PARISH BULLETIN – 3rd Sunday of Advent – 13th December 2020
SUNDAY MASSES
VIGIL MASS
St. Eugene’s, Moneyneena: 5 pm
Holy Rosary, Draperstown: 6.15 pm [webcam]
St. Patrick’s, Keenaught: 7.30 pm
SUNDAY
St. Columba’s, Straw: 9 am
St. Mary’s, Coolcalm: 10 am [webcam]
St. Patrick’s, Sixtowns: 11 am
Holy Rosary, Draperstown: 12 noon [webcam]
DAILY MASS TIMES FOR THIS WEEK [all on webcam]
Holy Rosary Church: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ~ 10 am; Friday ~ 7.30 pm.
St. Mary’s Church, Coolcalm: Tuesday and Thursday ~ 7.30 pm; Friday ~ 10 am.
All Masses in St. Mary’s, Coolcalm are transmitted live via the Desertmartin parish webcam:
https://www.churchservices.tv/Desertmartin
All Masses in the Holy Rosary Church are transmitted live on the Ballinascreen parish webcam:
https://www.churchservices.tv/Draperstown
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DEATHS AND ANNIVERSARIES
Please remember in your prayers:
Johnny O’Hagan, 6 Moykeeran Gardens, who died during the week.
Seamus Scullion and Mary Gunning who died recently.
Frankie McCann whose first anniversary occurs at this time.
Agnes Walls, Agnes Higgins and Joe White whose anniversaries occur at this time.
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THANK YOU for your generous contributions to the Parish.
Last Week:
Sunday Collection/Priests’ Collection envelopes: £225.00.
Restoration Fund envelopes: £120.00.
Many thanks to all who have returned parish envelopes, established standing orders, have made online payments or used the ‘Donate’ button on the Parish Website. Your generosity is vital to the parish and is appreciated very, very much.
ST. VINCENT de PAUL
If you would like to make a donation, please put it in an envelope marked ‘St. Vincent de Paul’ and place it in the collection box at Sunday Mass or put the envelope through the letterbox at the Parochial House. Thank you.
GAUDETE SUNDAY DEVOTIONS
Jolene Conway and Fr. Madden will host an evening of prayer and praise this evening, Sunday, 13th December at 5 pm in Holy Rosary Church. A meditative recitation of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament will be interspersed with music and song, culminating in Benediction. All are welcome to attend (social distancing in place) and these devotions will be streamed on the Ballinascreen parish webcam – https://www.churchservices.tv/Draperstown.
The Parish is having a CHRISTMAS DRAW. There will be draws every day of the 12 days between Christmas Day and Tuesday 5th January 2021. Everyone’s ticket will be in for all the draws, which means you have 33 chances to win prizes. Total prize fund is £5,000. TICKETS are £20 each, available from:
- Heron’s Gift Shop, Draperstown,
- Moneyneena Post Office,
- and from McGirr at the Parochial House, 50 Tobermore Road.
A ticket would make a nice Christmas gift to send inside your Christmas cards to members of your family and friends this Christmastime.
PRIZES ~ on the first 10 days there are 3 prizes each day of £100. On 11th Day the draw will be for 2 prizes of £500 and on the 12th and last Day of Christmas there is one final prize of £1,000. Please let your family and friends know about our special Christmas Draw.
Thank you for your kind support of this year’s Twelve Days of Christmas Draw.
CHRISTMAS MASSES
To allow as many parishioners as possible attend Christmas Mass, in the present circumstances, 22 Masses have been arranged in Ballinascreen and Desertmartin from 24th December to 27th December. To maintain social distancing there must be a limit on how many can attend each Mass. It is therefore ESSENTIAL that you BOOK ONLINE and follow all the booking instructions.
CHRISTMAS EVE
St. Patrick’s, Sixtowns ~ 3 pm & 7 pm
St. Eugene’s, Moneyneena ~ 3 pm & 7 pm
Holy Rosary ~ 3 pm & 8 pm [webcam]
St, Mary’s, Coolcalm ~ 5 pm [webcam]
St. Columba’s, Straw ~ 6 pm
St. Patrick’s, Keenaught ~ 8 pm
CHRISTMAS DAY
St. Columba’s, Straw ~ 9 am
St. Mary’s, Coolcalm ~ 10 am [webcam]
St. Eugene’s, Moneyneena ~ 10 am
St. Patrick’s, Sixtowns ~ 11 am
St. Patrick’s, Keenaught ~ 12 noon
Holy Rosary ~ 12 noon [webcam]
SATURDAY 26th DECEMBER
St. Eugene’s, Moneyneena ~ 5 pm
Holy Rosary ~ 6.15 pm [webcam]
St. Patrick’s, Keenaught ~ 7.30 pm
SUNDAY 27th DECEMBER
St. Columba’s, Straw ~ 9 am
St. Mary’s, Coolcalm ~ 10 am [webcam]
St. Patrick’s, Sixtowns ~ 11 am
Holy Rosary ~ 12 noon [webcam]
- You may only book for and attend ONE MASS over these four days.
