Parish of The Three Patrons THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

YEAR A – 26th APRIL 2020 Parish Clergy

Fr Michael McCaughey PP – 028 71262360 – stpatricks@threepatrons.org Fr Gerard Mongan CC – 028 71351261 – stbrigids@threepatrons.org

Fr Chris Ferguson (Priest in Residence) – 028 71351261 – stbrigids@threepatrons.org Franciscan Friars of the Renewal - 028 71419980 - facebook: derryfranciscans

www.threepatrons.org threepatronsfacebook

Didn’t Our Hearts Burn Within Us?

Today’s Gospel finds Jesus’ friends downcast and

confused at all that happened in their world. His death had devastated them; rumours of his resurrection

amazed and confused them.

Into their sadness and confusion Jesus comes; walking with them, talking with them even though they didn’t

recognise him and yet they said later ‘didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road?’ It’s a

reminder to us that he is always with us as believers

even if we don’t recognise him. Sometimes he speaks to us through the love and kindness of others; the friendly word or gesture, the willingness to listen , the acceptance of us for

all our faults and failings. There is surely someone in all our lives who makes us feel better just for knowing them; they reflect God’s goodness and love and care in the

simplest ways.

The great gift that Jesus left his followers to remind them of his constant presence was the Eucharist when he promised to be with us wherever it was celebrated in memory of

him. And when we have listened and nourished ourselves in communion with each other we go to bring this word and this nourishment to others. Because the religion that Jesus

Christ taught was one of giving and forgiving; of living life to the full and making the most of each day. In the words of St Catherine of Siena, ‘Be who God meant you to be and you

will set the world on fire.’

Lord, make my heart burn with the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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Saints of the Week: Monday: St Asicus, Bishop; Tuesday: St Peter Chanel, Priest, Martyr & St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest; Wednesday: St Catherine of Siena,

Virgin, Doctor of the Church; Thursday: St Pius V, Pope; Friday: St Joseph, the Worker; Saturday: St Athanasius, Bishop, Doctor of the Church

Readings for Sunday 3rd May 2020, Fourth Sunday of Easter and Day of Prayer for Vocations 1st Reading: Acts 2:14, 22-28; Responsorial Psalm: Ps 16:1-2, 5,7-8, 9-

10,11; 2nd Reading: 1 Peter: 1:17-21; Gospel: Luke 24: 13-35

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O Mary, you always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and of hope.

We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who at the cross took part in Jesus' pain, keeping your faith firm. You, Salvation of the Irish People,

know what we need, and we are sure you will provide so that, as in Cana of Galilee,

we may return to joy and to feasting after this time of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus,

who has taken upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows to lead us, through the cross, to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.

Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. Do not disdain the entreaties of we who are in trial, but deliver us

from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. (Pope Francis)

We invite you to join us via webcam in Three Patrons’ Parish by watching our live streaming which can be viewed online at www.mcnmedia.tv or the

parish website at www.threepatrons.org.

ST PATRICK’S CHURCH, PENNYBURN Sunday 26th April 6.00 pm: (Sat) Vigil; 10.00 am & 12 noon: Mass

Monday – Friday

7.30 am: Mass & 10.00 am: Mass followed by Rosary 7.00 pm: Evening Prayer of the Church

Fourth Sunday of Easter

6.00 pm: (Sat) Vigil; 10.00 am & 12 noon: Mass

ST BRIGID’S CHURCH, CARNHILL Sunday 26th April

6.00 pm: (Sat) Vigil; 10.30 am & 12.30 pm: Mass

Monday – Friday 9.00 am: Mass (followed by Rosary)

6.00 pm: The Angelus followed by Mass

Fourth Sunday of Easter 6.00 pm:(Sat) Vigil; 10.30 am & 12.30 pm: Mass

ST JOSEPH’S CHURCH, GALLIAGH

Third Sunday of Easter

7.00 pm: (Sat) Vigil; 9.00am & 11.00 am: Mass Monday – Friday

11.00 am: Mass (followed by Rosary) Please visit the Franciscan Friars’ facebook ‘derryfranciscans’ for their schedule.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

7.00 pm (Sat) Vigil; 9.00 am & 11.00 am: Mass

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament We encourage you to pray before the

Blessed Sacrament in the silence of your own homes (via webcam).

