palm sunday (B)
READINGS FOR THE PALM SUNDAY (B)
Gospel for Procession – (Mark 11: 1-10 or John 12:12-16) – This tells of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as the humble king and gentle Messiah. His followers greet him with joy.
First Reading – (Isaiah 50: 4-7) – The prophet suffers in carrying out his mission, but he is convinced that God will eventually save him.
Responsorial Psalm – My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Second Reading – (Philippians 2: 6-11) – Because Jesus took on himself our human condition and accepted death on a cross the Father has made him Lord of heaven and earth.
Gospel Reading – (Mark 14:1-15:47) – St Mark stresses the cruel trial and the shocking details of our Lord’s suffering. But a sudden light appears when a pagan soldier makes a profession of faith in the crucified Son of God.
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PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
INTROUCTION: Dear brothers and sisters, the mercy of God will unfold for us during this holy of weeks as we walk with Jesus to Calvary, the Cross and the empty tomb. Knowing that Jesus is our merciful and compassionate King, let us now pray to God the Father, through Jesus, for our own needs and those of the Church and the world.
The response is… Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for the leaders of the Church: that they may lead the Universal Church into this Holy Week witnessing to the mercy of Jesus with humility and simplicity. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We continue to pray for SCIAF’s partners who work in poor communities overseas, strengthening those who struggle for justice: that they may walk more closely with them in the years ahead. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for all those preparing for baptism, confirmation and reception into communion in our churches this Easter: that this may be for them a joyful time of growth and deepening of faith. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for those gathered here today: that during this week we may open our hearts to the mercy of Jesus offered to us especially through the Liturgy and the Sacraments. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for all the sick of our families and our parish, those in hospital, in hospice or nursing home and those for whom we are asked to pray: that God may give them strength and fortitude, and bless those who care for them. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for the souls of all those whose anniversaries, months mind and birthday remembrances we are asked to recall, as well as those who have recently died: that they may receive the reward of their faith and enjoy the happiness of heaven. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
CONCLUSION: God our Father, during this Holy Week, we see your love for us displayed in the sufferings and death of your Son. As you answer our prayers, give us grace to follow the example of Jesus. We make this prayer and all our prayers through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE
IN YOUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK
SICK – John Clelland, Rose Gallagher, John Hegarty, Robert Kielty, Thérèse McKeand, Mary McCafferty, Edward McCafferty, Stuart Mason, Martin McGuire, David O’Hare, Ann & James Hannaway & Maureen Dolan.
I also ask your prayers for the sick and housebound
– those at home in our parish community, those in hospital,
and those in local nursing and care homes in Cambuslang, Halfway
& Blantyre and elsewhere. Our prayers for them
not only help in their suffering and pain but also reassure them
that they are not forgotten by our community of faith.
Our prayers help relieve their feelings of isolation and loneliness.
To be remembered before the Altar of God
brings them comfort and consolation.
Almighty and Eternal God, you are the everlasting health
of those who believe in you.
Hear us for your sick servants
for whom we implore the aid of your tender mercy,
that being restored to bodily health,
they may give thanks to you in your Church.
Through Christ our Lord.
Our Lady, Help of the Sick, pray for them.
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BIRTHDAY REMEMBRANCE (LIVING) – Barbara Sweeney.
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RECENTLY DEAD – Canon Roddy Johnston, Ronnie Grant, Robert Jamieson & Krzysztof Zagroba.
ANNIVERSARIES – Theresa McLaughlin, Peter Sweeney & Elizabeth (Betty) Gregson.
Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let Perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they Rest in Peace. Amen.
CLERGY ANNIVERSARIES – MARCH
Rev. Alexander McBride 10/03/1955
Rev. John Roger 09/03/1958
Canon Patrick McCarthy 15/03/1959
Rev. Michael Little 19/03/1960
Rev. James Walsh 05/03/1965
Rev. Hugh Mahon 05/03/1971
Archbishop James Donald Scanlan 25/03/1976
Rev. Sean Mannion 10/03/1982
Rev. James McGill 12/03/1982
Rev. James Dooley 21/03/1988
Mgr. John O’Donnell 03/03/1989
Canon Patrick Kelly 29/03/1989
Rev. Patrick Kilcoyne 07/03/1990
Rev. Denis Garrity 09/03/1993
Rev. Robert Healey 13/03/1994
Rev. Patrick Brosnan 26/03/1995
Rev. John Givens 19/03/2006
Rev. William Sproule 22/03/2010
Canon Kieran O’Farrell 17/03/2014
Canon Patrick O’Hare 30/03/2016
Rev. Deacon Angus McKinnon 09/03/2018
Fr Timothy Brosnan 13/03/2018
Canon Denis Keane 29/03/2020
Monsignor Thomas O’Hare 10/03/2022
May the Lord who chose them to serve him as priests,
number them among his chosen in heaven.
