Pentecost Sunday 24th May 2026
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 24th May 10.00am Paddy Glen
Sunday 24th May 12Noon Liam Cooley
Monday 25th May 7.30pm Declan Smith
Tuesday 26th May 7.30pm Don & Richard Crawley
Wednesday 27th May 7.30pm Mary McMonagle
Thursday 28th May 7.30pm Elizabeth Sweeney
Friday 29th May 7.30pm Michael Barr
Saturday 30th May 6.00pm Trish & John Quigg
Rest In Peace: We extend our sincere sympathy to the family and friends of; Annie McMenamin- Lisfannon Park & Frances Lyttle- Drumcliffe Avenue
Parish Baptismal Dates: Please note Saturday Baptisms are at 3.30pm
The next available Baptism dates are 11th July, 5th & 19th September
To book a Baptism please contact the Parish office on 028-71262301 during office hours or email longtower@derrydiocese.org.
Visitation of the Sick at Home & in Hospital. For urgent sick calls to those at home please contact the parish office 02871262301. For urgent sick calls for those in hospital, please ask duty nurse on the ward to call hospital chaplain. Thank you.
LAST WEEK’S ENVELOPE COLLECTION AMOUNTED TO £2552.00
LAST WEEK’S RENOVATION COLLECTION AMOUNTED TO £851.00
The Parish Office: Please contact the parish office during office hours to arrange all Anniversary and Months Mind Masses, as well as to book Baptisms & Weddings. Please call the parish office by 12Noon on Thursdays with names for weekend Anniversary list. The Parish Office is open Monday- Friday from 9am to 2.30pm, Tel: 028-71262301 or via email at longtower@derrydiocese.org. For urgent sick calls, please use the office telephone number at all times. The Parish office will be closed on Monday 25th May and re-open on Tuesday 26th May at 9am.
Fr. Gerard kindly invites those involved in the Long Tower Parish, i.e. Sacristans, Altar server leaders, Eucharistic ministers, Readers, Collectors, Children’s Liturgy leaders, Parish Council members, Parents ( involved in programmes), Choir members, Cleaners, Ground workers and all those interested in safeguarding to a safeguarding children information meeting in Aras Cholmcille on Monday 1st June, 6pm- 7pm, facilitated by Briege O’Neill, Diocesan Safeguarding office. Please contact the parish office on 028-71262301 if you are able to attend.
Padre Pio Mass for Healing in Mind & Body continues this Monday 25th May at 7.30pm
Through the gift of this Mass we will unite in prayer with all who are ill, unwell, feeling isolated and struggling with the pressures of life. We pray to be surrounded by the light and warmth of God’s love to heal us at this time. We hope at the end of each Mass to give a Blessing using a 1st class relic of Padre Pio. The Mass will be streamed via our parish website: www.longtowerchurch.org.Everyone is welcome to attend.
💙 St Columba’s Day 2026- Just a heads up of what will be happening to celebrate the ‘holy patron of our town’ at Long Tower. 💛 Fri 5th June: Family Fun Day – Long Tower School Playground: 1pm – 3pm; Céilí Mór in Lower School Hall: 8pm – 10pm. 💛 Monday 8th: All-Night Vigil of Adoration: 8pm – 6.30am. FEAST OF ST COLUMBA – Tuesday 9th June, 7am Mass at Hawthorn Tree; 10am Mass for Schools and Families; 6.30pm: Vespers at Bell Tower, Lumen Christi College; 7pm: Rosary in Irish at Calvary; 7.30pm: Mass of St Columba to mark the 80th Anniversary of the Consecration of Long Tower Church celebrated by Fr John Joe Duffy, PP Creeslough, followed by procession to St Columba’s Well, Annual Draw & refreshments in LT Lower School Hall.💙
St Columba’s Church, Long Tower, Annual Parish Draw 2026: Tickets are ON SALE NOW, LAST REMAINING TICKETS SELLING FAST, DON’T MISS OUT!! Price £5/per ticket. The draw will take place 9th June, St Columba’s Feast Day. 1st prize £2600, 2nd prize £1000, 3rd prize £500, 4th prize £300, 5th prize £200. Promoters prize of £100. Anyone wishing to purchase tickets or to be a promoter can call at or contact the Parish office on 02871262301, Monday to Friday 9am – 2.30pm or via email longtower@derrydiocese.org. We would also ask promoters to make their ticket returns during office hours 9am-2.30pm Monday- Friday. Thank you for your support.
