Community and Outreach. Diocese of Cork & Ross Handbook of Ideas for Parishes

Transcription

1 Diocese of Cork & Ross Handbook of Ideas for Parishes Community and Outreach

2 A week of Guided Prayer Community and Outreach An opportunity to offer people the chance to make a guided retreat from their own home. The structure is very simple. The participants commit to spending 30 minutes each day in prayer and reflection on scripture passages suggested by the guide and each day they meet their personal guide at a time convenient to the retreatant. The team of trained guides will come to your parish to lead this week of prayer for parishioners who wish to participate. For more information contact: Sr Elma Coakley, St Catherine s Convent, Model Farm Road, Cork

3 Access for all When we think of church we think of a place where all are welcome to come and participate fully in all aspects of its life and ministry. Sometimes though some of our parishioners can feel on the edge for a variety of reasons for some this reason is access You might take some time in your group to consider the following - Are there designated parking spaces for disabled people near to the church door? - Are there ramps in place for those who find steps difficult to negotiate? - Are there hand rails on the side of the steps/ramps to assist people? - Are there disabled toilet facilities in your church/parish centre? - How easy is it for wheelchairs to access your church width of the aisles, doorways? - Would someone in a wheelchair feel in the way in your church? - Is there a loop system in your church to assist those with hearing difficulties? - Are the steps clearly marked with white edging for those with failing sight? - Is the newsletter available in large print or is there an audio version for the visually impaired? - How easy is it for someone with a disability to be involved in ministry in your parish liturgies? - Is there a ramp up to the sanctuary? - Is there a handheld microphone that can be used for them to read from the front of the church? - Is it possible for them to be a Minister of the Eucharist in your parish? how could you make it possible? - Can they be a member of the choir? How easily accessible is the choir area for someone with a disability? - Many people today are diagnosed Coeliac and need to receive Holy Communion from the chalice or in the form of low gluten hosts are these available in your parish? - If a visitor comes to your parish on holiday, to a funeral, wedding or other celebration how would they know about Coeliacs receiving Holy Communion in your church? There are many ways we can help all our parishioners to feel welcome

4 Advent/Christmas Tree of Love Community and Outreach Bring the parish Christmas tree in to the parish for the first Sunday of Advent but rather than decorating it with ornaments have large coloured gift tags naming gifts that are needed for a family in need this is a project you might discuss with the St Vincent de Paul Society in your parish they will know families who are in need. After the gospel of the Mass introduce the idea of the tree and invite the parishioners to come forward after Mass or sometime during the coming week and take one of the gift tags from the tree. In doing this they undertake to provide the gift. They are asked to buy the gift, wrap it and attach the gift tag to the gift and then on the third Sunday of Advent bring the gift to the church and place it under the tree it might be nice to include this bringing of gifts as part of the offertory procession on the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) The organising group or the Saint Vincent de Paul then have two weeks to distribute the gifts to those who requested them/are in need. A good way to live out the Christmas message of the giving of the greatest gift the gift of love!

5 Allotments in the Parish Community and Outreach Today many people are looking towards growing their own vegetables, fruit and herbs in their gardens for some they want to expand and have no space. Do you have land around the parish that could be turned into allotments for the local people? Could you begin a parish allotment where people gather as a growing community and share the produce or perhaps donate some to the St Vincent de Paul Society for distribution to needy families

6 Anointing of the Sick Community and Outreach February 11th each year is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes In 1992 Pope John Paul II instituted this day as the World Day of Prayer for the Sick On this day you could invite the sick, housebound, elderly and those who care for them for a special celebration of Eucharist to include the blessing of the sick or organise a special celebration of this ritual for the blessing of the sick outside of Eucharist. Ask for volunteers to call to these parishioners and invite them to come, arrange transport and assistance and carers/helpers for those who need it. The rite for the blessing is in the Book of Blessings there is a copy in each parish if not contact the office for texts. Involve Ministers of the Word, involve family members of those who are receiving the blessing, involve choirs and musicians Involve servers to assist the priest or lay ministers with the blessing by carrying the oils in large vessels. After the celebration of blessing gather for tea and chat in a local venue if suitable offer some entertainment and make it a social occasion. NB. Priests in parishes have the regular first Friday call list it is a good place to begin with the list of those to be invited Let it be known in the wider community so that a welcome to the blessing is extended to those who are not regular attendees blessings are a good way of connecting with these people

7 Big Spring Clean Up Community and Outreach Often in our parishes we hear of requests for more help with the cleaning of the church Why not turn this into a getting to know you event many hands make light work! Invite people to gather in a large group on one Saturday morning and together clean polish dust making it a large group activity will help people get to know each other while getting the job done. It is best done perhaps before a feast day or parish celebration and helps in getting more parishioners taking ownership of and pride in their church building and its surroundings It will help to perhaps have another group who provide refreshments to hungry workers You can do this same gathering for the church grounds the graveyard the church surroundings