- Booking now open. There is still some availability for some of these Christmas Masses particularly on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th
- A valid email address and contact number MUST be provided when booking.
- To make a booking go to your parish website:
www.desertmartinparish.com or www.parishofballinascreen.com
CONFIRMATION DATES FOR 2021
The Confirmation for the children in St. Columb’s Primary School, Cullion will be celebrated on Saturday 6th March 2021 at 11 am in St. Mary’s Church, Coolcalm.
The Confirmation for the children in Knocknagin Primary School will be celebrated on Saturday 13th March 2021 at 11 am in St. Mary’s Church, Coolcalm.
ST. MARY’S, COOLCALM
St. Mary’s, Coolcalm, will be open for private prayer this week on Monday and Wednesday from 11 am to 1 pm.
Please wear a face covering while entering and leaving the church. When you call into the church please pick up a coloured card at the door on the way to your seat. When you have finished praying please leave the card behind on your seat. That seat will be cleaned later in the day. Thank you.
PARISH ANNIVERSARY MASS
If parishioners in Desertmartin and Ballinascreen wish to have their loved one prayed for at the 10 am Mass in Coolcalm or the 7.30 pm Mass in Holy Rosary on a Friday, phone the Desertmartin Parish Office answering machine on 028 7939 7047 or email desertmartinparish@gmail.com by 12 noon on Thursday of the relevant week. These Masses from Coolcalm and the Holy Rosary may be viewed on the respective Parish webcams.
For Coolcalm go to www.desertmartinparish.com and click on the blue webcam button.
For Holy Rosary, go to www.parishofballinascreen.com and click on the word ‘webcams’ in yellow.
VOLUNTEERS WELCOME
Thank you to those volunteering to help with stewarding and implementing the new Covid guidelines at our Masses. We would greatly appreciate more help with our weekend Masses and especially at our funerals. More volunteers are necessary to us having our churches open for our public Masses and they would be very welcome. You’re welcome to assist with the cleaning of seats after a Mass you attend. Thank you.
READERS AND EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS
Mindful that some Readers of the Word of God and Eucharistic Ministers may not be available to offer their services at this time, those who can are asked to please email the Parish Office as soon as possible giving name, address, and telephone number and the church they usually attend. Thank you very much. Email Address: desertmartinparish@gmail.com
SACRED HEART MESSENGER
A digital edition of ‘The Messenger’ is available to subscribers. A digital subscription costs just €15 per year and we hope you will decide to subscribe if you are not currently a subscriber. Contact Coordinator, Elizabeth Foley, on 00353 87 230 9219 or email: e.foley@messenger.ie.
‘TOTUS TUUS’ MAGAZINE
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the ‘Totus Tuus’ magazine is now being delivered straight to your door. If you would like to start receiving ‘Totus Tuus’ to your home, then please phone Fiona on 00353 86 876 0058.
BALLINASCREEN PADRE PIO COMMITTEE
The Padre Pio Mass continues every Monday at 7.30 pm from St. Columba’s Church, Longtower, Derry at http://longtowerchurch.org/webcam/
ONLINE YOUTH PROGRAMMES
To access a wide variety of initiatives and activities by Derry Diocesan Youth, visit: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DerryDiocesanYouth/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derryyouth/
DIOCESAN PRAYER RESOURCES FOR ADVENT
These resources have been created by the Derry Diocese in conjunction with the Northern Pastoral Network for family prayer during Advent. A family prayer booklet with the Gospel for each Sunday of Advent with a family activity, prayers and a reflection can be downloaded at: https://www.derrydiocese.org/news/advent-prayer-service-for-use-at-home
Other family activities for Advent, including prayers and how to create an Advent Wreath, are available on the Catechetical Centre website.
