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Please consider, if your present circumstances allow,
making a donation to the parish.
Scroll down to the very bottom of this webpage
to see methods of doing so.
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Parish church webcam:
https://www.mcnmedia.tv/camera/st-patricks-and-st-brigids-church-ballycastle
The Lady Chapel in St. Patrick’s & St. Brigid’s
contains 15 sculptures depicting
the Decades of the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
Below are the depictions of 2nd and 3rd of the Glorious Mysteries –
the Ascension of the Lord,
and the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Our Lady at Pentecost,
the Feasts celebrated this year on Sunday 24th May and this Sunday 31st May
Mass each day at 10am.
Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet from Monday to Saturday at 12noon.
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We hold in prayer the Smyth family of Gortconney and all involved in the tragic accident on the Whitepark Road on Tuesday fortnight.
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Visits for personal prayer in St. Patricks's & St. Brigid's Church: 1pm-6pm form Monday to Saturday and 11am-6pm on Sundays. Please enter by the side -door on the car park side of the church and follow the one-way system that is sign-posted in the church and leave the church by the side-door on the McAlister Hall side of the church. Please use the materials available to wipe the pews and kneelers before and after you use them, disposing of wipes in the pedal bins.
Visits for personal prayer in St. Patricks's Church Culfeightrin: Sunday& Wednesdays 12noon-5pm.
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An Act of Spiritual Communion.
My Lord and My God, I love Thee with my whole heart and above all things.
I adore Thee truly present on the Altar at Mass.
I have a great desire, dear Jesus, to receive Thee in Holy Communion,
and since I cannot now approach the Altar to be united to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament,
I beseech Thee most earnestly to come to me at least spiritually and to refresh me with your grace.
Come, my Lord my God and my All!
Come to me,
and let me never again be separated from Thee by sin.
I wish to become like Thee.
Teach me your ways, and help me with your grace to put those ways into practice in my life.
Amen.
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Down and Connor Diocesan Triduum
Following on from the successful Diocesan Novena earlier this month, the Diocese of Down and Connor will close the month of May with a Triduum of Prayer to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. In the Christian tradition Pentecost is known as the Birthday of the Church. Over these three days, prayers will be offered for the Family (the Domestic Church), our local Parishes and Pastoral Communities (the Local Church), and for the mission of all Christians in the world (the Universal Church).
The Triduum will run from Friday 29th May until Sunday 31st May.
Bishop Noel Treanor warmly invites everyone to join with him as he leads the prayers on-line via the webcam www.churchservices.tv/stpeterscathedral from St Peter’s Cathedral in Belfast. The text of the prayers being used in the Triduum is also available from the cathedral webcam page.
Each evening will begin at 7.00 pm and will last approximately 15 minutes. Intentions may be sent by email to
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and they will be placed in front of the altar and included in the prayers each evening.
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Trocaire
Every year Trócaire asks for your help during Lent to fund lifesaving programmes around the world. This year, of course, it was not possible to return Trócaire boxes through schools or parishes in the usual way. This is the worst possible timing coming just as the world’s poorest people need us most. Therefore, Trócaire are appealing to you to return your Lenten donation. Simply count or estimate what is in your box and donate in the following ways:
1. Online at www.trocaire.org
2. By phone: 0800 912 1200
3. By post to Trócaire, 10 King Street, Belfast, BT1 6AD
The contents of each and every Trócaire box, no matter how small, come together to make a significant difference. This virus knows no borders, but neither does ourcompassion.
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We pray for all our deceased parishioners, relatives and friends, remembering especially those who have died recently:
Lucia Mee (Strand Cottages) and
Vera Bellingham (nee Hill; Ballycastle & Ballymoney),
and those whose anniversaries occur at this time:
Ellie Moore (1st),
Kay McCurdy,
Danny Hannaway,
Maureen Harkin,
Martha Stewart,
Alexander McIlroy,
Willie & Josie McNeill, Liam McNeill, Terence McNeill,
Caroline & Johnny Connor,
Robin McHugh,
Carmel Plumb,
Billy Parker,
John McMullan,
Mary McMichael
and Marie Jamison
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
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The parish graveyards are open
but when visiting please protect yourself and others by observing the social distancing guidelines of 2 metre / 6 feet.
For the well being of all involved with funerals, there will no public access at the time of a funeral - access will be restricted to the funeral party only; please respect grieving families by not visiting at these times.
It may also be necessary to restrict access at other times, such as during grass-cutting.