8 Blessing of boats Much of our diocese is coastal and many of our people earn their living from the sea or spend their leisure time enjoying sailing, boating, surfing etc Why not begin the summer with special prayer service on the quay side and celebrate the blessing of the boats. This could be an ecumenical service with involvement from other local Christian communities. You could also link up with your local festival such as Cork Week, sailing festivals

9 Care and Repair This is an initiative of Age Action Ireland and they look for partner based groups who will run the scheme in local areas their Cork office is based in St Luke s Home, Mahon. For more information contact the local office: John O Mahony Locall: Or visit the Age Action website: The Care & Repair Programme was established to carry out odd jobs for older people and to provide a befriending service. The programme is currently based in Dublin, Galway and Cork, and on a franchise basis in other locations around the country. Care & Repair is funded by Irish Life Plc. The main aim of the Programme is to assist older people to carry out necessary small repairs and improvements to their homes, enabling them to live independently in the community in increased comfort and safety. In order to meet the needs of older people, Care and Repair provides a range of practical repair and care services including: - Small repairs service - Home Visiting/Befriending Service - Daily Contact Service - Trades Referral Service - Quote Check Service - Working with other local voluntary groups in establishing a Care & Repair Service ABOUT CARE & REPAIR 1. The Repair Service uses a pool of volunteers and handypersons to carry out small repairs and to complete minor home tasks for older people. Volunteers in effect provide a willing pair of helping hands to do a variety of small tasks that an older person may find difficult to do. The most common services required by older people are: - Minor gardening (e.g. mowing lawns) - Minor home decorating (e.g. interior painting) - Installing handrails

10 - Tacking down carpets - Changing plugs, fuses and light bulbs - Installing security locks and chains - Hanging curtains - Installing domestic smoke alarms. A job is expected to take no longer than an hour, though many small tasks may be undertaken during the same visit. The service is free of charge; the client only pays for the cost of materials used. However, donations are always welcome. 2. The Care Service is a home visiting or befriending service using volunteers to provide social contact to older people who are at risk of isolation in their own homes.

11 Celebrating Newcomers Community and Outreach Many of our parishes have seen an increase in the numbers of people coming to Ireland from other countries and they are making their home amongst us. If you know there are people of other nationalities worshipping with you in your parish why not come together to celebrate and welcome them this may even be a good pastoral area activity! Invite some members of the newcomers to meet with you to plan the event Include: - an opening procession when people from the different countries bring flags or symbols forward to set the scene for the liturgy - music choose music from different countries ask a particular group to sing a hymn in their own language - translate the prayers of the faithful into the different languages - invite people gathered to pray the Our Father in their own language all at the same time! - offer the sign of peace in their own language - invite people to wear their national costumes - hang flags from the different countries in the church - make welcome signs in the different languages Celebrate afterwards with food and music and dance from the different countries Opportune times for these celebrations are: Pentecost when you might ask people to read verses of the Sequence for Pentecost in their native tongue Epiphany when you might invite people from different countries to come in procession to the crib with the figures of the Magi to be added to the crib scene in the church

12 Celebrating our giftedness Community and Outreach Our parishes are full of people with a huge variety of gifts and talents often unseen unrecognised by many of their neighbours and fellow parishioners Why not have a weekend of celebration when you invite - Artists to display their paintings, sketches, - Flower arrangers to offer a display - Craft workers to display their work be they potters, knitters, sewers, bakers, confectioners, woodworkers.etc - Poets to offer a poem - Storytellers to offer a story - Musicians and singers - And much more Set up the display over the weekend in the church and on Sunday evening have a celebration to include story, song, poetry and art Invite the wider local community to come and see the display and to join the celebration Tea and coffee after the celebration is a good way to get to know new people

13 Celebrating our Parish Feast Day Community and Outreach Each of our parish churches is named after one of the saints of the church or one of the events in the life of Christ or Our Lady yet often it passes us by with little attention paid to the significance of the day. Why not - Celebrate the day with a specially organised Eucharist involving all those engaged in the various parish ministries inviting all parishioners to come and join the celebration - Mark the day with a time of special prayer for the parish a holy hour, time of adoration, Evening prayer of the church - Write a drama/dialogue to tell the story of your patron saint or patronal feast day something different to share the story a great opportunity for developing faith through story and celebrating at the same time! - Host a social event to gather people of the parish to celebrate the day - Hold a photographic exhibition of parish activities and events to let the wider community know more about what is happening in the parish You might have one of these suggested liturgical celebrations followed by the social gathering

