EASTER sunday (B)
READINGS FOR THE EASTER SUNDAY (B)
First Reading – (Acts 10:34, 37-43) – This is part of an early sermon preached by St. Peter. He tells us how he was a witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The risen Jesus is the Saviour of all those who believe in him, as well as the Judge of the living and the dead.
Responsorial Psalm – This day was made by the Lord; we rejoice and are glad.
Second Reading – (Colossians 3: 1-4) – Through our Baptism we already share in the risen life of Christ, though in a hidden and mysterious way.
Gospel Reading – (John 20:1-9) – Early on Easter Sunday morning some of the disciples discover that the tomb in which Jesus was buried is empty. Then the truth of what the Scriptures had foretold begins to dawn on them, namely, that Jesus would rise from the dead.
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PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
INTROUCTION: Dear brothers and sisters, on this most joyful Easter Night (Day), as we gather as a community, we ask God the Father in the name of the risen Lord Jesus to hear our prayer which we make with grateful hearts.
The response is… Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for the leaders of the Church: that may never lose the joy of proclaiming the Paschal mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection with conviction and hope. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for peace in war-torn countries and more particularly for those affected in Ukraine: that there may be an end to hatred and violence, and that people may live in safety and peace. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for those young people of our parish who are to receive the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time in weeks to come: that they may always love him with all their hearts and forever live faithfully. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for those gathered here today: that renewed through word and sacrament, we may be strong in faith, confident in hope, and abounding with love for God and neighbour. 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 be their strength and grant them health, and bless those who care for them. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for the souls of all those whose Easter remembrances, 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, hear your people who gather tonight to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Christ your Son. Lead us from this celebration to the joys which have no end. 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 – Fr. Thomas Toal, John Hegarty, Robert Kielty, Thérèse McKeand, Mary McCafferty, Edward McCafferty, Stuart Mason, Martin McGuire, Helen Boyle, Peter Carton, 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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RECENTLY DEAD – Margaret McKeown, Christine Elliot & Anne Czamecki.
MONTHS MIND – Mary Burke, Mary Harkin & May Carey.
ANNIVERSARIES – John Connor & Sheena Connor, Catherine Hughes & Joan Hughes.
EASTER REMEMBRANCES – John, James, Manus & Danny Coyle, Jackie Reilly, David & Esther O’Hare, Betty Peacock, Charlie Rafferty, Helen Theresa Boyle, Agnes & John Boal, Neil & Christina Kelly, Bridget & Pat Welsh, Welsh & Gallagher Families, James & Johnny Mullen, Brian Tolver, Agnes McMullen, Tommy & Peggy Monach & Nora McGee.
Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let Perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they Rest in Peace. Amen.
CLERGY ANNIVERSARIES – APRIL
Rev. John O’Callaghan 15/04/1955
Rev. Edward Lafferty 05/04/1958
Rev. Charles Doherty 23/04/1982
Rev. James Flynn 11/04/1985
Very Rev. Hugh Cahill 11/04/1990
Rev. Lawrence Kenny 13/04/1992
Rt. Rev. Mgr. John Conroy 20/04/1994
Rt. Rev. Mgr. John Gillen 16/04/1995
Very Rev. Christopher Condon 08/04/1996
Very Rev. Anthony McGurk 29/04/1997
Rev. Bernard Mahoney 03/04/1998
Rev. Denis Power 28/04/1999
Rt. Rev. Mgr. Alex Devaney 18/04/2004
Rev. Michael Gallagher 23/04/2007
Very Rev. Patrick Moss 18/04/2014
Rt. Rev. Mgr. Jack Burns 11/04/2017
Rev. Richard J. Rodgers 10/04/2020
Canon Michael Walsh 28/04/2022
Rev Damien Gilhooley 10/04/2023
Rev George Donaldson 29/04/2023
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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EASTER MESSAGE FROM BISHOP TOAL - 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I wish everyone a very Happy Easter and pray for the blessing of the Risen Lord upon us all and our world. We pray especially that the peace offered by Christ as he appeared to his disciples at Easter may reign everywhere, especially among the peoples of his own land. May new hope spring up, even among the debris of war and the awful reality of human suffering and death.
The Wellspring Project, which I recently initiated in our Diocese, seeks to encourage a new vision and a desire for growth and participation in the life and mission of the Church here in Motherwell. The Scriptures frequently use the image of water and the new growth it brings. The Easter Liturgies highlight water also, and invite us to renew our baptismal promises, revived in the new life in the Spirit poured out upon us in the Sacraments. The Wellspring Project invites our parishes in particular to respond with fervour to our baptismal calling, and to continue to celebrate our faith and to form communities of faith, hope, and love in the great mission entrusted to us by the Lord Jesus. The joy and enthusiasm of Easter does offer an opportunity to welcome and promote participation in our Parish and Diocesan Life. Easter is the time for new beginnings and fresh hope, trusting in the Lord’s abiding presence and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This Easter I ask for your support, and especially your prayers, for the Wellspring Project, as we all strive to serve the Lord with thanksgiving in our hearts and fresh vigour in our actions.
