CONFESSIONS
Saturdays: 10.30am - 12.30pm; 5.45pm
- 6.20pm
Thursday before First Friday after
morning Mass
BAPTISMS
Friday: 6.30pm Sunday 12.45pm
CONTACTS
Parish Administrator: Mrs Amanda Cairns
Parish Office: 02871 882215
Email: info@strabaneparish.com
Website: www.strabaneparish.com
Parish Hall: 02871 882483
STAGES IN THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS
Authentic forgiveness cannot be forced. The journey
to forgiveness is usually a long, arduous one requiring
commitment, persistence, and grace to overcome one's
resistance, doubt, fear, and painful brokenness. Christians
sometimes attempt to rush people to forgiveness. Failure
to proceed through the painful and slow process simply
produces a pseudo-forgiveness in which the unresolved
anger and hostility continue to surface in myriad
and usually destructive ways.
The process of true forgiveness consists of a number
of steps that eventually lead to the freedom forgiveness
brings.
A Process of Forgiveness
* Acknowledge the hurt and affirm the pain. Admitting
the hurt is often difficult, but it is a necessary
beginning point.
* Make a decision to forgive. This is an act of the
will and be contrary to the feelings that flow from
the hurt. At the beginning you may not know how you
will forgive, but you know that you desire to forgive.
* Remember that forgiveness is a process. Hurt, whether
physical or psychological, takes time to heal. Be
patient with yourself.
* Forgiveness involves a "small death'' to ourselves.
It is not easy, nor is it pleasant.
* Reflect on those who have modeled forgiveness for
you. Can you identify the source of their courage
to forgive?
* Forgive yourself. Separate yourself from your offensive
behaviour. Try to see the good in yourself even as
you disapprove the behaviour.
* Visualise the positive aspects of the person who
has offended you. Attempt to understand the cause
of the behaviour of the other. Try to experience pity
or compassion for them.
* Recall a time in your life when you were forgiven
and the gratitude you experienced. Recall how affirming
it was to know someone believed in you and cared enough
for you to forgive you.
* Consider the consequences of not forgiving. Reflect
on the short and long-term physiological, spiritual
and emotional effects this will have on you.
* Ask God's help and the courage to forgive. Do not
assume you will automatically forget, but be patient
with yourself and await God's assistance.
* Celebrate the grace that has empowered you to bring
about this Christ-filled moment.
Effects of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a choice. To refuse this choice condemns
us to a stagnant, unproductive personal and communal
life, obsessed with the hurts of the past. One of
the most difficult challenges of the spiritual journey
is to love ourselves as we have been loved. It involves
loving every aspect of self, the shadow side, the
weaknesses, the brokenness, everything that is a part
of who we are. The temptation is to ignore or hide
these parts. Instead, the challenge is to embrace
our limitations, to realise that we are being invited
to love ourselves as God loves us - the gifted, the
wounded the blessed and the broken aspects of our
beings. We are invited to forgive ourselves for all
that we find unacceptable and wearisome in ourselves,
and to allow God to work in us. When we realise how
much God has forgiven us, we can be more forgiving
of others. The cost of that forgiveness has already
been paid in the love of Christ on the cross.
Summary
Genuine forgiveness is not easily cultivated, especially
where we have been deeply wounded by another person
and our human dignity has been affronted. Forgiveness
is no simple feat. To begin, we need to confront and
affirm our anger, our pain, and our sense of betrayal.
Ultimately, though, it is the act of choosing to forgive
that allows us to enjoy the present.
COLLECTION
We acknowledge last Sunday’s
collection of £1672.00. Many thanks.
PRAYER GROUP
The contemplative prayer group will
meet on Monday evening at 8.15pm in the Parochial
House. Newcomers very welcome.
DEATHS
We offer our deepest sympathy to the
family and friends of:
Francis Kelly, formerly
of Carricklee
May he rest in peace.
ANNIVERSARIES
Tony Evans, Anthony Hannigan,
Barney McCrossan, Richie Porter,
John Lynch, Michael Madden,
Annie Devenney, Columba Gallagher,
Mary Ann Maguire, Hugo Melaugh,
Rosaleen Madden, Seamus McCosker,
Charlie Stewart, Annie Nelson,
Sadie Blair.
PRAY FOR PRIESTS
The diocese published a prayer
card with the names of all the Derry diocesan priests.
Many of you have these cards and every day a specific
priest is named.
This week we ask you to pray for:
Fr. Brendan Devlin, Maynooth, 25 Jan
Fr. Kieran Devlin, Retired, 26 Jan
Fr. Peter Devlin PP, Malin, 27 Jan
Fr. Fintan Diggin PP, Clonmany, 28 Jan
Fr. Brendan Doherty PP, Kilrea, 29 Jan
Fr. George Doherty CC, Buncrana, 30 Jan
Fr. James Doherty, Deceased, 31 Jan
PARISH DRAW
The first Draw of 2009 will take place
in the parish office on Thursday 29 January 2.30pm.
