Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre Weekly Update Email

Each week, Noirin Lynch who has mades regular contributions to Sacred Space in her role as Pastoral Coordinator at Limierck Diocesan Pastoral Centre sends out a resource email highlighting up coming events at the LDPC as well as around Limerick Diocese as well as providing some resources for those involved in parish pastoral councils.

If you would like Noirin to add you to her distribution list, drop her an email to NLynch@ldpc.ie

 

This weeks email has the following reminders, suggestions and resources available:

 

"In this week’s email you’ll hear about training available, a new talks series and we’ll focus on resources for the end of January and for February - we hope this information is of help to you in your parish planning.

(i) Up coming Events in the Pastoral Centre: Rainbows, Faith formation, A new Spring talks series, and training for pastoral chairpersons. 
(ii) Other events of interest Doras Luimni are running intercultural awareness training in February (details below). This free course is of benefit to all who deal with migrants regularly.
(iii) Pastoral Resources
The last week of January and the first weeks of February are rich times for us – saints abound and spring beckons! Catholic Schools week ties in with the feast of St John Bosco, founder of the Salesians who have been a great blessing for us in Limerick. St Brigid, and St Blaise offer tradition, story and depth to our Spring rituals. The Feast of the Presentation beckons us out of Christmas childhood and into a re-consecration of our lives to God. The snowdrops are peeping out – God is at work in our midst!
(iv) Good News stories
25 people from 7 parishes gathered during the week in Limerick city and Newcastle west to consider liturgy resources for Lent 2011. Thanks to all who travelled, encouraged and came up with great ideas for us as we plan ahead. One strong theme for our Lenten desert garden was the knots we have been tied up in – personal, economic, as church, family and state - and how Lent is a time for recognising this knotted-ness in ourselves, time for unravelling what is restricting us, a time for asking God to set us free of all that which binds us up in dark knots of fear, hurt or judgement. The Sunday Gospels for this Lent have much hope to offer into this struggle.

 

(i) Up-coming events at the Pastoral Centre

 

Rainbows information evening - For groups interested in offering local support to children dealing with life altering loss. All welcome, 7-8pm, Pastoral centre. No charge.

Adult/Parish Faith formation: Resources from the Eucharistic Congress - These are simple positive resources that can be used in a parish over 2 – 5 sessions (after morning Mass? Weeknight evenings? As prayer for the Parish Pastoral Council, etc). The journey to the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in 2012 is an opportunity for country-wide, parish-wide and personal enrichment and renewal. A variety of resources for group and individual use have been made available and this workshop offers an accessible summary and practical ideas for using the resources.

• City Tuesday, February 1st, Pastoral Centre. 7:30 – 9pm
• County Thursday, February 3rd, Newcastlewest Parish centre. 7:30 – 9pm
• Cost: 10 euros per parish

Spring talks series - Stars in the sky: Some hero’s from my spiritual journey.“so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky”(Phil 2:15) Fr Damien Ryan speaks about some of his spiritual hero’s:

• 2nd Feb - Pope John Paul II,
• 9th Feb - Maximilian Kolbe,
• 16th Feb - Catherine DeHueck Doherty,
• 23rd Feb - Fr Rick Thomas,
• 2nd Mar - Charles de Foucauld.

Wednesday nights at the Pastoral Centre, Denmark St, Limerick. Donation of 5 euros per talk or 20 euros for the series of five night is requested.

Training for Chairpersons of Parish Pastoral groups
Part One: The role and responsibility of pastoral chairs Monday, 7th February. 7:30 – 10pm
Part Two: Making pastoral decisions together Monday, 21st February. 7:30 – 10pm

A certificate of attendance will be awarded to all full participants. Cost 20 euros per person

 

Evening training for extra-ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist and Ministers of the Word is planned for later in February.

 

(ii) Other events

 

Doras Luimni – Intercultural Awareness Training.

