The new Parish Pastoral Council is up and running. We wish to thank all those who served on the last council for all the work and effort the put in over the last few years. During the time of the last council we looked at a number of things but the two major tasks that were dealt by it were the need for a new Parish Pastoral Centre and the reality of Covid from the point of view of the parish. As we all can see, the new pastoral centre is coming along nicely and even though covid will probably be with us in some shape or form for the foreseeable future, we have come through to the point where we can change a couple of things — from this weekend on, masks will be optional for the priests and the members of the congregation in the church. Sanitising of hands will remain for the priests and the Eucharistic ministers before they distribute Holy Communion. The last council guided us along the path to this point in relation to procedures.
We welcome the new Council. At the last meeting we decided to print the names of all the Council members for the present council. Keep us all in your prayers as we face these times and the times ahead for the Church in our parish, diocese, country and universally. The following are the members as they introduced themselves to the first meeting with the priests’ names kept until the end:
Brian Forde, Willie Hayes, Marion Ryan, Carmel Shortiss, Ann O’Brien, Teresa Bransfield, Deacons Eddie Mulhare and John McCarthy, Daniel Shannon, Diarmuid O’Dalaigh, Paula McAuliffe, Paul Kelly, Tim O’ Regan, Fr. Jim Killeen, Fr. Mark Hehir and Fr. John Ryan.
As we begin a new chapter with a new council we pray asking the Spirit to guide our parish as we make our journey of faith together.
I (being Fr. John), have decided to take “Covid Times” off the heading of the newsletter. It was something I put up when I began to look after it back in August 2020. I enjoy working on the letter and whether it is as the ‘Covid Times’ or the more straightforward ‘Midleton Parish Newsletter’ will continue to plough away and try to sow a few seeds of faith and encourage people to think a little as we face whatever the world throws at us. In keeping with the sense of speaking of vocation and vocations, I wish to thank Tiernan Burke for sharing with us last weekend and I wish to add a prayer this week that links my ordination day with this weekend’s Gospel. On the ordination card I had printed back in 1992 I had the line: Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God still and trust in me. It is the first line of today’s Gospel and a line heard by many at funerals. I write it here today praying that all who read this, in church or at home or on the website, will continue to trust in God still, and trust in Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.