-- CC A N O N A N O N FF O L E YO L E Y ’’ S S DD I A M O N D I A M O N D JJ U B I L E E U B I L E E --

This year marks a very significant milestone in the life of our dear former Parish Priest Canon Foley as he celebrates sixty years of priestly service. Appropriately the parish will mark this occasion with the solemnity that it rightly deserves. Although the Canon’s retirement last year passed largely unmarked it is hoped that a significant parish celebration would jointly mark his retirement and Diamond Jubilee. Therefore, a special Jubilee Mass will be celebrated by the Right Reverend Joseph Toal, the Bishop of Motherwell, in our Church on the Feast of St. Joseph Thursday 19th March 2015 at 7.00pm. This will be followed by a buffet reception in our Primary School in Henderson Street. Both the Mass and reception is open to all our parishioners and it is hoped that everyone within the parish will make every effort to attend. Canon Foley has been a towering figure in St. Augustine’s for these past thirty years and it is only right that we show our appreciation for all he has given to our community (and others) over those years. In anticipation for the Jubilee celebrations, as is customary, I propose organizing a discreet collection which will be presented to the Canon at the Mass. Please use the envelopes for your contribution to this collection (see the Church porch). Envelopes may be returned to the Sacristy or in the collection basket before Monday 9th March. Please continue to pray for Canon Foley as we prepare to celebrate with him the gift of his priesthood.

-- JJ O U R N E Y I N G T H R O U G H O U R N E Y I N G T H R O U G H LL E N TE N T

 

Lent, the forty days before Easter (not counting Sundays), is a somewhat curious period in the Church’s calendar. Most things in the Church’s year are festivals and we happily talk about celebrating them. Lent is very different: it is a minor-key period which is never ‘celebrated’ but only ‘kept’. Some Christians treat Lent very seriously, while others ignore it entirely.

Even among those who keep Lent, there is no agreement on how it should be kept. Many Christians try to give up something: for instance, chocolate, Facebook or television. It’s even become a period for us to try to break bad habits, almost as if Lent gives us another opportunity to retake those New Year’s resolutions!

So what exactly is Lent about? One word used by those who observe Lent is ‘preparation’.

Lent is a preparation for Easter. Easter, with its message of Christ destroying sin and death through his death and resurrection, is the most exciting moment in the Church’s year. Yet we can undercut this note of victory by being so occupied that, amid the frantic busyness of our lives, we carelessly stumble upon Easter. Lent provides us with forty days’ build-up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday that forces us to prayerfully ponder the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As the best way to appreciate a sunrise is to be there in the darkness before dawn, so the only way to appreciate Easter is to have come to it through Lent. We as Christians are, of course, an Easter people living in a Good Friday world.

T H E F I R S T S U N D A Y O F L E N T ( B ) 2 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

T H E P A R I S H O F SAINT AUGUSTINE C O A T B R I D G E ! S C O T L A N D

RECENTLY DECEASED

Mary (Mamie) Lally (Summerlee House); Paul Carrigan; Hugh Murphy (St. James’); Freeman Davis (USA); Margaret Dornan;

ANNIVERSARIES / MONTHS MINDS / BIRTHDAY REMEMBRANCES

John Reilly; Edward Duffy; Bernard Cassidy; Dick Nash; James & Elizabeth Nash; Peter & Annie Rafferty; Harry Brown; Neil Owens; William (Billy) MacPherson; Denis & Christina Melia; Brendan Melia; Joseph Francis Melia;

Julia-Marie (Melia) Hendrick; Grace & Arthur Hanlon; John, Thomas, Bert, Mary, Jean & Lily Hanlon; Jeniffer Doherty; Ian & Betty Marshall; William & Susan Hughes; Mary Johnstone.

SICK

Angela Hughes; Les Cossar; Rosella Smith; Sandra O’Donnell; Anne Knight

Administrator

Rev. Michael J. Kane

In residence: Very Rev. James Canon Foley (Parish Priest Emeritus)

Sr. Eileen Hobbins (Pastoral Assistant)

Mrs. Margaret Haggerty (Secretary to Fr. Kane)

Miss. Antionette Parr (Safeguarding Officer)

Baptisms On the last Sunday of the month by arrangement with Fr. Kane.

