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A working group of representatives of the Dublin Diocese Common Fund and Clerical Fund Committees have been meeting to address the financial challenges faced by priests over the past 16 months since a severe reduction in income. One solution to address this, has being a proposal to introduce a Summer Dues collection. Each parish is invited to introduce a Summer Offering on 20th June and parishioners would return this envelope similarly to the Christmas and Easter Offering envelopes. Here is a copy of the Archbishop’s letter, which covers the topic in detail.

(Your support through the Christmas & Easter Offerings has been greatly appreciated, as indeed throughout lockdown via the ‘Tap & Go’ and envelopes)

Broadcast from Ballygall

RTE will broadcast Mass from Ballygall church this Sunday afternoon at 2.15 p.m. on the RTE News channel. Archbishop Dermot Farrell will be celebrant at this Mass and some parishioners will be present. As it is a broadcast Mass numbers will be limited and the church will be closed for the duration of the Mass. In order for the team from “icatholic” who are responsible for its broadcast to prepare, the church will be closed from 1.30 until 3.30 p.m. approx. You are welcome to join us hopefully online or by tuning in to the RTE News Channel directly.

The church will be open after 10am Mass until 1.30pm approx. and after the televised Mass for private prayer until late Sunday evening.

Our normal Weekend Masses will be 6.30 p.m. on Saturday evening and 10 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Church reopens from Monday 10^th May for 10.00 a.m. Mass.

At last, the day has arrived that we can finally open our doors to you so we can celebrate Mass together.

We will be maintaining and operating the system that we had last summer, i.e. two pods of 50, using only the main two aisles and separate exits. We ask you to please be patient with all our volunteers and also, if you have any cold like symptoms that you stay at home for the moment.

A few things to remember: –

Wash hands before coming to church.

Sanitise on way in and way out.

Wash hands when home after church.

Face coverings must be worn unless you have a medical reason not to.

To receive Holy Communion:

Slip mask off one ear, leave hanging on the other ear, receive Holy Communion, then replace your mask.

Follow instructions from stewards

Enter via main doors at the front of the church.

Exit once mass is over via side doors (Near altar)

Remain in your place during Mass.

Collection bags & Holy Communion will be brought to you.

Sunday obligation to attend Mass does not apply for the moment. You may come during the week instead of Sunday.

In order to facilitate the cleaning of the church after Mass, the church will close briefly but will then remain open until 7.00 p.m. approx. for private prayer.

Toilets, Shop & Sacristy – Out of Bounds for the moment.

2021 Guidelines for Volunteers

Volunteer Rosters (password protected)

We received the good news on Thursday evening 29th April that we can shortly (from Monday 10th May) open our doors for the celebration of Mass. We are delighted and cannot wait to have you present.

Contact will be made week with our existing panel of volunteer stewards to assess their current availability to assist us with the safe reopening of our celebrations and the sanitising of the Church before and after each Mass. If you haven’t volunteered before and are interested in doing so, please leave your details at the Parish Office.

Unfortunately, we are not permitted to have celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism, First Communion or Confirmation.
We hope and pray that the reopening of our society will go well and that we will be in a position to celebrate these
sacraments very soon.

Easter gardens are a special way to celebrate Easter. Tradition is that an Easter garden is built to remind us of the garden where Jesus rose from the dead. The Easter garden should be colourful and full of joy to reflect the Easter story of joy in the Resurrection. It remains in place for 50 days of Easter up until Pentecost. Read all about Easter gardens here

(All ceremonies will be online this year from Ballygall and other churches in our grouping)
Monday 29th March
10.00am – Mass (www.ballygallparish.ie)
7.00 – 8.00pm – Holy Hour from Our Lady of Victories (www.olv.ie)
Tuesday 30th March
10.00am Mass (www.ballygallparish.ie)
7.30pm – Penitential Service from Iona Road parish. (www.ionaroadparish.ie)
Wednesday 31st March
10.00am Mass (www.ballygallparish.ie).
7.30pm: Chrism Mass. (www.procathedral.ie)
Archbishop Dermot Farrell will celebrate the Chrism Mass, during which he will bless the Oils for use in the sacraments throughout our Diocese in the coming year.
7.30pm – Seven Last Words: (www.glasnevinparish.ie)
A reflection on the seven last words spoken by Jesus before his death on the cross.
7.30pm: Penance Service. (www.franciscansdublin.ie)
Our Franciscan friends from Merchants’ Quay will be leading a Prayer Service of Mercy and Reconciliation giving us an opportunity to focus on and experience God’s mercy in a new and personal way.
Holy Thursday 1st April
10.00am – Morning Prayer (No morning mass) (www.ballygallparish.ie)
7.30pm – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. (www.ballygallparish.ie)
(A bowl of water to wash your hands/feet or those at home with you this evening).
Good Friday 2nd April (Day of Fast & Abstinence)
10.00am – Morning Prayer (No morning mass) (www.ballygallparish.ie)
12 noon – Stations of the Cross, (www.corpuschristidrumcondra.ie)
3.00pm– Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (www.ballygallparish.ie)
7.30pm– Stations of the Cross. (www.ballygallparish.ie)
(A cross or crucifix for the ceremonies today)
Holy Saturday 3rd April
10.00am – Morning Prayer (No morning mass) (www.ballygallparish.ie)
7.30pm – Easter Vigil (www.olv.ie)
(You are invited to have a candle that can be lit during the vigil)
Easter Sunday 4th April
10.00am – Mass of the Resurrection (www.ballygallparish.ie)
(Water would be appropriate to have at this Mass, blessed or otherwise)

Pope Francis has designated 2021 as the Year of St. Joseph, which adds further significance to St. Joseph’s feast day, which we celebarte on March 19th. Read much more here 

The annual Day of Prayer for Survivors and Victims of Sexual Abuse takes place on Friday 19 February 2021, the first Friday of Lent. 

The bishops of Ireland have blessed and dedicated candles of atonement for use in their Cathedrals and parishes throughout the country on 19 February and thereafter during the celebration of Mass and other liturgies.

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CANDLE OF ATONEMENT

Lord, forgive us our many sins.

We grieve and repent with all our hearts for having offended you, for our great failings and neglect of the young and vulnerable.

We place all of those who have been hurt by the Church in any way into your loving hands and under the protection of Our Blessed Mother.

Lord, bring peace to their broken lives and show us all the way out of darkness and into the light of your Word.

May we as the people of God be more fully human, more fully Christ-like and more fully your people, that we may see the errors of the past and go forward with renewed hope and faith in Christ and in our Church.

Amen.

Fr Paddy Sweeney will conduct a series of topical Lenten Reflections (“Living in Unsettling Times”) over five Thursdays during Lent. He will be speaking from each of the churches in our grouping beginning in OLV and here in Ballygall on Thursday 4th March at 7.30pm. If you would like to share your thoughts or questions with him after any of the talks there is a special email address (paddysweeney2021@gmail.com) for this purpose. If suitable he will incorporate it into future talks. For full details of the talks click here

A week when we focus on the gifts of our schools and their contribution to the faith and formation of our children. This year the theme is ‘Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith & Resilience’. This year as we know has been so difficult and we thank all in Sacred Heart and Mother of Divine Grace schools as well as Scoil Chiarain, St. Michael’s House and St. Kevin’s for their trojan work with our young people.

More information here