We congratulate P.4 pupils from Long Tower, Ballougry & Nazareth House Primary Schools who celebrated the Sacrament of First Holy Communion in Long Tower on Thursday 21st & Friday 22nd May. Thanks to all who made the occasion so special. We hope you all had a lovely day!
Diocesan Vocations Intercession: On Pentecost Sunday we pray for a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit on deacons, seminarians, and on the men discerning a vocation to serve the Church as priests of our diocese. May the Spirit of Jesus fill the hearts of many more with the courage to answer God’s call & keep them faithful in their ministry.
Parish Cell- In June we will be introducing the parish cell system with prayer/faith meetings taking place initially in Aras Colmcille (Wee Nuns) on the 1st Floor (upstairs). These will build on the Lectio Divino meetings that took place during Lent/Advent. You are warmly invited to join the weekly cell meetings. There will be two sessions, one starting on Monday 8th June after 7.30pm Mass & another on Tuesday 9th June after 10am mass. The sessions should last approx. 1½ hours and will continue on a weekly basis. Everyone welcome, especially those seeking to develop their prayer life and explore scripture in a gentle way.
Derry Diocesan Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine will take place on Saturday 6th June 2026. In conjunction with the All Ireland Rosary Rally, we will join those gathered to celebrate at our National Eucharistic and Marian Shrine. For those for whom it is convenient, buses will leave St Eugene’s Cathedral, at 8am: cost £50, which includes dinner in Knock House Hotel following the conclusion of the Mass in the Basilica. For further information, please contact Karen in the parish office at St Eugene’s on 028 7126 2894 or by email at cathedral@derrydiocese.org. Full schedule to follow.
Derry Youth Fundraising Concert: Derry Youth Ministry will be holding a Fundraising Concert to raise money for their upcoming Fatima Pilgrimage. The concert will take place in St Anne’s Parish Hall, Brisland Road, Eglinton at 7.30pm on Saturday 6th June. Come and enjoy a great night of entertainment, raffle prizes and light refreshments, all while supporting our young people on their pilgrimage. Tickets are £10, for tickets and more info please call 02871264087 or email ddcc@derrydiocese.org.
Diocese Of Derry Lough Derg Pilgrimage 2026: Diocese of Derry Three-Day Pilgrimage to Lough Derg will take place from Friday 24 July to Sunday 26 July 2026. Lough Derg continues to welcome people seeking prayer, peace, reflection and renewal in the midst of busy lives. A bus will travel from St Eugene’s Cathedral, via Strabane and Lifford. Cost: £95 / €110 including bus transport. You are welcome, of course, to use your own means of transport. Booking form and full details available at: derrydiocese/lough-derg.
Job Opportunity- Derry Diocesan Trust
Temporary Administrative & Financial Officer (15 Hours per week for 6 months) in Doneyloop Parish of Urney & Castlefin, Co. Donegal, based in the Parochial House). Working Days & Times to be negotiated. Reporting to the Parish Priest, the role entails provision of administrative and financial support. For application packs please telephone 028 7126 2302 or email: recruitment@derrydiocese.org. Completed applications must be returned to Personnel, Bishop’s House, St Eugene’s Cathedral, Francis Street, Derry, BT48 9AP or via email to recruitment@derrydiocese.org no later than 12noon, on Wednesday 27th May 2026.