14 Christmas Lunch While many of us are celebrating Christmas with family, friends and loved ones there will always be some people in our parishes who are alone. Why not... - find out who they are and ask a family to volunteer to cook one extra Christmas dinner and deliver it to someone who would otherwise spend the day alone - gather the names of those who would be spending Christmas alone and ask families to volunteer to invite them to join them for lunch what a difference this could make to Christmas for one of your fellow parishioners

15 Comforting those who are bereaved Community and Outreach The weeks after the loss of member of a family can often be the most difficult and lonely particularly if one half of a couple is left alone. After the funeral is over and the next two or three days pass family and friends return their everyday lives and this can often leave someone alone in their home for the first time. Why not gather a small group of parishioners who will go in pairs to visit those who are recently bereaved offering friendship and support in the everyday perhaps offering to drive them places if necessary inviting them to your home for a coffee and a chat. This is not about counselling but rather about being community being available to people as a friend in those first few weeks can be a valuable ministry in the parish. Why not consider sending a card to the bereaved family to let them know in a special way that the members of the parish are thinking of them and praying for them at this time

16 Cork Choral Festival Community and Outreach An opportunity for our Choirs, musicians and singers to get involved in this annual festival of choral music happening in Cork City. The festival happens each year around the Bank Holiday weekend at the beginning of May. It is also an opportunity for parishes to invite one of the visiting choirs from around the world to come and sing for Mass in your parish on the Sunday morning For more information see:

17 Daffodil Day: annually on the last Friday of March Today we are invited to support the Irish Cancer Society by selling and wearing daffodils to raise much needed funds for services and research into this disease. Take this opportunity to highlight and encourage people in your parish to support daffodil day. Why not host a coffee morning/afternoon and ask everyone to wear their daffodil a great to connect with the wider local community and support a worthy cause! For more information see and look under support us daffodil day

18 Fair Trade Encouraging people in your community to buy fairly traded goods Fair Trade fortnight happens annually from end of February into early March resources, posters and information are to be found at: Why not become a Fair Trade parish follow the ground breaking footsteps of Ballineaspaig! All information is on the above website

19 Family Rosary Encourage families to reintroduce the praying of the Rosary together a good time to start is October the month of the Holy Rosary You could prepare and distribute prayer cards encouraging families to pray a decade each day together Resources are available from the office

20 First Days at School Community and Outreach In September many families experience taking their child to school for the first time and it can be a difficult time for parents as well as children. So why not - Host a coffee morning for all the new parents who are coming to your parish school for the first time. It will help them to get to know each other and to get to know the parish community too - Work with the school parents association they are often glad of the contact and the offer of help

21 Ice cream Fun days Every year in May and June Down Sydrome Ireland invites us to join with them in hosting an ice cream fun day in our parish many parishes have over the last few days said this has been one of the most successful events for their parish assembly! To get involved register your parish with them HB will then send you vouchers to provide your with the ice cream they also provide promotional materials too! You get volunteers from the parish assembly and beyond to offer ice cream to everyone as they leave the Church after Mass Parishioners, if they wish, are invited to make a donation to the work of Down Syndrome Ireland in exchange for their ice cream For more information see:

22 Incredible Edible A project begun in Todmorden in England a number of years ago when a group of people began to plant herbs in public places to harvest and share. This has led to the planting of vegetables and orchards in many places from church grounds, to parks, to roundabouts, to railway stations and many more Groups meet for planting sessions then meet to tend their crops and the produce is shared by all who come to collect the harvest Could you become an incredible edible parish? See: edible todmorden.co.uk

23 International Nurses Day Community and Outreach This day is celebrated on 12 th May each year the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. Today you could highlight the role of nurses in your community by: Inviting the community nurses/local hospital and nursing home staff to Mass today Include them in the prayers offered Invite them to bring up the gifts at the Offertory Offer a special Mass for all those who care for others in your parish today

24 Ireland s biggest coffee morning Community and Outreach An annual event since 1992! on one Thursday in September see the website for the date We are invited to host a coffee morning in the parish in someone s home at work or perhaps come up with an unusual place! Invite the local people and parishioners to come for coffee and in exchange make a donation in aid of the local hospice all money raised goes to our local hospice at Marymount. To register your coffee morning and receive posters, collection boxes and coffee courtesy of Bewleys go to the website:

25 Knit and Natter Invite those who like to knit and those who want to learn to come together for an hour or two each week to knit together and share their skills while chatting together a great way to spend an afternoon in the parish. The group might even knit for a charity many look for baby clothes, blankets, scarves, gloves etc invite parishioners to donate wool to the group to knit for charity.