With renewed Easter greetings,
Yours in Christ
+ Joseph Toal
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EASTER GREETINGS FROM FR. RODRIGUES
With deep joy and gratitude, I extend to you and your families my prayerful wishes for a holy and happy Easter. I think not only of those who live within our parish but also your family members who may be elsewhere at this special time of year. We have tried as a community to prepare for and to celebrate the great festival of the Christian year in the spirit of our ancestors in the faith, and according to the mind of our Holy Mother the Church. I thank you for your sharing so fully and in such encouraging numbers in our Lenten preparation and especially in the high climax of the three day Festival: the Diocesan Chrism Mass and the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, the Good Friday Liturgy of Christ’s Passion, and the Easter Masses.
The Celebration of Easter, every year, gives us an opportunity to renew the fervour of our Baptism and to commit ourselves to live up to our Baptismal promise. May the light of the risen Christ continue to burn brightly within us throughout the coming fifty days of Eastertide and beyond as we hear in a new way the Easter promise of hope in the midst of fear and uncertainty and the triumph of life over death. May the Risen Lord bless you all!
I will be offering Easter Masses for you, your family members, friends, and especially for those of you who may have lost a loved one since last Easter, for those who are sick or suffering from any illness, for those for whom we are asked to pray, or those away from home at this time. We will also remember in our Masses all those people who are part of our lives, and more especially we pray for all the sick of our families and our parish, those on our parish prayer list, in hospital, hospice or nursing home, those for whom we are asked to pray and those who have no one to pray for them. We also pray for the souls of all those whose Easter Remembrances, Anniversaries, Months Mind and Birthday Remembrances we are asked to recall, as well as those who have recently died. And we pray for the special intentions of our hearts and for whom this Mass is being offered, and for all those whose special anniversaries occur at this time.
In the period after Easter Sunday First Holy Communion Masses will take place. These will be celebrated on Saturday 27th April 2024 (St. Charles’ Primary School) at 9.30am Mass and at 11.30am Mass (St. Cadoc’s Primary School) in St. Cadoc’s Church. We all know the special place this has in everybody’s life.
The good work of preparation by all will be a great help in making First Holy Communion a great experience and a great memory for our young people. The prayers of parishioners are requested for these young people and for their families that their first meeting with Jesus in the Eucharist may lead on to a life in his loyal service.
Once again, congratulations to all our young people from St. Charles’ Primary and St. Cadoc’s Primary Schools who made their First Reconciliation on 20th February and 10th March 2024 respectively. It has been great welcoming 16 children to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. We hope and pray that all our young people will continue to experience the love and kindness of God when they come to confessions and continue to grow in their appreciation of this Sacrament.
Our congratulations also to our upper-Primary parishioners from the parish communities of St. Cadoc’s and St. Bride’s attending St. Charles’ Primary School attending St. Charles’ Primary School who were Confirmed in St. Cadoc’s Church, Halfway, by Bishop Toal on 14th March 2024. We give thanks to God for this great occasion in the lives our young people and we continue to pray for them that they, strengthened by the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation, will be true witnesses of Christ to others. May they spread and defend the faith by word and deed.
It is my humble and hearty request to parents, guardians & carers that you bring your children to a Sunday Mass on a regular basis. Parents, guardians & carers have a great responsibility to give a good example to their children, since children will only grow in faith if they see their parents, guardians & carers practise it.
I pray that you and your loved ones have a blessed Easter! Pray for me, as I keep you in my daily devotional prayers.
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THANK YOU MOST SINCERELY
A special thanks to the many people who contributed to the pastoral service of our community during Holy Week and also to all those who help during the year – Parish Pastoral Council, Finance Committee, our organists, those who look after the altar linens, altar servers, sacristans, flower arrangers and those who decorate the Church, the volunteers who clean the church, ministers of the Word and ministers of the Eucharist, SVDP members, those who look after the church stall, pass keepers, offertory collection organisers, children’s liturgy helpers, safe-guarding co-ordinators, website co-ordinator, crib builders, our bookkeeper, housekeepers, those who help in the garden and maintain church grounds, those who look after the opening and closing of the church, and to the many individuals who give their time in so many ways to St Cadoc’s and whose work ensures the smooth running of the parish.
