Sunday 7th December 2008

2nd Sunday of Advent

The Good News

It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: "A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight." When we hear those words we automatically think of John the Baptist and they are certainly about him. But they are about us also. The task of each one of us is to prepare a way for the Lord so that he can enter into our world today; to make his paths straight so that he can enter into the heart of every human person, where he wants to live. Some of us, like John the Baptist, do this through preaching. The most important way though is through love. Our love needs to be active and growing whether it is in marriage or in family life. This takes commitment and effort every day so that those we love can know how special they are. And this love needs to be brought to the parish community so that everyone can find a home among us.

Fr. Johnny Doherty, C.Ss.R.

We Won't Have a Christmas This Year

We won't have a Christmas this year, you say
For now the children have all gone away;
And the house is so lonely, so quiet and so bare
We couldn't have a Christmas that they didn't share.
We won't have a Christmas this year, you sigh,
For Christmas means things that money must buy.
Misfortunes and illness have robbed us we fear
Of the things that we'd need to make Christmas this year.
We won't have a Christmas this year you weep,
For a loved one is gone, and our grief is too deep;
It will be a long time before our hearts heal,
And the spirit of Christmas again we can feel.
But if you lose Christmas when troubles befall,
You never have really had Christmas at all.
For once you have had it, it cannot depart
When you learn that true Christmas is Christ in your heart.

by Verna S Teeuwissen

Week beginning Sunday 7th December

This Week’s Saints

Monday 8 – The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tuesday 9 – St Juan Diego Cuahtlatoatzin
Thursday 11 – St Damasus I, Pope
Friday 12 – St Finnian, bishop

Mass Intentions - Sacred Heart Church 7.30 pm

Friday Susan McMenamin – 1st Anniversary

Baptisms
Abigail Holly Walmsley, 56 Derrynaseer Road, Dromore
Jodie Erin Walmsley, 56 Derrynaseer Road, Dromore
Rihanna Rose Devlin, 18 Coolnagard Heights
Ronan Brendan Baxter, 35 Drumm Road
Eva Kate Cox, 20 Coolnagard Square
Eva Marie Doherty, 10 St Julian’s Way

Recent Deaths

We sympathise with the family of the following who died recently:

Mary (Minnie) McGrath. May she rest in peace.

Weddings
We congratulate the following couples who married here recently:

Annemarie McCusker & Paul Martin

May the grace of the sacrament remain with them throughout their lives.

Questions people ask

Q. What is the Jesse tree and its relationship to Advent?

A. Jesse was the father of King David. The Jesse tree refers to the line of Jesus’ human ancestors. ‘A shoot shall spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of its shoots’ (Isaiah 11:1). In Advent, as we prepare for the coming of Jesus, a tree, or a banner representing a tree, may be erected. Each day, or once a week, something is attached to recall a person or event from the time before Christ. In the Middle Ages it was a popular way of teaching Old Testament history. It is much closer to the real meaning of Christmas than the popular Christmas tree.

Fr Silvester OFlynn OFM Cap, Courtesy of Intercom Magazine

Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Monday 8th December is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and is a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses are as follows:

Sacred Heart Church
Monday – 8 am, 10 am, 1 pm & 7.30 pm

St Mary’s, Drumragh
Monday – 11 am
Please Note: There will be no Vigil Mass or extra confessions for this Feast on Sunday Evening.

Penitential Service
The Advent Penitential Service will take place on Monday 15th December in the Sacred Heart Church. Confessions will be immediately after the 7.30 pm Mass. There will be several priests hearing confessions and we ask as many parishioners as possible to attend.

Sacred Heart College Carol Service
The Staff and Pupils of Sacred Heart College invite all parishioners to their Carol Service in the Sacred Heart Church at 7 pm on Thursday 11th December. There will be no 7.30 pm Mass on this evening.

Carol Service
The Annual Carol Service will take place for the Parish on Sunday 21st December in the Sacred Heart Church at 6 pm. All parishioners are welcome.

Parish Draw Winners - December 2008

£5,000 – Eugene Sheridan. Promoter – Margaret Sheridan; £2,000 – Caroline Miller, 51 Edergole Road. Promoter – Dessie Sheridan; £1,000 – Thomas Dillon, 33 The Croft, Dromore. Promoter – Raymond McNally; £500 – Katie Bradley, 33 Camderry Road. Promoter – Tommy Sharkey; £250 – Nigel McCullagh, Derry Road. Promoter – Kevin McCrory; £100 – Irene, c/o Promoter. Promoter – Attracta Kelly; £100 – Brendan Cox, 15 Drumannon View. Promoter – Mary McGlone; £100 – Donna McEnhill. Promoter – Mairead Keyes; £100 – Tommy Curran, 6 Cunningham Terrace. Promoter – Tommy Sharkey; £100 – Fergal McNicholl. Promoter – Mary McGlone; £100 – Paula McCarroll, 64 Edergole Road. Promoter – Dessie Sheridan; £100 – Pat McGlone, 11 Ardmore Drive. Promoter – Mary McGlone; £100 – Catherine Beattie, 6 Lisnacreight. Promoter – Phil McGuigan; £100 – Patrick Friel, 42 High Street. Promoter – Mary McGlone; £100 – Tony Turley, Antrim. Promoter – Madeline Donnelly; £100 – Philomena McNamee, 19 Coolnagard Gardens. Promoter – Philomena McNamee; £100 – Nuala, 23 Oldfort Road. Promoter – May Mullan; £100 – Gerard Convey, 19 Coonagard. Promoter – Seamus Haigney; Promoter’s £100 Prize – Monsignor Donnelly, 52 Brook Street, Omagh; Promoter’s £100 Prize – Fr McDevitt, 48 Brook Street, Omagh; Promoter’s £100 Prize – Annie Williamson; Promoter’s £100 Prize – Monica Baxter, 7 Coolnagard Grove.