26 Know your neighbour Community and Outreach An initiative of Macra na Feirme inaugurated in 2006 that can equally apply to parish why not turn it into Know your parishioners... Macra have set up a designated website that has loads information and ideas also available are organisers packs with blank posters to advertise events in your local area See There are even online games and questionnaires for you to try!

27 Let us sing to the Lord! Community and Outreach Every parish has a choir, musicians, cantors, singers of all ages and abilities who come together to enhance our liturgical celebrations in our churches and parishes. Why not If you have more than one choir in your parish or different churches have their own choir think about coming together to sing for celebrations during the year Or Holy Thursday for the Mass of the Lord s Supper Holy Saturday for the Vigil of Easter The celebration of the Feast day of the Patron saint of your Church Pentecost Sunday For your Advent or Lenten Reconciliation Service Holy Hours and Prayer services for special feasts eg: Vocations; Anointing of the Sick on 11 th February; the November remembrance of the Dead If you have more than one choir exchange Masses with each other or exchange Churches this will all help in bringing parishes together as one community Pastoral Areas offer us opportunities for exchanging choirs across the area share the musical talents in the area Workshops and music exchanges Invite choirs, musicians to join together to exchange and share their music with each other in your pastoral area Or to share in the invitation to a professional musician to offer a workshop in your area

28 Men Sheds An initiative begun in Australia and rapidly spreading to towns across the globe offering men of all ages a place to meet and chat. Many of the sheds offer projects such as car repair, furniture restoration and other such activities to engage men of all ages. While repairing and restoring the men chat to each other offering men of all ages a place to meet socially together Why not look up the idea and see if the men of your parish area are interested See:

29 Music in Church The Catholic Church in Ireland has its own association for musicians who are engaged in all aspects of music in our communities. Membership of the Irish Church Music Association is open to all who are involved in this ministry in parish, school or community for an annual fee. For details see: In July each year the association holds its annual summer school in St Patrick s College, Maynooth with an internationally recognised guest director and a variety of workshops led by professional musicians for organists; cantors; conductors; choir directors; teachers; singers

30 National Heritage Week Community and Outreach An annual event throughout Ireland celebrating our history, our culture, our nature everything good about Ireland! Join in by offering opportunities to parishioners and others to learn about your parish Organise a photographic display of parish life through the years Organise a parish walk, Visit ancient sites, holy wells, Mass rocks in your parish Display the vessels, vestments and registers from your parish learn about your parish history Host a talk about the history of the parish/church Celebrate culture through music, story, dance, drama For more details about getting your parish involved in this week of activities see:

31 National Volunteering Week Community and Outreach This is an annual event held in May. It is a good time to say thank you to all who are involved in ministries in your parish celebrate all those who volunteer in community in so many different ways each week of the year. Invite them all to a special celebration, hold an evening of reflection for them, highlight their roles in the parish through photos and displays. It is also an opportunity to seek new people to get involved in the parish hold a parish ministries fair at the weekend see relevant handbook page For more information on volunteering see:

32 October is Mission Month Community and Outreach October in the Church calendar is a time to reflect on Mission, as well as to renew our Missionary work for today. As a Church in Ireland we must always remember that unless we are engaged with those whose needs are the greatest across our World we cannot fully share in the Christian call to be missionary. We also remember that we are all called to be missionaries. The Irish Missionary Union through the Mission Alive programme provides resources for members and supporters of the Irish Missionary Movement. For information and resources see: Some ideas to think about in your parish Using the Mission Alive Resource Book encourage a group in your parish, or in your community to explore what it means to be on Mission in Highlight for the month of October to the public the variety of experiences of Mission in your parish or community and ways your parish have engaged in Mission. Some suggestions are ; - Using the Mission Alive Resources encourage a group in your parish to explore a themed liturgy for Mission Sunday. Involve newcomers as well as established members of your local Parish Community to create a Special Mission Sunday Liturgy. - Have any faith based action groups in your community host an ʹopen dayʹ to invite new members into their organisations, and create a sense of outreach from your faith community. - Have a number of events during October, maybe plan a multicultural evening of cultural exchange of music, song, drama and poetry. What about a good night of craic agus ceoil at a local Ceile? Share some of our Irish steps and music with Newcomers and have them share some of their traditional dance and music with us - Mission Seminars, maybe you would like to invite various people to talk about Mission today. I am sure IMU members would be happy to support you.

