First Sunday Of Advent 29th November 2020
Anniversary & Month’s Mind Masses
Mass will be offered for the following people on the occasion of an Anniversary or Month’s Mind. We remember them, their families and loved ones in our prayers.
Sunday 29th November 12Noon Mickey Griffiths
Monday 30th November 10.00am Liam McGuinness
Monday 30th November 7.30pm Nana & Jim Melly
Tuesday 1st December 10.00am John Deehan
Tuesday 1st December 7.30pm Peggy McCallion
Wednesday 2nd December10.00am Sr. Margaret Gormley
Wednesday 2nd December 7.30pm Aidan & Eileen Barrett
Thursday 3rd December 7.30pm Myra Barr
Saturday 5thDecember 6.00pm Paddy McCallion
Rest In Peace: We extend our sincere sympathy to the family and friends of; Tillie Evans- Racecourse Road
Baptisms: We welcome into the family of God; Ollie Gillespie & Saichairí McKinney
Visitation of the Sick: For urgent sick calls please contact the Parish office on 028-71262301 or 02871262894.
Baptisms: Please contact the Parish Office for dates.
Parish Office: You can contact the Parish Office by Phone on 028-71262301 or via email longtower@derrydiocese.org
Christmas Mass Bouquets are now available from the Parish Office or the Sacristy. Cost £2.00 each.
Long Tower Christmas Cards are now available from Parish Office or the Sacristy. Cost is £4.00 for a packet of 12 cards each containing 4 different images of the Long Tower Church.
Mass Guidance
New restrictions that came into effect on Friday 27th November state that Places of Worship must close, except for Funerals and Weddings (limited to 25 people), to broadcast an act of worship without a congregation present & for private prayer. For the next 2 weeks the Church will open to facilitate private prayer from after 10am Mass until 7pm. Please note times may change if there are funerals or weddings. We please ask that you continue to adhere to guidelines, to wear a face covering at all times, observe social distancing, use the hand sanitiser on entering & leaving the Church and to receive Holy Communion only in the hand.
On the assumption that Places of Worship will be allowed to open for public worship at Christmas we would hope that everyone who wishes to get to Mass for Christmas Day will be able to do so. We will have to implement a booking system. Beginning tomorrow Monday you may telephone or call at the Parish Office between 9am & 12 Noon to book a ticket for one of our Christmas Masses. The mass times are, 6pm Vigil, 9pm Vigil, 8am Christmas morning, 10am Christmas morning and 12Noon. We thank our volunteers for their help in organising with the and we request your patience in coming week.
PLEASE REMEBER BOOKING TIMES MONDAY TO FRIDAY FROM 9AM UNTIL 12NOON.
Padre Pio Intercede for Us
Weekly Mass for Healing in Mind & Body continues this Monday 30th November at 7.30pm Via Webcam
We shall share in a spiritual network of prayer, love and support in these difficult times. Through the gift of this Mass we will unite in prayer for all. We pray to be surrounded by the light and warmth of God’s love to heal our brokenness at this time of isolation, suffering and loss. We hope at the end of each Mass to give a Spiritual Blessing using a 1st class relic of Padre Pio. Please share as best you can knowledge of this Mass with your family & friends. You can access the Mass via our parish website: www.longtowerchurch.org then click on the link for the webcam or alternatively by logging on to www.churchmedia.tv
The Grande Triune
It feels that whether we are conscious of it or not – but every cell in our sacred body longs to be in the Kingdom of God. It also feels that when we were formed a cardinal point was set within our hearts and our cells were blessed and preloaded with love – to use in this world for the good of all. This quantum force of love connects us with the grand triune – a vast power beyond our capacity to understand – though is felt within this deepest place. Before we set of, it seems we were given some reminders – to use our free will to make decisions and to live within the boundaries of the divine Kingdom. Possibly, we have forgotten this as life whisks us away to other places. But listen and feel – for we know this place remains within us. It is our true nature, our original state – where the alpha and the omega endlessly play out. Our singular movement should only be in the present moment, for it is there we will touch this place again. As we approach the first gate of Advent let us begin to remember who we truly are – using this beautiful season to come back to love, peace and wellness in body mind and spirit. June 2019.
Annual Solemn Novena In Honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Annual Solemn Novena in honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Nine Sundays before Christmas in Long Tower Church at 6.00pm, continuing this Sunday 29th November via webcam. Pope Francis wrote his latest letter to us all on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on 4th October. In it he asks us, in the spirit of St. Francis, to pray for and work at brotherhood and solidarity with all our sisters and brothers of all faiths and none. We will pray for this spirit of fraternal love through our Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Each night will comprise of the Rosary, Novena prayer and petitions with a short talk given by various guest speakers and a ceremony of healing with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Our speaker this week is Maghus Monaghan. Maghus is the director of music in St. Eugene’s Cathedral and is the organist & choir director in Long Tower. He has previously worked as a parliamentary assistant in the Irish Parliament. He is married to Lucy and they have four children. We welcome him to the Long Tower as we continue our Novena in honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. We encourage everybody, including those in particular need of healing in their lives to join us.
