BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL

The Chapel will close on Tuesday 5th January (Eve of Church Holiday) at 5pm and will re-open Thursday 7th January at 10am.  In future the Chapel will close at 5pm on the Eve of Church Holidays and remain closed all day on the Church Holiday.

NEW YEARS EVE MASS

On Thursday next 3 1 st Dec there will be a special mass in the Parish Church at 7.30pm. At this mass we will be bidding farewell to 2009 and praying for God's blessing on our Parish for the New Year.

DID YOU GET ONE?

On Sunday lat Parish calendars and offertory collection envelopes were distributed after each mass.  If you didn't get them please take them to-day as you leave the Church.

RECENT BAPTISMS

Luke Anthony Cross, 9 The Ramparts.  Billy Patrick Canniffe, Clancoolbeg.  Dylan Sheehan Twomey, Rockbridge Cappa.

When it comes to Christmas we all have our family traditions, from the people we visit to the time we have our Christmas dinner.  I was on call for the hospital until 6pm on Christmas Day so instead of having the dinner at 5pm my mother agreed to hold it off until after 6pm.  After masses on Christmas Day I called into a friend's at 2pm and sat tawifi-g for-ayout 40 minutes and also sainpir their seafood starter.  I had no calls to make before I arrived home, first was to my grandmother's, although I could hardly get in the door for aunts, uncles and cousins.  My father's one of fourteen so you can imagine what that's like.

After my grandmother's I arrived in my aunts' house where I met up with my parents and the rest of the family.  While they enjoyed a bit of seasonal spirit I stood in the living room with my brother as we tried to play golf on the Wii.  Despite dinner being only two hours away I found time to try my aunt's turkey, duck and ham.  At 5pm we eventually made it home, mother and father organised dinner.  In between courses I unwrapped my presents.  I ended up with two football tops the same, a fiiend bought one and my brother bought the other.  It was interesting to note that while my friend bought me a large shirt my brother bought me an extra large shirt-, it's just as well I keep two wardrobes.

The Feast of the Holy Fwnily is an important reminder of what Christmas is really about.  We give thanks for the gift of our families.  It's where we first encountered love and affection, where we discovered what it means to be supported and accepted for who we are regardless of success or failures.  It's where we first learned about our faith and experienced God's love for us through our parents, brothers and sisters.  While we all have regrets, today we pray for healing and a renewal of hope in family life.  As we prepare to usher in the New Year we build on the good and move on from the painful and damaging experiences.  This is only possible if we make the time and the space to welcome God into the heart of our families.