THE HOLY FAMILY

If there is anyone who hasn’t yet made their First Holy Communion or First Reconciliation, whether a child, young person, an adult who is young or older, please let me know. We will begin a programme of preparation for these Sacraments on Saturday 18th January 2025 at 11.00am in the Parish Room.

It would be good to adorn our church with beautiful flowers as a sign of our love for the Lord Jesus as we celebrate the anniversary of his first Coming into the world. Please bring your gift of flowers to the church any day, any time next Sunday or Monday or Tuesday. The church is open every day for private prayer. Please just leave your gift of flowers in the porch of the church where they will be collected. Many thanks.

Thank you to Jackie for all she does in this way of loving God. If anyone would like to help to arrange flowers in the church, please let me know. Arranging flowers in the church and near the altar is a beautiful prayer of praise to God. Whether it is one person or twenty people who do this work, what matters is that we give honour to the Lord. Perhaps if you are not yet very active in the parish, this might be something you could do or even something more you could do for God! It would be great to have your help. Many thanks.

OLDE FORGE CAFE BAKERS/PROVIDERS ROTA DECEMBER For week beginning: 9th Giannina 16th Patricia Keating 23rd Bridget Sanders 30th Kim Zenao JANUARY 2025 5th Patricia McCarthy 12th Kinga 19th Vanessa  26th Mary Lawlor FEBRUARY 2025 2nd Feb: Helen Please, if possible, could you provide enough cakes for the whole of each week. Thank you to everybody who is helping to provide cakes. To avoid having too many cakes, Coral mentioned to me that non-perishable cakes can be safely stored in the Cafe for a short while. When it is your turn to provide a non-perishable cake, please bring your cake to the Cafe a few days before the date of your turn. OLDE FORGE CAFE - HOSTS ROTA DECEMBER 22nd Phil, Vanessa Zanuto 24th Gardening Club 25th Mary, John Ducker 28th Patricia Keating, Carolyn 29th Jim Keating, Bridget JANUARY 2025 4th Grainne, Maggie 5th Linda, Paul 7th Gardening Group 11th Simone, Phil 12th Marian, Kelly-Anne 14th Gardening Group 18th Lorenza, Patrick 19th David, Giannina 21st Gardening Group 25th Geraldine, Rosamunde 26th Bridget, Lisa 28th Gardening Group FEBRUARY 2025 1st: Mary, Jim 2nd: Grainne, Patricia Please note that for each of the above dates when the Cafe is open, one of the two Hosts has been trained in the use of the new coffee machine. Please would that trained person be the only person operating the machine and also please train the other person in its use. Many thanks. Thank you to everybody who acts as a Host. If an unexpected emergency occurs on the date you are scheduled to be a Host, please don’t worry about the Cafe. No need to try to find someone to ‘stand in’ for you. There is no need whatsoever to ‘swop’ with someone! We are not a Business, having to stay open to make money! - we open when and if we can. We take this role of ‘Host’ as a Vocation from the Lord to be his Missionary and his Prophet. Actually, the Cafe has, at times, functioned well with just one Host. The success of our Evangelisation Cafe depends on us. The more we speak to others of our Cafe, inviting them to visit us, the more successful it will be. Please invite members of your families, your friends, your neighbours and colleagues. Please check when it is your turn to be a Host (or a Baker!). Please see this role as a Calling, a Vocation from the Lord which you are generously telling the Lord you will do”. Thank you so much for your trust in the good Lord