Sunday, 30th August 2009

22nd Sunday of the Year

‘This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.’ Jesus quoted this passage from the prophet Isaiah to the Pharisees and Scribes. We need to listen to it today also. We get so used to doing particular things that we can forget why we are doing them and then our hearts are not in them. This is true of the practice of our faith, which can easily be reduced by us to rituals and duties. It is true also in our love for one another. Husbands and wives need to constantly renew their love for one another and put their hearts into that love again. Parents need to renew their love for their children because parenting can easily become a burden that is carried with little heart. And we need to put new heart into our prayer so that God may come more and more alive to us.

Fr. Johnny Doherty, C.Ss.R.

Sunday, August 30th 2009

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

First Reading Deuteronomy 4:1-2.6-8
Moses presents the Law to the people of Israel.

Second Reading James 1:17-18.21-22.27
You must do what the word tells you, and not deceive yourselves.

Gospel Mark 7:1-8.14-15.21-23
Jesus teaches that the Commandment of God is more important than human traditions.

REV PATRICK DOHERTY
Tel 028 816 71393
patrick.doherty@derrydiocese.org

REV COLM O’DOHERTY
Tel 028 816 61475
07786115471 (emergencies only)
c.odoherty@btinternet.com

NEIGHBOURING PRIESTS:
Fr K Mullan 82 831225 Fr J Gilmore 816 70728

Parish website: www.castledergparish.com
Derry Diocesan website: www.derrydiocese.org
Derry Diocesan Catechetical Centre: www.catecheticalcentre.org
Irish Bishops’ Conference: www.catholicbishops.ie

W E E K D A Y M A S S E S

Dregish: Wednesday: 10.00am, Friday 10.00am

Drumnabey: Monday: 10.00am, Thursday 7.30pm

I encourage as many people as possible to attend our Weekday Masses.

Sunday 30th August 2009

Twenty-Second Sunday Ordinary Time

‘Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean;
it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean’

We can be seen by others, in our external actions, to be living out the rules and laws of the Church. The message today, however, is that it is not our external actions that define religious fidelity; rather, it is our internal disposition that determines how we go about loving and serving Jesus. The focus of the Gospel is on our relationships and interactions with others, rather than on our individual actions. We should not look on the Gospel as a code of laws and rules by which we must be seen to abide. On the contrary, we should see it as a gift from God, providing us with vision and an opportunity to live out lives of serving and loving Him, through one another.

W E E K D A Y M A S S E S

Dregish: Wednesday: 10.00am, First Friday 10.00am

Drumnabey: Monday: 10.00am, Thursday 7.30pm

CHURCH DUTIES ROTA – Readings, Offertory Gifts, Cleaning & Flowers:
Thank you to the Crew area for this month’s duties in Drumnabey and the Glassmullagh / Lisnaceight area for this month’s duties in Dregish. In September, the Coolcreaghy / Lisleen area is on duty in Drumnabey, and the Envagh / Leglands area in Dregish.

VISITATION OF THE SICK AND HOUSEBOUND

Fr O’Doherty will visit the sick and housebound this week: in the Drumnabey area on Thursday and in Dregish on Friday.

Welcome

I am delighted today, on behalf of the entire parish community, to offer a very warm welcome to Fr Brian Donnelly, as the new Parish Priest of our parish. Fr Brian will be formally inducted as Parish Priest, by Bishop Lagan, at the 11.00am Mass in St Patrick’s, Castlederg, today. He will take up residence in the Parochial House in Castlederg later this week

A native of Desertmartin, Fr Brian was ordained to the priesthood in 1983, having studied for the priesthood at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. Since then, he has served as CC in Killyclogher (1983 - 1988), Carnhill, Derry (1988 – 1989), Lifford (1989 – 1995), Omagh (1995 – 2000), Long Tower, Derry (2000 – 2003), Carndonagh (2003 – 2005) and Dungiven, 2005 until now.

On a personal level, I very much look forward to working and serving in the parish with Fr Brian and I have no doubt that he will be warmly received by all of you and will enjoy your prayerful support. I know that he is looking forward with great enthusiasm to taking up his new role and I wish him every blessing and good wish in his ministry in this parish.

Fr Colm O’Doherty CC

THANK YOU for your generosity in last week’s collection:
Dregish £260, Drumnabey £265.

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

The final bills for the new lighting and electrical fittings installed in church at Drumnabey, to bring it up to health and safety standards, have now been paid. The total cost was £2,650.

ST EUGENE’S HIGH SCHOOL, CASTLEDERG reopens this Tuesday 1st September for Year 8 pupils only and on Wednesday, 2nd September, for all pupils.

ENVAGH PRIMARY SCHOOL re-opens this Tuesday, 1st September.
The second Anniversary Mass for Packie Breen, RIP, will take place in St Patrick’s Church, Drumquin, next Friday evening, 4th September, at 7.30pm.

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI PRIMARY SCHOOL DRUMNABEY, re-opens on Thursday of this week, 3rd September.

We wish all our young people well as they start their new school year. Good luck to all, especially those who are just starting school and those who are starting second or third level education this year. We wish our teachers and ancillary staff every blessing too.

DREGISH GFC Lotto: Numbers last week: 3, 7, 6, 5, 2, 1, 4. £50 shared by six people. Jackpot £1,400.

CONGRATULATIONS to Francis and Marty Ferris, and the entire Fairywater tug-o-war team, on winning the Silver Medal at the recent Irish Championships in Tullow, Co Carlow. We wish them well as they fly to Holland to participate in the European Club Championships next month. Well done boys and good luck!

PLEASE NOTE: Notices for the parish bulletin are welcome; however, they need to be with Fr O’Doherty by Thursday afternoon at the latest, for inclusion.