Newsletter 27th & 28th April 2024

PARISH OF ARDFINNAN, BALLYBACON & GRANGE
                    Fr Michael Toomey V.F. / P.P. / ADM.
Fifth Week of Easter 27th & 28th  April 2024

Website: www.abgnfparish.ie
☏ For Priest on Duty Please Call: 087- 6564170
✉ Please email us at:  office@abgnfparish.ie
📫 The Parish Office, Holy Family Church, Ardfinnan, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
☏ Phone: 052 – 7464408     E Mail  parishofagb@gmail.com 

NEWCASTLE : Mass Saturday 5.00 pm
ARDFINNAN: Mass Saturday 6.30 pm
FOURMILEWATER: Sunday 09.00 am
GRANGE: Mass Sunday 10.30am
BALLYBACON: Mass Sunday 12.00 noon

THANK YOU
Many thanks for your contributions in the last weeks in the collections and envelopes for the upkeep of our parishes and churches:
Ardfinnan/ Ballybacon/ Grange: Weekly Collection €1050
Newcastle/Fourmilewater: Weekly Collection € 968

ROSARY AT THE GROTTO
Rosary will take place at the Grotto in Ballymacarbry every Thursday evening at 7.30pm in May. All are welcome

EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT-
This takes place in our parishes on:
Tuesday’s 10-11am in Ardfinnan
Friday’s    2.30-3.30 in Newcastle
Everyone is welcome to come and spend some time in quiet prayer and adoration.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE- UPDATE
Sincere thanks to the Parish Councils of Ardfinnan Ballybacon Grange, Newcastle Fourmilewater, Touraneena and The Nire who met together last week to discuss how we can manage our local area going forward, and where needed, support our other local churches in our Pastoral Area. This was in response to Bishop Cullinan’s letter last October where he highlighted the challenges, we in the church are currently facing. He has asked each pastoral area to look at our Mass times and schedules and how best we can pool our resources together collectively whilst doing our utmost to provide services to people on a weekly basis but particularly of course at baptisms funerals and other sacraments.

The councils made several positive recommendations, including having a ‘special timetable’ in cases where we are only at one priest due to illness / absence and gave some very helpful suggestions to help our local churches and parishes into the future.
A report will be submitted to Bishops House and to parishioners in the coming weeks allowing other local churches in our area to discuss similar changes.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION  DAY
CONGRATULATIONS to the boys and girls in Ardfinnan NS who received their First Holy Communion on Saturday.
Best wishes and prayers to our students in Newcastle who are receiving their First Holy Communion next Saturday at 11am. 

BAPTISMS
Please contact the Parish Office on 052-746 4408

NOTICES AND BOOKLETS / LEAFLETS
We would be grateful that if you wish any notices to be placed on our notice boards or any reading material / leaflets to be left out in our churches if you could contact Fr Michael or leave them at the sacristy door. We are happy to assist and put these out, but recently posters have caused damage to paintwork and woodwork. Often posters have also been covered, and we are required to have certain information permanently on display for Safeguarding reasons.

SAFEGUARDING
All sacristans, readers, parents of servers and ministers are asked to sign in to the book in the Sacristy, regardless of whether they process from the Sacristy, or if there are servers present or not. This is to maintain our high safeguarding standards across our parishes. Thank you for your continued commitment and support in this area.

WEEKLY DIOCESAN FAITH@HOME FAMILY NEWSLETTER AND TO THE HEIGHTS YOUTH NEWSLETTER available at www.waterfordlismore.ie/resources To subscribe weekly email faithathome@waterfordlismore.ie 

“CHECK IT OUT” EVENTS BULLETIN:  Want to know more about what’s going on around the diocese?  Sign up to our “Check it out” events bulletin for fortnightly updates.  Email events@waterfordlismore.ie or go to https://waterfordlismore.ie/resources

CCTV CAMERAS / LIVESTREAM
Please note that for the protection and security of everyone CCTV cameras are in operation in our churches. All our Masses are Live streamed in Ardfinnan and are at other times broadcast from Newcastle, Fourmilewater, Ballybacon and Grange on Churchservices.tv and Facebook Live pages.