Holy Trinity Parish

Pastor's Desk: Holy Trinity Sunday

Editor — Sat, 25 May 2013 14:00:14 +0000

Happy Feast Day!

Welcome everyone to our Masses on this, the Feast Day of the parish, Holy Trinity Sunday. This feast day is always a very special day for us as a parish as we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Spirit, to whose care our community of faith is entrusted. What we know of the Holy Trinity is revealed to us by Jesus in his preaching and teaching. He tells us very clearly that the Father, Son and Spirit are one. They are three persons, one God. What is more, the Holy Trinity wishes to share their divine life with each of us through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. By way of our Baptism and Confirmation we have been admitted into the internal life of the Trinity as an individual but called to celebrate our life of faith in community. This is no surprise given that the Holy Trinity is a community itself of three persons open to others.

Pro Life

Each week over the next ten weeks the Catholic Communications Office will circulate for parish newsletters and websites, information promoting the Church’s position on unborn human life. Click here for the first edition.

Lourdes Pilgrimage

I head off with 30 parishioners on Monday on the annual Helping Hand pilgrimage to Lourdes. Please be assured that your intentions will be remembered at the Grotto.

Fr. Eoin

First Communions

We congratulate the pupils of Scoil Bhríde JNS who received First Holy Communion last Sunday and also the pupils of St. Francis of Assisi PS Belmayne who receive First Eucharist today at the 12.30pm Family Mass. This is the final First Communion Mass for our parish this year.

PS. Next Sunday is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. We will have our Parish Corpus Christi Procession around the grounds of the church after the 12.30pm Family Mass. The procession will conclude with Benediction. It would be wonderful to have as many as possible of our First Communicants leading the procession on the day.

Cemetery Masses

Editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:26 +0000

The annual masses for the cemeteries in our area will take place on the following dates:

Old Cemetery, Kilbarrack	Sunday 2nd June 2013	3pm (Prayers)
St. Fintan’s Cemetery, Sutton	Sunday 9th June 2013	3pm
Fingal Cemetery, Balgriffin	Sunday 23rd June 2013	3pm
Glasnevin Cemetery	Sunday 30th June 2013	3pm
Old Balgriffin Cemetery	Sunday 7th July 2013	3pm

For more information, visit the Fingal County Council and Glasnevin Trust websites.

Pastor's Desk: Pentecost Sunday

Editor — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:00:15 +0000

Welcome everyone. Our celebration today is one of the great Feasts of the Church, Pentecost Sunday. Today is often referred to as the birthday of the church because from today the apostles are transformed from fearful individuals, to a community bravely speaking of their faith in Jesus Christ and calling others to share that same faith. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit Jesus has shared with us part of the divine life and we are no longer abandoned but people of Hope. That is ultimately the greatest gift of the Spirit; all things are possible, we can begin again in the Lord.

At our Vigil Mass this Sunday, all of our Ministers of the Word will be Commissioned for service for the coming year. It is an appropriate Feast day to renew the ministry of our Readers because, as we hear in the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, it was after the descent of the Holy Spirit that the apostles went out and preached on the streets and people of all language groups heard them in their own language. Proclaiming the Word of God at our parish Masses is a share in that apostolic mission to make the scriptures come alive for others and therefore introduce them to the person of Jesus Christ. This is truly a powerful Ministry and we give thanks that so many of our parish are called to share in it. May the Lord reward them for their generosity.

Fr. Eoin

First Communions

We congratulate the pupils of St. Kevin’s JNS who received First Holy Communion last Sunday and also the pupils of Scoil Bhríde JNS who receive First Eucharist today. The final First Communion Mass for our parish is as follows:

Sunday 26th May @ 12.30pm Family Mass St. Francis of Assisi PS

Pastor's Desk: Ascension Sunday

Editor — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:00:28 +0000

Welcome everyone. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. It is a time to remember that Jesus did as He promised and returned to the Father and to eternal glory. This ascension of Jesus is something that we should all take careful note of because where Jesus has gone, we hope to follow. And so this feast is part of the promise Jesus made to prepare us a place in His Kingdom.

