| Castlemaine Parish Divine Mercy Sunday 10th /11th April 2021 |
“Divine Mercy Sunday’’ – Divine Mercy in action:
A TIME magazine issue in 1984 presented a startling cover. It pictured a prison cell where two men sat on metal folding chairs. The young man wore a blue turtleneck sweater, blue jeans and white running shoes. The older man was dressed in a white robe and had a white skullcap on his head. They sat facing one another, up-close and personal. They spoke quietly so as to keep others from hearing the conversation. The young man was Mehmet Ali Agca, the pope’s would-be assassin (he shot and wounded the Pope on May 13, 1981); the other man was Pope St. John Paul II, the intended victim. The Pope held the hand that had held the gun whose bullet had torn into the Pope’s body. This was a living icon of mercy. John Paul’s forgiveness was deeply Christian. His deed with Ali Agca spoke a thousand words. He embraced his enemy and pardoned him. At the end of their 20-minute meeting, Ali Agca raised the Pope’s hand to his forehead as a sign of respect. John Paul shook Ali Agca’s hand tenderly. When the Pope left the cell he said, “What we talked about must remain a secret between us. I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.” This is an example of God’s Divine Mercy, the same Divine Mercy whose message St. Faustina witnessed.
We need to meet the challenge for a transparent Christian life — “I will not believe unless I see” (Jn 20:25). This “seeing” is what others demand of us. They ask that we reflect Jesus, the Risen Lord, in our lives by our selfless love, unconditional forgiveness, and humble service. The integrity of our lives bears a fundamental witness to others who want to see the Risen Lord, alive and active, working in us. Christ’s mercy shines forth from us whenever we reach out to the poor, the needy and the marginalized, as St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) did. His mercy shines forth as we remain open to those who struggle in Faith, as did the Apostle Thomas in today’s Gospel. We should be able to appreciate the presence of Jesus, crucified and raised, in our own suffering and in our suffering brothers and sisters, thus recognizing the glorified wounds of the Risen Lord in the suffering of others.
Fr. Danny Broderick 087 9061255
Parish Residence: 18 Ballyoughtragh Heights, Milltown
Rev. Conor Bradley 087 3664057
Parish Office: open Wed. & Fri 9:30-12:30 066-9767312
Email: castlemaine@dioceseofkerry.ie
Website: www.castlemaineparish.com
Safeguarding Children: Contact No (087) 6362780
| Masses & intentions online | ||
| Sat. Apr. 10th | 7:30 p.m. | John Barton, Boolteens – 1st Anniversary Broadcast from Keel |
| Sun. Apr. 11th | 10:00 a.m. | Denis Geaney, Knockane & Geaney Family Broadcast from Kiltallagh |
| Tue. Apr. 13th | 7:00 p.m. | Broadcast from Listry |
| Wed. Apr. 14th | 9:00 a.m. | Broadcast from Milltown |
| Thur. Apr. 15th | 7.00 p.m. | Broadcast from Milltown |
| Fri. Apr. 16th | 8.00 p.m. | Maureen Costello, Aughills – Months Mind Broadcast from Keel |
| Sat. Apr. 17th | 7:30 p.m. | Michael Anderson, London & Lasabee Broadcast from Keel Church |
| Sun. Apr. 18th | 10:00 am | John Francy Teahan, Ballyfinane – 1st Anniv. Broadcast from Kiltallagh Church |
Reminder
All Masses will be celebrated without a congregation due to Covid-19 Government Restrictions.
Masses will be streamed online via our new webcam system:
- Log into www.castlemaineparish.com
- Scroll down to the bottom of page to where it says Live Streams.
- Click St. Gobnait’s, Keel for Mass in Keel
- Click on ► to play
- Click St. Carthage’s for Mass in Kiltallagh
- Click on ► to play
Trócaire: Trócaire boxes from schools and homes all over Ireland are usually returned to us in the weeks following Easter. Almost three million people in some of the world’s poorest communities are supported by the generosity received through Trócaire boxes each year. This year is different. As we all know, the Coronavirus crisis has closed down much of Irish society. Most of what we considered to be normal day-to-day life has been paused. One impact of this is that people will not be able to return their Trócaire boxes as they usually do. I want to thank the thousands of Trócaire supporters who have been filling their boxes over recent weeks. We want you to hold onto your Trócaire box and return it at a later date when it is safe and possible to do so.
In the meantime, our programmes overseas need your support more than ever. The Coronavirus is now present in all the countries we work in, including some of the poorest countries in the world. We have seen how this virus has stretched Europe to its limits. Can you imagine the devastation it could cause in countries with no resources to fight it? The people your donations support overseas are among the poorest people in the world. They live in communities with no hospitals, no ventilators and no way to keep themselves safe. Our focus in the weeks and months ahead is to do what we can to protect them. We must stop the Coronavirus from infecting the poorest people in the world. Until it is safe to return your Trócaire box, you can continue to help these efforts:
1/ You can donate online. Online donations can be put to use straight away.
2/ You can phone 1850 408 408 to make a donation over the phone.
3/ Many of our supporters send cheque donations through the post. You can continue to do this, but it will take a little longer than usual to reach us, and for our thanks to reach you.
Our thoughts and prayers are with people all over Ireland who have been affected by this crisis. It is devastating seeing friends or family fall ill, or seeing your business or livelihood disappear overnight. In particular our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones. Ireland has taken difficult but necessary steps to keep people safe. As an Irish community, we have rallied together. We must also rally together as a global community to protect the most vulnerable. Trócaire will do just that in the difficult days that lie ahead. We are proud and grateful for your support.
Maine Valley Family Resource Centre Meals on Wheels drivers needed urgently to help. Please contact Dan Walsh 087 9260988.
Little Way Sunday School is an online faith initiative geared towards children. Short videos explain the Sunday gospel, much like a small faith lesson, followed by a short reflection from a priest. Children are given a “mission task” for the week. The videos are very engaging and enjoyable and last between 6 and 9 minutes, to hold children’s attention. “Little Way Sunday School” is a fantastic resource for your family’s faith journey particularly if your children are preparing for the sacraments of Holy Communion, Confession or Confirmation. It is a wonderful resource for journeying through the year. Check them out on YouTube or Facebook.
The Divine Mercy Sunday Devotion
Devotion to The Divine Mercy involves a total commitment to God as Mercy. It is a decision to trust completely in Him, to accept His mercy with thanksgiving, and to be merciful as He is merciful. The devotional practices proposed in the diary of Saint Faustina and set forth in this website are completely in accordance with the teachings of the Church and are firmly rooted in the Gospel message of our Merciful Savior. Properly understood and implemented, they will help us
grow as genuine followers of Christ.
Background to The Divine Mercy Sunday Devotion
From the diary of a young Polish nun, a special devotion
began spreading throughout the world in the 1930s. The
message is nothing new but is a reminder of what the
Church has always taught through scripture and tradition:
that God is merciful and forgiving and that we, too, must
show mercy and forgiveness. But in the Divine Mercy
devotion, the message takes on a powerful new focus,
calling people to a deeper understanding that God’s love is
unlimited and available to everyone — especially the
greatest sinners. The message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy
is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an
uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual
director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the
revelations she received about God’s mercy. Even before
her death in 1938, the devotion to The Divine Mercy had
begun to spread. The message of mercy is that God loves us — all of us —
no matter how great our sins.
Priest on Duty: Fr. Kevin Sullivan 087 6277638