The Pope's Visit : A Parish Website Record

The photos and texts below will serve as our testimony to, and memory of, a unique event.  (With all photos, click to enlarge. Once one is enlarged, you can view the whole sequence in enlarged view.)

Sunday 19th   Read Fr Michael Shortall's sermon here.

Wed. 22nd      Mass in RDS during Pastoral Congress

Cardinal Kevin Farrell and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin
Photo :  Newcastle Parishioner

Friday 24th :   Capuchin Day Centre, Bow Street                                                                              

This photo was taken around 5 p.m. on Friday and shows the entrance to the Capuchin Day Centre on Bow Street.  Opposite the doorway to the centre is a row of houses called St Francis Terrace. Look at the street on google maps. Donal McMahon (writer of this account) with his wife Mary went to see the film about Pope Francis by Wim Wenders, A Man of His Word, showing in the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield, that day at 6.30 p.m. We were in plenty of time, so we walked over to the Capuchin church on Church Street to see the preparations for the visit of Pope Francis the following day. We passed by the Day Centre on the way. Imagine, the central character in the film we were going to see would be coming up that very street tomorrow! The papal flags were out, as you can see, but otherwise all was quiet round the Day Centre. Pope Francis walked through that door about 24 hours later with the eyes of millions on him (in attendance and viewing on tv). See the video of that moment here (fourth video down). The photo below (taken next day) shows the Pope on his way to the Day Centre via College Green and Dame Street.

Sat. 25th    The Pope on His Way to the Day Centre 

Status Civitatis Vaticanae
City State of the Vatican - in Dublin City
Photo : Newcastle Parishioner

Saturday Evening   In Croke Park

Ronan and Deborah McDermott
With their children and Ronan's father Liam

Sunday 26th  Mass in Phoenix Park

The three fine photos above were taken by Matt O'Sullivan (Chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council) who attended the Mass with his family.

Before the Mass:   A Unique Fleeting Moment Captured for Ever here  (thanks to Tabitha Thompson, Newcastle)

After the Mass :

Everyone Happy 
Mairin Leonard  of Newcastle with Family and Friends,  

A Final Word and Summary 

(from a Newcastle Parishioner)

What a wonderful gathering of families and clergy from around the world! From the official opening in the RDS on Tuesday evening to the closing Papal Mass in the Phoenix Park on Sunday evening, anybody attending any of the events could not but be impressed by the good humour and sheer joy of all who travelled from around the world to attend this amazing event. 

In the RDS from Wednesday through Friday there was an incredible array of top-level speakers, experts in their fields, who spoke on a wide range of topics, pertinent to contemporary Christianity. In addition, each day there were programmes for children and teenagers, exhibitions, prayer spaces and a concelebrated Mass in the main arena. On Saturday, there was great excitement as Pope Francis made his way around the streets of Dublin in the popemobile, squeezing it in with all his other engagements on the day. Everybody was able to view on TV the once-off incredible Festival of Families from Croke Park. Then there was our second Papal Mass in the Phoenix Park – truly historic.

THANK YOU to that small organising group from the Archdiocese who worked relentlessly to provide us with this wonderful event. Thank you too to the thousands of volunteers. The photos above (and all those you took yourselves with your families) will allow us relive the personal, familial and communal joyfulness ('laetitia') that we were all blessed with over the course of those wonderful late-summer days.  

General Assembly of Synod of Bishops, Rome, 4 October 2023

Further reading here and here.

Irish representatives at the Synod   Brendan Leahy (Bishop of Limerick), Alan McGuckian (Bishop of Raphoe) (below l. and r. respectively), Rev Professor Eamon Conway (priest of the Archdiocese of Tuam, serving as ‘Expert and Facilitator’), and Sister Patricia Murray IBVM (Executive Secretary of the International Union of Superiors General).

"As they left Ireland, Bishops Leahy and McGuckian reiterated that the Synodal Process is about conversion and, in light of Pope Francis’ comment that 'without prayer there will be no Synod', invited people of faith to pray to God over the coming weeks at daily and weekend Masses, at home, and in religious communities, for Pope Francis and for all members of the Synodal Assembly." (https://www.catholicbishops.ie/2023/09/27/irish-bishops-ask-for-prayers-ahead-of-attending-the-synod-on-synodality-in-rome/)

Oct. 5th: First meeting of Synod in Paul VI Hall   

Photo taken from Vatican News website

"The Holy Spirit," he said, "guides us by the hand and consoles us."  Read more of the Pope's address here.

