What hope is there for Faith?

A question that is frequently asked today. For Catholics it is essential, and for parents great emphasis is placed on their responsibility of ‘handing on the faith’.

Today that is not easy, culture is at a crossroads, and it is the same with Faith. The context in which Faith is seen and judged has changed, and a changing culture shapes and moulds one’s decision on Faith. Present day culture is without a doubt a violent place for the nurturing of faith and for the church. To grow today as a Catholic is increasingly a matter of choice, and current culture can make it very difficult to be a follower of Christ.

Today we must be able to discern/recognise where this new situation is leading us, and discernment needs prayer and the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. There are many ways in which we can respond to the present situation – we can be angry, apathetic, we can be alert, we can rediscover and strengthen our Christian roots.

For many people the need for a relationship with God does not arise, their image therefore of God is blocked. How then is the door to Faith opened? There is no one answer to that question, but evangelization is certain to become increasingly important in the pastoral life of every parish in the future. Evangelization means surprising people with a gift that they do not realize they possess. Think of an infant’s first smile, isn’t it recognition that they are loved? Faith on our part is recognition that we are loved. Faith is a yes to God’s yes.

There are encouraging signs visible in communities. There is an interest in prayer and scripture, and there is an interest in acquiring ‘spiritual skills’. There is also a growing interest throughout the diocese in Adult Faith Formation, which is helpful in acquiring the necessary skills. It also brings a realization that the roots of faith are contained in the traditions of the church.

To retain and grow in Faith today one must make the choice of being within or staying outside the Christian community, and at the centre of all faith filled Christian community is the Eucharist.

My prayer for each one of you in the parish is that your faith will be deepened and your relationship with God grow in strength, and I ask that you will do likewise for me.

Colm Gallagher.

Recently Deceased: Deepest sympathies and an assurance of prayers are extended to the families and friends of the following parishioners who are recently deceased:

Mae Greene: Tracey Byrne: Daniel Walsh: Kathleen Kearns: Martha Hughes: Tom Byrne: Margaret Loughlin: Bill O’Neill: Mary Nolan

Peter Holly: Peter McCarthy: Bridie Boland.

Baptisms: Congratulations are extended to the parents and families of the following infants who were welcomed into the church:

Edward O’Rourke: Robert Babij: Jack Killeen: Clea Kinsella: Cillian Murphy: Simon Gimeze: Mark Martin: Cian Roche: Brooke Somers: Ava Ledwith: Zara McGuire:

Marriages: Congratulations to the following couples on their recent Marriage in church

Aaron Bohan & Niamh Sweeney:

Rodger Mooney & Cynthia Myler

Killian Smyth & Lisa Doyle:

Mark Kelly & Liz Cole

James Hayden & Karen Hudson.

World Youth Day – Sydney 2008 Six young parishioners, Emer & Aoife Kinsella, Meg Murphy, Lorraine Lee, Michael Ward and Ciarán Doyle, travelled to Sydney to experience the weeklong event along with half million young people from around the world. Daily Mass was celebrated in local churches. The Passion of Christ was enacted by a group of Australians, this event moved all to tears. The arrival of Pope Benedict evoked spontaneous joy and he was found to be very charismatic with all. The last day was preceded by an outdoor vigil, which despite the extreme cold, was enjoyed by all. A deeper understanding and renewal of faith was experienced by the participants, and lifelong friends made. The next World Youth Day will take place in Madrid and judging by the enthusiasm of our own young parishioners it is strongly recommended to all.

Youth Exchange to Italy: Treia in Italy was the location to this year’s youth exchange. A group of 11 people from the parish attended. The exchange involved young people from Arklow, Treia, Bulgaria and Germany. The programme gave them the opportunity to witness the commitment of their peers to their religion. Trips to Rome and the Holy House of Loreto, one of the most revered shrines in Italy, were included. During a ’Spiritual Day of Reflection’ time was given to ponder questions like – ’What does the resurrection mean to you?’. The trip was enjoyed by all and encouraged the young people to entice their peers into further parish involvement.

Parish Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Last April, under the direction of Msgr. Gallagher, a group of 44 parishioners travelled as pilgrims to the Holy Land. The pilgrimage, which lasted ten days, began in Jerusalem where we walked the Via Dolorosa that Jesus had walked before suffering death on the Cross at Calvary. The itinerary included a visit to the birth place of John the Baptist, to Nazareth and to Bethlehem.

From our base in Tiberius, a city by the Sea of Galilee, we followed the path taken by Jesus during the three years of his ministry, stopping en route at Capernaum and the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. In spite of the stressful political situation relating to many of the holy places it is still possible to experience both emotional and spiritual connection to the roots of our Christian heritage. Our grateful thanks to Msgr. Gallagher for his direction of the pilgrimage and to the staff of the parish office for arranging the travel details.

Mary Ní Lionáin.

Gymkhana:

The Gymkhana in aid of St. David’s Church in August of this year was a great success and very well supported. Deep gratitude is extended to the Chairperson and committee who worked very hard to maintain the very high standard and ensure all enjoyed the day. As a result €7,000 was donated to St. Patrick’s N.S. Bearna Clé and €10,000 to St. David’s Church. Well done to all involved.

Four million euro for Tsunami Victims spent.

Four million euro was raised in the Diocese in response to the disaster in December 2004.

The Diocesan funds were distributed by Trocaire in two ways. The first and biggest was through Caritas Internationalis – a network of 162 catholic humanitarian organisations. This included providing emergency supplies, food, water and shelter across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

The second course of response saw Trocaire dealing with local parishes and communities in setting up more long term projects in Indonesia and the money raised has helped fund the reconstruction of 65 schools. The schools have been fully furnished, equipped with furniture and educational materials.

An Aceh, one of the worse affected areas, one million euro raised in Dublin went towards building 648 homes for two communities. Families were trained in home gardens, in which mostly women were involved and young people received training in sewing and furniture making.

In Sri Lanka, €990,000 of the Dublin fund helped rebuild 9 orphanages and 6,000 new homes.

In other areas scholarship schemes for poor students have been set up, science labs put into schools, training provided for skilled labourers with the capacity to support families, water supply systems set us as well as funding for trauma support groups for some of the most vulnerable people affected by the disaster, including the elderly, disabled and children.

An afternoon of prayer will be held in Árus Lorcáin at 3 p.m. Sunday 19th October for all involved in Ministry - Eucharist Ministers: Readers: Baptismal Team: Liturgy Group

Twenty-four years ago Fr. Colm Gallagher came to Arklow as our new Parish Priest. Now that he is leaving us we can, with sincere gratitude, look at everything he has achieved in the parish.

The evidence of his skill as an administrator is to be seen around the parish in the re-ordering and decoration of the parish Church, the building of the Parish Centre, Árus Lorcáin; the establishing of the Parish Development and Renewal programme and subsequently the Arklow Parish Council; the inauguration of a Faith Development Programme enabling parishioners to undertake, here in Arklow, a course of study to develop a better understanding of their faith and for those who wished it the opportunity to gain accreditation through Mater Dei Institute.

In addition to all that he found time to lead groups of parishioners to various places such as Lourdes on several occasions, Rome and the Holy Land. He was known for his interest in the sick, visiting people in their homes and in hospital. In spite of being at times in considerable pain himself he served the people of the parish, day in day out, attending to all their spiritual needs.

We are very sorry to see him go but know he has more than earned his retirement. We wish him every grace and blessing for many years of peace and happiness.