Dear Friends,
Today is the Eight Sunday in Ordinary Liturgical Time.
Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier (1506 – 1552)
The Novena of Grace begins on Tuesday, March 4th and concludes on Wednesday, March 12th . Our preacher this year will be Fr. Sam Sawyer, SJ coming from New York. Fr. Sam is editor-in chief of the Jesuit magazine America.
Masses during the Novena will be at 11.00am; 1.00pm; 7.30pm (Monday to Friday).
Masses on Saturday will be at 11.00am; 1.00pm; and 6.00pm.
Masses on Sunday will be at 11.00am; 3.30pm and 7.30pm
(Please note that the 9.15am Mass on Sunday will not be part of the Novena.
From this Sunday on we will be asking you to place your petitions in the basket which will be placed in the sanctuary. As usual, some of these petitions will be readout before Masses, inviting everyone present to pray for those intentions.
As in years past, we would hope that the Church becomes a ‘power-house’ of prayer during the Novena. We look forward to welcoming you to any of our three sessions per day.
Fr. Brendan
FR. SAM SAWYERSJ
Fr. Sam Sawyer, a native of Scranton, PA, earned his Master's in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago and his M.Div. from Boston College. He joined the Jesuits in2004 and was ordained in 2014. Previous roles include associate pastor at Holy Trinity Church in Washington, DC and assistant at St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City. He is the editor-in-chief of America Media.
Lets give a warm welcome to our preacher for the Novena of Grace 2025.
ASH WEDNESDAY
Next Wednesday, March 5th is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the Season of Lent – 40days in preparation for the great Feast of Easter. Ash Wednesday has been marked in the church from the time of Pope Gregory the Great (1073-85). Pope Urban II (1088-99) declared that ashes should be used on this day.
The ashes used today are from the palms of Palm Sunday 2024. Today is a day when we recognise our fragility and our need for personal conversion. The ashes also symbolize our mortality. Making the sign of the cross on our foreheads is also a sign that we are followers of Jesus Christ and that we are to carry our cross on ourroad of discipleship.
Ash Wednesdayand Good Friday are the only days in the Church calendar when there is fast andabstinence. We are asked to fast from meat and, maybe, eat less! This does notapply to children or to anyone over 65 years old, so I’m safe!
‘Lent’ – Theword ‘Lent’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘lencten’ which means ‘Spring Season’.
The 40 days ofLent echo the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert prior to his ministry.
Lent is a timeto work again at being reconcilers, peacemakers, ambassadors for Christ. Lentis always associated with prayer, fasting and almsgiving. How can each of us becreative and
imaginative infasting and performing works of mercy and compassion during this season ofLent? You will only be able to answer this question for yourself!
Fr. Brendan
DAY OF PRAYER FOR SURVIVORS OF ABUSE
This year’s Worldwide Day of Prayer for Survivors and Victims of Sexual Abuse will take place on March 7, the first Friday of Lent. The Day of Prayer is an initiative of Pope Francis and was first marked in Irish dioceses in 2017.
We pray to the Lord with hope in our hearts,
We pray for all who have suffered abuse in any way: that the Lord will reach out with healing and peace.
We pray that we may become a community that actively cares for and protects the most vulnerable, especially our children.
We pray for the Spirit of wisdom: that we will grow a culture of care and protection in our Church and world.
We pray for all in the healing professions who minister to those who suffer as a result of violence or abuse: that they will embody the compassion of God.
LORD IN YOURMERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
God our refuge and our strength, help us to create an atmosphere of trust which enables us to speak our truth. May we support each other and create a Christian community together that is safe for all. We pray this in the name of Jesus your Son.
Amen.
TOWARDS PEACE
Towards a service offering spiritual support for anybody who has been abused, physically emotionally, sexually, spiritually, in a religious/church environment. The Towards Peace office hours are Monday and Tuesday 9am to 4pmand Wednesday 9am to 12noon. For further information phone 01 5053028 or 0867710533 or visit www.towardspeace.ie orhttps://www.facebook.com/TowardsPeaceSpiritualSupportService/.
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