Second Sunday in Lent

21 st February 2016 Vol 26 No 13 Second Sunday in Lent Fr. Tom Little - 91-31559 Fr Sean Hyland - 91-31212 Sr. Joan Pierse 91-42565 Emergency Priest on Duty 087 2588118 Askea Parish Community Centre Phone 91-42565 087 1269709 Collections last week: Development 2,213 Offertory 1,418 Mass Times: Askea 9.30am Mon-Fri; Sat 7pm; Sun 9am, 10.30am & 12 Noon. Bennekerry Sun 11.30am; Tinryland Tues 9.30am & Sunday 10am ************ Deadline for items for Newsletter is 5pm on Wednesday by phone to 9142565 or email to office@askeaparish.ie Website: www.askeaparish.ie Parish Mission Saturday 20 th February to Friday 26 th February Themes for the Week: Sun 21st:A Celebration of Community Mon 22nd: Healing Service Tues 23rd: Celebrating Family and Relationships Wed 24th: Reconciliation Thurs 25th: Remembering our Faithful Departed and Comforting the Bereaved Fri 26th Feb: Open Night to include the Youth of the Parishes. Opening of the Mission in Holy Family Church, Askea at 7pm on Sunday 21 st February Daily Morning Masses during the Week of the Mission: Monday to Friday Holy Family Church, Askea: 7am and 9.30am St Mary s Church, Bennekerry: 8am St Joseph s Church Tinryland 9.30am

St Mary s Parish, Bennekerry Sunday 21 st February 2016 Second Sunday in Lent Parish Mission Saturday 20th February to Friday 26th February Themes for the Week: Sun 21st: A Celebration of Community Mon 22nd: Healing Service Tues 23rd: Celebrating Family and Relationships Wed 24th: Reconciliation Thurs 25th: Remembering our Faithful Departed and Comforting the Bereaved Fri 26th Feb: Open Night to include the Youth of the Parishes. Opening of the Mission in Holy Family Church, Askea at 7pm on Sunday 21st February Daily Morning Masses during the Week of the Mission: Monday to Friday Holy Family Church, Askea: 7am and 9.30am St Mary s Church, Bennekerry: 8am St Joseph s Church Tinryland 9.30am

St Mary s Parish, Bennekerry Fr Tom Little PP Phone 059 9131559. Fr Seán Hyland CC 0599131212. Newsletter Items 059 9143881. Deadline for News items: - 9pm Wednesdays Emergency Number for the Priest on Duty 087 2588118. Parish Office 059 9142565 087 1269709. Website: www.askeaparish.ie; email: office@askeaparish.ie Sunday 21 st February 2016 at 11.30am Anniversaries Thomas Carroll, 8 Kernanstown Danny Brennan, Carlisle and Rutland Anne Brophy, née Mullins, Waterford Collection at Mass: Offertory 215 Development 338 24 Hours for the Lord The 24 Hours for the Lord initiative was begun by Pope Francis in 2014. He invited parishes to open up their churches for 24 hours of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and quiet prayer with the availability of the Sacrament of Confession. This year the 24 Hours for the Lord will take place in Holy Family Church, Askea. You are invited to drop into the church for a visit anytime during that 24 hour period. Priests will be available for a chat or for the Sacrament of Confession. Further details on next week s newsletter.