SVP – Christmas Appeal 2020 If you are looking for help we are here to help you in whatever way we can. Please ring us on 028 71265489 or online https://svp.ie/get-help/request-help-online.aspx. Christmas time is the busiest time for the SVP giving out lots of toys and food parcels kindly donated by the public. However this Christmas is going to be different with COVID-19 and government restrictions. The safety of the public and our members is paramount. Therefore we are asking the public that instead of buying a physical toy or items of food that they buy a voucher or make a donation for the amount they were going to spend. The Annual Church Collection will take place on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December 2020. We have also a fundraising page for donations on our SVP website; https://www.svp.ie/get-involved/do-your-own-fundraising/current-fundraisers/fundraisers/derry-city-appeal.aspx
Children in Crossfire’s Advent Appeal has begun. You can still pick up an Advent box at the back of the chapel if you are in for private prayer. You can also donate online: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/advent-appeal. This year’s appeal is raising funds to help provide hand washing and sanitation facilities to 700 schools in Tanzania, especially vital right now. We have also launched our 2020 Christmas gift cards. This year’s cards focus on Songambele Primary School in the Kongwa district of Tanzania’s Dodoma region. We believe this is a beautiful gift to share with your loved ones this Christmas. They can be purchased via: Our online shop, Veritas stores in Derry/Londonderry, Newry and Letterkenny or by contacting Aishling on 028 71269898 (Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm). Thank you for your support.
Care4Calais, Winter is upon us and this year we need your help more than ever before. In Northern France more than 3,000 refugees are currently sleeping rough. Temperatures are rapidly dropping and police raids and evictions are worse than ever. This winter our goal is to provide each and every one of these refugees with a warm winter coat. To do this we urgently need your help. Visit the Coats4Calais page for more information. Alternatively you can also make a donation and leave it at Parish Office.
This Christmas, Trócaire will deliver life-saving support to thousands of families across the developing world. As well as supporting people living through conflict and natural disasters, Trócaire has launched a special appeal to support families who have not been able to grow food or earn money due to Covid-19. Please consider supporting this vital work this Christmas. You can purchase one of 17 special gifts for families, or else make a general donation to the Trócaire Christmas Appeal. Please visit trocaire.org to make a donation or buy a gift.
Blood Donation Sessions in the Guildhall on the 30th Nov. & 1st & 2nd Dec. Please note that donation sessions are now by appointment only; to book an appointment, please call 08085 534 653 between 10am and 4.30pm.
Are you aged 60+ and living in the Creggan area? If so, we want to hear from you to ensure you are on the Old Library Trust database so that we can include you in future plans such as the lead up to Christmas this year. Family members can also phone on behalf of parents and grandparents to ensure they are included. Don’t miss out, call Amanda at 028 71 373870
Can You Foster? Could you give a home to a vulnerable child when they need it most? Fostering is about giving them a safe, secure place to live for a few weeks, months or even years. Barnardo’s Fostering NI is looking for foster carers. Foster placements can be: long-term, short-term, emergency, short breaks and parent and child together. You must be over 21 to foster and must have a spare bedroom in your home. Foster carers are offered a fostering fee and allowances; they are given training and support. To learn more please Tel: 028 9065 2288 or visit our website https://www.barnardos.org.uk/foster
St. Joseph’s Boys School – Mass of Remembrance: Last Thursday, St. Joseph’s Boys School celebrated their annual Mass for Deceased Pupils and Staff. The Mass was recorded in the School oratory and is now available to view online on the school Facebook page.
Accord Derry Virtual Interactive Marriage Preparation Programme. Course Dates, January 12th and 13th 2021, February 9th and 10th 2021 & March 9th and 10th 2021. Booking now online at www.accordni.com.
Accord’s free and confidential ‘Relationships Support Phone Line’ for marriages, families and relationships offers support to those experiencing extra pressure due to social restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The three numbers are: Accord CLG – 01 531 3331, Accord Dublin – 01 905 9555, Accord NI – 028 9568 0151 or 00353 1 531 3331.
Webcams Around the country, some parish churches and cathedrals have installed webcams for the broadcast of Mass and these can accessed on the following websites; https://www.churchservices.tv/churches/
https://www.mcnmedia.tv/cameras
https://www.parishwebsites.ie/
Radio Maria Ireland is an Irish-run Catholic Talk-Radio Station. Prayer, Catechesis, Uplifting music, Talks, Interviews and Testimonies – Listen via TV on Saorview – Channel 210 and Freeview – Channel 826; Download our FREE APP – “Radio Maria Ireland”, streaming on www.radiomaria.ie or via PHONE – get live radio feed by telephoning +353 (0) 1 437 3277 (no extra charges apply). Please join our growing faith family. Why not drop a line to our Priest Director, Fr. Eamon McCarthy by email; info@radiomaria.ie
