FOURTH sunday of easter (A)
(GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY)
READINGS FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (A)
First Reading – (Acts 2:14, 36-41) – This is the conclusion of the sermon preached by St. Peter on the day of Pentecost. He tells the people that Jesus whom they crucified has been raised up and is now the Lord. Many of his hearers repented of what they had done and accepted baptism.
Responsorial Psalm – The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second Reading – (1 Peter 3: 20-25) – This was addressed to slaves. St. Peter urges them to bear their unjust sufferings with patience, like Christ the Good Shepherd bore his for love of us.
Gospel Reading – (John 10:1-10) – Jesus compares his love for his disciples to that of a good shepherd for his sheep.
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PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
INTROUCTION: Dear brothers and sisters as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, let us confidently bring our needs and prayers before God our Father.
The response is… Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for the leaders of the Church: that they may be inspired by the Spirit to act as true shepherds, caring for the needs of all people. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for our young parishioners who received the Sacrament of First Communion today (yesterday): that they may always love him with all their hearts and forever live faithfully. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life: that men and women may be inspired to hear the call to serve God as priests, deacons, and religious, offering their lives for the service of the Gospel. Lord, hear us; Lord graciously hear us.
╬ We pray for our parish community: that we may recognise the voice of Christ in our daily lives and have the courage to follow him. 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, we give thanks to you for the gift of your Son Jesus, our Good Shepherd and Saviour. Listen to your people who lift their hearts in the hope of receiving your blessing. 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 – 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 – Margaret Quinn, Hugh Dougan & Frances Hourigan & Mary Tracy.
MONTHS MIND – Rose Gallagher (2nd Months Mind) & David O’Hare (Jnr) (4th Months Mind).
ANNIVERSARIES – Andrew Harkin (2nd Anniversary), Marjorie Callaghan & Joseph McLaughlin.
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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GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY
This Sunday is the World Day of Prayer for vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. On this annual worldwide event, the Church around the world invites us to pray for those we might know whom God may be calling to a priestly or religious vocation and would benefit from our prayers.
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CALENDAR
The Marist priest St Peter Chanel, martyred by a local chieftain in 1841 after preaching the faith in the Pacific island of Futura, is honoured on Tuesday; so too is St. Louis Mary de Montfort, author of ‘True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin’ and founder of the Montfort Fathers. On Wednesday we celebrate St. Catherine of Siena, the 14th century Dominican tertiary who through her deep personal holiness and her dictated writings and letters wielded great influence for good, and after her canonisation was made a Patron of Italy and Doctor of the Church. Thursday is the memorial of Pope Saint Pius X, who was canonised for his personal saintliness and is known for his encouragement of early and frequent Communion. On Friday we honour Saint Joseph the Worker, the Mayday feast founded by Pius XII at the height of the Communist menace, to highlight the importance and dignity of human labour. On Saturday we honour St. Athanasius, whose defence of the Divinity of Christ turned the tide against the great Arian heresy, according to which Jesus was simply the highest of creatures.
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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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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST COMMUNICANTS
Congratulations to our young people from St. Charles’ and St. Cadoc’s Primary Schools upon making their First Holy Communion yesterday (Saturday). The day was beautiful and the celebration was an uplifting, spiritual and memorable event. My thanks to the teachers, parents, guardians & carers, grandparents and all those who supported our children as they prepared them for their special day. We continue to pray for our First Communicants that Jesus will always have a special place in their lives.
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SECOND COLLECTION FOR KILBRYDE HOSPICE
This will be the last weekend if you would like to contribute to the annual collection for Kilbryde Hospice. The Hospice has been in existence since August 2018 providing Specialist Palliative Hospice Care to the population of South Lanarkshire. A box intended for donations to help support the Hospice is situated at the back of the church. I hope you will show generosity in helping the Kilbryde Hospice.
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WELCOME TO FR. MCNULTY
We welcome back to our community Fr. Joe McNulty, who is no stranger to our parish. He will be with us from Tuesday 28th April 2026 until Sunday 17th May 2026 while I am away home to India. We thank Fr. Joe McNulty in advance for his help during my time away. I hope he will enjoy his time with us.
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DAILY WEEKDAY MASS
Please note the following changes in our weekday Masses. There will a weekday Mass at 10am from Tuesday to Friday. This arrangement will be in place from Tuesday 28th April 2026 until Monday 18th May 2026. No Daily Mass on Monday and Saturday mornings during this period.
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SECOND COLLECTION FOR CHURCH BUILDING
& MAINTENANCE FUND NEXT WEEKEND
Next Sunday (3rd May 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 March.
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 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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‘THANK YOU’ ON BEHALF OF ST. CADOC’S PARISH
Thank you to the Diocese for the recent act of kindness shown toward St. Cadoc’s Parish, Halfway, by reducing our levy for 2026 by £5,064.01 which would be paid from the Levy Relief Fund. Their thoughtful gesture towards the Parish of St. Cadoc’s is very much appreciated by the parishioners. In the last five years, the Diocese has been able to support parishes which, due to lower-than-average income streams and/or particular high expenditure, appeared to need some financial support towards levy costs. Once again, thanks are extended to the Diocese of Motherwell for their continuing support of the parish. Their timely practical support will provide much needed help and financial stability in the months to come.
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GIFT-AID
For those using offertory gift-aid envelopes, the new envelopes for the 2026-2027 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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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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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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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 26th 2026 (Fourth Sunday of Easter) – “Let us pray for all considering abortion, that they would receive support and love from family and friends - and from the Christian community - so that they might continue with their pregnancies in hope.”
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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