Kildare & Leighlin Weekly Lotto Results For Wed 17 th February 2016. Numbers drawn were. JACKPOT WON!! Winner: Natasha Lyons. Promoter: Jim Deane. Parish: Tinryland. 14 Match 3s win 72 each. Askea/Bennekerry had NO Match3s. Next week s Jackpot 10,000. Winner Promoter Tickets 2 each available from Askea Parish Centre. Please note the draw takes place on Wed at 4.30pm in Portlaoise. Tickets must be returned by 5pm each Tuesday to Askea Parish Centre. In Memoriam We ask the Lord to grant eternal rest to: Anne Dunphy (née McGarry), 100 Woodbrook Ave, Rathnapish Philomena Fennelly (née Hayden), Rutland Tony Fortune, Sharon Avenue, Brownshill Road and we offer our sympathy and the support of our prayers to all who have suffered the loss of a loved one at this time. Vocations Views First Sunday of Lent: Are you listening to Jesus, the Chosen One? Be open to what he reveals to you. Let his message dwell in your heart. (Luke 9:28-36) Trócaire is the overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland. When you donate to Trócaire you re not just giving. You re directly helping struggling communities in their fight for justice. Trócaire boxes are available in the Church. You are invited to take a box home with you. Table Quiz 5 th Carlow Town Scout troup will hold a fund raising Table Quiz on Friday 19 th February in Carpenters Lounge at 8pm. Table of four 10 adults; 5 students. Pre-book 087 8033817. Holy Family Boys National School Askea hold their annual Table Quiz in Eire Og Clubhouse on the 26th of February 2015 at 8pm. 10 per person. Table of four 40.

Askea Senior Citizens News February Night Out takes place in Askea Parish Centre on Wednesday 24 th February from 7pm to 10pm. Bingo, Cuppa and dancing. All are welcome. Easter Party will be held on Sunday 20 th March 2016 in the Seven Oaks Hotel at 2pm. Bingo, music and evening tea. Names and money to be in by 15 th March please. Summer Holidays 2016 Our May holiday is to Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal on 9 th May for 4 nights / 5 days. D/B&B and Tours. Contact Marian 059 9143010. Membership for this year to be paid before March 2016. Transport We are starting transport by bus in February to the monthly nights out to give people who have no transport a chance to come to our Social Nights Out. Contact Marian at 059 9143010 for information. Family Carers Ireland will hold an information day at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre on 24th February 10am -1pm. Word Day of Prayer on Friday 4 th March, 2016 in Tinryland Parish Hall at 8pm. Refreshments served. Theme: Receive Chilrdren. Receive Me. Cuba. Bennekerry National School Clothing Collection: in collaboration with the National Council for the Blind. Bring your previously loved clothing, linen and shoes (paired) in a plastic bag. No duvets or pillows please. Drop off at the old School hall in Bennekerry Thurs 25th Feb 3.15-4.15pm, Fri 26th Feb 6-7pm, Sat 27th Feb 10.30-11.30am and Sun 28th Feb 12.30-1.30pm.

Pro-life The next Dáil will make decisions on life and death - whether certain babies should live and others die. We urge you to give these life issues grave consideration and to give your vote to those candidates who are publicly dedicated to defending all human life. Irish Prolife For Sale: Miniature Jack Russel pup for sale 085 7447408. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland invites you to a Dementia Information Evening in Bethany House Barrack Street Carlow on Tuesday 8th March @ 7pm. Come along for information advise and services, all are welcome light refreshments provided For further information contact Delia or Hilda 0599134736 March 11th ~ Fr Liam Lawton has a special Concert with the RTE Concert Orchestra in aid of the Carlow County Hospice. He will be joined by 2 guest artists ~ Baritone, Karl McGuckin and Soprano, Alexandria Sharpe. A combined Choir from Aspiro Choir and the Choirs of Carlow Cathedral and Graiguecullen will also join him. ALL proceeds of the night will go directly to the Hospice. Tickets 25 available from Askea Parish Community Centre 059-9142565. A nice night out for your Choir! Come and sing along! Trócaire Do your utmost to support your faith with goodness, goodness with understanding..." 2 Peter 1:5. This year s Trócaire Box features supporters from Ireland who are doing extraordinary things in the pursuit of justice and a fairer world. They cannot ignore poverty and they want to make a difference in whatever way they can. When you support Trócaire you are not just giving, you are joining the fight for justice. Find out how to help at trocaire.org/lent

Joint Diocesan Pilgrimage from Co. Carlow to Echternach, Luxembourg 2017. Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin and Bishop Michael Burrows, Bishop of Ossory, Cashel and Leighlin will lead the Joint Diocesan Pilgrimage from Co. Carlow to Echternach, Luxembourg June 2017. This pilgrimage will partake in the annual Hopping Procession in honour of St Willibrord, Patron Saint of Luxembourg who was ordained in Clonmelsh, Garryhundon, Co Carlow in the 7th century. For bookings and itinerary contact Tully s Travel Agents, Carlow Town, phone: 059-9136100 or see www.tullystravel.ie. Carlow Ireland 2016 Programme The Carlow Ireland 2016 Programme has officially been launched, seeing the county host over sixty events to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the 1916 Rising. The Carlow Ireland 2016 booklet is available from the offices of Carlow County Council and the branches of Carlow County Library throughout the county, the Tourist office and Museum and many other outlets around the county. It can also be downloaded from the Carlow County Council website, www.carlow.ie under News & Special Interest ÉIRE ÓG LOTTO WINNING NO s Mon Feb 15th 5 9 19 31 No Jackpot Winner 4 x Match 3 received 113 each.. Tom Geoghegan, Derek Hayden, Seamus Byrne c/o Hugh Kelly, Mick Sweeney c/o John Donovan NEXT WEEK S JACKPOT 2,150. Draw takes place every Monday night in Teach Asca at 9.00pm. Bingo every Thursday night @ 8.30pm. ÉIRE ÓG LADIES FOOTBALL 2016..U 12s & 14s back training on Tue Feb 9th @ 7pm..U 16s, 18s and Ladies teams back training on Sun Feb 21st @ 11am All players must wear Gumshields New players always welcome Get active, Get involved.

Mayo International Choral Festival is hosting a Peace Concert with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, in the beautiful surrounds of the fully refurbished Knock Basilica on Saturday, May 14th. This Peace Concert will commemorate the 1916 Rising and World War One. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra will be conducted by David Brophy. The orchestra will perform with a 120 member choir and soloists Anne Marie Gibbons and Owen Gilhooly. For information and tickets, visit www.mayochoral.com. Daffodil Day Friday 11th March:- due to a small turnout at our last meeting the Carlow Daffodil Day Committee have organised a second meeting to organise our fund raising for this year. This meeting will take place on Wed 24th Feb in Graiguecullen Parish Centre at 7.30pm. Please support. For more information, contact Emma Hayden 0872979228. Admin Assistant/Promoter for the Rape Crisis Centre. Please check with your local Intreo office for your eligibility for this position. Only people who have gone through their Intreo office will be called for Interview. Further information can be obtained from Jo at 0858726367. Carlow Flower Club will have a demonstration on Tuesday February 23rd at 8pm in the Woodford Dolmen Hotel. The demonstrator is Margaret Collins, All exhibits that Margaret creates will be raffled on the night. Tea/coffee served. Visitors 7. ST. PATRICK S DAY PARADE: All welcome to a public information meeting on Thursday, 25th February at 7.30pm in the Town Hall to discuss the St. Patrick s Day Parade. The meeting will be chaired by Mayor of Carlow, Councillor John Cassin. For health and safety reasons this year s parade will consist of walking groups only. No floats or vehicles to feature. Info: 087 2857048, 085 1340047.

Ethical and Theological Perspectives on the 1916 Rising On Friday 26th February a conference titled: Under the Protection of the Most High God will take place in Carlow College, St. Patricks from 9.30am until 5pm to examine Ethical and Theological Perspectives on the 1916 Rising. This conference will present talks and lectures by: Professor Eunan O Halpin, Bank of Ireland Professor of Contemporary Irish History, Trinity College Dublin; Padraig Ó Snodaigh, Irish language activist, poet, writer and publisher; Dr Thomas J. Morrissey SJ; Dr John Scally, Theology Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin and a keynote address by Francis Campbell, Vice-Chancellor, St. Mary s University, London. Discussions and debates concerning the justness of the Rising from multiple perspectives are taking place all across Ireland this year, with much commentary on the so-called blood sacrifice theory. The ways in which the Christian faith and revolutionary politics were conjoined in the 1916 Rising has generated controversy among theologians, historians, literary critics and philosophers. In this conference the question of the specifically Catholic-nationalist outlook of the rebels will be explored,and the speakers will consider the significance of the Rising in the world in which we live today, examining topics such as religion and the use of violence, feminist perspectives on the Rising, Irish Catholic nationalism, and the literature of the Rising. Admission is free and open to all. For further information contact Dr Debra Snoddy at dsnoddy@carlowcollege.ie. Yoga classes for children starting Saturday 12th March 10am @ Mandala yoga studio, Carlow 10 per child. Ages 4-12 Bookings on: 0877857546.

A message for Lent from Bishop Denis Nulty. LENTEN MESSAGE THE KANDLE C.W.M. CHALLENGE! One word that spoke to me very strongly from the recent Synod over in Rome was the word accompaniment when we as Church were encouraged very much to accompany every family in their struggles and their joys of family life. I think the word accompaniment fits the season of Lent perfectly. Together we wear our ashes, together we keep our fast and together we pray our prayers. Ash Wednesday makes us in some respects a marked man or marked woman as we take on the discipline of Lent by wearing the ashes, and even more importantly adopting a Lenten mindset. Ash Wednesday begins a journey that culminates at the Easter Vigil and continues onwards towards Pentecost. It s very much left to the gospel writer Matthew to set the tone for this Lenten accompaniment. And he sets the bar very high when you give alms when you pray when you fast. He doesn t leave any room for ifs or buts he doesn t say if you fast. He doesn t even leave room to wonder if you have time to pray and he certainly offers no options around almsgiving. This year s Trócaire campaign is simply and aptly entitled Join the Fight for Justice. The customary box is a montage of several photographs of Irish people you and me people who have joined Trócaire s fight for justice, quoting Pope Francis a little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.

Lent falls right into the lap of the recently inaugurated Jubilee Year of Mercy. Mercy is in fact the language of Lent. I see it as a kind of undeserved kindness. Mercy doesn t come to us because of any sort of merit on our part, it s undeserved. Yet our actions in Lent can deepen our sense of being both doers and receivers of this undeserved kindness. We try to do something like giving up sweets, cutting out alcohol, passing on those luscious desserts. Equally, during Lent people try to take something on, like being more attentive at Mass, maybe spending more time in prayer or engaging proactively with a charity like Trócaire. This Lent, I think our Year of Mercy offers us a timely opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with what are known as the Corporal Works of Mercy. There are seven of them in total, and I am proposing that we as a diocese adopt the C.W.M. acronym this Lent Corporal Works of Mercy. I will suggest during Eastertide that we will address the seven Spiritual Works of Mercy. Why not take on a different Corporal Work of Mercy as your Lenten project during each of the seven days of the week? Let s see how it might work On Monday feed the hungry, perhaps supporting your local food-bank appeal. On Tuesday give drink to the thirsty, helping someone you meet with something generous out of your own pocket.

On Wednesday clothe the naked, giving a percentage of your earnings that day to Trócaire. On Thursday shelter the homeless, a walk down any of our streets at night time tells a story of its own; volunteer with or support a charity which addresses homelessness. On Friday visit the sick, be aware of the sick in your community, family or parish, call to them, visit them, accompany them. On Saturday visit the imprisoned, it may not always be possible to call into a prison, but in a diocese where one third of the national prison population is imprisoned, let s play our part in raising consciousness and supporting the rights of those who need our concern and prayers. On Sunday bury the dead, let s simply visit the cemetery, the grave of a loved one, let s remember them at Mass. So next time when you are asked what are you doing for Lent?, say that you are taking on The Kandle C.W.M. Challenge!

