Some of the latest news of our Parish

St. Finian’s Churchyard Sunday 3rd July 2011

Voluntary workers are tidying up the Church Yard in preparation for the up-coming Cemetery Mass and blessing of graves. They have tidied the shrubs, sprayed the weeds and arranged to have the grass cut. Individual graves, however, are the responsibility of the individual families. Join in the momentum, get active and spruce up your family grave for the occasion.

Newcastle Pioneer Pilgrimage to Knock
The Newcastle Parish Pioneer Pilgrimage to Knock takes place on Sunday 17th July. Adults €20, Children €10. Apply to: Maureen Kenny 4589977, Rita Doolan 4589481

Morning of Prayer and Reflection - 25/06/2011 - 9.30 to 1.30
Ministers of the Word, Ministers of the Eucharist and members of the Parish Pastoral Councils in Saggart/Rathcoole/Brittas and Newcastle are invited to a morning of prayer and reflection in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, on Saturday 25 June, from 9.30am - 1.30pm. We will have the benefit of some input on prayerful reading of the Scriptures (lectio divina) by Fr Seamus Connell, one of the foremost scriptural scholars in the country. Places can be reserved by contacting Martina in the Parish Office.

Charity Walk

Rathcoole Park
Sat. June 25th
The Charity Walk, in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, will take place in Rathcoole Park on Saturday 25th June. This year we are looking to set a new Guinness World Record and need 6,000 Walkers. Tickets are available on the day and locally from Paddy Byrnes Newsagent, Adults €10 and all children U12 are free. There will be the Artane Senior Band, Tiny Tots Playground, Water Zorbs, a Craft Fair and a Farmers Market.This year we are also hosting a Mini Olympics in association with Donore Harriers for Boys & Girls U8 to U18 in Rathcoole Park on Friday 24th June starting from 630pm. All races are free and for Mom and Dad there is a 5km Charity Run at 8pm, registration on the night and is €5 per adult with funds going to Irish Cancer Society.
Eucharistic Congress 2012
National Eucharistic Congress - Knock June 25th - 26th 2011
A short National Eucharistic Congress will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June25th and 26th, this year. People from every diocese will gather together in Knock on Saturday June 25th and there will be a liturgical celebration in each diocese the following day, Sunday June 26th, the feast of Corpus Christi. On a more local level, it is hoped that two (or more) representatives from each parish, will participate in the celebrations in Knock on the Saturday. They will bring a Eucharistic Congress Candle to Knock on behalf of each our parishes, and these candles will then be solemnly lit at the Sunday Masses in our own churches. There is also an invitation for one family from each parish to the Pro-Cathedral on Sunday June 26th for a celebration of Mass at which Archbishop Diarmuid Martin will formally light the Diocesan Eucharistic Candle.

International Eucharistic Congress 2012 Volunteers Needed
Between two and three thousand volunteers will be required to assist in organizing the International Eucharistic Congress, June 10th - 17th 2012. Volunteers can expect plenty of hard work with a unique and spiritually uplifting experience as part of a momentous occasion in the history of our Church and community.
For information on becoming a volunteer for the Eucharistic Congress, please visit the following web page: www.iec2012.ie/volunteer

Eucharistic Congress Collection: Next Week
The June Collection for the International Eucharistic Collection has been postponed, and will be taken up at all Masses on the weekend of Sunday June 26th.

Cystic Fibrosis Collection
PLEASE GIVE A DONATION FOR LIFE. The Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland is holding a church gate collection (Rathcoole and Saggart) on Saturday 25th June and Sunday 26th June 2011. Also, please look out for the bag packers in Dunnes Stores, Saggart on Saturday 25th June 2011. Ireland has the highest rate of Cystic Fibrosis in the world - 15 people have died from Cystic Fibrosis so far this year, 10 of whom were under the age of 25. However, the standard of care in the Republic of Ireland falls far below the European level. All monies raised go to improving facilities around the country - the buying of equipment for hospitals, help and information for Cystic Fibrosis patients and their families and towards research. PLEASE BE GENEROUS.

Some of the Latest News of Our Parish

Fr. Aidan Kieran, the editor, is delighted to announce the launch of ‘Junction 4’ our new combined Newsletter.  It serves our two parishes, Saggart and Newcastle. We hope you like it. It is another example of the growing co-operation between our two parishes. It means that people throughout the two parishes (and they are two BIG parishes!) will be able to keep up with events across the whole district. It also means it will be possible for parishioners to advertise events and issue news across the two parishes in just one publication. The deadline for items to be included in the newsletter is 1pm on Friday. See notice below about how to make sure notices can be included

Dawn Chorus - May 29th - 29th May 2011, Dawn chorus with 10am Mass Choir and Active Retirement . 7am Rathcoole Park, celebrating Bealtaine Festival

Niall Mellon Township Trust Fundraising Event - Michelle Lawless, Pairc Mhuire. Saggart, is holding a fundraiser on the 7th of June next in Harolds Cross race track to raise funds for the Niall Melllon project. She is going for a week with the project in November to build houses in South Africa. The tickets are €10 each which is your entry in to the night and if you would like to support and are not able to go to Harolds cross you are in a draw for €1,000 on the night. Michelle’s number is 087 7599270.

Newcastle Cemetery Masses

At this time, we can confirm the following dates and times for cemetery Masses:

Newcastle (Ballynakelly) Sunday 12th June               3.30pm

Colmanstown                      Tuesday 14th June              7.30pm

Brownstown                                         Saturday 25th June             2.00pm

St. Finian’s Churchyard   Sunday 3rd July   10.30am               

First Communion and Confirmation Congratulations - Congratulations to the children and young people in our parish communities who have recently celebrated First Communion and Confirmation. We hope you had a very special day as you took this important step on your faith journey. Congratulations also to your parents, for whom these days are also very significant. The sacraments were celebrated as follows:

St. Martin’s NS Brittas                        First Communion                Sunday 8 May     Saggart

St. Mary’s Saggart and St. Martin’s Confirmation       Tuesday 10 May Saggart

Holy Family NS Rathcoole                               Confirmation                       Wednesday 11 May           Rathcoole

Scoil Chrónáin Rath Cúil                   Cóineartú                              Déardaoin 12 Bealt.            Tamhlacht

Scoil Chrónáin Rath Cúil                   Céad Comaoineach            Sathairn 14 Bealt.               Rath Cúil

On Tuesday 17th May, the 6th Class boys and girls of St. Finian’s NS Newcastle will celebrate their Ceremony of Light in St. Finian’s Church, Newcastle. Good luck to you all.