Marriages Arrangements for weddings (for which six months notice is required) and for baptisms should be made by appointment with Fr. Kane.

Calling Times / Office Hours Appointments to speak to Fr. Kane may be made through the Secretary by calling 01236 423044. (Office hours: 10.30am – 2.30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays). Appointments may also be made outside these hours or by emailing office@staugustinescoatbridge.com. Please remember that if you reside outside the boundary of St. Augustine’s, then you must ask for the sacraments in your own parish.

Sacrament of the Sick / Hospital Visitations Those who require the Sacrament of the Sick at home should contact the Chapel House to arrange for Fr. Kane to visit. This should ordinarily be arranged prior to any prolonged hospital visit. The Roman Catholic Chaplain to Monklands Hospital is Fr. Hughes. In cases of emergency where you or a family member require the pastoral assistance of the Chaplain please request this from the nursing staff at the hospital. Please note that a patient/family request must be made before the clergy can visit.

Bulletin Notices All notices should be dropped through the Presbytery letter box by Wednesday evening at the latest. Notices for publication should be written clearly.

Please address all correspondence to:

ST. AUGUSTINE’S PRESBYTERY 12 Dundyvan Road, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, ML5 1DQ t: 01236 423044

e: office@staugustinescoatbridge.com / frkane@staugustinescoatbridge.com

P A R I S H C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

Web / Wordpress: www.staugustinescoatbridge.com Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/saintaugustines

Follow us on Twitter: @FrKane

First Collection(s) £520 Education Sunday £720

Gift-Aid (weekly average) £1106 Fundraising Running Total (£7985) TOTAL WEEKLY INCOME £2346

(1806 homes) Average per home =

£1.30p

LAST W E EK’S INCOME

   

FIRST RECONCILIATION Please remember to pray for our young candidates who will make their First Reconciliation on Mon. 2nd March.

IRISH DANCE CLASSES NEW Irish Dance Classes will continue in our Parish Hall this Monday 16th February at 7pm. For more information call 07973779456.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR The parish still has 7 tickets to be sold for this social event (cost £42 for ticket + bus). All those who signed-up for a ticket are kindly asked to hand-in the money to the Chapel House by this Thurs. 26th Feb.

PARISH WEEKDAY TEAS It is hoped that the morning teas will resume this week after the 10am daily Mass. This will begin this coming week and will run thereafter Mon – Thurs. Tea/coffee, toast & biscuits available.

SCIAF WEE BOXES Please remember to collect your SCIAF Wee Box before you leave the Church today. It is worth noting that the Government will double all contributions made this year before Holy Week.

NEW SPRED GROUP Many thanks to those who attended the SPRED information evening last Thursday. There looks to be enough interest to be able to start our own group here in the parish. Please check for updates in the bulletin.

CATHOLIC OBSERVERS & DAY BY DAY These will now be available for collection in the parish shop at the Church entrance after each Mass.

HCPT GROUP 567 NEWS This Group is looking for a nurse to travel with them to Lourdes from 3-10 July 2015. Funding is available. For more information contact Fr. Gilhooley on 422233 or Anne-Marie Lennon on 421588.

CANON FOLEY’S DIAMOND JUBILEE This will be marked by a Mass on Thursday 19th March at 7.00pm followed by a reception in our Primary School. An invitation is extended to all parishioners, past and present, to attend. Extra envelopes can be found in the porch of the Church for those wishing to contribute to the Canon’s discreet collection. Please return envelopes to the Sacristy/Chapel House by Monday 9th March. Please continue to pray for Canon Foley as we prepare to celebrate with him the gift of his priesthood.

EARLY MORNING LENTEN MASS Parents and teachers are asked to encourage their children to attend the 8.30am daily Mass which will run for the duration of Lent. This is an important way of reminding our young parishioners of the importance of Lenten observance. The Mass will conclude at 8.50am to give enough time to get to school for 9am.

HCPT LOURDES NEWS HCPT Group 138 will host a Bingo Night in the Parish Hall this Thurs. 26th February. Tickets are £3, to be paid at the door, and there will be raffles on the night. It is a BYOB event with all proceeds going towards funding children to travel to Lourdes at Easter.

