December 5th, 2021

Adamstown Parish Newsletter

Weekend of Sat 4th & Sun 5th December 2021   

Volume 22.  Number 46

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ADAMSTOWN N.S. CHRISTMAS RAFFLE

Adamstown National School Bumper Christmas Raffle 2021 with great prizes to be won. Tickets can be bought online by going to idonate.ie and put Adamstown NS in the search.

Please support if you can our wonderful school and our children. The Parents Association would like to thank all our sponsors for such great prizes. Draw will take place in the school on the 21st December.

COLÁISTE ABBÁIN NEWS

Sport:  Well done to our Senior Football team who defeated CBS New Ross in the South Leinster semi-final. The young men of Coláiste Abbáin played with great heart and determination. Capt. James Whitty gave a master class performance. A speedy recovery to Philip Kearns who picked up a shoulder injury. Final score was: Coláiste Abbáin 4 – 14. CBS New Ross 2 – 4. Good luck in the final lads.

Battle of the Bands:

On Friday 26th Nov Coláiste Abbáin students Conor Joyce, Tim Flood, Ethan Corcoran and Tomás Hynes took to the stage in the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion and won first prize in the Battle of the Bands Competition. They have won a recording session with the renowned Martin Quinn of Jam Studios and an amazing trophy. They performed their own song ‘Done and Drained’ and the cover ‘Hate to say I told you’. They lit up the stage and were cheered on by our amazing team of TY supporters. Against tough competition they did so well to get 1st place. We are so proud of their achievement. They have a bright future ahead. Their songs were recorded today by performireland and will be sent to us soon. Huge congratulations to their teacher Ms. Rosaleen Power.  Well done all.   

REMINDER – COMMUNITY CENTRE CRAFT FAIR

Reminding everyone of Adamstown Community Centre’s Craft Fair on Saturday next 11th Dec in the Centre from 12 noon till 5pm. There will also be a Raffle with some wonderful prizes to be won.

Please come along and support our Community Centre who provides much needed facilities for our community. 

All proceeds going for the upkeep of the Centre.

ADAMSTOWN ICA NEWS

Unfortunately due to continued rising numbers in Covid cases, Adamstown ICA Guild have decided to cancel the Senior Citizens Christmas Party this year. For the second year, this much looked forward to annual event on our calendar has been cancelled, but it’s all in the interest of safety. We would like to wish our Senior Citizens & indeed all our friends, a safe, peaceful & Happy Christmas and God willing we can all meet at some time in 2022 when it is safe to do so.

A BIT OF HISTORY – GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS

One of the top favourites books at Christmas time has been for many years the Guinness Book of Records

The book’s origins date back to 1951 when South African born Sir Hugh Beaver (1890-1967) Managing Director of the Guinness Brewery, attended a shooting party at the North Slob, near Castlebridge. There, he and his hosts argued about the fastest game bird in Europe (the golden plover) and failed to find an answer in any contemporary reference book. In 1954, recalling his shooting party argument, Sir Hugh had the idea for a Guinness promotion based on the idea of settling pub arguments and invited the twins Norris and Ross McWhirter who were fact-finding researchers from Fleet Street, to compile a book of facts and figures. Guinness Superlatives was incorporated on 30th November and the office opened on the top floor of Ludgate House, Fleet Street, in London. After an initial research phase, work began on writing the book, which took 13 and a half 90-hour weeks, including weekends and bank holidays. Little did the McWhirters know that taking shape was a book that would go on to become an all-time best seller and one of the most recognised and trusted brands in the world. Almost 70 years on, the book continues to be a best seller each year, enjoyed through the generations. The first ever Guinness Book of Records was published in the summer of 1955, at 198 pages long. It was initially made as a promotional item that Guinness gave to bars throughout Ireland and the UK who stocked and sold their Guinness brew, with 1,000 copies distributed in total. However, the book was so popular the brothers worked on a new edition with 50,000 copies made and sold to the public. It went straight to the top of the British best sellers list by Christmas of that year, before selling 70,000 copies in the US in 1956. Sir Hugh was smart enough to put the famous Guinness logo on each copy. By 1966, the book had sold over 1.5 million copies, and even managed to top the best-sellers list in Germany and France amongst other European countries. In 1972 Guinness extended its reach from the bar stools to TV screens, with a TV series The Record Breakers airing from 1972 based on facts from the Guinness Book of Records, and aired 276 episodes throughout its 29-year existence. The Guinness Book of Records became so popular that it now holds it own world-record as the best-selling copyrighted book of all time.