The Rosary will be recited after morning Masses in our three churches.

The Stations of the Cross have been installed in the grounds of the churches of

our parish. If you are passing you are welcome to come and pray at the Stations.

“Place your heart gently in Our Lord’s wounds. Have great confidence in His mercy

for He will never abandon you”. St Pio

It is very important at this time that we pray asking God for protection. Perhaps

individuals or families could commit to praying the Rosary each day for relief of this crisis. A Prayer in the Time of the Coronavirus by Fr Brian Grogan S.J

Dear God, in 1879 the Apparition at Knock gave hope and courage to the people of Ireland in difficult times. We ask that Our Lady

may now protect your beloved people from the coronavirus.

May its victims be strengthened by the spiritual support of the Christian community and restored soon to full health.

We also pray for the medical personnel who deal with the virus. This we ask in confidence through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Our Lady of Knock pray for us. St Joseph pray for us.

St John the Evangelist pray for us. Amen.

This Friday is the First Friday of May. The Pope’s Prayer Intention for May: Evangelisation - For Deacons: We pray that deacons, faithful in their service to the

Word and the poor, may be an invigorating symbol for the entire Church.

AN ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION “My Jesus, I believe that you desire to make your home within me and that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you in my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace your love as if you were already there, and I unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen."

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Sacrament of Confession Due to the coronavirus outbreak, it is not possible to celebrate

the Sacrament of Confession in the usual way, while respecting social distancing.

Due to these circumstances, Pope Francis has allowed a special Plenary Indulgence. A person may receive this Plenary Indulgence if, in a spirit of seeking the

forgiveness of God, he or she fulfils the following conditions:

1) He or she has a will to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession, receive the

Eucharist and pray for the Pope’s intentions as soon as this becomes possible; 2) Reads the Holy Scriptures for at least half an hour OR recites the Rosary OR prays

the Stations of the Cross OR recites the Divine Mercy Chaplet, while imploring

from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to himself.

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Requiescant in Pace We extend our sympathy to the family and friends

of Brian McDevitt, Farren Pk, Tony Conaghan, Greenhaw Terrace, Jean Martin, Woodbrook, John McLaughlin, Moyola Drive,

Fr John McNamara, Termonbacca, Margaret Ward, Carnhill

Anniversaries Gertrude O’Boyle, Sammy Ferry, Ruby Duffy,

Jackie Gallagher, Mary Boyle, Rosaleen Whiteside, Cliodhna Downey,

Sharon Conaghan, Eilish King, Jean Cooke, Rhys Anthony O’Reilly, Terence Coyle, James & Margaret McEvoy, Joanne Harrigan, Andy Barr, Priscilla Rafferty, Gary McCauley,

May Hamilton, Nicola McElroy, John Stokes, Martin Moss, Patrick Kavanagh, Pius Doherty, Della Moran, Joe McGrory, Johnny Deeney, Pauline Conaghan_

A Day of Fasting and Prayer - ‘A Virtual Pilgrimage’ Bishop McKeown invites you to join

him on Friday 1st May on a ‘virtual pilgrimage’, to fast and pray, asking God to

free us from this pandemic and to support those who are fighting it;

comfort those who have been afflicted with this pandemic; and to ask God for the wisdom to know how to live now and in the aftermath of the pandemic.

It is proposed that the time of prayer and penance at home will take its shape from core ele-ments of the 3-day Lough Derg pilgrimage. Each person is invited to participate in whatever

parts of the penitential ‘virtual pilgrimage’ that they feel able to adopt. If anyone is suffering from weakness or ill health, they should not overexert themselves. At the heart of the full Lough Derg pilgrimage are the following elements:

Fasting: to join spiritually with the Bishop on the ‘virtual pilgrimage’ people are invited, if they are physically able, to adopt the Lough Derg style fast from 12 midnight on Thursday

night until after 7 am on Saturday morning. The Lough Derg Fast consists of water or black tea or coffee (sugar is permitted) with dry bread, toast and oatcakes at one time during the day. ‘Pilgrims’ can drink water, tea or coffee anytime.