33 - Create a multi lingual welcome for Mission Sunday Mass. Ask members of the various new nationalities to greet the Mass in their language, prepare a welcome table at the back of the Church reflecting the theme of Mission - Invite members of your local community to write poems based on the theme of ʹdiversity in a global villageʹ and organize an evening when these poems can be - shared. Include any returned Lay or Religious missionaries in telling their story of leaving home shores for different lands - Organize a Food from Around the World evening. Arrange for a variety of dishes from as many countries as possible to be cooked and shared at a local event. - Ask former Volunteers, or Lay and Religious Returned Missionaries, in your community to display their photographs at the back of your local Church, for the month of October

34 Organ Donor Awareness Week Community and Outreach This week is held annually end of March/beginning of April to highlight the need for people to carry an organ donor card and to tell their families of their wishes in the event of an accident/sudden death. But many people also have questions about the teaching on this very sensitive issue. The diocese has a leaflet prepared that is available to parishes for distribution to answer some of the questions parishioners may have The leaflets: Organ Donation what the Church is saying are available from the office

35 Parish Book Club Looking for a simple way of enabling people to explore their faith? Want an alternative to talks or courses? Why not invite a group of interested people to form a book club? 6 8 people could get together once a month perhaps in one another s homes over coffee to discuss a book that they have been reading over the past weeks. The group could read one book over a number of months, taking a chapter at a time; or it might read a different book each month. In any case, the group chooses the books it reads and the pace at which it does so. The beauty of the idea is that if one finds more people who are interested in the idea, then, it is simply a matter of forming another group.

36 Parish Calendar Designing a calendar for parish can be a way of making connections with households in the parish. Include in the calendar useful information: - mass times - important feast days - useful telephone numbers: clergy, PA/PPC officers, parish office, schools, info re: organist, choir, flower arrangers etc, St Vincent de Paul and other parish groups - information about baptisms (including if there is a parish baptism team) marriages - dates for Confirmation, First Eucharist Include a message of welcome to those who are new to the parish and an invitation to get involved in parish - activities and ministries include contact person/s - Include the vision statement of the Parish Assembly/Parish Pastoral Council - Include other helpful information website for diocese and parish, other local organisations - Deliver the calendar to all the homes in the parish and make them available after masses you might even hand them out after all the Christmas masses Make them available in local shops, schools, other businesses There are some samples available in the Pastoral Development Office

37 Parish Ministries Fair Community and Outreach Letting people know what is happening in the parish is always a good idea and a ministries fair offers one opportunity... On a weekend in September or early October ask each of the Ministries or groups in your parish to prepare an information flyer and set up a space table/stand/display to tell others about the group/ministry and invite them to join or train or avail of an opportunity to join a group activity. Ask members of the groups/ministries to be present before/after each mass to answer questions or to encourage people to make a commitment to a group or a ministry. Often we presume that an ad in the newsletter is enough and then wonder why we get no new members or volunteers this fair offers a different way to extend the same invitation.

38 Parish Missions Many of you will have experienced parish missions over the years led by a variety of priests and lay people. These days of prayer and worship can offer a great experience of renewal of church and parish for communities. It is necessary to plan for a mission a least one year in advance deciding what you want your mission to achieve, what type of mission is right for your parish, how long will it last 8 days, 5 days, 3 days etc One of the most important aspects of a mission is the lasting impact in your parish! What will the mission leave as its legacy in the hearts and minds of the people? When you have these questions answered you need to choose who to ask to lead your parish mission there are a number of parish mission teams in Ireland for you to choose from a Cork based team of Redemptorists and lay people look under our work: Missions to parishes the Ember Mission team a Westmeath based team of clergy, religious and laity All of the above teams have facilitated missions in our diocese in recent times. Most of the teams will also facilitate parish novenas. Alternatively you could of course design your own parish mission and invite other speakers, or choose a theme around which your mission is designed and then look at who would be the most appropriate people to invite to lead your parish mission. A Parish Mission is a project for all the Parish Assembly and other groups to get involved in planning, preparing and facilitating.

39 Parish Picnic Many parishes today are seeking to build connections with younger families, newcomers, immigrants sometimes a social occasion is a way forward. Offering a space where people can gather, meet, mix, get to know each other is a new opportunity in the parish to build community together You might consider focussing on inviting families of children who received First Eucharist, celebrated baptism, Confirmation during the year You might offer special invitations to those who have moved into new housing developments in the parish You might have a family celebration for all who serve the parish in ministry in some way Ministers of Word and Eucharist, Choirs, musicians, servers, cleaners, sacristans, altar society, V de P, St Joseph s Young Priests Society, parish assembly/pastoral council and many more Ask them to come and to invite others to come - It is a good way of meeting a wider group who minister within the community - Ask some volunteers to organise activities for youngsters music entertainment face painting games - Try to make it a celebration of family and community - Ask everyone to bring food to share - Make a point of meeting and greeting those who come