Apologies if I have missed out anyone in my acknowledgements; it was not intentional or deliberate. Every contribution you make in any way to St. Cadoc’s community is very much appreciated and valued. If you think you can help our parish in any way or in any area of parish life, do not hesitate to speak to me. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and generous spirit to become involved in the life of our parish community and I look forward to your ongoing assistance in the future. A sincere thanks too, to all who have sent me cards and gifts. May God bless you, and your family and friends, with peace in your hearts and in your homes this Easter. -- Fr. Jose Cirilo Rodrigues
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DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
The Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday, the Octave of Easter, observed by Roman Catholics as well as some Anglicans. It is originally based on the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy that Saint Faustina Kowalska reported as part of her encounter with Jesus and is associated with special promises from Jesus and indulgences issued by the Church.
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BENE MERENTI MEDALS PRESENTATION
On Sunday 9th June 2024, Bishop Joseph Toal, who will be the main celebrant at 9.30am Mass (Mass brought forward by half hour to give sufficient time for the celebration), will be presenting the Bene Merenti Medal to Nancy Welsh, Anne Moran, Irene Savage, Barbara Morris, John Joseph Clark and Joe McHenry towards the end of Mass.
The Bene Merenti Medal is a well-deserved honour given to people who voluntary give their time in the service of the Catholic Church. Nancy Welsh, Anne Moran, Irene Savage, Barbara Morris, John Joseph Clark and Joe McHenry deserve to be honoured by the award as they have supported the Church for most of their lives, not only at Parish level but also at Diocesan level and the Universal Church. We offer our sincere congratulations to them as we acknowledge their many dedicated years of service to the parish of St. Cadoc’s and to the Church. We implore God’s blessings upon them and their families. Please put the date in your diary and join us in for Mass that day as a mark of gratitude to them on behalf of St. Cadoc’s Parish community.
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SECOND COLLECTION FOR CHURCH BUILDING & MAINTENANCE FUND NEXT WEEKEND
Next Sunday (7th April 2024), being the first Sunday of the month, the normal second collection will be taken up at all Masses to help support our Church Building and Maintenance Fund for the month of November. A box intended for the Church Building & Maintenance Fund Collection will be situated at the back of the church for the next two weeks beginning next weekend. Please be generous towards our second collection as this greatly helps pay for essentials such as continued maintenance and much needed repairs to our parish buildings and existing facilities.
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LITURGY ROTA
Liturgy rota for Readers (April-June 2024) for 5pm (Saturday) &10am & 11.30am (Sunday) Masses is available in the sacristy. Please collect a copy before or after any of the Sunday Masses. Thanks to Mrs Anne Moran for giving her time to prepare the readers rota. If you are able to be part of this important ministry, then please contact Mrs. Anne Moran or Fr. Cirilo.
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FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
First Holy Communion will be celebrated on Saturday 27th April 2024 (St. Charles’ Primary School) at 9.30am Mass and at 11.30am Mass (St. Cadoc’s Primary School) in St. Cadoc’s Church. The prayers of parishioners are requested for these young people and for their families that their first meeting with Jesus in the Eucharist may lead on to a life in his loyal service. Parents, guardians & carers of candidates for First Communion are reminded of the importance of attending the Sunday Mass faithfully each week.
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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 in the porch. 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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PARISH WEBSITE
We thank Pat Moran for all his help in updating our parish website every week. Our website gets updated every weekend and, normally, includes a copy of the weekly Parish Bulletin.
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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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GIFT-AID
Thank you to all those who have collected their new gift-aid envelopes for the 2024 - 2025 tax year, which commences next Sunday (7th April 2024). 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. We are grateful to Jim Cunningham, our Gift-Aid organiser, for giving his time to deal with Gift-Aid envelopes.
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MANY THANKS
Our gratitude to the Parish Offertory Counting Team for giving of their time to count our offertory collections last weekend in spite of their family commitments and for depositing the money in the bank.
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MAINTENANCE OF MONO BLOCK
PAVING AT the ENTRANCE OF THE CHURCH
Grateful thanks to Liam McGurk for power washing the mono block paving at the entrance to the church last week, and to William Mullen for his assistance. This work has enhanced the outside appearance of the church and is very much appreciated by the parish as a whole.
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OFFERTORY COLLECTION
The traditional way of collecting offertory giving by circulating baskets has been ongoing since Sunday 18th February 2024. This was made possible by some parishioners kindly volunteering to help with this task. Thank you to those who have decided to offer their services. We could still do with more people willing to give of their time as pass-keepers at weekend Masses. If anyone is willing to help us in the pass-keeping ministry, please let me know.