Today is also World Communications Sunday in the Church. Today is a reminder that the message of the Gospel needs to be preached to all people wherever they are. Each one of us is a means of communicating that Gospel message. We start in our home family life by sharing our faith proudly and confidently. Each of the baptised faithful is called to witness to their faith in the workplace so that by the manner of their living they will call others to follow Christ. We are now, in the modern era, called to witness to our faith in the new social media of the World Wide Web, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. We can never underestimate the power of our witness in these different forums and we need look no further than the example of Pope Francis himself who is to be found on Twitter using @pontifex. I am glad to say that Holy Trinity Parish is following the Holy Father’s example by also using the new social networks. Why not follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@HolyTrinityPrsh) as well as by regularly visiting our website. It is important to witness to our faith in all areas of our lives.

Fr. Eoin

First Communions

We congratulate the pupils of Belmayne Educate Together who received First Holy Communion last Sunday and also the pupils of St. Kevin’s JNS who receive First Eucharist today. The two remaining First Communion Masses are as follows:

Sunday 19th May @ 11.00am Mass Scoil Bhríde JNS

Sunday 26th May @ 12.30pm Family Mass St. Francis of Assisi PS

Pastor's Desk: Sixth Sunday of Easter

Editor — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:00:02 +0000

Welcome everyone. We continue our reading from John’s Gospel today and Jesus is giving his last farewell to the Apostles during the Last Supper. We can imagine that this was an emotional discourse for Jesus and the apostles; Jesus tells them very clearly that His end is near, but that He will send them the help of the Holy Spirit.

Farewells are difficult, especially those at the end of life. They demand great courage and self-awareness. Jesus takes this intimate time to prepare the Apostles for life without His physical presence. The promise of His love, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of an interior peace that only God can give, is His parting gift. At that moment the Apostles would have preferred for Jesus to remain with them, for things to continue as they are. As we know from the events after the Last Supper, the Apostles were far from ready for all that happened, they dispersed in fear and went into hiding. Yet Jesus did as He promised. He gave them the help of the Holy Spirit and the experience of true peace, not the absence of war or violence, but the joy of knowing God’s love for each one of us. That is the peace the world cannot give.

First Communion Celebrations

In this month of May we have the joyous occasions of First Holy Communion for many boys and girls in our parish. Today, we congratulate the pupils of Belmayne Educate Together PS who will receive their First Eucharist at the 12.30 Family Mass on Sunday. We pray they will always live their faith as full members of our Faith Community from this day forward.

The times and dates of the other First Communion Masses are as follows:

Sunday 12th May @ 11.00am Mass St. Kevin’s JNS

Sunday 19th May @ 11.00am Mass Scoil Bhríde JNS

Sunday 26th May @ 12.30pm Family Mass St. Francis of Assisi PS

Fr. Eoin

Protection of Life

Editor — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:57:49 +0000

The Catholic Bishops of Ireland have published a preliminary response to the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013.

Choose Life: We Cherish Them Both

Editor — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:00:51 +0000

CHOOSE LIFE: WE CHERISH THEM BOTH is the theme for A Vigil of Prayer for the Right to Life of Mothers and their Unborn Babies on Saturday 4th May, Our Lady’s Shrine, Knock, Co. Mayo. This important event, supported by the Irish Bishops’ Conference, will begin with a themed Rosary Procession at 1.00pm and will conclude with Mass in the Basilica at 3.00pm. All are warmly invited to attend. The main celebrant will be Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and the homilist will be Bishop Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick. A blessing for expectant mothers who are present will be given during the Mass. For further details, download the flyer, or see www.chooselife2013.ie

Pastor's Desk: Fifth Sunday of Easter

Editor — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:00:24 +0000

Welcome everyone. This Sunday’s Gospel is a truly inspiring and encouraging reading where Jesus reveals God as the God of Love. Jesus summarised the 10 Commandments in just 2; Love of God, and Love of our neighbour. Very simple to say but quite a challenge to live by! And yet God has shown the depth of His love in the sending of His Son for our salvation.

Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles is very important as the last line was a theme that Pope Benedict used when he called the Year of Faith into being. The line goes; “On their arrival they (Paul & Barnabas) assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans”. As Pope Benedict said, “The ‘door of faith’ (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn17:22). To profess faith in the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord’s glorious return”. Porta Fidei, Benedict XVI.

Let each one of us take the time to walk through the door of faith this year.

Fr. Eoin

Pastor's Desk: Vocations Sunday

Editor — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 15:00:05 +0000

Welcome everyone. Today the Church worldwide celebrates Vocations Sunday and it is an opportunity for all of us to reflect upon the fact that through Baptism, we each have been given a role by God in building up His Church. We do this by offering our service to the Community of Faith in whatever way we can through our voluntary activity. Holy Trinity Parish is very fortunate to have so many people willing to share their gifts and time in a variety of Ministries in our parish, but we can never become complacent. For example, last year we had 44 funerals for the 12 month period; this year, as of my writing this piece, we have had 21 funerals. The call for people to offer themselves anew is always with us and those who have gone before us need to be replaced if what they have worked for is to be achieved.

As well as volunteering in the Parish, many in our community are called to be parents and to raise children in the Faith. This is a very real challenge in our modern age and the support of other like-minded people can be a great boost. Parents have the privilege of introducing the person of Jesus Christ to their children. By their own example, parents can pass on a faith that is inspiring and uplifting and one that will weather the challenges that life throws up.

I am delighted that our own seminarian, Michael Byrne, will be available to join us at two of our Masses this Sunday and share something of his own story as he discerns a call to priesthood in our diocese of Dublin. During all the Masses today, the annual collection for our Dublin seminarians will be taken up and will replace the usual SHARE collection. Do be as generous as you can in supporting Michael and the other men. What is very apparent is that the ministry of a priest is vital to the community of faith. If there are no priests there can be no celebration of the Mass or the sacraments.

Let us pray this weekend that all of us will answer the demands the call of the Lord makes of us and that those called to the ordained ministries of Priesthood or the Permanent Diaconate will be generous in their response.

Fr. Eoin

Pastor's Desk: Third Sunday of Easter

Editor — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:04:30 +0000

Welcome everyone. In our First Reading today from the Acts of the Apostles we see a very different group of men to the ones who gathered in fear in the Upper Room during the passion & death of our Lord. Now they fearlessly proclaim their faith in Jesus to the very people who had the power to have them killed. The Gospel is an even more powerful scene. Post Resurrection, the apostles head off fishing at Peter’s suggestion. It was like a reconnection with their former lives. They catch nothing as was the case when they first met Jesus and once again He appears to them and asks them to cast out their nets for a catch. On realising the size of the haul, Peter runs to the Risen Jesus. Last week I spoke of how Jesus does not recount the failings of the Apostles but merely says to them, “Peace be with you”. Today He elicits a threefold commitment from Peter to look after the new community of faith which of course cancels out Peter’s triple denial of knowing Jesus on that first Holy Thursday night.

SHARE Sunday

As well as being the Third Sunday of Easter, today is also SHARE Sunday here in the diocese of Dublin. As parishioners are aware, we take up a collection most Sundays in support of SHARE during Mass. Today we have a letter from Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to be read at all Masses where he speaks about how that money is dispersed. The SHARE newsletter gives more financial details. I want to thank you for your continued support of the SHARE collection which is administered centrally by the Finance Secretariat of Archbishop’s House. For the year ended 30th June 2012, this parish contributed €36,748 a sign of great generosity in financially difficult times.

Fr. Eoin