Sunday 27th September 2009

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

My sins, Lord, are dulling my conscience.
I get used to evil very quickly:
A little self-indulgence here,
A small unfaithfulness there,
An unwise action farther on,
And my vision becomes obscured;
I no longer see stumbling-blocks, I no longer see other people on my road.
Lord, I beseech you, keep me young in my efforts,
Spare the bondage of habit, which lulls to sleep and kills.

(Michael Quoist)

The Homeless Man

It was a cold winter's day that Sunday. The car park at the church was filling up quickly. I noticed, as I got out of my car, other churchgoers were whispering among themselves as they walked into the church. As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost lying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face. He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet, with holes all over them, his toes stuck out. I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church.

We all whispered for a few minutes, and someone brought up the subject of the man lying outside. People snickered and gossiped but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me. A few moments later the organ began playing music for the beginning of Mass. We all waited for the Priest to take his place on the altar. Just then the doors to the church opened. In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his head down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down the aisle and up onto the altar where he took off his hat and coat. My heart sank. There stood our priest...he was the "homeless man." No one said a word. The priest took his place on the altar and began, "Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I will be preaching about today…..." Author Unknown

Saints of the Week

Week Beginning Sunday 27th September

Monday 28 – St Wenceslaus, martyr & Sts Laurence Ruiz and Companions, martyrs

Tuesday 29 – Sts Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels

Wednesday 30 – St Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church

Thursday 1 – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church

Friday 2 – The Guardian Angels

Sacred Heart Church

Mass Intentions 7.30 pm

Thursday Nora Logue – 1st Anniversary

Baptisms

Eva-Marie Hope Bertorelli, 26 Coolnagard Avenue

Joseph Martin Gerard McDonagh, 60 A Hunter Crescent

Koby James Barry McDaid, 5 Glenard Gardens

Prayer for Priests

We ask for your prayers for the following priests this week:

Sunday 27th September – Fr Michael Canny
Monday 28th September – Fr John Cargan
Tuesday 29th September – Fr Neal Carlin
Wednesday 30th September – Fr Walter Carolan
Thursday 1st October – Fr Colum Clerkin
Friday 2nd October – Fr Ronald Colhoun
Saturday 3rd October – Fr Michael Collins

First Friday Devotions
Friday is the First Friday of the month. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be in the Sacred Heart Church from after 10 am Mass until 7.15 pm.

Visitation of the Sick & Housebound

Monsignor Donnelly will visit the sick, normally visited on Tuesday and Thursday, on Thursday of this week. He will visit the sick as normal on Friday (2nd). Fr Canning will visit the country areas, Tamlaght Road and Castle Street on Monday of this week. He will visit the Brookmount Road and Hunter Crescent areas on Friday (1st). Fr McDevitt will visit the sick on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

Do This In Memory

The initial meeting for parents of Primary 4 Children preparing to receive First Eucharist will be in St Joseph’s Hall on Monday 28th September at 8.15 pm. The first Mass will be on Sunday 3rd October at 12.30 pm in the Sacred Heart Church.

Weddings

We congratulate the following couple who were married recently:

Siobhán O’Donnell & Stephen Sweeney

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

Readers for October
6 pm – John McSorley; 8.30 am – Patricia Coleman; 9.45 am – Mary Tierney; 11 am – Laura Smithson; 12.30 pm – Emer Mimnagh.

Collectors for October
6.00 pm – Seamus Kelly, Liam Donaghy, Malachy Treanor, Thomas Logue, John Rafferty; 8.30 am – Linus Nugent, Patrick Cleary, Phil McGovern, Sean McKenna; 9.45 am – Eamon Prunty, Liam McGrath, Dr Pat O’Neill, Paddy McGowan, Seamus Sheridan; 11 am – James Murray, Thomas Bradley; 12.30 pm – Tony McGarvey, Patrick Gallagher, Anthony Higgins, Kevin Gallagher.

Counters for October
Peter Davies, Gerard Haughey, Dermott McCann, J McDonnell, Patrick McMahon.

