Sunday 30th November 2008

1st Sunday of Advent

Waiting for God

Jesus said to his disciples: "What I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!" Three times in the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Advent, Jesus gives the command to stay awake - so it must be important! But what does it mean for us? This week we begin a new year in our journey of faith and the danger is that it might simply be the same as the one we are ending. We are no further along the road unless we brighten up. The same is true in your journey of love. One year can easily be the same as the last one and when it is like that you are asleep or half dead. This week is another wake up call for all of us whether we are married or single, priest or religious, living in a family or living alone. It is particularly a call to every parish community to make the year ahead a time of growth to the glory of God.

Fr. Johnny Doherty, C.Ss.R.

Week beginning Sunday 30th November

This Week’s Saints

Wednesday 3 – St Francis Xavier, priest
Thursday 4 – St John Damascene, priest and doctor of the Church
Saturday 6 – St Nicholas, bishop

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 and housebound on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of this week. Fr Canning will visit the country areas, Castle Street and Hunter Crescent on Monday. He will visit the Brookmount Road and surrounding areas on Friday. Fr McDevitt will visit the sick on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

Mass Intentions - Sacred Heart Church 7.30 pm

Tuesday Mary Gallagher – 1st Anniversary

Recent Deaths

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

Teresa McKinney,

Michael (Mickey) McManus

May they rest in peace.

Baptisms

Nora Mary McCloskey, 1 Oak Rise
Egan James McFarland, 110A Strule Park
Owen Robert Gurney, 5 Ashbourne Court

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

Omagh Prayer Guidance Group Invite you to:

A Week of Guided Prayer

Sunday 30th November – Friday 5th December
Times: Sunday @ 7.30 pm
Friday @ 7.30 pm
Monday – Thursday at a time that suits you.
Venue: Pastoral Centre, Omagh
To enrol, please ring the Parish Office on 028 8224 2092 no later than Monday 24th November. Everyone welcome.

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.

Christmas Novena Prayer
November 30 – Christmas Day
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary at midnight in Bethlehem in piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, oh my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

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 1st December: “His Letters and Preaching”

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)

Senior Citizens Party
Clanabogan Youth Club will be holding their Annual Senior Citizen’s Party in St Eugene’s Hall, Clanabogan on Monday 1st December from 7.30 pm till Late. Refreshments will be served from 8 pm, followed by Local Artists. Everyone welcome.

Children in Crossfire
We are delighted to launch our new Advent Campaign. Advent is the season when we prepare for Christmas.Often our Christmas preparations focus on buying gifts for our families and those we love.This year through the Advent calendar there will be an opportunity to prepare for Christmas in a different way.Each day you will be able to contribute to Children in Crossfire and also get a short reflection to help focus on what Christmas is really about.The advent calendar boxes can be collected from this church next weekend and can be returned to the Church over the coming weeks. Call Children in Crossfire on 028 7126 9898.

St Joseph’s Hall Grand Refurbishment Draw

Launch Evening: Wednesday 3rd December @ 8 pm in St Joseph’s Hall

We are very pleased at the number of people who have volunteered to be promoters, but we still need more promoters. If you have already volunteered or wish to become a promoter, please come along on Wednesday 3rd December at 8 pm to St Joseph’s Hall.

All promoters who have sold 10 books of tickets or more will be entered into a £500 Draw and the promoter who sells the winning ticket will receive £500.

Prizes are: 1st Prize – New Model Ford Fiesta 5-door Car
2nd Prize – Holiday Voucher worth £3000 with £500 spending money
3rd Prize - £2000
4th Prize - £500
5th Prize – 900 Litres of Heating Oil (Buchanan Fuels)
6th Prize - 42” Plasma Screen TV
7th Prize - Family Season Swimming Tickets

All ticket returns will be entered into a £50 monthly draw, so please return tickets as soon as possible.

St Vincent de Paul - Sale of Work
Our Sale of Work raised the grand total of £3599.60. We would like to thank everyone who supported, donated or helped to make this year’s Sale of Work so successful. Prizewinners were: Susan Robinson (Star Prize); Mrs J Turnbull (£150 Oil Stamps); Ellen Ward (£100 Cash); Peter Fitzpatrick (£50 cash); olive McCusker (Meal for two). Other prizewinners included Irene McAleer, Betty Baxter, Mary Monaghan, Gary Weir, Sheila Pritchard and Joan McAteer.

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.

Ulster Project 2009
If you have not returned your application form to be a leader in the aforementioned project, please do so immediately.

Parish Draw
The final night of this year’s Parish Draw will take place on Tuesday 2nd December after the Bingo in St Joseph’s Hall. There will be a £5,000 Star Prize drawn for all those members who have paid the full twelve months subscription. Promoters are asked to bring their returns to the Hall at the usual times. The Parish Draw will recommence in the New Year.

St Joseph’s Young Priests’ Society
The monthly meeting of John Paul II Branch will be held in the Pastoral Centre on Monday 1st December after 10 am Mass.