Praying the Lough Derg Stations: Throughout the first day, participants on Lough Derg would normally pray 3 ‘Stations’ outside. However, in this case, participants are invited to

pray 3 Stations at home during the course of the day. They can join through webcam with Bishop McKeown in praying these Stations: details of Station prayer will be available later.

The Night Vigil During the Night Vigil, four Stations are prayed, Bishop McKeown proposes

to stay in the cathedral during Friday night and lead the four Stations on the webcam at 12 midnight, 1.30 am, 3.00 am and 4.30 am. The Vigil will end with the special ‘Mass in

time of a Pandemic’, as proposed by Pope Francis, at 6.00 am on Saturday 2nd May.

Planned Giving / Weekly Offering As it is considered unsafe and not permitted to hold

Masses with a congregation, we have therefore not taken up our weekly collection which typically covers the day-to-day expenses of the parish. Fortunately thanks to the

generosity of people from Three Patrons Parish through the years we do have some reserves (which are typically used to cover building works, and one-off, emergency or

unforeseen costs) and in the meantime we have been calling on these to pay our bills and cover staff costs. Ordinarily our parish envelopes for the new tax year would have been

delivered a few weeks ago. We paused this, given the prevailing uncertainty, and out of concern for people’s challenges and demands.

Many people have however been asking about parish weekly envelopes and have expressed their desire to continue to make a contribution. The priests of the parish, and

diocese, acknowledge that this is a sensitive issue at a time when not only is health a great concern but also when many individuals and families are facing financial insecurity

and anxiety. In response to such questions from parishioners, we are now providing a range of options for you to do so. These options are provided for people who wish to, and

are in a position to be able to afford to, make a contribution at these difficult times.

We would like to stress that if you should choose to avail of one of the options, please exercise caution on any amount that you contribute - ensure that your own needs and

necessities are met before any contributions, and do not put yourselves under any extra financial burden or pressure. The contribution of your prayers is equally, if not more,

valuable to us. We thank each of you for your prayers, and your continued commitment and support. All of us remain hopeful that the current crisis will pass, trusting in the

power and love of the Risen Christ who journeys with us in this Easter season and in the time to come, please God.

Contribution Options

Parish Envelopes – the envelopes for the current tax year are being distributed this

week by a local courier company which has ensured appropriate precautions. If you wish to, and can safely do so, you can drop your envelopes into the parochial houses at

St Patrick’s, beside Kildare Room at St Brigid’s or at the Friary at St Joseph’s. This may be done while you are out for your daily exercise. Otherwise you may simply retain the

weekly envelopes at home and return them when we are able to gather in church once again. Safety of people is paramount in this situation.

Standing Order - you may wish to set up a Standing Order from your bank which would allow direct payment from your account to our parish account (sort code: 90 49 74

account number: 51442271). A standing order form is available on the parish website to facilitate this option. You may forward the completed form to your bank or return it to one

of the parochial houses at St Patrick’s, beside Kildare Room at St Brigid’s or the Friary at St Joseph’s.

Online Banking – you may wish to contribute electronically via online banking using the Parish account details as above.

Website Donation - We are delighted to introduce ‘Easy Payment Plus - Online Donate Payment Facility’ on our parish website. We hope to have the set up completed this week.

This facility enables parishioners to donate securely via debit /credit card. Simply go to

the parish’s website and click on the ’Donate’ button. Click on ’ADD ITEM’ beside the donation option. Enter the donation amount and click proceed. When ready, click on ’PAY’

and then ’PAY THE BILL’. You will be asked to fill out some details. You will then be asked to put in your card details. You will receive a receipt via email for every payment

you make. All card holders’ data is managed securely and ‘Easy Payments Plus’ is fully GDPR compliant.

If you are a UK taxpayer, you may wish to join our Gift Aid Scheme. The

parish can claim back 25p for each £1 you donate, through Gift Aid - this is at no further cost to you. This is a very simple way of helping the parish

financially. If you wish to join the scheme or for information, please contact the parochial house.

