Dia is Mhuire díobh go léir a chairde and welcome to my report.
It’s hard to imagine that my next Report (dv) after this one will be on the longest day of the year. June 21. So don’t say that I didn’t tell you that the year is moving on. Moving on it is and we can’t stop it but are we making the full use of the passing days and weeks and months. There is no use in blaming the weather because we can do nothing about it but there are things that we can do regardless. The old saying the It’s better to light a candle than curse the dark, can also apply to the way that we can motivate ourselves into taking on a plan B if the sun don’t shine. God Bless our crowd of who headed off on a bus to Donegal on Monday morning 50 plus of them both men and women for four days all organised by our excellent Active Retired Committee. I know they will love it because I went on the very same program a few years ago with a lovely group from Castlemagner. But as I’m not the sit-at-home type I’ve booked a couple of more locally based trips. For a mere €25 the well known Jerry Lehane will take us on day trips around the rings of Kerry or Beara and even to Galway and more. He knows all the best places to stop and shop and eat and stretch the legs. In his very own relaxing way. Look him up on our website for details.
I’m writing this on the feast day of St. Anthony. We hear little about Saints these days and more is the pity. Because ‘tis many the moment of comfort that we got during our lives when we turned to our favourite one in our time of need and it’s funny how the popularity of saints changes over the years. Someone would give you a dead cert novena to some Saint who did it for them and convince you that he /she would do it for you and often did and would set you off on a one way track for the cure of all ills for ages. But then there could be a cooling off period and you’d wonder should I try someone else and away you’d go again .But St. Anthony was a great stalwart, the lad who found everything that was lost. Sometimes he’d play hard to get which prompted you to give him a few bob in the collection box and hey presto you’ll stumble on your lost treasure right away. Further to that Sean Radley has the one that never, ever fails to find that which is lost. Simply you say Jesus was lost, Jesus was found, Jesus find. Try it, it never fails and still with prayers, when we were young we had our morning prayers and our night prayers. The morning prayers said kneeling beside our bed at getting up time and the night prayers kneeling against a chair after the Rosary and the trimmings which were extra pleadings that some life or death problem would come right be it a sick person or a good price for the eggs or a fine day to save the hay these prayers were said in unison by the whole kneeling family and at the end silence fell as each one got to say their own private prayers unknown to the rest each to their own. Ending by the rustle of my Dad’s beads and the shuffle of his chair, as he arose and for a final check on everything would ask if they closed the door in the hens or put out the cat and raked the fire and when all was done he would lead the way upstairs with the lighted candle while the rest of us followed and took to our own beds in the dark. There was a kind of unwritten rule that you said the night offering at night only and the morning offering, in the morning only, and if you were ever heard to say any one of them at the wrong time of day you’d be the laughing stock of the rest of your siblings. With a loud retort, ‘you ould eegit ,that’s the morning offering you’re saying. The night offering has never changed since I was a child. ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus Mary and Joseph assist me at my last agony, Jesus, Mary and Joseph may I bring forth my soul in peace with you into your hands O Lord I commend my Spirit Lord Jesus receive my Soul. However the morning offering has been changed so many times that I’ve forgotten what the original version was. Oh my God I offer you all my thoughts words and actions of this day, I intend to gain all the indulgences that I can and I place them in the hands of the most Blessed Virgin Mary.
There is no hard and fast rule now about a.m or p.m prayers, as far as I know but every time I hear the night offering being said at morning mass my mind wanders back to elbows resting on the timber chair and the hard stone floor under my knees as we stuck strictly to the rule of the right prayer at the right time of day.
Youth must have it’s fling and young people always come in for criticism for driving too fast but the same can be said for the young little birds that are trying out their new found freedom as they leave the nest in large numbers at the moment. They flit around in gay abandon without a care in the world. Sadly as I sat inside my window a few days ago one little fellow came to grief when he banged against the glass, lucky for him he landed on the sill and I reached out and got him. He wasn’t dead but stunned and very dazed. So I cradled him in the palm of my warm hand and after a while he began to come round. Even to the point where it was plain that he was ready to go again so I opened the window and he flew off in that up and down bouncing fashion that birds do when everything is alright with them. I have another first in my flower patch. A lovely pheonie rose, it was given to me as a gift by one of the family last year I planted it in a large pot and now it’s in full flower. While my lovely laburnum looks on and the red sweet smelling moss rose which is a souvenir of my own Mother’s garden is also in full bloom. Too far east is west ,too much of anything is good for nothing, and those old adages are coming back to haunt us at the moment. In the interest of the environment and the honey bee and others creatures of nature we are asked to refrain from trimming our gardens to excess. Leave some areas go wild stop spraying and encourage the return of what nature intended. Sadly I’ve seen no pheasants this year, they usually come to the field at the back and when the silage is cut they’d be out picking but not this year. So sad.
Our best wishes continue for the students who are wading their ways through this years exams.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament continues in our Church every Tuesday from 10.30. Please spend some time with the Lord. Confessions every Saturday from 12.30 to 1.
Here are the results of this weeks lotto draw which was held on Sunday Night. Numbers drawn were 4,15,20,30 and the Jackpot was not won. €100 went to David Dunne, Australia.& Cork. The seller Eily and I got €50 sellers prize. €50 went to J.L.S. Collins, c/o Colemans, €20 each to Rian O’Donoghue c/o The Bush Bar. Kay FitzGerald c/o Guys & Dolls Noel & Noreen c/o Alps, Mary OConnell, Killcorney and Reens, Ryan Tarrant c/o The Bush Bar. Peg O’Keeffe c/o Mary O’Connor, Ann FirzGerald , Kiskeam, c/o N Tarrant. Eansie Twomey, The Bridge, c/o Lehane, Jackpot for next week €20.000. the draw on June 19.
The Church Gate collection this weekend June 18/19 is in aid of the Courtmacherry Life Boats, Please support it well.
The Cullen Vintage Display will be held on Sunday July 10th.
Millstreet Vintage Club Summer Car Run will be held on next Saturday June 18th. Proceeds to Bumbleance Children’s Ambulance service. Register at Cullen Community Centre from 4.30 for a 6 o’clock start.
Agus Sinn a bfuil a cairde, have a good week, Slán.
