Parish Bulletin
6th June 2021
Corpus Christi
This weekend we celebrate the greatest gift we have ever received and the most powerful thing in the universe - the Holy Eucharist. Whenever the Church gathers together in memory of him, as the Lord Jesus asked us, bread and wine are
transformed into Christ himself - his body, blood, soul and divinity. In the Eucharist it is Jesus himself who we receive in Holy Communion, and Jesus himself who is waiting in our tabernacles for us to come and adore him.
To celebrate, we will mark the feast day on Sunday with public adoration from 12noon to 4pm. Then at 4 o’clock we will have our weekly devotions of Vespers and Benediction which will be open to the public this week. Hopefully you will be able to join us at some point to offer your personal prayer, love and thanksgiving to our Eucharistic Lord Jesus.
Fr Damian
THIS WEEK
Parish webcam can be viewed on our YouTube channel
(search for Ballymoney Parish)
SATURDAY 5th 5pm Confessions (until 5.30pm)
6pm Vigil Mass
SUNDAY 6th 10am Mass
Corpus Christi 12noon Public Adoration (until 4pm)
4pm Vespers & Benediction
5pm Mass
MONDAY 7th 10am Mass
WEDNESDAY 9th 9.30am Mass (not open to public)
FRIDAY 4th 5.30pm Confessions (until 6.30)
7pm Mass
Our Lady & St Patrick’s is open Friday to Monday from 12noon to 4pm for private prayer.
WE PRAY FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
Recently Deceased
Mary Devine
Month's Mind
Marie McConville
Anniversaries
John Cushnahan, Robert Gaile, Gerry Gillan, Mary Ann Kelly, Jim McCann, Patrick McCullagh,
Mary Jo McKenna, Jack McLaughlin, Patrick McVeigh, Eileen Mooney, Rita Neill, Ann O’Reilly,
William Rodgers
REQUIESCAT IN PACE
PRAYING FOR OUR PARISH
This week we are praying in special way for the Black, McCusker, McEldowney and O'Kane households. May God bless them and watch over them.
CONFIRMATION
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Wednesday June 9th. The Bishop has nominated Fr Damian to celebrate the sacrament on his behalf this year.
PARISH FINANCES
Thank you for your support of our parish collections.
Collection envelopes can be left in the church at Mass times or left at the parochial house any time. You can also set up a standing order or make a one-off payment to our account with these details:
Parish of Ballymoney & Derrykeighan
Sort code: 95-06-79
Account No: 10020192.
Please make cheques payable to:
Parish of Ballymoney & Derrykeighan
FURTHER STUDY
The Priory Institute in Dublin provide theology courses for adults looking to learn more about their faith. The Institute was set up by the Irish Dominican order. This year they will be offering courses online as well so that students can take part without travelling. To find out more about their courses or to register to take part in their online open day on June 19th click
prioryinstitute.com/events/priory-institute-open-day or email enquiries@prioryinstitute.com to find out more.
ATTENDING CEREMONIES
Please remember that there are still restrictions on the number of people who may attend funerals, weddings and baptisms at this time. These ceremonies are not open to the general public and you should only attend if you have been directly invited by the family. All
ceremonies are available to watch on webcam.
EUCHARISTIC Q&A
In this week of Corpus Christi it’s good to remind ourselves of the Church’s teachings on the Eucharist.
In what way is Christ there when the Eucharist is celebrated?
Christ is mysteriously but really present in the sacrament of the Eucharist. As often as the Church
fulfils Jesus’ command, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor 11:24), breaks the bread and offers the
chalice, the same thing takes place today that happened then: Christ truly gives himself for us, and we truly gain a share in him. The unique and unrepeatable sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is made present on the altar; the work of our redemption is accomplished.
What is the right way to honour the Lord present in the bread and wine?
Because God is truly present in the consecrated species of bread and wine, we must preserve the sacred gifts with the greatest reverence and worship our Lord and Redeemer in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
If there are consecrated hosts left over after the celebration of Holy Eucharist, they are kept in sacred vessels in the tabernacle. Since the Most Blessed Sacrament is present in them, the tabernacle is one of the most venerable places in every church.
We genuflect before any tabernacle. We should also find time to spend in prayer and adoration before the tabernacle and offer our love to our Eucharistic Lord.
What sort of preparation do I need in order to be able to receive Holy Communion?
Someone who would like to receive the Holy Eucharist must be Catholic and believe what the Church teaches about the sacrament. If we have a serious sin on our conscience, we must first make a confession. Before approaching the altar, we should do what we can to be reconciled with our neighbours.
The Church also requires us to fast from food for one hour before we receive Holy Communion as a special sign of respect to the Sacrament.
How does Holy Communion change me?
Every Holy Communion unites me more deeply with Christ, makes me a living member of the Body of Christ, renews the graces that I received in baptism and
confirmation, and fortifies me for the battle against sin.
What if I can’t receive Holy Communion?
At this many time many people are unable to come to Mass and receive Holy Communion. Others are unable to receive the sacrament because of circumstances in their personal life. In these cases we should make a spiritual communion.
The prayer we use explains that although we can’t receive Communion at this time we do believe and love the Eucharistic Lord and we ask his guidance so that we can receive the sacrament in the future. When we make this prayer with love and humility we can be confident that our kind God grants us his blessings and the graces we need.