An Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, 
I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. 
I love You above all things, 
and I desire to receive You into my soul. 
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart. 
I embrace You as if You were already there 
and unite myself wholly to You. 
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

 

Letter to Parishioners of Holy Family Parish

24th April 2020

Dear Parishioner,

A belated Easter greeting to you all from Canon Killeen, Reverend John O’Neill (deacon).

We are now in the Easter season. Easter recalls the beginning of our Christian way of life and of our faith. It reminds us of how it all began. We reaffirm what it is that we believe and why we believe it. What happened on Easter Sunday morning is the source of our hope and our strength as Christian people of which the parish is a community.

The Acts of the Apostles reports Peter saying:

“[Jesus] ... went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil for God was with him... They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. Yet ... God raised him on the third day....” (Acts 10:38ff).

This is a basic statement of our Christian faith upon which we place our hope and upon which our values are built. It is the cornerstone of our motivation for good. It is the source of our expectation of fullness of life.

At Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We share in Christ’s resurrection through our own Baptism.

St Paul says: “Are you unaware that we who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in the newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4)

We celebrated Easter 2020 in a most unusual way.  We were unable to gather in the parish church for Holy Week and Easter ceremonies and to receive the sacraments.  We are unable to attend Mass as a parish. It is very sad. A webcam has been installed in the church to enable your virtual participation!

Mass is live-streamed at 9:00 am and at 10.30 am on the webcam page every Sunday morning, and daily at 10.00 am Monday to Saturday inclusive (accessible at holyfamilyparish.ie and click on the link).

The parish email is now admin@holyfamilyparish.ie

Use this email address and no other to contact the office/ priests.

I would like to express gratitude for the contributions received for the Easter Dues (2020), the Common Fund, Share Fund as well as the Voluntary Family Offering (includes the little green envelope with the number and standing orders). Thank you for your generosity without which the parish and the diocese could not be sustained.

Parishioners wishing to continue their support for their parish and diocese may contact Trish, the secretary, by email admin@holyfamilyparish.ie for information as to how they may continue with their contributions. 

 

Our world is in the grip of coronavirus (Covid19), a dangerous and deadly virus for which there is no vaccine presently. We pray to be ready to able to face with courage the dark days ahead.  Efforts can only be made to reduce its spread and to, hopefully, to contain it. The lethal micro-organism has infected populations in nearly every nation, including Ireland, and deaths worldwide tragically now are numbered in hundreds of thousands.

In facing the challenge brought by Covid19, the Public Health Authority tells us that to protect ourselves as best we can. It is good to observe conscientiously the directives, advice, and guidelines set out.
Isolation is not easy for most of us, but it may be necessary for the common good. History offers us examples of those who used it positively.


Holy hermits, like Saint Kevin of Glendalough, freely chose isolation in order to attain spiritual discernment and insight and to grow closer to God. Doing so they have produced great spiritual benefits as did St. John the Baptist, St. Benedict, St. Francis, and St. Ignatius of Loyola. We could use isolation positively for personal prayer.

Indeed, this pandemic may prove to be a heavy cross and a path of suffering for us.  Yet this time of trial will not last forever. The passion and death of Jesus Christ was not the end but led to his resurrection. With that in mind, let us embrace our cross wisely, faithfully, and hopefully. After these bleak days may there be a better and happier time.

Let us pray for one another.

May the risen Lord strengthen our resolve and our hope.

May our blessed Mother, Mary, pray for us.
May God Almighty protect us all.

 

Fr. Michael O’Connor, Adm.

Pope Francis' Urbis et orbit medication Full text

Pope Francis meditated on the calming of the storm from the Gospel of Mark during the prayer service over which he presided on the steps of St Peter's Basilica on Friday evening. Here is the full text:

 

Pope Francis meditated on the calming of the storm from the Gospel of Mark during the prayer service over which he presided on the steps of St Peter's Basilica on Friday evening. Here is the full text.

“When evening had come” (Mk 4:35). The Gospel passage we have just heard begins like this. For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets, and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away. We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel, we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.

 

REST IN PEACE

Our prayers are requested for the souls Fr Jim McDonnell, Fr. Frank Caffrey, Fr. Edward Grimes, Fr. Gabriel O'Dowd, Fr. Philip O'Driscoll, and Fr. Pat Culhane recently deceased and also for the souls whose anniversaries occur about this time.

MAY THEIR SOULS AND THE SOULS OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD REST IN PEACE.  AMEN.