December 27th 2020

Adamstown Parish Newsletter

Weekend of Sat 26th & Sun 27th December 2020 

Volume 21   Number 51                                                                               

CHRISTMAS IN ST. ABBAN’S

It was a very different Christmas in St. Abban’s this year.

It was with deep sadness and regret the decision was made to cancel the Vigil and Christmas Day Masses, due to concern for parishioners as the number of Covid-19 cases

are increasing so rapidly. As from St. Stephen’s Day all Church services are cancelled for the immediate future.

St. Abban’s Church will remain open for private prayer.

A word of thanks to T.J. for facilitating the online Masses over Christmas and at weekends, it is really appreciated.

Thanks also to all those who worked so hard to prepare the Church, crib, altars, Christmas tree, inner and outer porches so beautifully for the season of Christmas.

CÓLAISTE ABBÁIN CHRISTMAS RAFFLE 2020

RESULTS:

Prize                        Sponser                                Winner

€100                       Pauline Kavanagh               Aidan Furlong

€100                       Brad Og’s                              Tina Kelly

€100 Voucher       Treasury Book Shop           Des Watchorn

Delux Hamper      All Ireland Foods                 Niamh Doyle

Fitbit Inspire 2       Advance Cleaners          Bridget O’Sullivan

€80 package         Leisure Max                          Joan Whitty

€50                         Leo Booth                        Geraldine Buckley

Hamper                 Matt Mernagh                       Eimear Doyle

Hamper                 Parents’ Assoc                     Brid O’Connor

Hamper                 Helen & Ned Furlong          Colm Quigley

Hamper                 Adamstown Pharmacy        Paul Delaney

Christmas Cake & Pudding – Cait Bradley      Taylor Bradley

Hamper                 Parents’ Assoc                     Paula Kehoe

€50 voucher          Brian Kirwan Auto                Séan Hynes

Hamper                 Paul Cullen                      Giacomo Farioli

€50 voucher          J Greene’s Clonroche         Philip Wickham

Bottle Spirits         Alex Moran Tyres                Dean McGee

Family Pass          Secret Valley Farm              Mary Hughes

€25 voucher          Glanbia Campile                 Larry Murphy

Bottle Spirits         Senan Lillis                           Dean O’Connor

First Aid Kit – Ferman H & S Ltd                    Kathleen Murphy

Make Up Set         Nicola Roche                        Abbi Murray

€20 voucher          Green’s Gala                   Marie Dempsey

Coal & briquettes – Glanbia Clonroche        Ronald Jackson

Wine                      Adamstown Tyres                Joan O’Malley

Wine                      Jones Business                    Anna Murray

Parents Assoc hamper                                       Avril Doyle

Parents Assoc hamper                               George Parslow

Boyles Butcher €25 voucher                              Amy Casey

Box Biscuits        anon                                        Ryan O’Neill

A sincere thanks you to everyone for your support.

HAVE YOU NOTICED?

Have you noticed that birds socially distance when perched on telephone & electricity wires, especially crows?

Maybe they knew something before we did!

ADAMSTOWN N.S. PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION CHRISTMAS RAFFLE WINNERS

Sponsor                    Prize                   Winner

Stafford’s Butchers    10lb Turkey     Richard Jones

TexOil                    €100 voucher       Catherine O’Shea

Cullen’s Gala        Espresso Mach    Florrie Swords

Cooney/Furlong   Power washer      Lisa Egan

Lulu Boutique       Part 2 scarf            Lenessa Stander

Adamstown Pharmacy Hamper        John Jordan

IRFU supporter’s rugby ball               Mary Malone

J Codd Photography voucher            Hannelie Cawthorne

Clonroche Pharmacy hamper           Elaine Stafford

Foulksmills stores €50 voucher         Sinead Duffy

Pettits S.V. Wexford voucher            Margaret Cullen

A & M Hardware Desk Lamp             Lorna Komsa

Dunnes Stores     €50 gift card          Noeleen Burrows

Dunnes Stores     €50 gift card          Sean O’Brien

IRFU Back pack                                   Bill Holohan

Leisure Max voucher & meal             Elaine McDonald

Kavanaghs Giftware   Pottery            Mary Malone

Adamstown GAA official football       John Jordan

AHC Vets – Dog gift bundle               Fr. Nolan

Jamie Oliver Pizza serving rack        Seamus Colfer

Basket knitted toys                              Watt Crean

Irishman hand crafted whiskey          Lisa Egan

Glass hurricane candle holder          Brian O’Shea

Cutting Edge Ballinaboola voucher  Ann Redmond

Supermac family meal for 4               Stephen O’Shea

Supermac family meal for 4               Sean Doran

Supermac family meal for 4               John Walsh

Supermac family meal for 4               John O’Shea

Clonroche Agri €25 voucher              Rita Breen

A sincere thanks to all the sponsors, all who supported the raffle, school staff in particular Joeleen. The amount raised came to an amazing  €2139 which will go towards the upgrade of school playground.  Many Thanks everyone.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Garda/Fire/Ambulance                       999/112

