EASTER sunday (A)
READINGS FOR THE EASTER SUNDAY (A)
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 true and lasting peace in our world: that the Risen Christ may bring the gifts of peace and reconciliation to all situations of violence, hatred and division. 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 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 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 – David Tarelli, Baby Archie Thomson, Alex McLeod, Thérèse McKeand, Martin McGuire & James Hannaway.
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 – Patricia Gault (Requiem Mass, Tuesday 14th April 2026 at 10am), Laura Anne Stuart, William Darroch, Tom Amos, Rona McPhee, James Burke & Jamie McNulty.
MONTHS MIND – Rose Gallagher, Peter, Harry & Andrew Harkin.
ANNIVERSARIES – Patrick Dolan (47th Anniversary), Catherine & Joan Hughes, Thomas Mochan & Betty Gallagher.
EASTER REMEMBRANCES – James & Bella Connor, Kevin Coyle, John, James, Danny & Manus Coyle, Margaret McEwan, Connor & Coyle Families, David O’Hare (Snr & Jnr) & Esther O’Hare, Charlie Rafferty & Betty Peacock, Helen Boyle, Theresa Boyle, Christine Elliot, Neil & Christina Kelly, Coyle & McInulty Families.
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 - 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year there can be no day more hope-filled than Easter Sunday as we celebrate with great joy the Lord’s Resurrection. May the Risen Lord Jesus therefore renew our faith, fill us with great hope, and inspire further acts of Christian love and service.
I wish everyone a very Happy Easter, and hope you have benefitted from your participation in the liturgical celebration of the Lord’s Paschal Mystery through Holy Week and at Easter.
It is always special for the Bishop to concelebrate the Mass of Chrism on Holy Thursday with his priests, in the presence of the deacons, religious, and lay faithful, and this year again we were again united as the Body of Christ here in Motherwell Diocese, acknowledging the gift of the sacraments and praying for the priests, ordained to celebrate and administer them.
I thank you all for your generous response to the Lenten Appeals, particularly for your support for SCIAF through the Collection and the Wee Boxes. The Good Friday Collection for the support of the Church in the Holy Land is also vitally important and your contributions are much appreciated. The Universal Prayers at the Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday strongly remind us of the Church’s responsibility for praying for the whole world and people of all faiths and none. Fulfilling this mission, we must continue to pray for peace and an end to all war. Pope Leo has spoken strongly in recent times calling for an end to war in the Middle East:
On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict: cease fire! May paths of dialogue be reopened! Violence can never lead to the justice, stability and peace for which the peoples are waiting.
May the peace of the Risen Christ reign in our hearts and in our troubled world.
+ Joseph Toal
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 amid 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 Easter 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 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 25th April 2026 (St. Charles’ Primary School) at 9.30am & (St. Cadoc’s Primary School) at 11.30am Mass 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. Charles’ Primary Schools who made their First Reconciliation on 3rd March and 5th March 2026 respectively. It has been great welcoming the young people 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 St. Cadoc’s Primary School who were Confirmed in St. Cadoc’s Church, Halfway, on 9h December 2025 and to our young people attending St. Charles’ Primary School who were Confirmed in St. Cadoc’s Church, Halfway, on 26th March 2026 by Bishop Toal. We give thanks to God for these great occasions 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!
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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 and 400 club 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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FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
First Holy Communion will be celebrated on Saturday 25th April 2026 for St. Charles’' Primary School at 9.30am Mass and St. Cadoc’s Primary School at 11.30am Mass 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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SECOND COLLECTION FOR CHURCH BUILDING & MAINTENANCE FUND THIS WEEKEND
This Sunday (5th April 2026), 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 April.
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 this 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.
The Church Building and Maintenance Fund Collection is dedicated to ensuring the structural integrity and safety of the church building. This includes things like roof repairs, heating system, electrical work, and other essential maintenance tasks. The usual weekly offertory collection helps us cover the day-to-day costs of running the church, such as utilities (electricity, heating, water), insurance, church services, general maintenance of church properties, administrative needs and various sundry expenses.
On the other hand, the undertaking of any of the major repair works previously mentioned, when needed, plus other essential costs associated with the running of the parish, would not be possible without your additional help and support. Your parish church dedicated to St. Cadoc’s very much depends on your contributions and generosity. Once again, I thank all those who, over the years, have attended this church of St. Cadoc’s and I appreciate the many contributions that have been and continue to be made to the parish, and I look forward to your ongoing assistance in the future.
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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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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 book of envelopes; if they use a special Easter collection envelope, they should have their number added on it.
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LITURGIES OF HOLY WEEK
I want to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have volunteered as Readers & Eucharistic ministers to assist with Holy Week and the Easter Triduum services. A huge thank you also to stewards and others who have made themselves available to help with diverse tasks and responsibilities to ensure a smooth celebration of the most important days of the Church year.
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LITURGY ROTA
Liturgy rota for Readers (April – June 2026) 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 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 Moran or Fr. Cirilo.
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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 Sunday 3rd May 2026 at 10am Sunday Mass after their Easter break and we will finish it for summer on Sunday 14th June 2026 with a tea party after 10am Mass in the church house.
