Thirty Second Sunday In Ordinary Time 7th November 2021
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 7th November 12Noon Kevin Mullan
Monday 8th November 7.30pm Una Quigley
Tuesday 9th November 10.00am Josephine Keane
Tuesday 9th November 7.30pm Annie & Denis Stout
Wednesday 10th November 7.30pm Michael Green
Thursday 11th November 7.30pm Maureen Tonner
Friday 12th November 7.30pm Gerry Houston
Saturday 13th November 6.00pm Cassidy Family
Rest In Peace: We extend our sincere sympathy to the family and friends of: Patrick Boyle- Ewing Street, Pat McDaid- Beechwood Avenue
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
Visitation of the Sick. For urgent sick calls please contact the parish office on 028-71262301 or 02871262894
Christmas Mass Bouquets are now available from the Parish Office or the Sacristy, cost £2.00.
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
We would like to remind everyone attending Mass & other Church Services that under current guidance there remains a legal requirement to wear a face covering on the way into a place of worship and on the way out. Despite this change in the legal position Bishop Donal McKeown has asked that we strongly continue to recommend & encourage the use of face coverings during all services of worship. We also kindly ask that you continue to observe social distancing & use the hand sanitiser on entering & leaving the Church and that you receive Holy Communion only in the hand. It is up to each of us individually and as a community to keep each other as safe as possible as we continue to live alongside the virus. We thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to gather together as a parish community.
Annual Solemn Novena in honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Nine Sundays before Christmas in Long Tower Church continues this Sunday 7th November at 6.00pm. The theme of our Novena this year is ‘The gifts of hope and joy in a time of darkness’. 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 Martina Purdy. Martina was born in West Belfast and brought up in Canada. She returned to her native Northern Ireland in her mid-20s to work as a journalist and spent 25 years in her chosen profession, 15 of them with the BBC in Belfast, where she held a high-profile position as a political correspondent. She left the BBC in October 2014 to join the Sisters of the Adoration on the Falls Road in Belfast. In September 2019 the Convent was forced to close due to unsustainable numbers in the congregation. Since then Martina has taken up a marketing post at the Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick. We welcome her 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.
FAMILY PRAYER AT HOME – NOVEMBER A MONTH TO REMEMBER – This booklet contains prayers for November, a family prayer service for use at home and information about a remembrance event at Knock Shrine. This booklet may be of particular interest to families and those who are housebound. All these resources can be found at Diocese of Derry website: https://www.derrydiocese.org/news/november-family-prayer-at-home
LAUDATOSI – PRAYERS FOR SUCCESS OF COP26: On Sunday, 7th November, Bishop McKeown will offer Mass in St. Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry, for the success of the proceedings at COP26. Each parish, each school, each home – united with people of faith throughout the world – are invited to pray for our world at this time.
COVID-19 Memorial Prayer Garden; The Garden of Remembrance has now been constructed in the Cathedral grounds, behind the Lourdes Grotto. It names all the parishes of the diocese and includes prayers for the deceased. The rose plants that were brought forward to the sanctuary on the night of the Stations of the Cross remembrance vigil (held in St Eugene’s Cathedral on 26th & 27th March 2021) have been planted there. The Garden will not be officially dedicated until later, however, people are welcome to come and pray or reflect, especially in this Month of the Holy Souls.
Derry Diocesan Youth will be holding a Youth Event in the Carmelite Retreat Centre, Termonbacca, Derry on 21 November, from 12:00noon -3:30pm. This event is for young people in the diocese ages 14 and up to come and get involved with their faith and celebrate world youth day in preparation for World Youth Day in Lisbon 2023. If any young person would like to book, please email lizzie.rea@derrydiocese.org or message any @derryyouth social media pages. Cost £5 to secure a place at this event; all deposits to be paid before the 16 November.
Derry Diocesan Trust Job Opportunities:-
Position– Diocesan Youth Co-Ordinator, 20 hours per week (inc. evenings and weekends) 1- Year Fixed Term Contract, Catechetical Centre, St Eugene’s Cathedral, Francis Street, Derry, Closing Date-12.11.2021.
Position- Housekeeper, 8 Hours per week, (possible extension to 12 hours per week), Long Tower Parochial House, 6 Victoria Place, Abercorn, Derry, BT48 6TJ, Closing Date- 12.11.2021.
Position- Cleaner, 2 Hours per week, St. Patrick’s Church, Dungiven, Co.Derry, Closing Date- 12.11.2021.
For a job description and application form please: Write: Personnel, Derry Diocesan Office, St Eugene’s Cathedral, Francis Street, Derry, BT48 9AP, Email: payroll@derrydiocese.org or Telephone: 028 7126 2302.
Derry Diocesan Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We welcome applications from all men and women and from members of all communities.
The Diocese of Derry Privacy Notice: The Diocese of Derry complies with GDPR regulations. A privacy notice is available on the Parish website or by contacting the Parish Office. Live stream and recordings of Mass and Services in St Columba’s Church, Long Tower and are available online. Parishioners should note that the first 4 rows of seats are visible online in St Columba’s Church, Long Tower.
Safeguarding Notice: If you have any concerns with regard to the Safeguarding of children or adults in need of protection within the Church please contact Marie Gormley, the Diocesan Designated Liaison Person (DLP) at 07596500793/07707311358 or at the Safeguarding Office, Diocesan Pastoral Centre, 164 Bishop Street, Derry, BT48 6UJ or PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) 101 or Social Services: Gateway Services, Western HSC Trust, 71314090 and ask for the Duty Social Worker.
Trócaire Emergency Appeal: A Church Collection will take place this Weekend 6th & 7th November. Please donate what you can to help the people of Somalia, South Sudan & Ethiopia. Donations can be left in Sacristy or in the Parish Office.
Consider Your Call – Priesthood is the first in an exciting line-up of events aimed at encouraging and supporting young people as they discover more about the definite service God may be calling them to. The project, entitled ‘It’s Your Call’, will be complemented by a suite of online resources to help us learn more about vocation. Over the coming months, the ‘It’s Your Call’ platform will look at five key pathways in life: Single, Married, Ordained, Religious and Consecrated — not just priesthood! If you would like to learn more about priesthood, or simply support those who are considering this vocation, why not come along to Consider Your Call – Priesthood in the Catholic Chaplaincy, Queen’s University Belfast on Thursday 11th November 2021 at 6pm after 5.15pm Mass. This project is supported by the Northern Area Committee of the Knights of St Columbanus and is open to people from any diocese.
Anam Cara Donegal, the organisation that supports bereaved parents, is holding its monthly Parent Evening for bereaved parents on Thursday 11th November at 7:20pm in the Raddison Blu, Letterkenny. This event is free and open to all bereaved parents regardless of the age your child died, the circumstances of their death, or whether their death was recent or not. For more information, see anamcara.ie or call our Information Line on 01 4045378.
Lumen Christi College Event – Saturday 13th November 2021. An event will be taking place at the college on Saturday 13th November. There may be some traffic disruption between the times of 8.30am – 9.30am and 12noon – 1.15pm. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
A Day Retreat In Memory Of All the Faithful Departed will take place in the Carmelite Retreat Centre, Termonbacca on Monday 15th November, beginning at 10.30am and ending at 5.00pm. the cost for the da, including meals is £25. For bookings, contact the Carmelite Retreat Centre on 028-71262512.
GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS: Is gambling affecting your life? Perhaps we can help: call us on 028 7135 1329.
Foyle Foodbank, Springtown, Industrial Estate, is open from 11am until 4pm Monday to Friday to help those in food crisis. Telephone 71263699.
Accord Derry Marriage Preparation Workshops 2022: January 25th/26th 2022, February 8th/9th 2022, February 22nd/23rd 2022, March 8th/9th 2022, March 22nd/ 23rd 2022, April 5th/6th 2022. All of the above courses are Virtual Interactive Courses. They are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7pm-9pm. Booking online www.accordni.com. Due to demand an extra course is being facilitated on November 23rd/24th 2021.
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.