Holy Trinity Church, Ratoath

3 January 2010

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

 Congratulations to Elissa Lattan and David Cassidy who were married during the week.

Wednesday is the Feast of the Epiphany. It is a holy day of obligation. The Vigil Mass is at 7.00pm on Tuesday and the Masses on Wednesday are at 9.00am and 11.00am

The Children’s Liturgy Committee will meet on Wednesday next 6^th January at 8.00pm in the Parish Pastoral Centre.

Envelope Collection for the week ending 27^th December €2,694.65

Many thanks for your continued support and generosity.

Study Theology from Home. The Dominicans are offering a theology programme specifically for lay people, offered by distance learning. This means that one can study for a certificate, diploma or degree in theology, and even more importantly, become more educated in the faith, all from the comfort of your home. For further information, please contact The Priory Institute, Tallaght Village, Dublin 24. Phone 01-4048124/7 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Visit the website www.prioryinstitute.com

Timewise Fostering: Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service: If you feel you have the ability and commitment to provide a child with foster care, or become one of our respite carers providing short breaks for this programme, please call 01-8424525 or log onto www.timewisefostering.ie Timewise fostering is a unique specialised programme, committed to achieving positive outcomes for children aged between 11 and 18 years.

Ballet in Ratoath: The Academy of Russian Ballet comes to Ratoath Community Centre in January. Monica Loughman, Ireland’s most famous ballerina and artistic director of Irish Youth Ballet, will commence classes in the centre this January. For further details phone 086-8012246

Senior Help Line: Do you need someone to talk to? Senior Help Line is a confidential service for older people for the price of a local call anywhere in Ireland. LoCall 1850440444. Senior Help Line is open every day from 10am to 4pm and from 7pm to 10pm, 365 days a year.

                        Monday          Special Intention                                            

                        Tuesday         The Louis Sisters (9.45am)

                                           Brian Brazil (7.00pm Vigil)

Excerpt from Pope Benedict XV1 message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace 1^st January 2010 (Part 11)

Humanity needs a profound cultural renewal; it needs to rediscover those values which can serve as the solid basis for building a brighter future for all. Our present crises – be they economic, food-related, environmental or social – are ultimately also moral crises, and all of them are interrelated. They require us to rethink the path which we are travelling together. Specifically, they call for a lifestyle marked by sobriety and solidarity, with new rules and forms of engagement, one which focuses confidently and courageously on strategies that actually work, while decisively rejecting those that have failed. Only in this way can the current crisis become an opportunity for discernment and new strategic planning.

Everything that exists belongs to God, who has entrusted it to man, albeit not for his arbitrary use. Once man, instead of acting as God’s co-worker, sets himself up in place of God, he ends up provoking a rebellion on the part of nature, “which is more tyrannized than governed by him”. Man thus has a duty to exercise responsible stewardship over creation, to care for it and to cultivate it

Sad to say, it is all too evident that large numbers of people in different countries and areas of our planet are experiencing increased hardship because of the negligence or refusal of many others to exercise responsible stewardship over the environment. The Second Vatican Council Second reminded us that “God has destined the earth and everything it contains for all peoples and nations”. The goods of creation belong to humanity as a whole. Yet the current pace of environmental exploitation is seriously endangering the supply of certain natural resources not only for the present generation, but above all for generations yet to come. It is not hard to see that environmental degradation is often due to the lack of far-sighted official policies or to the pursuit of myopic economic interests, which then, tragically, become a serious threat to creation. To combat this phenomenon, economic activity needs to consider the fact that “every economic decision has a moral consequence” and thus show increased respect for the environment. When making use of natural resources, we should be concerned for their protection and consider the cost entailed – environmentally and socially – as an essential part of the overall expenses incurred. The international community and national governments are responsible for sending the right signals in order to combat effectively the misuse of the environment. To protect the environment, and to safeguard natural resources and the climate, there is a need to act in accordance with clearly-defined rules, also from the juridical and economic standpoint, while at the same time taking into due account the solidarity we owe to those living in the poorer areas of our world and to future generations.