May 16th, 2021

Adamstown Parish Newsletter

Weekend of Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021  

Volume 22.  Number 18

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HARRY CURTIS RIP

It was with sadness and disbelief we heard the news on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning last of the unexpected death of Harry Curtis, Raheen. Harry was well known far and wide in particular in the farming and livestock community and GAA circles, he always had a smile and time for a chat.

We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife Anne, sons Paul and Mark daughter Goretti, brother Mogue, sister Sr. Goretti (Mary Jo) and he was predeceased by his daughter Catherine, brother Padge and sister Lizzie. Our sympathy also to his extended family, neighbours and friends.

A private family funeral Mass for Harry was celebrated in the Church of St. John Paul 11, Raheen on Saturday with burial afterwards in Adamstown Cemetery.

May his kind soul rest in peace.

ADAMSTOWN GAA CLUB – HARRY CURTIS RIP

An extremely sad post today to inform all club members of the sudden passing of our former Club Chairman Harry Curtis, The Boola. Harry can only be described as one of life’s true gentlemen and was known far and wide for his cattle business, love of sport and great character. Always a smile, always a joke and a hearty laugh accompanied Harry in his travels. In business people weren’t his customers but more his friends and whether it be at a Point to Point meeting, GAA match or socializing those lucky enough to be in Harry’s company were guaranteed great fun and entertainment. If he had his good friend and regular travelling partner Ned Furlong with him you would get double the entertainment and in stereo. Fantastic raconteurs and life long friends.

Harry Curtis was a staunch Adamstown GAA supporter through thick and thin while he was also one of the major driving forces behind our club securing a pitch of our own. He worked tirelessly in his time as club chairman towards this end and initiated many innovative fund raising schemes to financially plan for such a purchase. Never one for long orations from the Chair Harry always had a nice quiet wise word to get his point across and worked always with the best interests of the club in his heart. Without his foresight and effort our club dream would never have become a reality so we are deeply indebted to him. Every time a boy or girl strikes a ball on our new pitch in Adamstown the memory of Harry Curtis will certainly live on.

To his wife Anne, sons Paul, Mark and daughter Goretti and his extended family we can only pass on our deepest condolences on your loss. Harry will be fondly remembered by all whom were lucky enough to meet him and we hope that he will now rest easy with his beloved daughter Catherine.

 Rest in peace.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNIONS & CONFIRMATIONS

(Letter from Fr. John Carroll, Bishop’s House)

As you will be aware, government guidelines contain

advice not to proceed with First Holy Communions and Confirmations at the present. The national church will continue to dialogue with government re. same.

The following matters may be considered:

1.             Ceremonies of Light and First Confessions can

                proceed – in line with the pods of 50 – and best

                practice COVID hygiene guidelines.

                This will ensure candidates have formal

                sacramental preparation completed once ‘green

                light’ comes.

2.             As a GDPR protocol, schools are asked to 

                confirm that parents are happy – (for ceremonies

                in which they and their child participate) – be

                broadcast or recorded at the church

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE NURSE & MIDWIFE

World Health Organization designated 2020/2021 as the

‘Year of the Nurse and Midwife in honour of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale and in recognition of her contribution to health and humanity.

This day was celebrated on Wednesday last 12th May.

Florence Nightingale was born in Florence in Italy on 12th May 1820 to a wealthy upper class British born, William Edward Shore and his wife Frances, at a time when a woman of her class was expected to marry and bear children. She rejected everything she grew up with when she heard the voice of God calling her to become a nurse. The family moved back to England in 1821 when her father inherited an estate in Derbyshire and assumed the name and the arms of Nightingale. She entered the field of nursing in 1844 against the wishes of her family. Her most famous contribution to nursing came during the Crimean War she and a staff of 38 women volunteer nurses that she had trained and 15 Catholic nuns were sent to the Ottoman Empire in 1854. She found horrific conditions for the wounded at the military hospital. She implemented hand washing and other hygienic practices in the war hospital and the death rate decreased considerably. The arrival of Irish nuns the Sisters of Mercy headed by Mary Clarke Moore, to assist with nursing duties at Scutari was welcomed by Florence and they remained friends for the rest of their lives. She gained the nickname “The Lady with the Lamp” making her solitary rounds in the night visiting and giving personal care to the wounded. She established the first scientifically based nursing school – the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London in 1860. She also set up training for midwives and nurses in workhouse infirmaries. She was the first woman awarded the Order of Merit in 1907.She died in London on 13th August 1910 aged 90 years.

