Fr Patrick Doherty, PP 816 71393

Fr Colm O’Doherty, CC 816 61475

Sunday 17th February 2008 - Second Sunday in Lent

Sunday Collection: £ 1,550.00 Thank you for your generosity

Bingo and Whist - We would appreciate your support for the Bingo
Bingo on Tuesday night @ 9 pm – Snowball– IN ST PATRICK’S HALL
Snowball was won by Rosie Brogan
Whist on Thursday night @ 8.30 pm – Snowball rolling

Legion of Mary meets every Monday at 6.30 pm in the meeting room in church. New members welcome

Eucharistic Ministers for February
Vigil : Vera Catterson and Jean Coyle
9.00: Rosie Loughrey and Anthony Harkin
11.00: Margaret Cassidy and Seamus Duffy

Offertory Procession for February
Vigil: Harper Family
9 am: Paddy Carlin and Peter McCullagh
11 am: John McCallion and Jimmy Duffy

Readers for February : Vigil: Maureen Lynch 11.00: Ann Marie Anderson

Church Cleaners this week – Una Lynch, Kathleen McHugh, Vera Catterson,
Rosie Harper, Brigid Harper, Maureen Hegarty, Mrs M Logue

ALTAR SERVERS–Group 4 – Katie Devlin, Eadaoin Devlin, Roisin Devlin, Corrie Moore, Patricia Porter, Dylan McSorley

MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSES 07-08 - ACCORD
Email : accordomagh@btopenworld.com : February 22nd & 23rd - April 4th & 5th - April 25th &26th May 23rd & 24th - June 13th & 14th. Application Forms from your Priest or apply to 028 82242439 or Mount Saint Columba Pastoral Centre 48 Brook Street, Omagh

FEASTS THIS WEEK : Friday : The Chair of Peter, Apostle

APOSTOLIC WORK: Honorary Membership subscriptions for Apostolic Work are collected annually. Envelopes will be distributed at the church door on this weekend 16th & 17th February and collected on 23rd & 24th February. Living and deceased family members may be enrolled. The usual donation is £2. Mass will be offered during Lent for all Honorary members. All your donations and fundraising by Apostolic Work is given directly to missionaries known to us who are working is Third World countries to relieve victims of aids, famine and extreme poverty

MEDJUGORJE - Pilgrim Tours - Group Leader : Hilary Lynch, Accompanied by a Spiritual Director. 17th May 2008 - 7 nights - Half Board £419. Includes full religious programme. For information contact : 81671046

CAISLEAN NA DEIRGE G.A.C.

Training Continues - Mondays/Wednesdays at St Eugene’s HS for all senior/reserve/minors - 7pm
Under 14s: Training commences at St Eugene’s HS - Saturdays at 12.00
Good luck to Mná na Deirge with their Novelty Act and Recitation in the Scor
Up to date information can be found on www.caisleannadeirgegac.org
Members of the Committee will be available to provide information on plans for the development of clubrooms and take registration, lotto extra and Cairde Na Deirge at special information sessions in St Eugene’s Centre after Masses this weekend (Saturday 7 pm and Sunday 11.00 am)
Registration can also be paid to John Harper - £25 for adults and £5 for all under 18s. Please make sure Registration is paid in good time!!
Cairde Na Deirge is a major fundraising initiative which the club is embarking on. This will be vital in assisting in the provision of changing facilities to meet the needs of the club and compliment the facilities that are already in place
ST EUGENE’S CENTRE – are holding a meeting on Tuesday 19th February at 7.30 pm in the Centre. The purpose of this meeting is to elect a Committee to run the Centre. All current members and anyone interested in getting involved please come along to the meeting

YOUTH CLUB - There will be a meeting on Wednesday 20th February 2008 in St Eugene’s Centre for any existing Youth Club Leaders or for anyone interested in being a New Leader this year. Please come along and give your support

CHILDREN IN CROSSFIRE – are holding a Quiz in the Sportsmans Inn on Friday 22nd February at 9.00 pm. £20 per team. All money in aid of Children in Crossifire, Tanzania project. Contact Charlie on 07764277292. I am going out to Tanzania at the end of July and I need all the support from my parish that I can get. All monies raised will help build a science school for the children. Thank you for your support. Clodagh Lynch. Quiz master : Peter Reilly

