3rd December, 2023

Adamstown Parish Newsletter

Weekend of Sat 2nd & Sun 3rd December 2023 

Volume 23.  Number 45

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ADAMSTOWN LOTTO RESULTS

The winning numbers in the Adamstown Lotto draw on

Monday 27th November were: 3 – 9 – 14 – 27 There was one lucky winner of the €15,000 Jackpot – Shirley Buttimer, Bridgetown.  The seller was her sister Marian Kelly.

Congratulations Shirley and enjoy your winnings.

There were three match three players including online players. – Derry Maher, Sean Furlong and Catriona Walsh who received €70 each, The next draw is on Monday 11th December for a new Jackpot starting at  €7,800.

Thanks for your continued support.

THURSDAY NIGHT CARD GAME IN COMMUNITY CENTRE

The Thursday night Card Game continues in the Community Centre each week at 8.30pm.  Winners on Thursday 30th Nov were:  Phil Jackman, Tom Rochford, Ger Sweeney, Paddy Furlong, Bridie Dillon, Chris Byrne, Micksy & Breda Bolger, Nicholas Doyle, Andy Reville, Tom Wickham. Christmas Ham winners were: Sammy Elmes & Liam Whelan.

ADAMSTOWN GAA CLUB

AGM –  Sunday 3rd Dec in Newbawn Hall at 5pm.

Open invitation to all – to come and hear about our development plans going forward and have your voice heard on any of the clubs issues. New members are always welcome.

COLÁISTE ABBÁIN NEWS

Coláiste Abbáin Christmas Craft Fair in the Sports Hall this Thursday 7th December from 10.30am – 1.00pm.

Entry Free and All Welcome.

Reminder of our Pantomime  Aladdin which take place in Coláiste Abbáin on Thursday 14th & Friday 15th December at 7.30p.m. Please come along and support the great work of our students and staff in this endeavour.

ADAMSTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE NOTICE

Adamstown Community Centre Christmas Craft Fair

this Sunday 3rd December from 11.00am – 3..00pm.

Homemade Crafts – Christmas Gifts – Knitted toys and much more.

Christmas Trees and Wreaths available also on the day and all delivered locally.

Tickets are on sale for our Big Christmas Raffle with lots of great prizes.

Please support your local Community Centre.

POPE’S INTENTION FOR DECEMBER

For persons with disability

We pray that people living with disabilities may be at the centre of attention in society, and that institutions may offer inclusive programmes which value their active participation

ADAMSTOWN I.C.A. NEWS

Just a ‘shout out ‘ to our ladies who took part in the ICA

Bowling Blitz in Leisure Max on Thurs 16th November.

A very enjoyable night of sport as the teams were mixed, a great way to form new friendships. Well done to Eleanor Power & Eileen Thorpe who came first & second with just one point between them. Eileen has been keeping us on our toes arranging the weekly practice sessions and it paid off.

Don’t forget the Craft Fair in the Community Centre this Sunday 3rd December, all support welcome, I.C.A. will be providing teas. Next guild meeting will be on Wednesday December 13th in Brad Ogs at 8pm for the last meeting of 2023, would love to see new members they would be very welcome. Reminding all Senior Citizens of the Annual Christmas Party in the Horse & Hound on Sunday next 10th December at 1.30p.m. If you have not already received an invitation and are eligible to attend, please contact any member of the local I.C.A. guild in the next few days.

DID YOU KNOW – The Wonder of Creation

One of the greatest wonders of the world is the

Human body itself. If you do not believe it just take a look at these five incredible facts.

Infants are born with approximately 300 bones, but as they grow some of these bones fuse together. By the time we human beings reach adulthood, we only have 206 bones. More than half of our bones are located in the hands, wrists, feet, and ankles.

Every second our body produces 25 million new cells. That means that in 15 seconds, you will have produced more cells than there are people in the United States.

The largest bone in the human body is the femur, also known as the thigh bone. The smallest bone is the stirrup bone, which is located inside our ear drum.

There is anywhere between 60,000 – 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body. If they were taken out and laid end-to-end, they would be long enough to travel around the world more than three times.

(Messenger of Saint Anthony Magazine)

ST. VINCENT De PAUL ANNUAL APPEAL

The Annual collection for the St. Vincent De Paul (SVP) will be held nationwide on Sunday 10th December. The local Sacred Heart SVP Conference provides help and assistance throughout the year to people in the Parish of Adamstown, Newbawn and Curacy of Raheen. Our annual collection will therefore be held at all local Masses on Sunday 10th Dec.

Unfortunately, the increased cost of living, rising energy and food bills are putting a lot of pressure on the people we help.

By supporting our Annual Appeal, you can help a local family throughout this winter. Many of you regularly support our work. Thank you. Without this help, we simply would not be able to support our fellow Parishioners on your behalf.