CHURCH NOTICES

IN MEMORIAM

Sat 15th – Patsy O’Connor, Newtown (A)

Sun 16th – Tommy & Bernie Whitty, Oldcourt (A)

Sun 22nd – Paddy Foley, The Leap

May they rest in peace.

Feast Day this week:

Sunday – The Ascension of the Lord

‘The Ascension of Christ means our own salvation as well; where the glorious Head has gone before, the body is called to follow in hope. Let us, therefore exult, beloved, as is fitting, and let us rejoice in devout thanksgiving. For on this day not only have we been confirmed in our possession of paradise, but we have even entered heaven in the person of Christ; through his grace we have regained far more than we had lost through the devil’s hatred’ (St. Leo, the Great Sermon 73:4)

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – FORGIVENESS

(Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, 251-252) INTERCOM

Those who truly forgive do not forget. Instead, they choose not to yield to the same destructive force that caused them so much suffering. They break the vicious circle; they halt the advance of the forces of destruction. They choose not to spread in society the spirit of revenge that will sooner or later return to take its toll. Revenge never truly satisfies victims. Some crimes are so horrendous and cruel that the punishment of those who perpetrated them does not serve to repair the harm done. Even killing the criminal would not be enough, nor could any form of torture prove commensurate with sufferings inflicted on the victim. Revenge resolves nothing.  This does not mean impunity. Justice is properly sought solely out of love of justice itself, out of respect for the victims, as a means of preventing new crimes and protecting the common good, not as an alleged outlet for personal anger. Forgiveness is precisely what enables us to pursue justice without falling into a spiral of revenge on the injustice of forgetting.

WORDS TO LIVE BY  (Pope Francis)

Rivers do not drink their own water,

Trees do not eat their own fruit,

The sun does not shine on itself,

Flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.

Living for others is a rule of nature,

We are all born to help each other.

No matter how difficult it is,

Life is good when you are happy,

But much better when others are happy because of you.

SYMPATHY

We extend our deepest sympathy to Christine Mackey and family, Tomgarrow and to her niece Carmel Cogley on the sad death of her son Ryan Cogley, Drumgoold, Enniscorthy on Monday 10th May. To his brothers, extended family, friends our sympathy also. Ryan’s funeral Mass was celebrated in St. Clement’s Church Cloughbawn on Wednesday last with burial in the adjoining cemetery.

May his gentle soul rest in peace.

BREATHTAKING BARN OWLS

(Elizabeth McArdle – Far East Magazine)

With their banshee screech, bright feathers and ghostly appearance, the sighting of a Barn Owl, flying silently in the night sky, can challenge the most rational of us into thinking we have seen a ghost. Unlike most birds, owls do not make noise when they fly. Their special, comb-like feathers break the air turbulence into smaller currents or micro-turbulences.

This process muffles the sound of air rushing over their wing surface and dampens all sound. It is little wonder some of us get spooked when a barn owl flies over our heads.

They are known as the farmer’s friend. Surveys have shown that a pair of owls can eat up to 2,000 rats and mice during the breeding season and yes, you may have guessed, their

favourite food are rats and mice. Tyto alba is their scientific or taxonomic name. Tyto comes from the ancient Greek word ‘tuto’ meaning owl and alba, is the Latin for white.

These mainly nocturnal birds hunt by sight and sound. Their survival depends on their amazing hearing powers. Barn Owls are capable of hearing prey deep within burrows, under sheets of leaves and even hidden in snow. Their superb sight allows them to see eight times farther than we

humans, even in low light intensities, and they can target prey which may be about two miles away. While we might see a light at that distance, a small animal, camouflaged in its surroundings would be hidden from us. For the barn owl, this would be a doddle. While the Barn Owl may be elusive and only frequent the night hours, God is with us night and day. Isn’t it heartening to know that when times get tough, God will be there, protecting us and our loved ones from all

danger and harm.

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK – ST. JOSEPH

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To you God entrusted his only Son;

in you Mary placed her trust;

with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too,

show yourself as a father

and guide us in the path of life.

Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,

and defend us from every evil. Amen.

COWSLIP (John Feehan – Messenger Magazine)

In botanical terminology both primrose and cowslip belong to the genus Primula. The cowslip can have up to thirty small, individual primrose flowers all springing from the top of a stout common stalk (which is called the scape) Cowslips appear as primrose begins to fade, and is at its best in May. It disappeared from the fields with the spread of modern rye-grass clover pastures but is making a comeback on modern motorway embankments. In medieval times it was used to treat all sorts of ailments: as a cure for insomnia and in the treatment of palsy, for bronchial coughs and as a general nerve sedative. The flowers were even used to make a potent wine; tea was made from the leaves. The Irish name for cowslip is bainne bó bhleachtáin.