Sunday 16th March 2008

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Reflection

The acclamation of Jesus by the crowds as he enters Jerusalem contrasts sharply with the humiliation and suffering he endures in his Passion and death. We know that neither of these is the true destiny of Christ. His true destiny is the triumph and glory of the Resurrection. In this is reflected our own destiny and should help us to remember that both worldly success and human pain are things that pass and that our real hope lies in the eternal life of God’s Kingdom.

LONG TOWER CHURCH 1909-2009: We are gathering ideas for the centenary celebrations of Long Tower Church. A parish centenary committee has been at work since mid-February. Over the coming months the committee will be planning, outreaching and seeking suggestions in preparation for the great year that lies ahead.

CONFESSIONS
Sunday 6.00pm (today) Long Tower Church
Monday 7.30pm Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty
Tuesday 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Creggan
Saturday 11.30am – 6.00pm St Eugene’s Cathedral

Other Confessions (in Long Tower):
Mon., Tues. & Spy Wednesday 7.00pm – 7.25pm
Good Friday 11.30am – 1.00pm & 8.00pm – 9.00pm
Holy Saturday 11.30am – 1.00pm

CEREMONIES

Holy Thursday
10.00am Mass of Chrism (St Eugene’s Cathedral)
Please note: NO morning Mass in parishes.
7.30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Adoration at the Altar of Repose concluding with Rosary and Night Prayer at 11.00pm

Good Friday (Day of Fast and Abstinence)
10.00am Morning Prayer
3.00pm Ceremony of the Passion
7.30pm Stations of the Cross

Holy Saturday
10.00am Morning Prayer
9.00pm Easter Vigil (No 6.00pm Vigil Mass)

PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE NO MASSES CELEBRATED IN THE CHURCH FROM HOLY THURSDAY EVENING UNTIL THE EASTER VIGIL AT 9.00 PM.

Sunday 16th March 2008
PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION

Parish Missal: (Year A) Readings page 113 and Proper 1032

First Reading Isaiah 50: 4-7
God’s servant accepts suffering and persecution.

Second Reading
Philippians 2: 6-11
Christ humbled himself, accepting death on the Cross.

Gospel Matthew 26: 14-27.66
The Passion of Jesus Christ.

TROCAIRE BOXES should be returned to the church during the Easter ceremonies.

SEE THE LONG TOWER ON TV this week, Holy Week. The retreat talks recorded recently in our church by EWTN will be shown over the next five days, Monday to Good Friday (17-21 March), at the following times: 4.00am, 2.30pm and 7.00pm each day. EWTN is the Catholic television channel which can be seen on SKY 769.

DEATHS
We wish to express our deepest sympathy to the relatives and friends of
Martha Harkin, 27 Alexander House and
Rose Quigley, 5 Victoria Place, who died recently.

BAPTISMS We welcome Anthony Vella, 8 Thistlewood Park, Molly Sweeney, 46C Westland Street, Kián Baldrick, 85 Circular Road, Christine Kelly, 14 Rosskeen Park, Ryan

We gratefully acknowledge the following anonymous donations to the Long Tower Renovation Fund: £20, £5, £20, £5, £10, £20, £5, £20, £10, £60.

LAST WEEK’S RENOVATION COLLECTION £ 734.00
LAST WEEK’S ENVELOPE COLLECTION £1876.00

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – begins Good Friday
Saint Faustina of Poland received apparitions of Christ in the 1930s in which He asked her to have His Image painted and venerated throughout the world. He also revealed to her that He wished the Sunday after Easter to be the Feast of God’s mercy – Divine Mercy Sunday. In preparation for the Feast day Christ taught St Faustina to pray the Chaplet of Mercy and asked that the Church recite it as a novena beginning on Good Friday every year.

What is so significant about the Novena and the Feast? The Feast of Divine Mercy is like a second baptism. Jesus told St Faustina that going to Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday grants ‘complete forgiveness of sins and punishment’ (Diary, Notebook II, p. 286, par. 699, no.138) for those who have gone to Confession (even during Lent). That means that a soul who had sincerely fulfilled the requirements of the Feast of Mercy and died after receiving Communion on that Sunday would go straight to Heaven, without any time in Purgatory, regardless of past life. God is offering us the equivalent of a new baptism on Mercy Sunday every year!

In Long Tower we will pray the Novena at 9.30 each morning, from Good Friday until Easter Saturday (the Saturday following Easter Sunday). Leaflets are available in the church. All welcome!

CARMELITE RETREAT CENTRE, TERMONBACCA Three evening retreats in preparation for Easter on Mon/Tue/Wed, 17th/18th/19th March from 7.30 pm to 10.00 pm. An opportunity to spend some time in quiet adoration, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and celebrate Mass. All are welcome to attend.

MONTHLY PRO LIFE DEVOTIONS on Tuesday 18th March in St Columb’s Church, Chapel Road commencing with Rosary at 7.00 pm followed by mass at 7.30 pm.

YOUTHLIFE in partnership with the Young Peoples’ Beginning Experience will present a residential weekend in St Columb’s Park House, Friday 4th April to Sunday 6th April 2008. This programme helps young people who have experienced the death of a parent, divorce or separation of their parents to work through the process of grief and make a new beginning in their changed family situation. The residential is free to participants. For more information contact: Bridie at Youthlife 7137 7227 or 079 1250 7388.

EASTER SUNRISE PRAISE SERVICE (Church of Ireland) in The See House Quiet Garden, Culmore Road at 6.00 am on Easter Sunday.

THORNHILL COLLEGE 25 YEAR REUNION EVENT organised for those pupils who started Thornhill College in September 1975 - the first group of 1st years to attend Artillery Street. The City Hotel, Derry, has been booked for the night of Saturday 19th April. Please contact Emer on 7135 3863 after 6.00 pm for more details about the event.

BIG EASTER BINGO

ST EUGENE’S PARISH HALL SUNDAY 16th MARCH 2008 AT 8.30 PM

VOLUNTARY TYPIST NEEDED for a number of weeks in the Parochial House. We are typing up the history of the parish and we would be very glad of some help for the project. If you could give even a couple of hours a week, we would be delighted.