Requiescant in Pace.
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PALM SUNDAY
Today is Palm Sunday – also known as Passion Sunday - and the first great celebration of Holy Week. Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, known as the Sacred Triduum, are the high point of the Church’s year, culminating in the Easter Vigil with its Festival of Light, its service of Readings and its blessing of Baptismal water and renewal of vows, and the Eucharist of Easter Night. Please remember that Good Friday is a day of Fast and Abstinence for those not excused by age or illness. And do make time this week to join us here for the great ceremonies, and so make this a truly holy week for yourselves and your families.
Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. Each Mass will begin with a commemoration of Our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem, the blessing of Palms, and the traditional procession leaving from the porch of the Church.
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HOLY WEEK: EASTER TRIDUUM
Holy Week is the last week of Lent, the week immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It begins with Palm (or Passion) Sunday wherein the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is observed that was once marked by the crowds who were in Jerusalem for Passover waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king. The conclusion of this week is called the Easter Triduum (Triduum comes from a Latin word meaning “three days”). The Easter Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the evening of Holy Thursday and reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil and ends with Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday.
The Easter Triduum, as its name indicates, comprises three days as reckoned according to ancient Jewish custom –- a day was measured from sundown to sundown. Thus, the first day of Triduum commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper (Holy Thursday evening) and his crucifixion, death and burial (Good Friday afternoon). There are no major liturgical celebrations on the second day (from sundown on Good Friday until sundown on Holy Saturday), for it is a period evoking the time Jesus’ body rested in the tomb. The third day begins at sundown Saturday with the Easter Vigil and ends with the evening of Easer Day.
On these three most sacred days the Church celebrates the most inspiring and splendid liturgies. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening celebrates Jesus’ last meal with his disciples when he blessed the bread and wine with the sacred words so familiar to us. This liturgy also features the ritual washing of the feet as enjoined by Jesus in John 13, and ends with the solemn procession and prayer before the reserved Eucharist at a specially designated repository. The celebration of Good Friday commemorates Jesus’ arrest, his trial, crucifixion and suffering, death and burial. Holy Saturday has traditionally been a time of reflection. It is a day of quiet meditation as Christians contemplate the darkness of a world without hope apart from God and his grace. Originally celebrated after the nightfall of Holy Saturday is the Easter Vigil which comprises the blessing of the new fire, lighting of the Paschal Candle, the Easter proclamation; extensive readings from the Scriptures evoking the story of salvation; and the initiation of Catechumens into the Church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist. Easter Sunday is in essence but a continuation of this most wonderful celebration.
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easer Vigil—these “Three Days” remind us of death and life. They are the holiest and most important days of celebration in the Catholic Church. During these three days, we focus on one event—the Passover of the Lord—Our Easter. May we enter into the spirit of liturgy of this week, watching and praying with the Lord, so that we may come closer to him.
LITURGIES FOR HOLY WEEK
q Monday & Tuesday – Daily Mass at 10am.
q Wednesday – Stations of the Cross at 9.30am; Daily Mass at 10am.
q Holy Thursday (Morning): Chrism Mass in the Motherwell Cathedral at11am.
q Holy Thursday (Evening): Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 6.30pm.
q Good Friday: Morning Prayer of the Church at 9.30am; Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3pm; Stations of the Cross at 5.30pm.
q Holy Saturday (Morning): Morning Prayer of the Church at 9.30am.
q Holy Saturday (Evening): The Great Easter Vigil at 6.30pm.
q Easter Sunday (31st March): Festal Masses at 10am & 11.30am.
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HOLY PLACES COLLECTION
The annual collection for Holy Places will be taken up on Good Friday. This collection goes towards the upkeep of the places in the Holy Land associated with the life and death of Jesus.
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BULLETIN NOTICES
Please ensure that notices & Easter Remembrances for the Easter Sunday bulletin reach the sacristy or the church house by Wednesday of this Week.
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SCIAF SUNDAY
This will be the last weekend if you would like to contribute for the work of the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, which will go to help provide essential support to survivors and help to stop sexual violence, medical care, trauma counselling and skills training so survivors can recover, support themselves and rebuild their lives – plus much more. A box intended for the SCIAF Sunday Collection is situated at the back of the church. I hope you will contribute with your usual generosity to this collection.
