PORTSTEWART PARISH 20th December 2015
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Readings: Sunday C/Weekday 2 Psalter: Week 4 Fr. Austin McGirr PP 7083 2534 / 07739 223295 Email: pp@portstewartparish.co.uk Fr. Raymond McCullagh 07739 223293 Parish Secretary: Ruth McGuckian 7083 2534 Office email: secretary@portstewartparish.co.uk Website: www.portstewartparish.co.uk St Vincent de Paul: 07508 549 572 Bethany Bereavement: 07743 310 846
Last Sunday, 13th December Bishop Noel Treanor opened the Door of Mercy for the Diocese in St Patrick’s Church, Donegall St., Belfast. Invitations to visit the church during the Year of Marcy are available at our church doors. The opening times of the Door of Mercy are given, as well as the times of Sunday Masses in St Patrick’s. There is also a Door of Mercy in Clonard. Bishop Treanor’s Pastoral Letter for the Year of Mercy is available on-line. There is a one-page flier summarising the plans in the diocese at the church doors. www.downandconnor.org REST IN PEACE Anniversaries: Jane Locke (16), Nan McKenna, Ann Canning, John McFerran (18), Rose McLaughlin (19), Laurence Duffy, Helen O’Hare (20), Mary Rose Lundy, Tom Mullan (21), Bridie Duffy, Anne Kelly, Harry Watterson (23), Sarah Loughrey, Ellie Sweeney (25), Harry McNamee COLLECTIONS Last weekend’s parish collection came to £1437. Thank you for your continued support.
MASSES THIS WEEK Monday to Thursday: 9.30am in Star of the Sea.
PARISH CENTRE 20 – 26 DECEMBER Sun: Malawi Sunday Kitchen & Car Boot Sale 0900 – 1400 Innova Irish Dance 1530 – 1900
ADVENT PENITENTIAL SERVICES Monday 21st at 7.30pm in Portrush Wednesday 23rd at 7.30pm in Star of the Sea
LITTLE STARS PARENT & TODDLER GROUP Will be closed over the Christmas holiday period and will reopen on Tuesday 12th January. Happy Christmas to all.
CHRISTMAS MASSES at Star of the Sea Christmas Eve: Carols at 8.30pm followed by First Christmas Mass at 9.00pm Christmas Day: 9am and 11am (No Mass at 8.00pm) St Stephen’s Day and Saturday 26th: Mass at 12 noon. Sunday Vigil Mass: 6.00pm. Sunday 27th (The Feast of the Holy Family) Mass at 9.00am and 11.00am (no 8.00pm). EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the Marian Hall from 10am to 9pm every Thursday. There will be NO Adoration on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR DECEMBER That all may experience the mercy of God, who never tires of forgiving. THE YEAR OF MERCY On Tuesday 8th December Pope Francis opened the Holy Door: the Door of Mercy in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome, inaugurating a Year of Mercy. He hopes this will be “a special time for the Church”: a time to “gaze more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives.”
MARIAN CLUB The Wednesday morning Marian Club will be taking a break over Christmas and will be back on Wednesday 13th January after the 9.30am Mass. EOGHAN RUA GAC Lotto: Sun 13th Dec - no jackpot winner. Nos: 1,13,18,19. £25 winner: Eilish Doyle. Jackpot next Sunday: £3800. Adult Irish classes Wednesday 8 to 9.30pm. Ladies Football Training – Sunday mornings from 11am to 12.15pm. All welcome – no previous football experience necessary – just an interest and a willingness to get fit, compete and have fun!! GET FIT IN 2016 in the PARISH CENTRE Wednesday 10.15am - 11am Cardio workout 45 minutes of fat burning and toning to music(aerobics, balls, circuits, HIIT, combat etc) £5 Weight Management and Exercise £6.50 (from 10am) Saturday 9.15 -10.15am 4 Week Fitness Pilates Course Starts Saturday 9th January £24 Please pre-book For more information please contact Barbara on 07736963223 /zestrfl@hotmail.com JUNIOR CHOIR Rehearsals are now taking place at 13 Burnside Road on Wednesday evenings from 6 – 7pm. New members are always welcome!