40 Parish Pilgrimage Ever thought of travelling on pilgrimage together as a parish Lourdes Each year the Bishop leads the diocese to Lourdes in June from 11 16th staying in a variety of hotels as well as taking the sick from the diocese to the hospital. A full programme of services and participation in the processions each day is organised for you to share in the life of this special place of prayer. In early October the diocese also offers a weekend in Lourdes Friday to Sunday For information on Lourdes shrine: france.org Cork and Ross pilgrimage information can be sought from: Monsignor Kevin O Callaghan, Curraheen Pilgrimage travel can be organised through Joe Walsh Tours: Premier Travel: - both of whom have offices in Cork city Pilgrimage of Eucharistic Adoration in Lourdes An opportunity to spend 5 days in Lourdes giving time each day to Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament as well as participating in all the usual ceremonies of the Shrine of Lourdes travelling with the Cork based organisation CLM Cuairteoiri le Muire Contact their offices in Clonakilty: Other places to consider Rome and the Vatican In the footsteps of Saint James Santiago de Compostela, Spain traditionally known as The Camino Fatima: for information on shrine fatima.pt The Holy Land and closer to home Knock: see shrine.ie

41 Saint Joseph s Young Priests Society organise a pilgrimage from our diocese annually contact your local parish group Knock Novena: annually August 14 th to 22 nd inclusive Lough Derg: see Glendalough: see Croagh Patrick: see patrick.com The traditional day for climbing Croagh Patrick is Reek Sunday which is the last Sunday in July each year A useful website is: destinations.com Gougane Barra the last Sunday in September sees the Bishop lead the diocese in prayer in this sacred place where Saint Finbarr, patron saint of our diocese, established his monastic community why not travel on pilgrimage as a parish group to join this diocesan celebration? Feast day of Saint Finbarr September 25th Or look around your own parish do you know of a local Mass rock, holy well or is there a ruin of an ancient place of prayer Some parishes gather annually in such places to give thanks for faith handed down and to pray for the future of the church in our time

42 Reaching out to the Homeless Thinking outside the cardboard box! Community and Outreach We know that in our towns and cities some of our brothers and sisters are homeless and spend their days walking the streets, sitting on benches or on the wall at the corner of the street and their nights in a shop doorway if they cannot get a bed in one of the shelters available. Why not ask parishioners to gather unwanted, clean scarves, hats and gloves that can be donated to the local Simon organisation or the Penny Dinners in Cork for distribution to the homeless poor in the cold weather a good time to organise this is in conjunction with World Homeless day in October For more details see:

43 Read and Reflect Groups often are looking for ways of developing their knowledge of issues of faith and this resource offers one suggestion Take one of the documents of the Second Vatican Council and over four weeks read it in sections and reflect on what it is saying to the church today and to us as members of the church. For example: - Lumen gentium the document about the church - Sacrosanctum concilium the document about the liturgy of the church - Gaudium et spes the document of the church in the modern world - Dei verbum the document about the revelation of Christ to the world Each of these is available in the Pastoral Development office in a plain English text version. You may offer this kind of group just once in the year over 4 weeks it needs no indepth knowledge as it is about reading and reflecting together on the vision of the council. Other documents you might try are: - Christefidelis Laici the document on the laity in the church - Familiaris consortio the document on the family Or why not look at one of the recent letters of Pope Benedict? Talk to the clergy in your parish or to us at the Pastoral Development Office if you want help with this idea. Another way to offer this opportunity is for a different group in the parish to offer to lead the read and reflect times during the year appropriate to the document chosen For example: the Liturgy group with others involved in liturgical ministries might lead the reflection on Sacrosanctum concilium The family and children group could lead the reflection on Familiaris consortio

44 Remembering our loved ones Community and Outreach During the month of November the church offers special prayers for our loved ones who have died. The death of a loved one is time when families, relations and friends connect with the parish community at the time of the removal and funeral. November offers an opportunity to reconnect with families who have been bereaved. Why not - offer one of your masses on the first weekend of November as a memorial to those who have lost a loved one during the year sending these families a special invitation to come - you might invite them to light special candles in memory of their loved one during this Mass - create a book of memories as the year progresses inviting families to bring a photograph of their loved one to the church to be included in the book for the year keeping the book open in special place in the church all year as this will often encourage families and friends to call into the church to pray - create a memory tree in a place in the church place a large tree (without leaves) at each funeral that takes place in your church invite a member of the family to add the name of their loved one to the tree on special cards. At the end of each year gather the cards together and place them on one branch ready to begin with the new cards for the next year - many parishes have prayers in the graveyards in November you might like to send out notices to other local parishes telling of the day and time - you may choose to prepare a special hour of prayer in November to remember all who died in the past year as well as to pray for all our family members, friends and parishioners - a cup of tea serves as a good way to reconnect with families at this time