Recent photographs of
St. Patrick's & St. Brigid's Graveyard extension works
Pathways being laid out:
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Due to the Coronavirus situation all are dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation. Mass, without a congregation, is celebrated in the parish church daily at 10am and can be viewed on the webcam or listened to on the parish CB radio. (Webcam viewing can also be be accessed on www.mcnmedia.tv. [by clicking on “cameras”, then “churches”, then “Co. Antrim”, and then “Ballycastle”]. Please also note a set top box is needed for those parishioners who wish to view on their televisions; however internet is still required. The webcam can be viewed on laptop, PC, smart phone, kindle etc. If you have the internet and wish to view the Church on your TV, this will involve having a set-top box installed on your TV. For further information please contact Seamus McNichol, MCN Media on 07732329066)
To read and pray with today’s Mass readings
go to the "Today's Mass Readings" link
on the left hand column of this webpage,
or else go to https://www.catholicireland.net/readings/
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All enquiries to Fr. Brian Daly, P.P., 20762223; email:
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Parish emergency mobile number 07809553349
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Sacred Heart Messenger
GET THE DIGITAL EDITION OF THE MESSENGER FOR FREE
A combination of ‘cocooning’ and the travel restrictions currently in place all around the country mean that many readers of The Sacred Heart Messenger cannot access their monthly ‘little red book’. Therefore, during this coronavirus crisis, we are delighted to make the digital edition of The Messenger available FREE OF CHARGE.
Please send your email request to
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and we will send you a link to view the Messenger on your laptop, tablet or mobile phone.
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Accord
Catholic Marriage Care Service
IF YOU NEED TO SPEAK TO AN EXPERIENCED COUPLES & RELATIONSHIPS COUNSELLOR
DURING THIS TIME OF UNPRECEDENTED STRESS AND PRESSURE ON FAMILY LIFE
Contact: 95680151; 9.00 am - 8.00 pm, Monday to Friday
All calls charged at local rate
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Sacrament of Reconciliation - confessions
The ordinary means of receiving the Lord’s forgiveness, for the sins we commit after Baptism, is in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Church’s faith in the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy, given in this Sacrament, is based on John 20:21-23, where the Lord told His disciples that, just as the Father sent Him, so He is now sending them. The Gospel says, “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Those whose sins you retain, they are retained’. It is, therefore, not the priest who forgives sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is Jesus Himself Who reconciles us to the Father, through His Holy Spirit, sent forth and poured out among us. The priest, however, is God’s minister, acting in God’s Name. This is the normal and ordinary means of receiving God’s pardon but it is NOT THE ONLY MEANS. And we are not currently living in normal or ordinary times. God NEVER refuses His mercy and forgiveness when we sincerely ask it from Him. He ALWAYS forgives us when we turn to Him in sincere sorrow for the wrong we have done. During this current danger and crisis sacramental confession and absolution is still available when reasonably requested by a penitent, whilst observing social distancing and any other restrictions that are in place to protect lives and prevent the spread of the virus. Parishioners are reminded of the longstanding pastoral practice, when penitent’s access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is restricted, that they can be assured that their sins are forgiven if they make an act of contrition with a firm resolve to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation after the stay at home orders are lifted; such is in line with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Pope Francis spoken on this in a homily on March 20th.
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Sacrament of the Sick – anointing
During this emergency please note that for calls to private houses for emergencies it is requested that only one other person be in the room with the sick person, and that for calls to hospital only designated chaplains are allowed to visit, and then only in emergency as agreed with the family and the medical personnel.
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Across the Hedgerow
We provide older, vulnerable or isolated members of the farming community with listening support and companionship via telephone calls during this unsettling time.
To avail of this service or to refer someone you care about please call Rural Suppor on our Freephone Helpline 08001381678 or 86760040
email
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.
More information is available at www.ruralsupport.org.uk; www.facebook.com/ruralsupport. Twitter: @ruralsupport
Helpline is available Mon-Fri from 9am-9pm with voicemail and support options available at all other times.
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Solas Moyle
Keeping Connected
During the time our house is closed due to social distancing measures, we are offering support via the telephone or online. As time goes on, we aim to increase the different types of support we can offer online and updates will be added to the website http://solasmoyle.org.uk/ as well as Facebook, to encourage people to protect their emotional health by limiting the time on social media.
Our volunteers are available to talk to Mon to Thur between 10am & 11.30am by phoning 028 2039 0135. If you want to make contact outside those hours for any reason whatever, please email
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with your name and number and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
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Down and Connor Bishop Noel Treanor:
Suspending funerals 'a sacrifice made so that others may live'
30 March, 2020
LAST week, (see below) I took the decision to suspend public funeral ceremonies in the churches of the Diocese of Down and Connor and to advise strongly that wakes be confined to members of the immediate family.
For the duration of this health emergency, I am asking the people of the diocese to make a sacrifice – to simplify our funeral traditions and replace them with a shorter but dignified ceremony held at the graveside.
Let me explain the reasons that brought me to this difficult decision after great struggle and with much reluctance.
Firstly, this decision was taken in order to keep the people of the diocese and wider society safe. The best scientific and medical judgement is that the only way to prevent the disastrous spread of Covid-19 is to stay at home. This is essential for public safety.
Secondly, this decision was taken to protect the elderly and the vulnerable who are most in danger because of Covid-19. This decision is motivated by the vulnerability of children whose immune system is compromised and whose parents are sick with worry.