VIGIL MASS TIME Further to the recent parish consultation on changing the Vigil Mass time, the following votes were cast!

5.00pm – 226 votes 5.30pm – 41 votes

Therefore, the new Vigil Mass time of 5.00pm will begin on Saturday 7th March. Adoration and Confessions will also move to the earlier time of 4.00-4.30pm on 7th March.

HCPT LOURDES GROUPS 116 + 121 Ladies Afternoon Tea in the Church Hall on 1st March from 3-6pm. Tickets, include drinks, food and entertainment. All funds go towards supporting the Easter pilgrimage.

SEEDS OF HOPE NEWS Many thanks to all those who helped to make the last fundraiser in St. Ambrose such a great success.

 

PARISH NEWS

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION The Baptistery Chapel will be open from:

10.30am – 8.00pm Wed – Fri. (and during Lent)

-PARISH RELIGIOUS SHOP- NOW OPEN

(Located in the former Cry Chapel)

Religious cards Statues Rosaries gifts jewellery Candles fonts plaques books crucifixes first communion sets & more...

Opening Times

After every weekday & weekend Mass

LENT TIMETABLE

8.30am Daily Mass (Mon – Fri)

10am Daily Mass (Mon – Sat)

10.30am – 8.00pm Adoration Chapel open for private prayer (Mon - Fri)

7.00pm Stations of the Cross (Thursdays)

5.30pm Holy Hour Devotions (Sundays)

PARISH TIMETABLE FOR THE COMING WEEK

Sunday 22 February First Sunday of Lent

10.00am Holy Mass (Family Mass) 10.45amYouth Music Group (YMC) Practice in Church 12noon Holy Mass New Religious Shop OPEN after both Masses 1.00pm Baptisms 5.30pm Holy Hour (Vespers & Benediction) in the Church

Monday 23 February First Week of Lent

8.30am Holy Mass 9.45am Morning Prayer 10.00am Holy Mass 10.30am-8.00pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Baptistery) Tea/coffee after Holy Mass (Parish Hall) New Religious Shop OPEN after Holy Mass 7.00pm Irish Dancing Class in the Parish Hall NEW 7.30pm RCIA Group Meeting (Chapel House) 7.30pm Senior Choir Practice (Sacristy)

Tuesday 24 February First Week of Lent

8.30am Holy Mass 9.45am Morning Prayer 10.00am Holy Mass 10.30am-8.00pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Baptistery) Tea/coffee after Holy Mass (Parish Hall) New Religious Shop OPEN after Holy Mass 6.30 – 8.00pm Church Cleaning – NEW HELPERS ALWAYS WELCOME

Wednesday 25 February First Week of Lent

8.30am Holy Mass 9.45am Morning Prayer 10.00am Holy Mass 10.30am-8.00pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Baptistery) Tea/coffee after Holy Mass (Parish Hall) New Religious Shop OPEN after Holy Mass 7.30pm ALMA Club (Upper Hall)

Thursday 26 February First Week of Lent

8.30am Holy Mass 9.45am Morning Prayer 10.00am Holy Mass 10.30am-8.00pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Baptistery) Tea/coffee after Holy Mass (Parish Hall) New Religious Shop OPEN after Holy Mass 7.00pm Stations of the Cross (Church) 7.00pm Lourdes Fundraiser in the Parish Hall

Friday 27 February First Week of Lent

8.30am Holy Mass 9.30-10.15am Be Bop Tots Group (Hall) 9.45am Morning Prayer 10.00am Holy Mass 10.30-8.00pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Baptistery) New Religious Shop OPEN after Holy Mass

Saturday 28 February Votive Mass in honour of Our Lady

***NO 8.30am MASS*** 9.45am Morning Prayer 10.00am Holy Mass 11.00am Baptism Confession after the Morning Mass 5.30pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Lady Altar) 5.30-6.00pm Confessions 6.30pm Vigil Mass New Religious Shop OPEN after Vigil Mass

Sunday 1 March Second Sunday of Lent

10.00am Holy Mass (Family Mass) 10.45amYouth Music Group (YMC) Practice in Church 12noon Holy Mass New Religious Shop OPEN after both Masses 1.00pm Baptisms 5.30pm Holy Hour (Vespers & Benediction) in the Church