Celebrating Mary in the Month of May Traditionally May is the month for many

Marian devotions around the world. A flourishing of Marian devotions began around the

time of the crusades when Christianity was threatened. It was in 1965 that Pope Paul

VI identified May as a good time to incorporate special prayers for peace. He went on

to write May is the month Christians offer the Virgin Mother more “fervent and loving

acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of

God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

Pope Francis consecrated his papacy to Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, and

he invited everyone to consecrate themselves to her tender, loving care.

By faith, we become the sons and daughters of Jesus, so it should be natural for us to

ask Mary to intercede on our behalf.

In Ireland devotion to Mary is particularly strong. Many would credit the apparition at

Knock to the great devotion the Irish people had to Mary prior to its occurrence, which began in Ireland in

the 8th Century. In Knock in 1879 Our Lady appeared in an apparition lasting for several hours, witnessed

by 15 people. The Blessed Virgin, St Joseph, St John the Evangelist

and an altar with a lamb surrounded by angels appeared and hun-

dreds of cures and miracles were credited to Our Lady after the appa-

rition.

In many countries on May 31 a recitation of the rosary is often

followed by a solemn public procession with a statue or portrait of the

Virgin Mary as it is carried back to the church.

One lovely family tradition in some countries is to create a May altar

consisting of a table with a Marian picture or statue surrounded by

flowers. The purpose of the altar is a place where each day the

family would say the rosary together. How beautiful it is for a family to pray together, in a union of their

hearts, connecting them to one another and Our Lady.

Flowers feature in many May traditions. The practice of honouring Mary with

flowers began in monasteries and convents in medieval Europe. People were

reminded of Mary through the flowers. The first reference to a garden

dedicated to Mary is from the life of St Fiacre, the Irish Patron Saint of

gardening. He planted and cared for a garden around the oratory to Our Lady.

This is where he built his famous hospice for the poor and the sick in France

during the 7th century.

One of the greatest Marian traditions is to pray the rosary each day. This May

perhaps you can take up the rosary. Try praying just one decade at a time by

splitting it up throughout the day.

As well as us having many devotions to Mary she can also be a great role

model to us all. Mary is a timeless role model. She transcends all time and

cultures. She is the perfected human being. Mary is a true example of

self-giving. She said ‘yes’ to what God called her to do. Mary exemplifies

strength and devotion. We can look to her for an example of someone who had

unfading trust in God and of course she is the Mother of all mothers. She

raised the perfect man, Jesus. Straight away Mary evangelised by sharing the

Good News with her cousin, Elizabeth. Mary teaches us not to keep the Gospel

to ourselves.

Mary went through many trials in her life through which she persevered.

She watched the men who swore they would never betray Jesus do just that.

She watched her son’s horrific persecution, while he was scourged, whipped,

ridiculed and tortured. She had to see him carry his own cross until he lost all

his own physical human strength, and finally she had to watch a slow and painful death upon the cross.

Today, we can gain immeasurable strength from Mary, especially through the trials and difficulties life can

throw at us. We can find comfort in knowing that Mary will be

at our side helping us endure life’s sorrows and joys as an

intercessor to God.

Think of this: God chose Mary, out of all the women in the

world. She lived in the little town of Nazareth. She was not a

woman of great wealth or stature. What can we take from

this? We know that to achieve joy, happiness and holiness in

this world, we do not need celebrity or wealth. Instead we,

like Mary need to seek God’s will and trust in it. This is

something all of us can do. Whether it be through our

devotions to Mary in our daily lives, seeking her help or protection, or looking to Mary as a role model - she

has so much to offer us.

Our Blessed Mother: Honouring the Virgin Mary in May The Queen of Heaven is so revered for her re-

lationship with Christ and her love and guidance of her earthly children, the Catholic Church has dedicated

the month of May in her honour. In his 1965 encyclical, “Mense Maio,” Pope Paul VI wrote about the impor-

tance of Mary’s intercession for all the world, explaining that those who encounter her, encounter her Son,

Jesus:

“For what other reason do we continually turn to Mary except to seek the Christ in her arms, to seek our

Saviour in her, through her, and with her? To Him men are to turn amid the anxieties and perils of this world, urged on by duty and driven by the compelling needs of their heart, to find a haven of salvation, a transcendent fountain of life.”