The response to the Parish Draw has been very good
and many new subscribers have come on board. With
just less than a week to go to the first Draw we still
have tickets available and you still have time to
join. The prizes are as follows:
1st Prize £1000.00 2nd Prize
£300.00
3rd Prize £200.00 4th Prize
£100.00
5th Prize £100.00 6th Prize
£100.00
7th Prize £100.00 8th Prize
£100.00
We would ask all promoters who have
not yet made their returns to the parish office to
do so on Monday 26 January. This will ensure that
all names and subscriptions are entered in good time
before the Draw takes place on Thursday.
CONFIRMATION
Confirmation will take place on Saturday
21 February 2009 at 11.00am for all Primary 7 pupils.
NOTICES FOR PARISH BULLETIN
In order to facilitate printing we
ask that all notices and anniversaries for the parish
bulletin are either given to the sacristan or left
at the parish office by Wednesday morning at the latest.
PAYMENTS BY CHEQUE
The Bank have reminded us that all
payments made to the parish by cheque (for Parish
Draw, Sunday and Special Collections etc.) must be
made payable to Church of the Immaculate Conception.
CARMELITE RETREAT CENTRE
Sr. Josephine Walsh Weekend Retreat
with emphasis on forgiving, healing and making a new
start, will take place at The Carmelite Retreat Centre,
Termonbacca from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 February. For
further details tel: Derry 71262512 during office
hours only.
HOLY CROSS COLLEGE OPEN DAY
All P.7 pupils and their parents are
invited to attend the Open Day in Holy Cross College
on Saturday 31 January from 10.00am - 12.00 noon and
1.00pm - 3.00pm.
ST ANNE'S PRIMARY SCHOOL
The pupils of St. Anne's Primary School
are appealing to everyone to bring their old Christmas
cards and old copies of the Yellow Pages to the school
for recycling. These can be left at the school up
until the end of January. Thank you for your support.
LOURDES 2009
A meeting will take place in 'The
Den' on Wednesday 28 January at 7.45pm to discuss
the annual pilgrimage to Lourdes (proposed date 22-29
July). Anyone interested in this trip is asked to
attend for information and booking form. Any queries
please contact G Mc Brearty at 02871 884029.
LUMEN CHRISTI COLLEGE OPEN DAY
Lumen Christi College Open Day will
take place on Sunday 8 February in the College in
Bishop Street Derry. The College Principal, Mr P.
O’Doherty, will address P.7 pupils and their
parents at 3.00pm and 4.00pm. Visitors will be given
a short guided tour of the College by current pupils.
Light refreshments will be available in the canteen.
STRABANE SIGERSONS GAA
Club Membership Fees for 2009 are
now due for renewal. These can be paid to Aidan McGrath,
Cha Stewart or left at the Social Club. There will
be a big Tyrone Night in Sigersons Social Club on
Saturday 31 January with the Dublin v Tyrone game
being shown live on the big screen.
ST. PATRICK’S
HALL
Bingo and Lucky 4 Draw as usual this
Thursday.
All our patrons are very welcome.
Next Week's Lucky 4 Jackpot is £850.00
N.I. BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE
A team from the N.I. Blood Transfusion
Service will be in St. Patrick's Hall on Monday 2
February from 1.30pm - 4.00pm and 5.15pm - 8.00pm.
The Blood Transfusion Service would appeal for the
support of all existing blood donors and welcome new
donors.
ST. PATRICK'S LUNCHEON CLUB
St. Patrick's Luncheon Club are having
a Social/Dance on Monday 26 January in St. Patrick's
Hall. Music is by Alley Harron & Marian Curry.
Doors open at 9.00pm. Admission £5.00 (includes
a light supper).
PRAYER CORNER
CHANGE OF HEART
The Master deplored the evils of competition.
"Doesn't competition bring out the best in us?"
he was asked.
"It brings out the worst because it teaches you
to hate."
"Hate what?"
"Yourself - for you allow your activity to be
determined by your competitor, not by your own needs
and limitations. Others - for you seek to get ahead
at their expense."
"But that would sound the death-knell of change
and progress,'' someone protested.
Said the Master, "The only progress there is,
is love-progress. The only change worth having is
a change of heart."
PARABLES AND SILENCE
The Master held that the loyalty of
theologians to their belief systems made them all
too prone to turn a blind eye to the truth - and reject
the Messiah when he appeared.
Philosophers fared better at his hands.
Being unfettered by beliefs, they were more open in
their quest, he said.
But even philosophy, alas, was limited
for it was relied on words and concepts to penetrate
a Reality that was susceptible only to the non-conceptualising
mind.
"Philosophy," he once remarked,
"is a disease that is cured only by enlightenment.
Then it gives way to parables and silence."
ACCEPTANCE
"How can I change myself?''
"You are yourself - so you can no more change
yourself than you can walk away from your feet."
"Is there nothing I can do then?''
"You can understand and accept this."
"How will I change if I accept myself?''
"How will you change if you don't?
What you don't accept you do not change,
you merely manage to repress."
