Weekly Bulletin 11th July 2021

Today is the Fifteenth Sunday of the Year. The Gospel today (Mark6:7-13) sees Jesus sending out the twelve apostles to preach and heal. He stresses the urgency of their task.  He tells them that that they are not to take anything with them but to depend on the hospitality of those to whom they are sent. It was important also not to go where they were not wanted.  “Shake the dust of your feet of those who do not accept you!” (Mark 6:11)   Every good Jew used to wipe their feet when they entered back into their homeland again.  The soil that was not Jewish was unclean.  In the first reading today Amos gets a hard time from the priest of the royal sanctuary.(Amos 7:12-15).  Amos was from the south of the country and he went up to preach to the people of the north of the country and he was told by the priests of the temple of Bethel to get back to his own home town.  Amos told them that he did not want this job of a prophet in the first place and he was only doing what God asked of him. Prophets are hard to live with!   We are all called to be missionaries and to be witnesses to the power of Christ in our lives. It is not by our words alone that we attract people to Christ but by our deeds. A priest wrote a letter to God, after being asked by God to take the good news of Christ to his neighbourhood.

In a world where the message of the Gospel is sometimes scorned – it is difficult to speak genuinely about Christ’s message. The second reading today tells us that we are blessed by the goodness of God already to do that task.      (Ephesians 1:3-14) 

Christ said, “The harvest is great but the labourers are few” / What we need is more to approve, few to disprove.  More doers, fewer talkers. / More to say, “It can be done!” Fewer to say, “It can’t be done” / More to inspire others with confidence. Fewer to throw cold water on everything / More to take one step in the right direction. More to get into the thick of things More to do something about it, Fewer to sit on the side-lines finding fault / More to point out what is right, fewer to keep harping on about what is wrong / More to light a candle, fewer to curse the darkness

Feasts of the Week: Thursday: St. Bonaventure (1221-1274). Known as the Second Founder of the Franciscans. Friday: Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Thanks for your generous contributions last Sunday of £1880. Thanks also to our Ushers and Ministers of the Eucharist for their diligence and good work in the smooth running of our religious services. Thanks also for following their instructions and for wearing a mask while in the Church building, for sanitising your hands and social distancing. 

Church Cleaning Groups: We hope to restart our church cleaning groups. Please contact us if you are able to return to this ministry or indeed if you would like join one of the groups. You will be asked to give your time, for three hours in cleaning our church on a particular Wednesday evening on every third month of the year.

Tickets for the Draw. We have decided to print some tickets for our Annual Draw earlier this year from previous years! We will not be sending them out to our usual benefactors until September. They are available in our shop earlier than heretofore we can distribute them more easily to our summer visitors. We have no intention of speaking about Annual Draws, that take place around Christmas, in the height of this beautiful summer weather! 

Mass Monday(12^th July) @ 7pm –  Arthur. Confessions (Tues to Fri) 2 – 5pm & Mass each evening at 7pm.

Tues: Arthur.   Wed: Victor.     Thurs – Charles.    Fri – Charles   & Sat – Confessions 5pm  to 6pm –  Arthur.

Guild Mass Cards: We have a wide selection of cards for Deceased, Mass Bouquets, Get Well, Birthday, Graduation, Wedding, Thinking of You  and Exam Mass Bouquets which cost £2 / €2.50 each. We value your support.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every Friday 10:00am  – 2:00pm.