prayer Book. Over the past few months parishioners have submitted their favorite prayers to the editorial team. Children from the various schools have also submitted art work to be included in the prayer book. Fr Shane is very excited about the project. He believes that “that the prayers prayed over the years are the prayers of our ancestors and it is important that these prayers are cherished and made available to present and future generations”. He remarked that these are even more special as they are the prayers prayed by our fellow parishioners”. It is hoped that the Parish Prayer Book will be launched in early September 2011.
Preparing for the “Year of Faith” & The Eucharist is not just a personal possession. It shapes a new form of living. I can never be a Christian just on my own uncaring and un-thoughtful about those around me or what is going on around me. A Eucharistic life-style is always one which reaches out to others, especially to those who may be in need or who are troubled. This is the sense of the theme of our Eucharistic Congress: “Communion with Christ and with one another”.A Eucharistic life-style is one where the notions of caring and sharing dominate, where self-giving love is the mark of how we live, and how we base our choices and how we interact with others. The 2011 Eucharistic Congress will be an important moment when we can pause to reflect on what that life-style means. But it will be just one moment. If the Congress remains just an isolated moment then it will just be outward display. The Church will be renewed only when believers in Jesus Christ truly come together regularly to listen to the word of God and to share in the bread of life and when from that nourishment they develop a new way of living and witnessing to their faith, in the Church and in society. At the beginnings of the Church, as the Acts of the Apostles remind us: “Day by day, the Lord added to their number”. Today, the Lord will renew the Church and add to our number as believers in the measure in which we live that lifestyle which only our sharing in the body and blood of Christ can enable and foster. Preparations for the Year of Faith update 24th July 2011
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20 April 2024
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