And here you can read the "Instrumentum Laboris" for the Synod, presenting the programme for the entire month's proceedings.  

On Saturday 28th October the Synod came to a close with the publication of the Synthesis Report. You can read it here.

Finally, in a "Motu Proprio" published on the feast of All Saints (Nov. 1st), the Pope gave his views on how theology should be practised today. Pick out something for yourself from it here. This is what I picked: "Theology should prophesy the hope of an ultimate fulfilment [as cure] for the open wounds of humanity and creation" [Section 13]. 

For Some Lenten Reflection

Sunday next is the first Sunday of Lent. We have entered into the annual 40-day period of preparation leading to the great feast of Easter which falls this year on Sunday 21st April. When the writer was in school long ago, the emphasis was on what one ought not to do during that period, e.g. eat chocolate until the big break-out with the Easter egg on Easter Sunday. The emphasis today is less on denying oneself certain things than on doing things for others, e.g. the Trócaire Lenten campaign which asks us to do what we can for the poor. The purpose of the practices of 'fast and abstinence' of old was, of course, to bring people to reflect on the fundamentals of life, fundamental in the sense of talking about life's great questions -- why we're here, what we should do while we're here, and where we're destined to go in the end. Pausing for thought or reflection like this is in itself a deep and religious thing; it can come about at expected moments and from expected sources or at and from unexpected ones.  The first kind come from, say, the Pope or (Arch)bishop, while the second are those which, shall we say, cross one's path -- you find them rather than they, so to speak, seeking you out.

Two texts in the 'expected' category are Pope Francis's 'Message for Lent 2019' as well as sermon for Ash Wednesday here, and Archbishop Martin's reflection on Lent focusing on the sacrament of Baptism. A text in the 'unexpected' category is a poem by the 17th century Anglican clergyman Robert Herrick which this writer has long known about but not read closely for some considerable time. The subject of Lent has made him look it up again.  'It is a fast to dole / Thy sheaf of wheat / And meat / Unto the hungry soul.'

See, again, this week's newsletter for more good advice from Pope Francis.  He recommends fasting from things like grudges and bitterness and (I like this) : Fast from worries and have trust in God.

Whatever sources it springs from, may the reflection they awaken in you be for your inner enrichment over the season of Lent and beyond. 

Final 'Do This in Memory' Mass and other news items

This weekend sees the final 'Do This in Memory' Mass for the children (with their families) preparing for First Holy Communion next month. We wish them well as they start the countdown to the big day. Read about this and other matters in the Newsletter to be found as usual in the sidebar to the right. Something else well worth reading is the extract from Pope Francis's long awaited document on 'Marriage and the Family', the subject discussed at the Roman synods of 2014 and 2015. It is called 'The Joy of Love' ('Amoris Laetitia').

The Parish Pastoral Councils of Saggart/Rathcoole/Brittas and Newcastle Lyons continue to do their good work. The next meeting of Saggart PPC is next Tuesday 12th, 8 p.m. in the meeting room of the parochial house. If you would like to have something discussed at this meeting, please mention it to any member of the council or one of the priests. The councillors' names and photos are displayed in the church porch.

And while on the subject of suggestions/feedback, remember you are always welcome to comment too on this website itself. Work goes on regularly and quietly like this in so many ways that we tend to take for granted -- councillors meeting, J4 editor editing, website manager 'posting', church collectors collecting, altar-flower people decorating, choir singing, organist wonderfully playing . . .  all people who work away behind the scenes without looking for any merit but who surely deserve a little thank-you now and then from us, their grateful beneficiaries.  (I agree, the choir and organist are exceptions to the rule, receiving a round of applause every Sunday!)

So here from me (The-Man-on-the-Wall Man  -- remember Andrew Hart?) is a Thank You to all those looking after this year's First Communicants-to-be. I see you at Mass and you are an inspiration to us all. You illustrate what the Pope is talking about, the joy of family love.

Praying for War-Stricken Peoples during Lent

Pope Francis recalls suffering in Ukraine and Holy Land

The above is the Vatican News headline for its report on the Pope's address delivered at his General Audience earlier today, Ash Wednesday (see here ). "Today, as Lent begins," he said, "let us prepare to journey through this time as an opportunity for conversion and inner renewal, in listening to the Word of God, in caring for our brothers and sisters, who are in great need. Here, let us never forget the poor people of Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel, who suffer so much. Let us pray for these brothers and sisters who suffer from war. Let us continue our help and intensify prayer, especially to request the gift of peace in the world". 