CHRISTMAS CARDS & GIFTS The Repository has a great selection of Christmas cards and gift items. Open after all Masses. Come and take a look. PARISH CENTENARY BOOK Following the launch of the book celebrating 100 years of the church of St Mary’s, Star of the Sea, copies are now on sale in the Repository priced £5 per copy. Special centenary candles are also on sale for £1. The book has lots of old and new photographs, articles by parishioners, nuns and bishops. STELLA MARIS The new edition of Stella Maris will be delivered this week. Please let the office know if you have been missed. As always, a big thank you to our loyal distributors for giving up your time to get the magazines out at a busy time of the year. IF YOU WOULD LIKE FRESH NEWS . . . The parish will send you fresh, up-to-the-minute news of events, celebrations, results, deaths, births, marriages IF you send an email to us and just put in NEWS. It will be done. OPPORTUNITY Part time SPRED Coordinator sought to help support fellow parishioners with learning disabled in our Diocese. Duties include providing training for our groups, giving presentations raising awareness and recruitment, administration and planning. 15 hours per week @ £8 per hour For more information and to apply, please contact or send CV to spreddc@gmail.com Closing date for applications 3rd January 2016 EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS Please collect your copy of the January rota from the Sacristy. CONGRATULATIONS! To Orlagh Daly and Darren Hughes who were united in the sacrament of marriage in Star of the Sea last weekend.
INTO 2016 …… TRAVELLING SERVICE - SUN 3rd JAN This annual ecumenical event on the first Sunday of the year starts at 11.30am at the Methodist Church, Heathmount, Portstewart and moves to the nearby Portstewart Presbyterian Church, then Agherton Church of Ireland and finally to Star of the Sea. It is a service of prayers, hymns and readings at each of the four churches in the town. The service ends around 12.30pm with refreshments in the Town Hall. About 250 people turn up each year. Why not join them for this 16th birthday celebration of the Travelling Service? There will be no Mass at 11.00am, but there will be an evening Mass at 8.00pm. NORTH CONNOR YOUTH PROJECT Are you 18 to 25? Could you give some time to work with young people in our parish? NCYP are organising a retreat on 15th – 17th January for anyone interested. Please contact: gottschalk.kerry@gmail.comCYP BEGINNERS’ BRIDGE Classes commence in Portstewart 15th January 2016. Please ring 7083 1000 for more information and registration.
ST COLUM’S PRIMARY SCHOOL 2016/17 Children born between 2 July 2011 and 1 July 2012 must commence primary education in September 2016. Application forms may be obtained from St Colum’s School office, and must be returned by 12 noon on Wednesday 13 January 2016 ST. COLUM'S PRE-SCHOOL CENTRE 2016/17 Was your child born between 2 July 2012 and 1 July 2013? If so then you are entitled to a funded Pre-school place starting in September 2016. Application forms are now available from St. Colum's Pre-school Centre or from www.eani.org.uk/admissions. Closing date for lodging an application form is 12 noon Wednesday 13 January 2016 JEFF CAVINS Jeff Cavins’ scripture course “A Quick Journey Through the Bible” will be presented in Ballymoney Parish Hall starting on Sunday night 31st Jan 2016 7.30pm – 9.00pm and continuing until the evening of Palm Sunday. The course is a mixture of DVD presentations by Jeff and small group discussion and has been organised and presented by members of the North Connor Pastoral Community Team (formerly PAT). Parishioners from all six parishes (including our own) are being invited. To give an idea of numbers please let the parish office know if you plan to attend. THE PRIESTS IN CONCERT The Priests will be appearing at a special fundraising concert for Our Lady of Lourdes School, Ballymoney on Friday 12th February 2016 in the Diamond Hall, Coleraine. Tickets are £20 and available from the school 2766 2050 LOURDES 2016 The Diocese is currently seeking doctors (post foundation training) and nurses (on the NMC live register) to join the volunteer staff of the Diocesan Pilgrimage (11-16th July 2016). For more information please lourdes@downandconnor.org