This training is an introduction to intercultural communication, cultural diversity and migrant rights and entitlements. It is ideal for organisations who want to bring about institutional change, to improve and develop the way that they work, especially for those who have front-line engage-ment with people from migrant communities and would like to expand their knowledge base. The training aims to equip the participants with the necessary knowledge to work effectively sup-porting clients from migrant communities.The first full-day involves sessions on individual staff development as well as techniques enabling participants to devise tangible and implementable actions in their work-place. It is a very interac-tive day with exercise based learning. Issues explored will include intercultural communication, layers of culture, stereotyping, and a deeper understanding of how migrants circumstances may affect their interaction with service providers. The second day (half day) will explain the different categories of immigration statuses in Ireland and their corresponding rights and entitlements in terms of access to employment, education, so-cial welfare, family reunification and application for naturalization.

 

2011 calendar- The training is free and would greatly benefit people with regular professional en-counter with migrants.

 

Day One  

• Feb 16th– 10-4pm
• May 17th– 10-4pm
• Sept 13th– 10-4pm
• Nov 22nd– 10-4pm

Day Two

• Feb 17th– 10-1pm
• May18th– 10-1pm
• Sept 14th– 10-1pm
• Nov 23rd– 10-1pm

The training will be delivered in collaboration with practitioners, caseworkers, our clients and other local community organisations. Specific training for schools, youth groups and service pro-viders for young people is also available on request. If you are interested in getting additional in-house training for your organisation please the trainers below who will be happy to design the training according to your organisations customised needs.

Rabiya Ali Panezai, Capacity Building Officer
Abed Aldakar, Intercultural and Integration Officer  
Phone: 061-310328, 087-1775845, 087-1775860

E-mail: r.ali@dorasluimni.org  a.aldakar@dorasluimni.org

 

(iii) Pastoral Resources for January

 

Catholic Schools week: January 30th – February 5th - Catholic schools (Boards of Management, Staff and Students), Parishes and Homes have been provided with resources for the celebration of Catholic Schools Week 2011. On Wednesday 2 February primary schools are encouraged to invite Grandparents of students to celebrate the CSW 2011 with their Grandchildren. Resource material will include suggestions for prayer, reflection on the Catholic traditions of the school, liturgical ideas for prayer and Eucharist, crosswords and quizzes. A special feature of this year’s resources will be a guided reflection on the Pastoral Letter of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland. A free colour poster with lots of information can be downloaded here: www.catholicbishops.ie/images/stories/features/Catholic_Schools_Week/2011/downloads/csw_2011_flyer_download.pdf  for display in the church porch.

 

St John Bosco: January 31st

For information on St John Bosco and the Salesians, see: www.salesians.org.uk/dbuk/saints1.html. For a nine day novena to St John Bosco: www.salesians.org.uk/dbuk/resources/dbnovena.pdf Invite parishioners to consider their connections with the Salesian community and to consider contacting those Salesians who have blessed your life on this feast day!

 

St Brigid: February 1st

A large Brigids cross with a note as to its history would help those unsure of the story. A workshop to make Brigids crosses would ensure an ancient tradition and prayer would not be lost, and community connections would be celebrated in the shared activity.

 

Feast of the Presentation: February 2nd

Day for Consecrated Life: February 2nd

The first World Day was held in 1997. Pope John Paul" in his first message for the Day wrote: The World Day for Consecrated life will be celebrated on the feast which commemorates the presentation which Mary and Joseph made of Jesus in the temple 'to present.him to the lord' (Lk 2:22).

 

St Blaise: February 3rd - Blessing of throats on the memorial of St Blaise

 

St Blaise, bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, is believed to have been martyred in the early fourth century. Very little is known about him. Tradition states that he was a physician before becoming a bishop. Since the eighth century he has been venerated as the patron of those who suffer from disease of the throat. He is said to have healed a boy who was choking. The blessing of St Blaise is a sign of our faith in God's protection and love for us and for the sick.

 

The candles to be used for the blessing of throats are blessed on the memorial of St Blaise (see The Veritas Book of Blessing Prayers, p. 190) or on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. If the blessing takes place within Mass, the blessing follows the homily and general intercessions (prayer of the faithful). Outside of Mass, the blessing is preceded by a brief celebration of the word of God. The scriptures readings suggested in the lectionary (1/: 943-944) may be used. Using two crossed and unlighted candles, the minister touches the throat of each person, saying:

"Through the intercession of St Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from all ailments of the throat and from every other evil or from every disease of the throat and from every other illness): In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

 

How do we welcome into our church those who come seeking a blessing on this day?