In Ireland of old, great emphasis was placed on giving up things for Lent. In these days what comes most readily to mind is lightening the burden of those bowed down in whatever small way we can. Yes, as we consider the world around us, what we see can get us all down, so mind-numbing is it. We who have just exited our decade of centenaries bringing back all the killing of WWI, our War of Indepen- dence and our Civil War now see (if not, thankfully, at home) senseless war still raging -- even in the Holy Land. Our one prayer, then, today and for the next forty days, has to be that some way through and out of all the seemingly unstoppable killing be found and agreed on by the shaking of hands. And here I think of the play Three Sisters (1901) by that noble Russian writer -- one of the many in his country in times past -- Anton Chekhov. At the very end of a play which included gunshots and death, the sisters come to the front to utter what we could call not just their own but all of humanity's half-prayer, half-desperate cry about human affairs and where at all they are going: "If only we knew why we live, why we suffer! If only we knew!"  

Parishioner Awarded Benemerenti Medal Posthumously

Bill McEntee of Rathcoole was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Francis for his outstanding services to the Church.  Alas, the award came through too late for him to receive it in person. He died on Thursday 13th and so the honour was presented to him posthumously at his funeral in St Mary's on the afternoon of Saturday 15th (details here).

The Medal was instituted by Pope Gregory XVI in 1832 to honour those who had served Christian society in a particularly meritorious way (see more details here). Fr John Gilligan has spoken of Bill’s long and faithful service to Rathcoole church, referring in particular to his looking after its finances, his putting up the crib for Christmas every year and, over the course of many years, his taking care of opening and locking the church itself.

A transcription and translation of the parchment accompanying the medal may be seen here.
 

Lent in Time of Lockdown

• You will find Pope Francis's Message for Lent here.
• See our diocesan resources for prayer and reflection here and here.
  
• IN OUR PARISH  Fr Colin will be holding a Lenten Holy Hour (online) in Saggart Church every Friday from 3 to 4 pm. Further information here.
  

We will all be looking for places of refreshment as we continue to make our slow way through Lockdown 3. One such place is our own Rathcoole Park (see photo below). There we can let our thoughts flow while enjoying the view of the birds, the distant mountains and even, glimpsed through the trees on the horizon, the spire of Saggart church. The poet-priest Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) might come to mind (especially to young people preparing for this year's Leaving Certificate!) as someone who thought deeply about the natural world. When I see a chaffinch in the back garden, for instance, I remember his reference in Pied Beauty to "finches' wings". He dedicates a poem about another bird, the kestrel (far rarer than the chaffinch!), to "Christ Our Lord": The Windhover. As regards our Lenten theme here, one of his final poems (written in Dublin) has as subtitle, The Comfort of the Resurrection. So let your thoughts wander freely and see where they take you.

At various moments and in various places over the period of Lent and in the company of those we find ourselves placed among (providentially? -- there's a theme for meditation!), may we rise above our trying circumstances (be "[brought] out of ourselves", in the Pope's words) to a higher plane of serenity and peace.

You might like to read another issue of our occasional newsletter containing the names of those who died in January as well as some material on Saggart church:  J4 Newsletter.

 

• Message from Archbishop Farrell to Parents of Children due to receive the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation this year: see YouTube video here.
  

No Public Masses from Wed. 25th March UFN. Mass by Streaming Only, from Saggart

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin issued the following notice on Monday, 23rd March:

'Up to now, the advice of the Irish health authorities allowed for gatherings in enclosed spaces of up to 100 people, providing that social distancing was practised and that the vulnerable were discouraged from attending. This meant that holding Mass in public in specific circumstances was permissible. [. . .] In the light of the changing situation, I have decided that it will not be possible to continue with public Sunday or Weekday Masses in the Archdiocese of Dublin from Wednesday 25th March until further notice.'

Read the rest of the Archbishop's notice on the diocesan website here.  

Remember, you can hear Mass as usual by clicking MASS LIVE on the menu-bar above. Churches will be open (outside Mass times in Saggart) 9.30 am to 5 pm for private prayer.

Closure of Parish Office until further notice : information here.  See the current Newsletter (on menu-bar) for more parish updates. Note that baptisms, weddings and funerals will continue to take place.

A Coronavirus Prayer recited at the consecration of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the 25th March is here. 