Please note, at the moment, only the Offertory Collection (First Collection) will be taken up by circulating the baskets. Special collections, including collections for the church building and maintenance fund, will continue to be taken by depositing contributions in the box provided at the back of the church. I look forward to your cooperation in this matter and I thank you for doing your best to support the parish.
In general, the responsibilities of the pass keepers include welcoming people to Mass and other events in the church, ensuring any materials (e.g., weekly bulletins, hymn books and leaflets) are distributed to, and collected from, congregations and making sure that the church is left tidy when the service is over. Pass keepers also provide practical support by ensuring that Offertory collections are undertaken with little disruption to the Mass and that proceeds are left in front of the altar.
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WELLSPRING: A COMMON VISION, RENEWED MISSION
AND 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.
he 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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CHURCH CLEANING
Thank you to all our parish volunteers [Irene Savage, Rose Hewitt, Rita Kelly, Anne McCafferty, Bernadette Goodwin, Frances Goodwin, Jane Ngomo & Anne Lennon] who generously gave of their time to clean the Church for Easter. It makes all the difference! We could do with more people willing to give of their time every three weeks to help with general cleaning of the church which takes place on a Saturday morning. If you would like to help with cleaning, please contact Anne Lennon, the parish co-ordinator, or Fr. Cirilo.
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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP
WITH RISING ENERGEY BILLS
The current climate of increasing cost of living coupled with continually rising energy prices has impacted on the ability of the parish to financially make ends meet. Our expenditure has remained the same over the past few years however, there has been a major decline in income in the aftermath of Covid-19 due to the reduced numbers now attending and supporting the church. The income we receive at present will not be sufficient to sustain the parish long term. This takes into account increasing costs and the pending renovation works which would be required to maintain and improve the interior of St. Cadoc’s Church and Presbytery in years to come. Our parish relies entirely on your contributions to pay our bills. I kindly appeal to your generosity to add an extra pound or two to your weekly contributions to help defray, in particular this winter, 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 bills.
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SCIAF LENTEN 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 the SCIAF.
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THANK YOU
Thank you to Mr. Joe Nelson from Nelson Funeral Directors for donating Easter eggs to children attending the church. Hope you all enjoy them.
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ST. CADOC’S 400 CLUB
St. Cadoc’s 400 Club has been an important source of income for many years and has enabled the parish to do things it would not otherwise have been able to afford. Unfortunately, a fall in membership numbers since both pandemic and post pandemic times has led to a decision to close the club which has been running for more than 60 years. On behalf of the parish, a sincere word of thanks to all members, both living and dead, co-ordinators and agents, and all others who have contributed in any way whatsoever, for their loyalty, contributions and support of the 400 Club and St. Cadoc’s Parish over the years. May God continue to bless them for their generosity, time and hard work. And may God continue to bless us at Saint Cadoc’s!
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OFFERTORY GIFTS PROCESSION
The traditional offertory procession will be recommenced from the first weekend in June (1st/2nd June 2024). Please say yes if the pass-keepers ask if you are willing to take forward the gifts of bread and wine.
The offertory procession is the ceremonial presentation of the gifts of bread and wine by volunteers from the congregation to symbolise the desire of the people that the priest offer the sacrifice of the Mass on their behalf - it is not only the priest who is offering the Mass but everyone present. The procession with gifts symbolises that we are all participants in the offering of the Mass as the perfect sacrifice to the Almighty Father. In return for our offering, Jesus becomes really present under the signs of bread and wine, just as he promised.
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COLLECTION FOR SCIAF
Collection for SCIAF realised £793.58. Thank you for your continued generosity. Your contributions will allow SCIAF to give millions of people a hand up out of poverty.
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parking in the streets
surrounding the church
Unfortunately, parishioners of St. Cadocs’ who drive to church are in a situation where there is no private parking within the church grounds. The streets surrounding the church therefore invariably become congested with parked cars especially at weekend Mass times. Whilst acknowledging the limitations of parking in relation to the church, I would ask those drivers attending services to consider the needs of local residents to have unimpeded access to their properties when choosing where to responsibly park. You can also use our car park which is situated behind the church. It can accommodate 6 cars.
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St. vincent de paul collection
You can contribute to the work of St. Vincent de Paul by placing your donation in the box left out in the porch as you leave the church after Mass today. Your generosity to the SSVP will enable them to continue with their commitments to help those in need in our local community. Thank you.
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right to life uk: praying for the unborn
& women facing crisis pregnancies
March 31st 2024 – “As we celebrate the ultimate victory Christ won for us on the cross, we pray for victory in all the church's efforts. We pray especially for the protection of all life, and the dignity and wellbeing of all human beings from conception to natural death.”
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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.
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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.
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Holy mary, mother of god,
st. Joseph,
st. Michael and holy angels,
ST. CADOC,
Pray for us