Caretaker, St Joseph’s Hall, Omagh: 20 Hours Per Week. One-year fixed term contract (with possibility of extension). Days and times in agreement with Parish Priest and to facilitate operational needs of the parish and may include evening and weekend work. For job description and application pack please telephone (028) 7126 2302 or email: recruitment@derrydiocese.org. Completed applications must be returned to: Personnel, Bishop’s House, St Eugene’s Cathedral, Francis Street, Derry, BT48 9AP or via email to recruitment@derrydiocese.org no later than 12noon on Friday 29th May 2026. Derry Diocesan Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We welcome applications from all men and women and from members of all communities.
Annual Service of Intercession for the Dead takes place in the City Cemetery, Sunday, 7th June at 3pm. Please be in position at 2.30 pm. Families are asked to bring their own holy water to the Cemetery for the blessing of the graves. At the appropriate time Bishop McKeown will ask a representative of each family to sprinkle their family grave (and neighbouring grave if there is no-one present). There will be no holy water in the Cemetery. 150 car parking spaces will be made available for Blue Badge holders within the Cemetery. The places will be allocated on a first come first served basis to current Blue Badge holders and can be booked at www.derrystrabane.com/cemeterysunday. There will be no vehicle access to the cemetery until 1pm to facilitate preparations for the service. Access will only be given to those who have registered with gates remaining open until 2pm. Those who have secured a space must be in place by 2pm, as there will be no access for vehicles after this time. Other car parking is available for blue badge holders at St Mary’s Church, Creggan, St Cecilia’s College and Celtic Park. Booking is not required, and access will only be given to vehicles that display a current Disability Blue Badge Permit on arrival. For visitors parking outside the cemetery, we ask that you please park in appropriate areas and be considerate of people living in the area. Do not block roadways, footpaths, or gateways when parking. This is an important time of prayer for families who are remembering loved ones, and we ask that everyone is respectful and mindful of other visitors during the service. We encourage you to arrive in good time, and adhere to the advice of the stewards. We would greatly appreciate cooperation with staff to ensure everyone can have safe & easy access to this time of prayer. The service will be streamed live at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvtk3PsOheU.
A Marian Evening of Prayer will be held in St Mary’s Church, Creggan, Wednesday 27th May. The event is hosted by Derry Youth Ministry, who are preparing for their diocesan pilgrimage to Fatima in August of this year. The night begins at 7pm with a rosary procession (outdoors, weather permitting), followed by a short talk on Our Lady and the Eucharist, Adoration, and Benediction. Music will be provided by the Diocesan Youth music group, with refreshments following in the community room. All ages welcome! Contact Bethany at bethany.doherty@derrydiocese.org for more details.
Corpus Christi Procession – St Patrick’s Church, Crossroads, Killygordon: You are invited to join the Servant Sisters for their Corpus Christi procession, honouring the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist! Starting in St. Patrick’s Church, Crossroads on Sunday 7 June at 4pm. All are welcome to attend! First Holy Communion children are invited to come dressed in their communion attire. Tea and refreshments to follow. The event will be preceded by 40 hours of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in St Patrick’s Church beginning on Friday 5 June. Again, all are welcome to the 40 Hours.
All-Ireland Rally for Life takes place in Belfast on Saturday 4th July. Please join us to make a stand to protect Ireland’s unborn babies. Coaches will be travelling from towns across Northern Ireland. To book your seat contact 02890278484/ 07592280522 or email info@preciouslife.com.
Silent Retreat: Carmelite Retreat Centre, Termonbacca, Derry,13th – 19th July. Theme: “If you but knew the gift of God…” Fr. Kilian Byrne, Cost: £395/€450/Full Board Contact: Helen 00353 86 1678027/ hellywilliams@gmail.com www.foyerofcharity.ie.
GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS: Is Gambling Affecting Your Life? We Would Like To Help. Pick Up The Phone And Ring 028 7135 1329
Rachel’s Vineyard: Have you been affected or hurt by abortion? If so, please contact Michelle on 07871765181.