27th March:  Pope Francis's Urbi et Orbi Blessing and sermon.

Go to full screen and view the film first at normal speed. Then view it again while pausing it where you wish. In this way, the film becomes a sequence of still photos, haunting and highly thought-provoking.  

Church Notices, 19 June 2016

In the unavoidable absence of the weekly Newsletter, here are this week's notices

1. Recently Deceased: 

Coleman King,  Sandra Reilly (both of Rathcoole)

2. Churchgate Collection for Vincentian Lay Missionaries. Collection by Margaret Anne O’Brien, to build new classrooms for a Kindergarten School in the Town of Ambo, Ethiopia, for children from a local leprosy project. Margaret Anne has helped to develop this school from its inception.  (Saggart, Rathcoole only).

                         

3. Annual Cemetery Mass for St. Finian’s Church Graveyard, 10.30am Sunday morning 19th June. Outdoor collection for the upkeep of the cemetery.

4. No Mass in Newcastle on Monday morning 20th June.

5. No Mass in Saggart on Tuesday morning 21st June

6. Next Sunday, annual Cemetery Mass for Saggart Cemetery. Saggart Church 11.30 am, followed by the blessing of the graves. A collection will be held outside all Masses in Saggart, Rathcoole and Brittas for the upkeep of the cemetery.

7. Next weekend, June 25/26th, annual Peter’s Pence Collection. Goes to the charities supported by His Holiness Pope Francis. Replaces the usual SHARE Collection.

8. Colmanstown Cemetery Mass will be celebrated in St. Finian’s Church, Newcastle, Tuesday 28th June at 7.30pm. Celebrant Fr. Seamus McEntee

Where We Stand Now

Irish Times, 6 October 2020

"Services move online" -- so says the notice above (click to enlarge).  There are two ways to access the services: (1) follow the 3 steps in the diagram below or (2) go to www.churchservices.tv (here), and enter 'Saggart' in search box Find a Church on menu bar at the top of the page.

For some inspiring reading during these trying times have a look at Pope Francis's third encyclical published on Saturday 3rd October, Fratelli Tutti  (text here). For background reading see here.

Ash Wednesday in Rome

Pope Francis celebrated Mass today at 5 p.m. in the basilica of Santa Sabina. It can be viewed on YouTube here, beginning c.15 minutes into the recording, since the Mass was preceded by a Lenten Station that took place in the nearby church of Saint Anselm.

The homily begins thus (read the full text here) :  

We begin the Lenten Season by receiving ashes: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return (cf. Gen 3:19). The dust sprinkled on our heads brings us back to earth; it reminds us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. We are weak, frail and mortal. Centuries and millennia pass and we come and go; before the immensity of galaxies and space, we are nothing. We are dust in the universe. Yet we are dust loved by God. It pleased the Lord to gather that dust in his hands and to breathe into it the breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7). We are thus a dust that is precious, destined for eternal life. We are the dust of the earth, upon which God has poured out his heaven, the dust that contains his dreams. We are God’s hope, his treasure and his glory.

Ashes are thus a reminder of the direction of our existence: a passage from dust to life. We are dust, earth, clay, but if we allow ourselves to be shaped by the hands of God, we become something wondrous. More often than not, though, especially at times of difficulty and loneliness, we only see our dust! But the Lord encourages us: in his eyes, our littleness is of infinite value. So let us take heart: we were born to be loved; we were born to be children of God.

Suspension of Public Masses : Notice from Archbishop Martin

FURTHER NOTICE CONCERNING THE PASTORAL SITUATION IN COUNTY DUBLIN UNDER CHANGED CORONAVIRUS NORMS

18 September 2020 – Evening

Confirmation has been received that, in the light of the very worrying increase in infection in the Dublin area, the entire County Dublin will be placed on Level 3 of the Government’s COVID-19 Resilience and National Recovery Plan, beginning at midnight tonight and for at least a three-week period.

The norms apply to all places of worship within County Dublin, including those of religious houses that are generally open to the public. They do not apply to the Churches of the Archdiocese of Dublin in Counties Wicklow, Wexford, Kildare and Laois.

 

Places of worship will have to remain closed from midnight tonight, except for private prayer, weddings and funerals. Attendance at wedding liturgies and funerals will be limited to 25.

