Holy Trinity Church, Ratoath18 January 2009

Opening hours for the Parish Office: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9.30am– 4.00pm

 Pilates classes starts Wednesday morning 28^th January at 10.00am in Ratoath Community Centre - 8 Week course.. Phone Nicola on 087

 6975207 to book/details. 

Amen: Support  Service for Male Victims of Domestic Abuse. Weekly support group meetings – Tuesday night from 8.00pm to 10.00pm. Contact 046-9023718 for further information. 

Four Forks Drama Group  present  “Lorraine Bailey” by Eileen Kavanagh on Friday the 23rd, and Saturday 24^th January in the Venue

 Theatre at 8pm. For tickets phone 01-6895600. 

Phoenix-Tara Toastmasters public speaking club, are having an open evening on Monday 26^th January. Admission: Free to visitors and

 guests in Dunboyne Castle. 

Would you be interested in assisting Accord, as a Counsellor, or a Facilitator of their Marriage Preparation Courses? If so, please contact the parish office for more information. 

 Bridge lessons for beginners will commence in Black Bush Golf Club on Monday 19th January at 7.30pm.  All welcome. 

Ratoath Active Age Group will meet on Friday 23^rd January in the Community Centre 11.00am-1.00pm. 

Ratoath Garden Club: There will be no club meeting this month. 

Dunshaughlin Community College: Adult Educating Evening Classes, enrolment takes place on 19^th and 20^th January from 19.00-20.30 you can enrole online log onto www.duncc.ie for details 

Congratulations to Matthew & Senan Lynch (Seagrave Park) who were baptised recently. 

Please pray for Cathy Newman nee Woods sister of Sean Woods (Bodeen) and Beenie Reilly (Kilbride Road) and Bridie Hynes nee McIntyre (Essex England) aunt of the McIntre family Ennistown, and Lilly Bradley mother of Damien Bradley (Meadowbank Hill) who died during the week. May they rest in peace.        

Official  Launch of‘Ratoath Past and Present’

Ratoath Heritage Committee are hosting the launch of their book “Ratoath Past and Present”

on Thursday 22nd January at 8.00pm in the GAA clubhouse. All are welcome.

The book will be on sale on the night.   

More details available at www.ratoathheritage.ie

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"Build pe­­­­­­­­­ace with justice immediately in Gaza" – Bishop Field

Concluding a week-long visit of solidarity to the Holy Land, Bishop Raymond Field, Chair of the Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs and Father Eamon Martin, Executive Secretary of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, have expressed alarm at the level of human suffering and living conditions currently being experienced by the people of Gaza. Bishop Field called for immediate action to end hostilities in order to begin building peace with justice in the region. Bishop Field and Fr Martin are part of a delegation of Catholic Church leaders from Europe and North America visiting Christians of the Holy Land whose purpose is to express solidarity with them and listen to their concerns at this time. As well as meeting parishioners, students, teachers and clergy, the delegation spoke directly with His Beatitude Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; Bishop Boulos Marcuzzo, the Bishop of Nazareth, as well as communicating by telephone with Fr Manawel Musallam, parish priest of Gaza.  Commenting today from Bethlehem  manger square, about 40 miles from Gaza, Bishop Field said: “The horror and destruction of Gaza gets worse every day. From the posters and graffiti all around us, to the black flags flying from the Church of the Nativity, everywhere we look stark reminders of this human and societal tragedy exist. The most moving point of our visit was to hear the parish priest of Gaza, Fr Manawel Musallam, describing the terrifying nightmare that his people are living through.“Fr Musallam told us about the death from fear and shock of a 14 year old girl in his parish, and about the chronic lack of food, water and energy which is threatening their very lives. Fr Musallam pleaded with us: ‘The world is not giving us our right; stop our living like animals in a prison. Do justice for Palestine and you will have lasting peace.’“We assured Fr Manawel that the thoughts and prayers of people in Ireland are with him and with all the people of Gaza at this time.”Fr Eamon Martin, a native of Derry, said that there was much interest in the delegation and amongst the people they met in the Northern Ireland peace process. Fr Martin said “The checkpoints and barriers, the soldiers on the streets, ongoing news of bombings, killing and maiming remind us of our own tragic past. So too do the suspicions and segregation, the complications, divisions and subdivisions, the fears and propaganda. “We met with parishioners from the village of Jifna and the town of Ramallah, students at Bethlehem University and seminarians at Beit Jala. We were struck by their daring to hope for the future of their land, their heartfelt desire for a just and lasting peace, and their determination to live in their land because it is their land. Many have relatives or close friends who are suffering in Gaza and it also struck me that, like at home, nearly everyone here is affected in one way or another by the troubles, everyone is caught up in the spiral of violence and mistrust, and everyone has a contribution to make to healing, reconciliation and peace building.”

Bishop Field concluded, “The people of Gaza are crying out for prophetic leadership. They urgently want pressure and persuasion to be brought to bear on all those who can influence peace-building. Above all they are convinced that the violence and killing must stop, and that there is a duty and responsibility on their leaders to engage in meaningful negotiation which respects difference. This cannot happen, I believe, unless there is a readiness to forgive. Otherwise true peace with justice can never become a reality.”