45 Retreats for Parishes Community and Outreach To retreat is to take a step back to take time apart to step out of the usual routine of our day and take time to reflect to think to pray discover to be Why not think about organising a time of retreat for people in your parish - a retreat perhaps for those in parish ministry Ministers of Word and Eucharist; Choirs and musicians; altar society members etc - a retreat for the parish assembly or pastoral council - or a retreat open to all parishioners You may choose to go away from the parish environs to one of the local retreat centres: - Myross Wood, Leap, Co Cork is run by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart ( ) - Ennismore, in Montenotte in the city is run by the Dominicans ( ) - Carmelite Centre in Kinsale run by the Carmelites ( ) You may also choose to offer a retreat within the parish and invite a retreat facilitator to come to you. There are many retreat directors available to you in the diocese both male and female. Retreats can be a full day half a day or an evening. When you have discussed it in your group chosen days, times, who it is for, make contact either with the retreat centre or director directly. There is a charge for whichever kind of retreat you choose for your parish. If you want any help in organising a retreat for your parish group contact us at the Pastoral Development office

46 Send a card We all love to receive cards and greetings as we celebrate special days throughout the year. The card as well as sending greetings lets us know as an individual that we are in the thoughts of another at this time. Every year our parish is host to many special occasions in the lives of parishioners but often we are not present at the celebrations in the church. Why not let others know that the parish assembly members are praying for them and sharing their joy as they celebrate these special moments in their lives - Send a card to families as they celebrate the Baptism of their child - Send a card to each of the children as they receive their First Holy Communion - Send a card to each of the young people as they receive the sacrament of Confirmation - Send a card to the couples who celebrate the sacrament of Marriage in your parish Receiving the card lets them know they belong to the family of the church and to your parish You might design a special parish card for these occasions ask an artistic parishioner/s to design the card and get it printed or have competition to design the card get more parishioners involved

47 Shades For one week in May we are invited to host a Shades day asking people to wear their shades (sunglasses) to highlight the work of the Irish Guide dogs association those who get involved are asked to make a donation towards the cost of training a guide dog. You could also host a coffee morning and invite someone to speak to you about guide dogs or ask someone local who has a guide dog to come and speak to you of their life with their canine companion. For more information see:

48 Suicide Prevention Suicide affects all ages and all sectors of our society today but we know that many of those who contemplate suicide are young people and we as a faith community have a duty to play our part in its prevention. We need be aware of the signs of those contemplating such an action, we need to offer care, support and friendship to those affected by mental health problems, and we need to reach out to families who have experienced bereavement through suicide. We can make a special effort in our parish communities around the 10 th September which is World Suicide Prevention Day the week surrounding this date from the Sunday to the Saturday is set aside as Suicide Awareness Week when we are asked to pause and think about what we can do as individuals and as community to help the work of suicide prevention in our communities. - We need to encourage people to seek help - We need to make available information in a discreet manner in our church and parish buildings - We need to inform ourselves of the warning signs - We need to reach out Essential telephone numbers are: Console national helpline: Their website is The local office is at: Console House, 1a Perrott Avenue, College Road, Cork tel: Samaritans emergency help line: Aware help line: Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland can be contacted via:

49 A prayer you might like to include in your newsletter at this time: Lord, Help me to take one day at a time not modelled by the past, or scared of the future. Shelter me from the anxieties of the unknown and help me to put aside all fearful thoughts and imaginations. In time of need, enlighten me to see that help is near and give me the strength to reach out and let someone know. Let there always be someone there to help me. Lord of my today and tomorrows, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me that you and I together cannot handle. Amen

50 Sunflower Days In early June the Hospice Foundation of Ireland invite us to wear our sunflowers to highlight and support their work. Why not Become a local seller of sunflowers Encourage others in the parish to wear their sunflowers Decorate your church with sunflowers in support of the local Hospice Tell people about the day in the newsletter See: foundation.ie

51 Talent Exchange Every parishioner in your parish has a gift, skill, talent or expertise in some area or other whether its music, languages, gardening, knitting, sewing, woodwork and much more What if you were to match those with skills with those wanting to learn match the knitter with someone who wants to learn match the Italian speaker with someone wanting to learn phrases to go on holiday, match the experienced gardener with the novice. Set up an exchange database for your parish new friendships may be formed as talents are exchanged

52 Tea Day The Alzheimers Society of Ireland invite us to join with them on the first Thursday of May each year to mark Tea Day We are asked to invite family, friends, neighbours and locals to share a cup of tea and make a donation to the Alzheimers Society Why not host tea day in your parish in the parish centre in someone s home in the garden A nice way to invite the locals to join the parishioners for tea and getting to know each other! To register your tea day and to receive invites, posters, and tea! Contact the society at the web address given below For many inventive ideas for tea day see their website:

53 Temperance Sunday Community and Outreach In February on a designated Sunday the Church celebrates Temperance Sunday check the liturgical calendar for the exact date. On this day Highlight the work of the Pioneer Society Invite new members to consider joining the society you could invite new members in preparation for today and then enrol them during one of your Sunday Masses Include prayers today for all who suffer from addictions and for their families Tell the story of the well known Cork man Fr Matthew in your parish newsletter For information about the Pioneer Society see:

54 The Gathering 2013 sees the island of Ireland celebrate The Gathering! During this year we are encouraged to invite people to gather especially those who have moved away from their home land All over the country groups, communities and families are preparing for this special event inviting the people to gather in many different ways as a parish how can you link into this national event be part of The Gathering Some ideas Invite all those who were Baptised in your parish to our special celebration Invite all those who were married in your Church to come for a celebration and blessing why not link it to Saint Valentine s Day Invite all those who received First Holy Communion or Confirmation to return to a celebration of faith Research all those from the parish who gave their lives as priests, sisters, nuns, brothers, missionaries at home and abroad, make a display, invite them to come for a prayerful celebration of vocation a good time for this is Vocation Sunday (4 th Sunday of Eastertide) Have one special celebration of Parish inviting all families in the parish to invite family members who have moved away from the parish to return time for prayer and party! Link the gathering with the Year of Faith host a gathering a local monastic ruin, Holy Well, Mass Rock, old Church invite religious orders who have been part of your parish history of faith to join you celebrate the handing on faith through the years

55 Trócaire Global gifts for Christmas Community and Outreach Each year Trócaire offer a large selection of global Christmas gifts that will benefit families in other countries who are less fortunate than ourselves these gifts range from clutches of chickens, to fruit trees, to school lunches or school books, to goats, to wells for clean water, to small houses and many more innovative ideas Why not make these gifts available to buy in your parish the parish assembly members could have them for sale after Mass over the weekends of Advent For information about offering these for sale in your parish contact: Cork Trócaire office in Cook Street in the city centre

56 Trócaire Lenten Campaign Community and Outreach Most of us are familiar with the Trócaire box distributed in our parishes at the beginning of Lent each year. Many are not as familiar with the accompanying resources that are produced and made available to parish groups and to schools at the same time. Trócaire though is about much more than raising money it is about raising awareness through education and we can all be part of this project. Every year Trócaire has a theme for its Lenten campaign and names partner countries that will benefit from the proceeds of the boxes. Alongside this Trócaire prepares packs for use in schools and parishes on the theme of its campaign. Each year schools packs for second level, junior cert and primary children are made available for use any of these can be adapted to use with youth groups or with children s liturgy groups in parishes. A further resource pack is produced for parish liturgy groups these packs are available from the Trócaire office in late January and are distributed to all parish clergy directly Contact: Janet Twomey, Trócaire 9 Cook Street, Cork Tel: corkinfo@trocaire.ie See the Trócaire web site at Some ideas that you might try - why not host a Lenten lunch in your parish one weekday in Lent serve a simple lunch of soup and bread and ask participants to make a donation to Trócaire - why not organise a speaker from Trócaire to come to your parish to speak at masses one weekend in Lent or to speak to one of your groups open this up to others to come and hear about their work in the developing world - organise an evening of prayer and reflection on this year s theme using the liturgy resources provided by Trócaire - get a group together in your parish and participate in the Trócaire 24 hour Lenten fast

57 - create a Trôcaire prayer space in your parish church using the ideas in the liturgy resource pack - on Good Friday or during Lent why not use one of the Trócaire Stations of the Cross instead of the traditional prayer we use - youth groups might adapt some of the schools resources for their group meetings in Lent or try out one of the development games that Trócaire has available learning about development issues through having fun can be the best way to learn!

58 Welcoming Immigrants to our parish When we look around our parishes we see many people from other countries who are now making their home amongst us in our communities their children are attending our schools they are worshipping with us But we must ask ourselves how are we making them feel welcome how are we including them in our parish activities Why not Display the welcome poster in several languages at the door of your church Make available the readings for Mass in the languages of those are worshipping with you Near to the shrines in your Church have the candle lighting prayer available in several languages At times of First Holy Communion and Confirmation display the flags of all the children s native countries or use flowers from their home lands At Christmas and New Year display greetings in several languages Make sure the parents have sufficient English to read and understand notices which they may be interested in from your newsletter Include them on Pentecost Sunday Epiphany see other handbook pages for ideas Resources are available from: