Background to the survey is available on the Vatican Website
lineamenta-family-synod-2014-1.pdf |
synod-response-pro-forma-tuam-archdiocese.docx |
Questionnaire to participate in survey in advance of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Background to the survey is available on the Vatican Website
Download or click on the link below in order to participate in the survey on the family.
Please return your responses to in hard copy to Archbishop’s House, Tuam, Co. Galway or e-mail to [email protected] by December 15th, 2013
0 Comments
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered the homily at Mass on Sunday to mark the Solemnity of Christ the King and close the Year of Faith proclaimed by his predecessor, emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. Below, please find the official English translation of Pope Francis' prepared remarks. Today’s solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the crowning of the liturgical year, also marks the conclusion of the Year of Faith opened by Pope Benedict XVI, to whom our thoughts now turn with affection and gratitude. By this providential initiative, he gave us an opportunity to rediscover the beauty of the journey of faith begun on the day of our Baptism, which made us children of God and brothers and sisters in the Church. A journey which has as its ultimate end our full encounter with God, and throughout which the Holy Spirit purifies us, lifts us up and sanctifies us, so that we may enter into the happiness for which our hearts long. I offer a cordial greeting to the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches present. The exchange of peace which I will share with them is above all a sign of the appreciation of the Bishop of Rome for these communities which have confessed the name of Christ with exemplary faithfulness, often at a high price. With this gesture, through them, I would like to reach all those Christians living in the Holy Land, in Syria and in the entire East, and obtain for them the gift of peace and concord.
The Scripture readings proclaimed to us have as their common theme the centrality of Christ. Christ as the centre of creation, the centre of his people and the centre of history. 1. The apostle Paul, in the second reading, taken from the letter to the Colossians, offers us a profound vision of the centrality of Jesus. He presents Christ to us as the first-born of all creation: in him, through him and for him all things were created. He is the centre of all things, he is the beginning. God has given him the fullness, the totality, so that in him all things might be reconciled (cf. Col 1:12-20). This image enables to see that Jesus is the centre of creation; and so the attitude demanded of us as true believers is that of recognizing and accepting in our lives the centrality of Jesus Christ, in our thoughts, in our words and in our works. When this centre is lost, when it is replaced by something else, only harm can result for everything around us and for ourselves. 2. Besides being the centre of creation, Christ is the centre of the people of God. We see this in the first reading which describes the time when the tribes of Israel came to look for David and anointed him king of Israel before the Lord (cf. 2 Sam 5:1-3). In searching for an ideal king, the people were seeking God himself: a God who would be close to them, who would accompany them on their journey, who would be a brother to them. Christ, the descendant of King David, is the “brother” around whom God’s people come together. It is he who cares for his people, for all of us, even at the price of his life. In him we are all one; united with him, we share a single journey, a single destiny. 3. Finally, Christ is the centre of the history of the human race and of every man and woman. To him we can bring the joys and the hopes, the sorrows and troubles which are part of our lives. When Jesus is the centre, light shines even amid the darkest times of our lives; he gives us hope, as he does to the good thief in today’s Gospel. While all the others treat Jesus with disdain – “If you are the Christ, the Messiah King, save yourself by coming down from the cross!” – the thief who went astray in his life but now repents, clinging to the crucified Jesus, begs him: “Remember me, when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42). And Jesus promises him: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (v. 43). Jesus speaks only a word of forgiveness, not of condemnation; whenever anyone finds the courage to ask for this forgiveness, the Lord does not let such a petition go unheard. Jesus’ promise to the good thief gives us great hope: it tells us that God’s grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more than what he has been asked: you ask him to remember you, and he brings you into his Kingdom! Let us ask the Lord to remember us, in the certainty that by his mercy we will be able to share his glory in paradise. Amen! John Paul II Eucharistic Center dedication set for Dec. 8, with guest Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke11/23/2013 HANCEVILLE, Alabama - Cardinal Raymond Burke, former archbishop of St. Louis, will officiate Mass on Dec. 8 to dedicate the new John Paul II Eucharistic Center on the grounds of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville.
The noon service will be broadcast worldwide on EWTN Global Catholic Network, founded by Mother Angelica, 90, who lives at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville. Burke was archbishop of St. Louis from 2003-2008 and currently serves in Rome as the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church after the pope. The Mass will be held in the chapel at the shrine, adjoining the monastery, and will be followed by a procession to the Eucharistic Center. The center will not open to the public until spring of 2014. Named in honor of Pope John Paul II, the center is dedicated to celebrating the importance of the Eucharist for Christians. ADDRESS of Archbishop Michael Neary FOR THE JOHN PAUL II AWARDS.
I extend a very warm welcome to you all, to the young people who are receiving the Awards, to your parents and families who have every reason to be very proud of you. Welcome to the Members of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, to Trish O’ Brien and the Diocesan Youth Council, to the Liaison Committee – Frs. Tod Nolan, Seán Cuningham and Charlie McDonnell, to the priests from your parish, the teachers from your schools and colleges. It is very encouraging to find that while 242 young people applied for the John Paul II Award, 190 have completed it. A warm welcome to the Diocesan Youth Choir and the Soloist, Ellen Hynes. Discipleship and Mission is the theme which was chosen for this year. It is very appropriate for the Year of Faith. There can be no discipleship or mission unless people like yourselves are called and sent. Your first call came at a time which you would not have been aware and it was answered by your parents and godparents at your baptism. On that occasion you were also been sent on mission. You have been called many times since then in different ways, in your local Church, in your school, in your local community. You have been invited to become part of the Mission Outreach of the Church. We are reminded of this at every Mass because while we are called we are also sent on Mission in the name of Jesus Christ. It was very impressive and encouraging to read some of the reflections which you provided as your experience of Church through your participation in the John Paul II Awards. I welcome our invited guest Peter O’ Connell from Killererin who has climbed Everest to raise money for Pieta House. We rejoice with him in completing this gigantic task and congratulate him on raising money for such a worthy cause. One of our participants, Cian Coleman, is not here to accept the award this evening. As you know Cian passed on to receive his eternal reward during the year. I know that this is a very difficult time for his family, his Mam and Dad, Mairéad and Michael and his sister Hannah, for his school colleagues and teachers. His family are here to accept his honorary Gold Award. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam usual. I would like to acknowledge the great work being done by Trish O’ Brien in her role as Diocesan Youth Co-ordinator. Trish has arranged a Youth Ministry Course in which 22 people from the Diocese are participating and being trained. It is hoped that from that group that new Youth leaders will emerge for various areas in our diocese. I congratulate all those who have received the John Paul II Awards this evening. I would ask you to make your contemporaries aware of this and share the positive experiences of Church which you have had as you participated in the John Paul II Awards. I hope that this will inspire and influence you to go on to greater participation in your local Church area and enable you to reach out in mission. If you want to find out more about Christ’s call to be a priest come and see:
· ‘Come and See’ Dinner Westport- Wednesday, November 20 · ‘Come and See’ Dinner Galway- Thursday, November 21 · ‘Come and See’ Dinner Claremorris- Monday, November 25 · Regional Vocations Event- NUI Galway- Saturday, March 8 Bring a friend, come and meet men who have answered Christ’s call for an informal chat and bite to eat. Please contact Fr. Fintan Monahan 093 24166 or email him at[email protected] to book a spot! Galway camogie All-Ireland winner Therese Maher was the special guest speaker at the launch of the 6th edition of the Archdiocese of Tuam’s New Dawn magazine which goes on sale at churches next weekend (Oct 26 and 27).
Yet again the magazine is full of interesting news items, articles and features and represents excellent value at €4 per copy. Included in the magazine are profiles on Westport and Moore parishes while the recent celebrations in Ballinrobe, marking the 150th anniversary of the building of St Mary’s Church, are also recalled. There’s a number of articles “As Gaeilge” and the “People Profile” features Achill native James Kilbane who has established a niche for himself as a “country” and “gospel” singer since he was runner-up in the “You’re a Star” television programme. James is ecumenical in his approach to performing and regularly sings at gatherings of various Christian churches. He is presently working on a new album based on the Old Testament. Fr Enda McDonagh recalls the life, the scholarship and sporting times of famed Aughamore man, Seán Freyne, who started his football career in St Jarlath’s college before going on to represent Mayo at all levels, while Dr Áine Ní Mhannín, lecturer in NUIG, has written a thought-provoking piece on the life and times of the German theologian Meister Eckhart. “Journeying Together in Faith” is the recently published pastoral plan for Tuam and is summarised in the magazine by Fr Pat Farragher. Journalist Brian McDonald has written a nice feature on the Irish Garden of Remembrance to Organ Donors in Salthill, Galway. The garden is the brainchild of Martina and Denis Goggin whose organ donor son, Eamonn, was tragically killed in a car crash. The magazine also includes details of a variety of pilgrimages, loads of colourful and relevant photographs and the usual quizzes and crossword in the Puzzle Page. ENDS Journeying together in Faith – Planning for the Future - Diocesan Pastoral Plan 2013 to 2020.11/13/2013 Journeying Together in Faith – By Fr Pat Farragher A booklet entitled ‘Journeying Together in Faith’ was circulated recently to all parishes of the diocese. It will be available in Churches on the weekend of the 12th and 13 of October. This booklet contains proposals on how our parishes might best be served between now and 2020. The publication marks both an end and a beginning. It marks the end of a diocesan-wide consultation process with priests, pastoral councils as well as other relevant bodies which began in autumn 2012. It also marks the beginning of the implementation of the proposals contained in the document. Journeying Together in Faith looks at the changes which will take place in the diocese between now and 2020. It makes proposals as to how we might equip ourselves to address these challenges in our communities and parish groupings. The booklet seeks to address two questions: ‘What structures or supports need to be put in place to ensure that a parish without a resident priest receives the best possible sacramental and pastoral care?’ and ‘What groupings of parishes might be served by a lesser number of priests?’ In responding to these questions, the importance of Pastoral Councils and Finance Committees is highlighted. The growing role of the parish secretary and the possibility of a group of parishes employing a lay pastoral worker are also among the proposals made in addressing these two questions. A number of the proposals contained in the booklet are time-limited such as the decision regarding the introduction of the Permanent Diaconate in our diocese. As well as making these proposals, the document also seeks to address the reality that by 2020 the diocese will have in the region of fifty priests available to serve the 55 parishes. Journeying Together in Faith proposes certain groupings of parishes which might be served by a lesser number of priests e.g. a grouping of four parishes served by three priests. Currently there are four priests serving in special ministries and it is envisaged that during the time-frame of this planning document that will be reduced to two. Journeying Together in Faith is strong in the belief that this is a time of change which demands courage and faith as we address the challenges before us. The document recalls the challenging times our people faced in the past and invites all people in the parish to play their part in ensuring the faith is nurtured and developed in our communities. This brief article has sought to give the context to the Journeying together in Faith booklet and to highlight some of its contents. Readers are encouraged to read the booklet in full for themselves. Hard copies are available through your parish or if you wish to view the document online you can do so at
|