Religious services can be transmitted online with no public presence. As was the case in the past, parishes should make known as soon as possible the times of the transmission of Masses online. Where an individual parish does not have the ability to transmit online, details of neighbouring parishes can be supplied. The Masses from the Pro-Cathedral are accessible on www.dublindiocese.ie and www.procathedral.ie

While online transmissions can play a vital role in reaching out to the sick and where it is not possible to hold public liturgies, we have to remember that no broadcast can replace personal participation with our brothers and sisters in the Eucharistic assembly that has the church building as its home. We must pray intensely that we will be able to return to public worship at the earliest possible date.

Confirmation and First Communion services (including those planned for tomorrow, Saturday) will therefore not be possible during this period and will have to be postponed. Permissions already granted to priests to celebrate Confirmations remain valid for a rescheduled date. Any celebration of these Sacraments - such as in schools or other places - constitutes public worship and is covered by this restriction and should not take place. I understand the concerns that this may bring to many families.

I am aware of the fact that these measures will be painful for many. The decisions are made to respond in the best possible way to an unforeseen and complex situation. The Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship in a recent letter, approved by Pope Francis, noted that restrictions should be limited in time and that as soon as circumstances permit it is urgent to return to the normality of Christian life. It also stressed unambiguously the gratitude of the Congregation to Bishops who “in listening to and collaborating with civil authorities and experts . . . have been prompt to make difficult and painful decisions even to the point of suspending the participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist for a long period”.

Today, we find ourselves sadly in that situation once again and we are called to make painful sacrifice for the common good. The Holy See’s Letter stresses that “Aware that God never abandons the humanity He has created, and that even in the hardest trials can bear fruits of grace, we [should accept] our distance from the Lord’s altar as a time of Eucharistic fasting, useful for us to rediscover its vital importance, beauty and immeasurable preciousness”.

I appeal to all to enter into this difficult period with that spirit. We must pray that we can soon return to the Eucharist “with a purified heart, with a renewed amazement, with an increased desire to meet the Lord, to be with him, to receive him and to bring him to our brothers and sisters with a life full of faith, love and hope.”

 

As you are aware the annual collection for Crosscare was planned to take place over this weekend. Please encourage people not to overlook this important collection. Donations can be made online at www.crosscare.ie

  + Diarmuid Martin

Vocations Sunday

The text of Pope Francis's Message for Vocations Sunday 2021 is HERE.

World Day of Peace in a World at War

Pope Francis wrote a message for the 56th World Day of Peace, Sunday 1 January 2023.  It makes for interesting reading at a moment when the world is in such great turmoil. Pick out the parts that say something to you.  Here is what this writer picked out:

2.  Covid-19 plunged us into a dark night. It destabilized our daily lives, upset our plans and routines, and disrupted the apparent tranquillity of even the most affluent societies. It generated disorientation and suffering and caused the death of great numbers of our brothers and sisters.

Amid a whirlwind of unexpected challenges and facing a situation confusing even from a scientific standpoint, the world’s healthcare workers mobilized to relieve immense suffering and to seek possible remedies. At the same time, political authorities had to take measures to organize and manage efforts to respond to the emergency.

In addition to its physical aspects, Covid-19 led to a general malaise in many individuals and families; the long periods of isolation and the various restrictions on freedom contributed to this malaise, with significant long-term effects. 

Feast of Don Bosco 31st Jan

 We celebrate the Feast of St. John Bosco (Jan. 31st), founder of the Salesian Order, committed to     education. In 1845 Don John Bosco, an Italian priest opened a night school for boys in Valdocco. In the following years, he opened several more schools, and in 1857 drew up a set of rules for his helpers, which became the Rule of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, which Pope Pius IX approved definitively in 1873.  The Society continues to operate worldwide; in 2000, it counted more than 17,000 members in 2,711 houses.

The enthralling story of the great modern apostle of youth, Saint John Bosco, and his best-loved pupil who became a saint, Dominic Savio is one that resonates in our society today. Blessed with tremendous natural and supernatural gifts, including a wonderful sense of humour, Saint John Bosco overcame overwhelming obstacles to help deprived children find a better life He was a juggler, magician, acrobat, tailor, teacher and writer -John Bosco became all of these in his efforts to lead boys and girls to God. A prayer was the price of admission to his shows; a friendly contest to match skill or strength was his answer to the hoodlums who laughed at him. As a priest he was known as Don Bosco and built churches and schools. 

To find out a little more about him have a look at this short leaflet and feel free to share!

A few things about Don Bosco

“Without confidence and love, there can be no true education. If you want to be loved…you must love yourselves, and make your children feel that you love them.”