Eucharistic Ministers for October
Vigil Mass – Jackie Convey, Mary McLaughlin, Mary Toal, Rita Loughran, Moira Sharpe; 8.30 am – Ann Mullan, Angela Lalsingh, Margaret Haigney; 9.45 am –Marie Conway, Ann Byrne, Brian Byrne, Evelyn Heaney; 11 am – George Johnson, Eugene Teague, Helen Johnson, Alice McNamee, Joe Mulryan; 12.30 pm – Sonya McDermott, Mary Campbell, Liz Doran, Michelle Lagan, Charles Colton; 10 am Drumragh – Mary McGlone, Betty Baxter.

Age Awareness

Omagh Library will be holding An Age Awareness Open day on Wednesday 30th September from 2 – 5 pm. There will be representatives from many different organisations to offer help and advice. Light refreshments will be served. This event is open to the public. For more information contact Tina Monaghan on 028 8224 4821.

Clanabogan Youth Club

The above club will have a Registration Night in St Eugene’s Hall, Clanabogan on Friday 2nd October from 7 to 8 pm. Membership is open to children who are in Primary 4 upwards. Registration Fee is £20 per person or £35 per family (2 or more children).

Sacred Heart College presents

‘Memorable Melodies’

A fundraiser to purchase resources for the Music Department

The Strule Arts Centre
22nd October 2009 @ 7.30 p.m.

We welcome your support and attendance.
Tickets available in the Strule Arts Centre or at struleartscentre.co.uk

West Tyrone Feis 2010

Provisional Dates: Irish: April 14-16; Art April 16; Traditional Music: April 17; Dancing: April 18, 25, 30, May 1,2,9; Classical Music: April 19-24; Poetry, Prose, Drama: April 26-May 6. Any difficulties, contact Paula Clarke on 8077 1178.

Line Dancing

St Joseph’s Hall

Every Thursday @ 8 pm

New Class for Beginners

Everyone Welcome – Young Or Old!

Aerobics

St Joseph’s Hall

Every Monday @ 7 pm

All Welcome

Blackfort School Reunion

Sister Rose Groogan would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who attended the Blackfort reunion in Tattyreagh Community Centre for a wonderful surprise night and for their great generosity in raising £900 for the Comacare Trust in Cape Town, South Africa. We will remember you all in our prayers.

Sr Rose Groogan, Holy Cross Sisters

Tai Chi Class
The Station Centre
Friday @11.30 am - 12.30 pm
All Welcome

Aerobics

Aerobics, followed by tone-up using the stability ball/fit ball

St Eugene’s Hall, Clanabogan

Begins Thursday 24th September
@ 7.30 pm
Tattyreagh Clubrooms
Begins Tuesday 29th September
@ 7.30 pm

£4 per Night or £40 for 12 Weeks

Free Weigh-In every week (body fat, water, vis fat, metabolic age, muscle)
Only 15 Fit Balls available for booking. Telephone 0779 655 2299 to book your place. Balls can also be purchased.

St Joseph’s Bookshop
Open Saturdays 10.30 am - 4 pm
Wide variety of Books, Holy Ornaments, Medals, Rosaries & Cards available.

Omagh St Enda’s GAC

The Seniors play their final league game, before the top four play offs, against Aghyaran on Sunday 27th September in Healy Park at 12.15 pm (Reserves) and 1.45 pm (Seniors). Bingo continues every Thursday at 9 pm in Healy Park with £4,000 in prize money every week.

Omagh Independent Advice Centre

Omagh Independent Advice Centre offers a free and confidential advice service to anyone in financial difficulty on all aspects of debt or any associated financial problem. Please call Michele on 8224 3252.

Set Dancing Class
Mullaghmore Community Centre
Recommences on Wednesday 30th September
8 – 10 pm - Tutor - Sheila Gormley
Beginners Welcome

Questions people ask

Q. My son says he is an agnostic. Is this the same as an atheist?

A. An atheist holds that there is no God, no divine being. An agnostic accepts the existence of God but holds that God cannot be properly known by the human mind and that we cannot have any true relationship with the divine being. It has been said, rather unfairly I feel, that an agnostic is someone who hasn’t the commitment to be a believer nor the courage to be an atheist.

Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap, Courtesy of Intercom Magazine

Email silvesteroflynn@gmail.com