Thirdly, this decision was taken in recognition of all public health advice. We are all called to do what is in our power to reduce the risk to the National Health Service by reducing the risk of people going outside the home and mixing in groups.
Put simply: as a bishop, and as a citizen in a public position, decisions need to be taken to avoid exposing anyone to risk by continuing with practices which involve large numbers of people gathering and being close to each other. These practices are dangerous in passing on the Covid-19 virus.
This has been a very hard decision to make. However, the medical evidence is clear and the scientific data is overwhelming. It is a temporary decision and will come to an end when this unprecedented health emergency is over.
In making this decision, my heart has felt the weight of the sacrifice that will be required even for a short time from people at their most vulnerable moment. I am asking all of us, as citizens and people of faith to make this sacrifice for the common good of all. It is a sacrifice made so that others may live.
As a priest and bishop, I have attended and celebrated many funerals across Ireland. And I am convinced that few experiences of religion give such consolation as the rituals that accompany the death of a loved one.
On a human level, the power of gathering; the familiar phrases – “I’m sorry for your trouble”; the supporting presence of neighbours; and the acts of hospitality that often surround the wake, show the care a community extends.
The days of waking and the public funeral enfold families with love, begin healing and in doing so, tell us what we value most. They strengthen the bonds that make society.
I have felt this support indeed within my own family. We will never cease to be grateful for the power of our religious and cultural traditions when we lost our own parents.
To those who will find this decision difficult, I want to say: you are not being abandoned. Last week, I conducted a service of prayer and intercession within the Mater, the hospital chosen to be dedicated to Covid-19 care. I salute the courage and dedication of the professionals I met there. Priests in parishes and chaplains in hospitals will continue to bring consolation and the sacraments to families in grief. They will continue to provide the ongoing support of prayer and ritual at the time of loss.
When this emergency is over and the Covid-19 has been brought under control by the skill and dedication of medical and public health professionals, I, along with the priests of the diocese, undertake to do all in our power to heal the pain of the sacrifice I am asking you to make in the difficult months ahead of us all.
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Prayer Resources at Home:
‘Magnificat’ publications have generously provided complimentary access
to their online prayer resources at https://us.magnificat.net/free.
These include texts for daily prayer, Mass texts, and texts for family and personal prayer.
Many other aids and texts for praying at home available from www.downandconnor.org/ , as are many helps for catechesis at home.
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Bethany Bereavement Support
Regretfully home visits by the parish bereavement support group are being discontinued during the current outbreak of coronavirus. A member of the Bethany Group, however, may still be contacted confidentially on 07519 471481.
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Saint Vincent De Paul Helpline 07754722022
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Ballycastle Foodbank: 20769555;
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https://ballycastle.foodbank.org.uk/
URGENT NOTICE:
Dear Everyone, our local Ballycastle Foodbank has been working flat out for the last few weeks and as a result of the churches closing a vital source of food replenishment has been lost and certain stocks are running very low. One means of solving this is by making a donation of cash to Ballycastle Foodbank. This has the added benefit of being able to buy the required goods in bulk from Lynas`, Coleraine and because they are coming in bulk they are wrapped in the plastic from the food processor. This cuts down the chance of virus contamination significantly. If you are a regular Foodbank donor or have never done so before please prayerfully consider donating by this new means. The Foodbank helped over 50, yes 50 families last week due to unemployment and schools being closed and no free school meals being available. You can donate online using the following bank details:
Ballycastle Foodbank
Bank sort code: 95-06-79
A/C No.: 00174637
Bank: Danske Bank Ballycastle Branch.
Stay safe, the Lord bless you and keep you. And a massive THANK YOU for your generosity and support
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Sunday Church Collections
Many people are worried about their own family finances at this time, so it means a great deal that some people are able to support the parish too. Since the last public Sunday Mass the parish has received £8,626 in donations through envelopes, standing orders and electronic donations. (During the equivalent period last year contributions amounted to £26,931)
Thank you to everyone who is managing to make contributions at this difficult time
NEW OFFERTORY ENVELOPES, 2020 / 2021
Each year we remind parishioners of the Standing Order option, but his year, in the present circumstance of no public Sunday Masses, we strongly encourage all to consider filling up a Standing Order form. Please also consider signing a Gift Aid form - if you use your envelope or contribute by Standing Order and pay TAX you can sign a GIFT AID FORM, which will enable the parish to claim (from the Government) an additional 28p roughly for every £1 contributed to the parish.
Sample wording for Standing Order and Gift Aid forms below:
 
*** or consider***
paying by online banking faster payment to the Ballycastle Parish account:
sort code: 95-02-21 and account number: 21000616,
and please put your full name and envelope box number in the reference section.
ELECTONIC DONATION TO PARISH:
CLICK https://pay.easypaymentsplus.com/myeasypay1.aspx?id=1992
AND GO TO "DONATION TO BALLYCASTLE PARISH" OPTION
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