The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ 22nd June 2025
One Body
Faith is not only a personal matter but also a social, political, and global phenomenon. Zechariah, writing after the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE, foretells a people grieving for “the one they have pierced,” with God offering forgiveness, not retribution. Today, we continue to pierce Christ’s body and each other through division, injustice, and war—even as we call on His name on our knees with uplifted hands. In Galatians, Paul urges us away from the brink by reminding us of who we truly are, that we were not made for division. In Christ, there is no longer Jew or Greek, male or female, for we are all one body. Some may call this idealistic, yet it remains a radical challenge for us, as well as for global religious and political systems that foster exclusion, fear, and conflict. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus goes further to warn that we will always suffer unless we release our human desires and take up our daily cross to follow Him, not in grand gestures, but by allowing His word to permeate our lives and shape our compassion. To begin, may we lighten our heavy hearts with the soft power of God’s forgiveness and resist the hard power of retribution that rips us apart. Reflection by Teresa McDaid. Scripture Readings: Zechariah 12:10-11, 13:1; Galatians 3:26-29; Luke 9:18-24.
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 22ndJune 10.00am Billy Chambers
Monday 23rd June 7.30pm Gerry McDermott
Tuesday 24th June 7.30pm Magdalene & Hugh McCay
Wednesday 25th June 7.30pm John Carlin
Thursday 26th June 10.00am Christina Gillespie
Thursday 26th June 7.30pm Mary McMonagle
Friday 27th June 7.30pm Martin Campbell
Saturday 28th June 6.00pm Archie Leggett
Rest In Peace: We extend our sincere sympathy to the family and friends of; Eileen McCafferty- Iona Court
Baptisms: We Welcome into the family of God: Theiarose Taylor, Noah Cassidy & Kai Mulcahy.
To book a Baptism please contact the Parish office on 028-71262301 during office hours or email longtower@derrydiocese.org.
Parish Baptismal Dates: Please note Saturday Baptisms are at 3.30pm.
July 2025– 19th August 2025– 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd
LAST WEEK’S ENVELOPE COLLECTION AMOUNTED TO £2395.00
LAST WEEK’S RENOVATION COLLECTION AMOUNTED TO £780.00
The Parish Office: You can contact the Parish Office by phone on 028-71262301 (during office hours) or via 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 on 028-71262301 or 02871262894. For urgent sick calls for those in hospital, please ask the duty nurse on the ward to call the Hospital Chaplain. Thank you.
Síopa Cholmcille- St Columba’s Gift Shop in Aras Cholmcille: New stock recently arrived. We stock a variety of gifts & cards, candles, rosary beads, books, occasion cards and many other gifts & mementos. The shop is open after 10am morning Mass during the week. For enquiries please contact Sheila Doyle/ Jim Doherty via (parish office 028-7126230 or Sacristy 028-71261946) who will be happy to help.
‘Cloisters Café’ in Aras Cholmcille in the grounds of Long Tower Church, a cosy place to relax and have a bite to eat or a cuppa and a cake! The café is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9am to 3pm. Spread the word! ‘Meet & Bite’ is housed in Cloisters Café on a Tuesday between 4pm-6pm and is available to those in need at no cost. We aim to provide a listening ear, as well as a warm meal and some goodies to take away where we can. Have a look at Cloisters social media Meet & Bite for more information.
Job Opportunity Derry Diocesan Trust
Diocesan Youth Coordinator – 1 Year Fixed Term Contract (with possible extension), 35 hours per week. Job Role:- The main focus of the post will be working with young people, schools and parishes to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of youth ministry in the context of the Catholic Church. For application packs, Tel: 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 12 Noon Monday 7 July 2025. Derry Diocesan Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We welcome applications from all men and women and from members of all communities.
Lourdes 2025. Bishop McKeown will offer Mass for intending pilgrims in Our Lady of Lourdes, Steelstown, Derry on Monday 23rd June at 7pm. After Mass pilgrim packs including tickets will be distributed. Those who cannot attend should arrange for someone to collect their tickets.
Diocese of Derry: 3-Day Pilgrimage to Lough Derg; Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July. For those wishing to avail of transport, a bus will depart after 10am Mass in St Eugene’s Cathedral, on the Friday; it will travel via Lifford and Ballybofey. Cost: £95/€110 (including transport). Pre-booking is required. Please contact Tony Brennan on tony.brennan@derrydiocese.org or phone the diocesan office on (+44) 028 7126 2302 for a booking form. We look forward to welcoming you.
Accord Derry – Marriage Preparation Workshops: September to November 2025: September 26th & 27th 2025, October 17th & 18th 2025 & November 7th & 8th 2025. All of the above courses are now online for booking at www.accordni.com. Please note that these courses are in person and not virtual. Please note we will NOT be facilitating a course in December 2025.
Derry Search Youth Group – 40 Years of Faith, Friendship & Fellowship! Join us as we celebrate Derry Search Youth Group’s 40th Anniversary with a night of praise and worship on Sunday 6 July at 7.00pm in St. Mary’s Church, Creggan.
Diocesan Vocations Intercession: As we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ we pray for our diocesan seminarians and for the men who are currently discerning a vocation to the priesthood that, as priests, they will faithfully and reverently nourish the people of God in their preaching of the Word and in the Eucharist. We pray for Stephen Baxter who will be ordained Deacon in St Columb’s Church, Waterside, Derry, on Friday 27th June. We wish him every blessing in his ministry and in his final preparations for priesthood.
Annual Service of Intercession for the Dead takes place in the City Cemetery this Sunday, 22nd June at 3.00 pm. 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. There will be no vehicle access to the cemetery from 12pm 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 will be 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 those attending to arrive in good time, and to adhere to the advice of the stewards. We would greatly appreciate cooperation with staff to ensure everyone can have safe and easy access to this time of prayer. The Service will also be live streamed and available to view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwxjiwtrdi4
All-Ireland Rally for Life takes place in Dublin on Saturday 5th July. 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
Bayside Alpha are hosting on Zoom a Summer School on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary for six Sundays, starting on Sunday 22 June at 7:30pm. The series is a mixture of video and discussion. To join please email Paul at alphabayside@gmail.com Link to a trailer for the series is on: https://youtu.be/3jnRu8B08uc?si=F3AfumLZLqFntxZJ
GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS: Is Gambling affecting your life? Perhaps we can help. Tel 028 7135 1329.