Any help given is greatly appreciated and please be assured it will put to good use to help local people who are struggling.

CHURCH NOTICES

IN MEMORIAM

Sat 2nd Dec – People of the Parish

Sun 3rd Dec – People of the Parish

Sat 9th – David and Betty Forrestal, Oldcourt (A)

Also –     Pat Furlong, Raheenduff (A)

Sun 10th –   Gerry Bradley, Ballyvergin (A)

Tuesday 5th at 9.30am – Martin & Anna Mai Furlong, Castleview (A)

Thursday 7th – Vigil Mass of the Immaculate Conception at 7.30pm – Fred O’Brien, Dublin (1st Anniversary)

Friday 8th December  – Mass at 10.30am for Edward, Mary & Luke Whelan & deceased members of the Whelan Family, Oldcourt. (A)

May they rest in peace.

Friday 8th December – Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception.

There will be no morning Mass on Thursday 7th Dec

Vigil Mass Thurs 7th at 7.30pm.

Mass Friday 8th at 10.30am.

There will be no Adoration on Thursday either.

READERS OF THE LITURGY

Sat  2nd – Cáit Bradley.  Sun 3rd –  Kay Whelan

Sat  9th – Liam  Whelan.  Sun 10th – Sheelagh Delaney

Sat 16th – Annette English    Sun 17th – Callie Doyle

CHARTING OUR COURSE TOWARDS 12 PASTORAL AREAS

Part of the work of the priest’s assembly in October of this year considered a pastoral area map of our Diocese, where parishes were clustered into 12 pastoral areas. Following the assembly, individual submissions indicated broad agreement for this map of 12 pastoral areas with some adjustments to cater for geographical consideration and future possibilities.

The priests of our diocese met once again on Thur 16th November in Ballyvaloo Retreat and Conference Centre to weigh up the factors that either support or hold back the move to 12 pastoral areas. Overall, the priests deemed the factors that support the transition to 12 pastoral areas as being more significant than the factors that hold back the transition. This approach sheds light on the context of pastoral areas and thoughtfully contributes to the work needed to implement pastoral areas in the year ahead. Bishop Ger intends to widen this consultation to include lay people across the diocese. This synodal approach also offers us ways of working together within and between pastoral areas to sustain the future of our faith communities in the diocese.

IT HAPPENED IN DECEMBER

6th December 1921

Fr. James A. Cullen SJ. Founder of the Pioneer Association and the Irish Sacred Heart Messenger died on this day.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -THE WORLD AND ME

World improvement is everybody’s business. Our very presence in the world means we should be a responsible part of it; and that part, good or bad, must of necessity make the world a little better or a little worse.

So – just as you can improve the whole by improving the parts – world improvement must begin with me; and as I succeed in bettering self, I restore the world; for each evil conquered by me is that much of it gone from the world.

A few broken habits will make the world more habitable.

I am to bless the world through what I am.

(William Makepeace Thackeray ­ 1811-1863)

THE STRANGEST CHRISTMAS EVER

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 1914,the strangest event happened in the middle of a savage war that claimed over ten million victims.

‘I think I have seen one of the most extraordinary sights today that anyone h as ever seen,’ Second Lieutenant Douglas Charter wrote to his mother from the trenches near Armentieres on Christmas Day 1914. ‘About 10 o’clock this morning I was peeping over the parapet when I saw a German waving his arms and presently two of them got out of their trenches and some came towards ours. We were just going to fire on them when we saw they had no rifles. One of our men went out to meet them and in about two minutes the ground between the two lines of trenches was swarming with men and officers of both sides, shaking hands and wishing each other a happy Christmas.’ In other parts of the line the unofficial truce was signified by the strains of the carol ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ coming from the German trenches. The allied forces joined in the hymn and utter peace reigned on the ‘war to end all wars’. Another account of the event from a twenty-five-year-old Lieutenant was the Scots Guards read:

‘Detachments of British and Germans formed a line and a German and English chaplain read some prayers alternately. The whole of this was done in great solemnity and reverence’. The peace of Jesus had triumphed, albeit only for a sacred day. Is there any other event, apart from the celebration of the birth of Jesus, that could have made this happen? Christmas is special.

(Martin Tierney – Veritas)

WORDS OF WISDOM  –The Small Beatitudes

Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves

they will have no end of fun.

Blessed are those who can tell a mountain from a molehill, they will be saved a lot of bother.

Blessed are those who know how to relax without looking for excuses they are on their way to be wise.

Blessed are those who think before acting and pray before thinking they will avoid many blunders.

Above all, blessed are you who recognise the Lord in all you meet the light of truth shines in your life for you have found true wisdom. (Joseph Folliet)