St Vincent de Paul
Christmas Appeal Week
8th – 14th December 2008
Special Church Door Collection 13th & 14th December

Sacred Heart College – Romania Project
Next week the students who went to Romania in October will be displaying some pictures in the Church, depicting their time out there, and how the money everyone helped to raise was used. Once again, the girls would like to thank all parishioners for the money donated, which really made a difference to the children’s lives.

Omagh Lions Club
Omagh Lions Club will hold their Annual Food Appeal on 12th, 13th and 14th December at Dunnes Stores, Omagh

A Word of Thanks….
For a wonderful night of entertainment, organized by Clanabogan Drama Group, the proceeds of which were donated to the African Missions through Frs Danny and Mark Monaghan S.M.A.

Christmas Variety Concert
Thursday 18th December
@ 7.30pm
St Joseph’s Hall, Omagh
Starring The Rizing Stars Dance Troupe & Hazel Wand Theatre School. Promises to be a wonderful night of music, song, dance & acting!

St Endas GAC Big Bingo
Big Christmas Bingo will take place on Thursday 11th December. Over £7000 in prize money to be won. Extra free draw for cash prizes.

Derry Diocesan Society

The following names have been added to the list of Deceased Members of the Derry Diocesan Society:
Thomas (Par) Given, 16 Brookfield Close
Teddy McGale, 2 Fairmount Road
Patrick McCarney, 15 O’Brien Park
Donal Porter, 21 Sperrin View
Mary Shannon, 26 Lammy Walk
That these and all who sleep in Christ find in your presence, light, happiness and peace.

Year of St Paul

St Paul was the writer of the most beautiful and profound pieces of love literature ever heard, which begins, “If I have all the eloquence of men or angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a symbol clashing”. (1 Corinthians 13:1)

If you would like to know more about this extraordinary man, come to St Joseph’s Hall on the following dates:

Monday 8th December: A full length feature film, “St Paul”

“In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love”. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Loreto Primary School
Christmas Fun Day
Sunday 7th December 2008
Opening @ 1.30 pm

Prize Draws & Santa’s Grotto
Stalls : Craft, Cakes, Bric-a-brac, Lucky Dip

Free Draw for those in before 2.30 pm.
Come along for a great day out for all the family!

Irish Singing Sensation
Tommy Fleming

St Joseph’s Hall, Omagh

Sunday 18th January 2009

Tickets now available from Top News, George Street, Omagh or from St Joseph’s Hall, telephone 07753 936 701.

Omagh Players

The Omagh Players is celebrating its 75th anniversary next year and we intend to hold an exhibition in the Strule Arts Centre to coincide with our annual production in February 2009. This exhibition will celebrate the history of the company from its inception to the present. We hope to compile as much production history as possible and information on past associates and members – actors, producers, backstage crew etc. If you have any old photographs, old programmes or any relevant information or memorabilia, we would love to hear from you. We are particularly interested in material from the early days of Omagh Players. Anything we borrow for the exhibition will be carefully catalogued and returned. Please contact Clare on 07751680329 or Órlagh on 07775 856036.

Cleaners for Drumragh
The cleaners for Drumragh for the month of December are: Louise Kirwan, Betty Baxter, Christine McLaughlin and Breda Campbell.

Counters for December
Tommy Bradley, Michael Donnelly, John Doyle, Hubert Logue, Kevin McCrory, John McNally, John Meyler, Dominic Pinto, Seamus Sheridan, Leo Turbitt.

Collectors for December
6.00 pm – James A Devlin, Cathal Cullen, Aidan Lilly, Thomas McElroy, Colm McLaughlin, Pat McCanney; 8.30 am – Billy Henry, Gerry Broderick, Peter Haughey, Fursey Mullan; 9.45 am – Raymond McGoldrick, Patrick Devlin, John Rafferty, Eugene Turbett, John O’Neill, Sean Mullan, A.K. Kelly; 11 am - Robert Colton, Aidan Quinn, Pat McGartland, Kevin McCrory, James Murray; 12.30 pm – Sean McNamee, Francis Laird, Dermot O’Kane, Patrick Conway, Anthony Bradley, John Lagan.

Eucharistic Ministers for December
Vigil Mass – Mary-Ellen McSorley, Caroline Hannigan, Bro. Brian Monaghan, Brid McCavert; 8.30 am – Ann Byrne, Joanne McGread, Bernie Gormley; 9.45 am – Evelyn Heaney, Brian Byrne, Geraldine Quinn; 11 am – Willie Galbraith, Johanna Gallagher, Margaret McGlone, John McGread; 12.30 pm - Gerard Sharkey, Kathleen Winters, Mary Donaghy, Chrissie Kelly; 10 am Drumragh – Mary McGlone, Betty Baxter.

Christmas Country Showtime presents

Brendan Shine

Also Featuring Kenny Archer the
Famous Yodler
Saturday 27th December 2008
St Joseph’s Hall, Omagh
Doors Open 7.30 pm – Show @ 8 pm

Tickets £12.50 available from :
Xclusive – 32 High Street, Omagh
8225 2150
Music Master, Foundry Lane, Omagh 8225 9225
St Joseph’s Hall, Omagh 0775 393 6701