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CHURCHC CLEANING
Thank you to all our parish volunteers [Irene Savage, Rose Hewitt, Rita Kelly, Anne McCafferty, Bernadette Goodwin, Frances Goodwin, Anne Lennon, Ann Paterson & Jane Ngomo] who generously gave of their time to clean the Church for Easter. It makes all the difference! We are very lucky in St. Cadoc’s that our church is cleaned every third Saturday. Many on coming to church comment on how clean, tidy and welcoming our church is, and that is testament to the wonderful cleaning team. 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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GIFT-AID
For those using offertory gift-aid envelopes, the new envelopes for the 2025-2026 tax year, which commenced on the weekend of (5th/6th April 2025), 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 now have three additional parishioners who have recently signed for the Gift-Aid Scheme. Thanks to them and all others who have answered our appeal. 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. Forms are available at the back of the church if anyone wishes to join the scheme. If you have any queries about the Gift Aid system, please contact the parish Gift Aid organiser, Mr. Jim Cunningham or Fr. Cirilo. Alternatively, you can contribute to the Sunday Mass collections via a direct debit or standing order arrangement with your bank. Thank you once again for your enduring generosity and support.
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READERS NEEDED FOR WEEKDAY AND WEEKEND MASSES
I am looking for volunteers who would be willing to read from the Holy Scriptures during weekday and Sunday Masses. Readings would include passages from the Old Testament, the Responsorial Psalm, and the New Testament (as well as our parish prayer intentions). If you would like to help our parish, please get in touch with Mrs. Anne Moran, our readers’ rota organiser, or Fr. Cirilo. Thanks are extended to the parishioners who have been part of this ministry for many years, those who have helped us as readers in the past and finally, those who have recently volunteered.
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PASTORAL PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING
Our next pastoral planning committee meeting will take place on Wednesday (15th April 2026) at 7pm in the church house. Minutes of the last meeting and the agenda for the next meeting can be found on the notice board at the back of the church.
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WELLSPRING PROJECT
You will well remember that two years ago the Diocese of Motherwell launched a renewal project entitled ‘Wellspring” to encourage us respond with fervour to our baptismal calling by involving ourselves in the different ministries of our parish. The Parish needs your help to respond.
Can you help us realise the vision of the wellspring project? I continue to encourage as many parishioners as possible to become involved in the day to day running of the parish. Current volunteering opportunities include Parish Pastoral Council, Finance Committee, laundering the altar linens, arranging flowers and decorating the church, as altar servers, sacristans, help in cleaning the church, readers at Mass, ministers to help distribute Holy Communion, SVDP, as pass keepers, offertory collection organisers, children’s liturgy helpers, safe-guarding co-ordinators, website co-ordinators, crib builders, volunteers to help maintain church grounds and open and close the church, etc. We are fortunate we are a parish community that lends itself to getting involved. However, opportunities exist for more parishioners to give of their time to participate in some aspect of parish life.
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HOLY WATER
Holy Water to take home is available in the sacristy room. You are welcome to take it from this location. Please bring a suitable container or a bottle and help yourself.
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COLLECTION FOR SCIAF
Collection for SCIAF realised £813.11. Thanks for your generosity. Thanks also to those who have returned their SCIAF wee boxes. If you have not already returned the box, can I encourage you to please return it to the sacristy/house by next Sunday (Second Sunday of Easter), or you may send them directly to SCIAF. Thank you also to Jennifer Adams who sorted out coins and carried them to the bank.
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much appreciated
Many thanks to those who, from time to time, replace and pay for the flowers on the side altars. Their kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated.
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grateful thanks
Thank you to all who donated and contributed financially to help us pay the heating and electricity bills over the winter months. Every little bit helps. Thank you once again for always being there to support your parish church. I look forward to your continued help and constant support.
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church grounds & garden maintenance
Grateful thanks to Charles Clements for tidying the church grounds at the entrance area of the church and pruning wild bushes behind the presbytery. These works have enhanced the outside appearance of the church and is very much appreciated by the parish as a whole. In addition, my thanks to all others who help in the garden and maintain church grounds during the year.
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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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thank you
A thank you to Charles Clements for giving of his time to clean the Easter Candle stand and to polish the chalices and ciboriums.
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annual insurance for church & presbytery
Our annual insurance renewal premium invoice for the Church and House for 2025/2026 is 2566.79.
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stall
We now have lovely religious Easter cards & Mass bouquets in stock in the stall. The amount available for purchase is limited. Cards for other occasions are also available. Thank you to Mary McInulty for her help in placing the order. Please support your parish by purchasing your Easter cards from the church stall.
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new parishioners
We would ask those who are new to the parish, or who are moving house within the parish, to record their name, address and telephone number on the registration card provided in the porch of the church. I would greatly appreciate your involvement in the parish. If you have any spare time, talents, or skills to share, I rely on the kindness and support of parishioners like you to help us grow and serve our community better. It is also very helpful if those moving from the parish let us know, so that our statistics can be kept up to date. Please be assured that any data we have (including the parish survey I undertook in 2016) will be held in a secure way and will never be shared or given to anyone else.
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parking in the streets surrounding the church
A core part of our mission is to be good neighbours, both to one another and to those who live around our church. A handful of our neighbours have reached out with concerns about their driveways being blocked by vehicles during our services and gatherings. Please be mindful of where you park to ensure you are not blocking access to our neighbours’ homes. Thank you for your kindness and cooperation.
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right to life uk: praying for the unborn
& women facing crisis pregnancies
April 5th 2026 (Easter Sunday) – “As we reflect on the Resurrection and God’s victory over death, we ask the Lord to protect in body and spirit, all those who are in hospice care and all those who are terminally ill.”
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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.
Holy mary, mother of god,
st. Joseph,
st. Michael and holy angels,
ST. CADOC,
Pray for us