THE NET – DECEMBER 2020
Sharing the fruits of the faith in the Derry Diocese. With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, the December edition of ‘The Net’ will only be available on the Diocesan website – https://www.derrydiocese.org/news/the-net-december-2020. The publication will be available again in parishes when the restrictions are lifted. Enquiries to editorthenet15@gmail.com.
Coverage in this month’s edition includes:
- Bishop Donal looking forward to World Youth Day 2023
- Online youth activities for Advent
- Strabane Holy Cross College ‘Footprints’ competition by Hollie Frystal
- JPII Reflections
- Youth writers share thoughts on…Celebrating Christmas; Inspirational Garvan Byrne story; and Drawing God
- Advent reflections by Hollie and Filip, Derry Youth Scholarship Ministry
- Clare devotees gathered in heavy rain to pray birthday Rosary
- Bishop Donal launches Columban Year
- Melmount Prayer for Deceased by Hollie Frystal
- Creggan Eucharistic Blessing
- Clonleigh Pilgrimage of Remembrance by Fr. Colm O’Doherty
- Ardmore marks 90th anniversary
- Newtownstewart gets a new relic by Fr. Roland Colhoun
- Dungiven celebrates doctoral success of Fr. Joseph Varghese
- Roni Zacharias arrives from India
- Remembering Fr. Stephen Kearney
- Pat Carlin shares thoughts on ‘Connecting Generations’ campaign
- Following the stone by Fr. Oliver Crilly
- Françoise Henry – Irish section by Fr. Oliver Crilly
- My faith story by Fr. Francesco Gavazzi CFR
- Memories of Christmas past…and hopes for Christmas 2020
- The Stable and The Cribs by Vera McFadden
- Novena to the Divine Child with Termonbacca Carmelites
- A Word of God for your Family Life by Fr. Johnny Doherty CSsR
- An Advent like no other Advent by Fr. John McLaughlin SSC
- A holy duty to hand on the faith by Roseann O’Donnell
- Teresa of the Andes – Part IV by Fr. Stephen Quinn OCD
- Advent Sunday Holy Hours for Vocations
- Children’s Catechism Club by Veronica Harley
- Neal Carlin’s latest book reviewed – ‘The Eagle, the Tiger and Covid’
- Parish Post-its
- Quiz Time with Lawrence
STRESS CONTROL ONLINE
Stress is a normal reaction to the rapidly changing and uncertain times we are all living in at the moment. If you are feeling a bit more stressed than usual and would like to learn some great ways, free-of-charge, to deal with common problems like anxiety, depression, panicky feelings, poor sleep and poor wellbeing then come along to our online Stress Control class. ‘Stress Control’ is a six-session cognitive-behavioural therapy class used extensively in community-settings by the NHS (UK) and HSE (Ireland) and across the world. You can find out more here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVRme6oWZT2hsCYaSergGw
As you can’t come to a regular Stress Control class due to the current circumstances, Stress Control will come to you and live stream the sessions. Each session will play twice a day at 2 pm and repeated at 8.30 pm (dates below). Each Session will remain available on the YouTube channel for 48 hours after the start time. The sessions will be led by Dr. Jim White, consultant clinical psychologist, who created the class and who has taught most of the NHS (UK) and HSE (Ireland) trainers who would normally be running classes across the country.
To take part:
- Go to https://ni.stresscontrol.org/ where you can learn more about the class and get the dates. Everything you need to successfully complete the class – the booklets, self-assessment, relaxation and mindfulness – can be found in the ‘Free zone’. If you can, please read, and start working on, the booklets in the ‘Preparing for the course’ section before Session 1.
- On the homepage, click on the ‘Stress Control 2020’ link to access our YouTube channel where the classes will be available to view at the scheduled times. If you click the ‘Subscribe’ button on our YouTube page (free), you will receive notifications when a new session is available. You can also follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_BKErJ_jlSQHKFtHPCRmEctDtcNCCowB
- The session will begin exactly on time, so make sure you are there from the start. Sessions run for about 90 minutes and there will be a 10-minute break in the middle.
- Each session is one piece of the jigsaw in tackling your Stress. By coming to each class, the jigsaw will form, and the big picture can emerge, making you better able to handle your stress. This is cognitive-behavioural therapy so it is crucial you practice the skills you will learn between sessions.
Life is very hard for us just now and there are no easy solutions or magic cures, but, with hard work and determination, we can boost our resilience to cope with these difficult times and come out the other end stronger. Please pass this on to anyone who you think might benefit from the class.