It has sold more than 100 million copies in 100 different countries, and is printed in 37 different languages. The book set this record as far back as 1974, and set another becoming the fastest-selling copyrighted book with 23.5 million copies sold globally. The book now employs hundreds of people across the globe. The Guinness beer company and Guinness World Records were put under the ownership of different entities in 2001.

(The above taken from Ireland’s Own 19/11/2021)

Next week we will include some of the many varied and amazing Irish records from the book

CHURCH NOTICES

IN MEMORIAM

Sat 4th Dec – Martin & Anna Mai Furlong, Castleview (A)

Sun 5th – People of the Parish

Sat 11th – People of the Parish

Sun 12th – Gerry Bradley, Ballyvergin (A)

Wed 8th Dec 10.30am – Edward & Mary Whelan, Luke Whelan & deceased members of the Whelan family, Oldcourt

May they rest in peace.

Wed December 8th- Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Holyday of Obligation. Vigil Mass Tuesday 7th at 7.30pm 

Wednesday 8th December – Mass at 10.30am

READERS OF THE LITURGY

Sat 11th – Annette English.   Sun 12th – Kathleen O’Connor

Sat 19th – Liam Whelan.       Sun 20th – Callie Doyle

POPE’S INTENTION FOR DECEMBER

Intention for evangelisation – Catechists

Let us pray for the catechists, summoned to announce the Word of God: may they be its witnesses, with courage and creativity and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

CURA PREGNANCY SUPPORT SERVICES

Services:

Crisis or Unplanned Pregnancy Support and Counselling

Pregnancy Testing

Counselling and Support after an Abortion

Support to Mothers and Fathers of a New Baby

Cura Schools Awareness Programme

Wexford – St. Brigid’s Centre, Roches Road, Wexford

Phone: 053 9122255 or locall 1850 622626

All services are available to men and other family members.

Services are Free, Confidential and Non-judgemental.

FRIENDS OF CALCUTTA – THANKS

Thank you very much for the wonderful welcome to Adamstown, where apart from being a wonderful collection, was also a great personal joy in meeting so many parishioners interested in our work. Thank you especially, for the wonderful newsletter info, which greatly enhanced the collection. God Bless and sincere thanks, Michael Hopkins.

PRAYER FOR DECEMBER – 

Blessing for a Christmas Tree.

Bless this tree, this sign of life and freshness and perseverance in creation. It is a reminder that you are born anew in us each day. Bless our family and friends as we celebrate this joyful season. Keep us safe in our travels, kind in our conversations, and gracious in our giving and receiving. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

ADAMSTOWN LOTTO DRAW

The next draw in the Adamstown Lotto takes place in the 

Community Centre this Monday 6th December for a Jackpot of €11,200. Do buy a ticket and you just might be the lucky winner. Thanks for your continued support. Please leave tickets in Cullen’s Gala by 8pm on Monday night.

AS THE CLOCK STOPS

Autumn turns to Winter

Your wise words are lost

Your soft ways gone

Missing Now

As The Clock Stops.

The trees are loosing their leaves

Your breath is blowing them off

My heart is going to burst apart

As The Clock Stops.

Your silence has deafened me

But no longer have you pain

The storm is raging inside me

As The Clock Stops.

When the clock stopped in the Winter

There was darkness in the day

Now Springtime is on the horizon

Brightness on its way.

My heart is still burning

But your love is all around

I see it in the street

In the sky and in the ground.

Time has wound on now

My tears have gone all dry

You are always in our world around

For now we say goodbye.

(A reflection written by John Sweeney, read at Tom Furlong, Junior’s Funeral Liturgy on 30th October 2021)

ST. VINCENT de PAUL ANNUAL CHURCH COLLECTION

Bishop Ger Nash, has called for a generous response to the Annual Church Gate Collection which will take place after all Masses on Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th December. The Society has said that calls for help this year will be at their highest level in its history and could reach almost 200,000 by the end of December. The theme of the Annual Appeal this year is ‘Impossible Choices’ reflecting what those struggling financially face every day. Bishop Ger commended the work of so many volunteers who give so selflessly of their time to assist with the work of the Society throughout the Diocese and beyond and has asked mass goers to respond as generously as they can to the upcoming collection.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK  (Iris Hesselden)

Hold fast to your dreams, for dreamers see tomorrow.

Keep safe your wishes, wishes can come true.

Let faith be strong, to hold you in the sadness.

Reach out for love, and love will see you through.

REFLECTION

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in you heart.