ESB Newtworks                                   1850 372 999

Irish Water                                            01 707 2828

Wexford General Hospital                 053 915 3000

Wexford County Council                    053 919 6000

Wexford Co. Council emergency out of hours: 1890 666 777

New Ross Garda Station                    051 426 030

Samaritans                                            116 123

Senior Line (Older Person’s Helpline) 1800804591

MABS (money advice)                        0761072780

Wexford Women’s Refuge                 1800220444

It’s Good 2 Talk                                    053 9126596

Talk to Tom                                           0818 303 061

Aware (Depression & Anxiety)          1800 804 848

Wexford Co. Council Covid19 helpline 053 919 6000

HSE Covid-19 helpline                      1850 241 850

CHURCH NOTICES

IN MEMORIAM

Pray for Josie Galway, Breezemount (A)

Jim Connors, Mooncoin whose funeral Mass was celebrated in St. Abban’s Church on Tuesday last.

Sat 2nd Jan – Mick & Josie Whelan, Tomgarrow  (A)

and Phyllis Bernie, Dublin

Sun 3rd Jan – James & Lila Kent Adamstown (A)

May they rest in peace.

Fr. Nolan will continue to offer Anniversary Masses for our deceased family and friends.

Feast Day: Sun 27th – The Holy Family.

HOLDING ON TO CHRISTMAS – ‘Silent Night’

(Fr. Alan Hilliard  – Messenger Magazine)

It’s hard to find a silent night on the run up to Christmas. The jingle-jangle of Christmas carols are rather mundane by the time it gets close to Christmas Day. 2018 saw the 200th anniversary of the carol ‘Silent Night’. The little village of Oberndorf near Salzburg where the carol was first performed continues the remembrance by singing it at 5pm on Christmas Eve every year but not beforehand. Keeping the carol until Christmas Eve welcomes and marks the season and turns hearts towards the true mystery of Christmas. Furthermore this simple practice tells a cynical market-driven world to keep away from what is precious and important to us. Around the time ‘Silent Night’ was written people in Europe were recovering from the fall-out of the Napoleonic Wars, which caused great hardships, suffering and displacement across Europe until they ended in 1815. Months of colder than normal weather in 1816 caused massive crop failure and even famine. In the face of all this the peaceful tone of the carol resonated in people’s hearts as they witnessed the fragility of life. ‘Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm, All is Bright’ sits in stark contrast to a Europe torn apart by war, and famine. There are lessons to be learned from the story of  ‘Silent Night’. Firstly, when the world around us seems to be falling apart we need stories, prayers and songs that can bring us back to the things that are important. When you’ve been through a turbulent time peace and silence are a welcome feast.

(Silent Night Chapel, Oberendorf, built in 1937 to commemorate the song Stille Nacht (Silent Night). This classic among the Christmas carols was presented for the first time in 1818 by the curate Joseph Mohr and the teacher Franz Xaver Gruber)

KEEP WEXFORD BEAUTIFUL AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to Adamstown Tidy Towns Association on winning Joint 2nd prize in the Wexford County Council Annual Environmental Awards in the category of Best New Entry.  Our Tidy Towns Association have done brilliant work in our community in recent times and well done to everyone involved.

WISE WORDS

• A wife who drives from the back seat is no worse than the husband who cooks from the dinner table.

WORDS TO PONDER ON  – TAKE TIME

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day,

I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task,

“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.

He answered, “You didn’t ask”

I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, grey and bleak;

I wondered why God didn’t show me. He said,

“But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock,

God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock

I woke up early this morning, and paused before starting the day;

I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.

CHURCH & ALTARS

Thanks to the ladies from Knockreigh for looking after the Church & Altars for the month of December. It is now the turn of parishioners from Tomgarrow for the month of January.

A sincere thanks to all parishioners who have kept our church and altars so beautiful over the past year, even in dark and very sad times as the pandemic took such a toll on our people and our country.

BISHOP DENIS – FROM MOMENTS OF PRAYER AT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS 2020

Prayer for the New Year:

Lord, we ask you to bless our journey of life as we begin a new year. Send us your Spirit to stay united in love and with our faith in you. Help us to face every challenge and trial with your grace and the strength of your presence. Amen.

Prayer for the world:

We pray for all humanity this Christmas. We unite ourselves in love this day with our brothers and sisters from every nation and race. By your birth Lord, you united yourself to every human being. Help us to recognise you in everyone, especially the last and the least. Amen.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK –

‘The Road I have Travelled’

The road I have travelled has not always been an easy one.

And the path was often full of stones.

But I am still here, and I know the only reason

I am able to make it this far is –

That God was walking with me every step of the way.

A BIT OF HUMOUR   –  (Ireland’s Own)

Boss: “I want you to take this can of paint, then go to the front of the house and paint my porch”

Half-an-hour later the new workman came back and reported:

“I’ve finished the job, boss – but, by the way it wasn’t a Porsche… it was a Ferrari”.