SAMARITANS - would you like to find out about the vital service that Samaritans provide? Maybe you could help us in our work. Come along to information evenings on Tuesday 19th February at 7.30 pm – Clinton Centre, Enniskillen or Wednesday 20th February at 7.30 pm – Silverbirch Hotel, Omagh – Tel 82251530 or email Omagh.Samaritans@virign.net

SPAMOUNT SWIFTS F.C. - MINI LOTTO - JACKPOT STANDS AT £3500
Saturday 09/02/08 3, 8, 11, 25 NO JACKPOT WINNER

SPAMOUNT CROSS COMMUNITY HALL - Jiving Lessons continue Thursday nights at 9.00 pm. New members all welcome

BARROWFIELD F.C. LOTTO – JACKPOT £400 - Numbers 4 - 14 - 18 - 19
Winners : Carmel Haughey, Mickey McLaughlin and Gerard Doherty - £10 each

MNÁ NA DEIRGE - Training continues Tuesday 19th February in St Eugene’s High School at 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm for anyone wishing to play senior football - New players welcome

THE LITTLE THEATRE, ST COLUMB’S HALL
THE HARBINGER – Thursday 21st – Saturday 23rd February at 8 pm. An existential thriller that asks the meaning of life and the meaning of existence.
CLOSER - Thursday 28th & Friday 29th February @ 8 pm. Closer is intense, moving and darkly funny. Tickets for both shows £10 / £7. Box Office – 028 71268027

SPECIAL DOCESAN MASS - for those with special needs, and their families and friends, will take place in St Joseph’s Church, Galliagh Derry on Saturday 12th April. Bishop Lagan will celebrate the Mass. If you have a child who wishes to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation or First Communion at this Mass please contact the Catechetical Centre on 71264087

CONCERNED ABOUT SUICIDE - An Information evening will be held in the City Hotel, Derry on Tuesday 19th February from 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm. This has been organised by representatives from the four main Christian Churches and will be lead by Mr Barry McGale and Mrs Anne McGarrigle

C.B.S. (Omagh)

BOLIVIAN IMMERSION PROJECT

During October last year, two members from our Parish, Luke McMenamin and Joseph McCrory, As students at Omagh CBS., travelled to Bolivia, South America to work along with the Religious Orders in the Bolivian Immersion Project.

Luke gives us a brief account:
South America is a land full of diversity and beauty from its beginning in Mexico to its South Shore of Argentina. Bolivia, our destination, is in the heart of South America. Bolivia, like every country in South America, has its areas of natural beauty as well as eye - opening poverty. One of the worst areas is Cochabamba, where we stayed. The ethos of the Project throughout the Christian Brothers Community is:

‘Being with and not seeing and passing through’ and
‘Come and be rather than come and see’

With this idea firmly in our minds, we began to immerse ourselves in the lives of the Bolivian people. With determination and our Spanish, we did our best to fit into Bolivian Culture. We were ‘average Joes’ of pale complexion exceeding the average height of the locals by six inches - Luke became ‘Lucas’ for the rest of our stay.

One story remains in my mind. One night we travelled with a brother to the south side of the City to give food and comfort to the street children. A good majority of them were younger than us, and they live on whatever they could find and stayed wherever they could find shelter. All the children were addicted to glue. They did this not to be rebellious but to numb the pain of hunger, loneliness and desperation. I met one fifteen year old girl, Teresa. She was a drug addict and sold herself for money to feed herself. She became pregnant; was on her own on the streets and had no support of any kind. The sad fact is that if I went back to Cochabamba in three years time; she probably would be dead and her child would be taking her place on the street.

Amidst all this poverty, there were rays of hope down to the hard work of the Religious Orders there. With the continued support of the Christian Church, hopefully future Immersion Projects will be able to paint a brighter picture.

On behalf of Joseph, myself, the entire project and the children of Bolivia, I would like to thank you, the people of the Parish of Ardstraw West and Castlederg, for your kind donations and all who got involved to help. Gracias.