In meeting this challenge, may we more consciously accompany one another and may we come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of mercy, and in particular God s mercy, in our lives. To this end, a significant part of our Lenten journey as a diocese will also be to lay down our burdens on the mountain of God s mercy. Whatever stone you take from the prayer space in your church, may it remind you that none of us carries burdens alone, that God is at our side, walking with us, often carrying us. And when we are ready to bring that stone back, may we appreciate the mountain of mercy that awaits all of us this Lent. Together we wear our ashes, together we carry our stone, together we keep our fast, together we lay our stone down and together we pray our prayers. It is that experience of a faith community on pilgrimage together which encourages and supports each of us on our personal Lenten journey. As I say every year Happy Lent ; may we all be up to the challenge. +Denis Nulty

Stations of the Cross The Students from Holy Family Boys and Girls National School and from Gaelscoil Eoghan Uí Thuairisc and Bennekerry National School attended a preparation for Confirmation night in Askea Church last Tuesday. Each class was given one of the stations to discuss in class and show the relevance of the Stations of the Cross to our modern lives. The art work was displayed for each station and students read their message for the congregation. The messages from Bennekerry were as follows: 1 st Station: - Jesus is condemned to death. The message of this station is that we need to think carefully before we accuse anybody of wrong doing. We should not judge anybody by what other people say, but rather only by what we have seen and heard ourselves. Even then, we have to be careful in our judgments and remember that there are two sides to every story. Although it can be difficult, we must also be strong enough to stand up for people who we think are unfairly treated. 5 th Station: - Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the cross The message of this station is that we should be aware of the needs of others. There are people all around us every day who could use our help but who may not ask for it. We can give help in many ways. It may be by helping at home with the housework or work in the garden. It may be by carrying something for another person or helping them with their work. It may simply be by being friendly, starting up a chat or giving a kindly wave and a smile. 12 th Station: - Jesus dies on the cross The message of this station tells us that when someone we love dies they are not completely gone from us. We have precious memories of the time we spent with that person and the ways in which their lives touched ours. The messages from Askea Boys School were as follows: 4 th Station: - Jesus meets His mother The message of this station tells us.. Your family are always there for you when you need them. 6 th Station: - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus The message of this station tells to not be afraid to stand out from the crowd and believe in ourselves. 11 th Station: - Jesus is nailed to the cross The message of this station we must be aware of the suffering of others around the world. 14 th Station: - Jesus is laid in the tomb The message of this station tells us that we should treasure the gift of life and remember how Jesus died for our salvation.

Second Sunday: Luke 9:28-36, 37-43a Jesus takes the disciples up to the mountain top in today s Gospel. It is in this withdrawal from the everyday tasks that the disciples have the profound experience of the Transfiguration. In that space, they are invited to see Jesus for who he really is. One can empathise with the disciples in this story as they do not want to leave that space. We all have had experiences that we want to last forever and are hugely disappointed when they are over. However, commitment to any cause very often involves a long and painful journey. Like the disciples in the Gospel today, there is a hook moment, when Jesus or any leader shows us something different, a vision, a dream, something that is so wonderful and hope-filled that we commit there and then to making it happen. Then we realise that there is much work to be done and the path will not be so easy. Obstacles will arise, people will fall away, enthusiasm will waver, there will be setbacks and disappointments. We are being called to commitment today, to the more difficult path. We are being called to open our ears and eyes to the Gospel message of transfiguration, of transformation. Last year three rivers dried up near Teresina s village, a direct consequence of climate injustice. This has made life extremely difficult for the families who live there. Lifestyle changes may be difficult for us. We become used to our comforts, our gadgets, driving our cars and so on. But per capita, Ireland is one of the highest polluters in Europe. This is not a statistic to be proud of. We know we can do better. Coming down from the mountain, like the disciples, means saying no to certain things and to making changes in our lifestyles that lower each of our carbon footprints. We start with ourselves. #uptous We require a new and universal solidarity All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own cultures, experience, involvements and talents. Laudato Si, 14