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LITURGIES OF HOLY WEEK
We are looking for volunteers who would help out as readers. A sign-up sheet has been left in the porch for the various liturgical needs of Holy Week. Please consider volunteering for our parish ministry opportunities during Holy Week. Thanks to Mrs Anne Moran for giving her time to prepare sign-up sheet. Those who have put down their names to read the Passion on Palm Sunday are asked to collect the book of readings from the sacristy this weekend.
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confessions for easter
Please find time to make a good Confession in preparation for Easter. Fr. Rodrigues will be available in the sacristy to hear confessions from Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday between 9.30am – 9.50am during the remaining time of Lenten Season.
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GIFT-AID
For those using offertory gift-aid envelopes, the new envelopes for the 2024-2025 tax year, which commences on the weekend of (6th/7th April 2024), are now available for collection at the stall. Gift-Aid members should put the date on the building fund envelope as the printer has not done this. May I ask those who haven’t done so to collect them from the stall please.
We are still looking for new members. If you pay tax on income/pension the church can claim back the tax through the Gift-Aid Scheme. I would encourage those who may be eligible to give consideration to increasing the value of their normal weekly offerings by joining this worthwhile scheme. Gift Aid forms are available in the church porch/sacristy and when completed can be returned to Jim Cunningham, our parish gift-aid organiser, or Father Cirilo.
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EASTER COLLECTION
Please support your parish’s ministry and help to maintain your Church and grounds by giving generously to our Easter collection. Special Easter Collection envelopes are situated at the back of the church. Gift-aid members should use the Special Offering envelope at the end of their books of envelopes; if they use a special Easter collection envelope, they should have their number added on it.
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wellspiring: a common vision,
renewed mission & parish renewal
Will you join us? – is the last line of the Wellspring Vision. The success of Wellspring will depend on the generous response of each one of us and our prayer that God will bless our efforts. Every parish will respond in a different way, guided by the Spirit, to promote the vision of Church that is inclusive and outward looking, renewing our missions to foster deeper faith and witness and renewing our parishes as thriving communities.
The Parish needs your help to respond. What can you contribute? Can you help develop this vision of Church? The Wellspring Vision for the Diocese invites you to ‘Imagine a church…’ you are invited make that vision a reality.
There will be a meeting in the presbytery on Tuesday 16th April at 6.30pm
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children’s liturgy
The Children’s Liturgy of the Word takes place at 10am Sunday Mass (except school holidays). Our young ones are the future of our parish. Their participation in parish activities, such as the children’s liturgy, is an important step in their faith formation. Once again, it is my humble and hearty request to parents, guardians & carers that you bring your children to a Sunday Mass on a regular basis. We will resume the Children’s Liturgy sessions again from 5th May 2024 at 10am Sunday Mass after their Easter break.
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bulletin notices
Please ensure that notices & Easter Remembrances for the Easter Sunday bulletin reach the sacristy or the church house by Wednesday of this week.
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pastoral planning meeting
Thank you to all those parishioners who joined me on Tuesday (19th March 2024) evening for our parish meeting and for all their feedback.
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sciaf lenen alms boxes
Thanks to those who have returned their SCIAF wee boxes. If you have not already returned the SCIAF box, can I encourage you to please return it to the sacristy/house as soon as possible, or you may send them directly to SCIAF.
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FINANCIAL ASSITANCE TO HELP WITH RISING
ENERGY BILLS (GAS & ELECTRICITY)
I kindly appeal to your generosity to add an extra pound or two to your weekly contributions to help defray, in particular, the high costs of energy bills. A big thank you to those of you who have already generously increased your regular giving to help defray the rising energy bill costs.
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RIGHT TO LIFE UK: PRAYING FOR THE UNBORN
& WOMEN FACING CRISIS PREGNANCIES
24th March 2024 -- “As we recall the welcome of the Lord into Jerusalem and then His Passion and Death, let us pray for that spirit of welcome, especially towards the most vulnerable, allowing us to see the Lord in people who are homeless, those who are disabled, immigrants, and the unborn.”
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AN ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
(St. Alphonsus Liguori)
(This is a simple and loving act of Spiritual Communion we are called to make in these times,
while we are unable to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist)
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the
Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there
and unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in the day of battle.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness
and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts,
by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan, and all the evil spirits
who prowl the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Holy mary, mother of god,
st. Joseph,
st. Michael and holy angels,
ST. CADOC,
Pray for us