Bishop Michael Duignan has written to thank all who were involved in the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation in Kinvara Parish and Ballinderreen Parish.
Cemetery Masses 2023
During the Summer, cemetery Masses will be celebrated in these parishes. We offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for those buried in the cemeteries, asking God to grant them eternal life in his Kingdom.
The dates for the Masses in the cemeteries are as follows:
Mountcross Cemetery: Friday 30th June 2023 at 7pm. (If weather very bad: St Colman’s Church, Kinvara)
Doorus Cemetery: Friday 14th July 2023 at 7pm. (If weather very bad: Doorus Church)
Drumacoo Cemetery: Friday 21st July 2022 at 7pm. (If weather very bad: Ballinderreen Church)
Killina Cemetery: Friday 28th July 2022 at 7pm. (If weather very bad: St Joseph’s Church, Kinvara)
May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Mass times and intentions for the week from 17th June 2023
Saturday 17th June, 7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Carmel Donohue, Convent Road, anniversary;
Paddy Kavanagh and his parents Peter and Anna Marie, Roo Demesne, anniversary;
Betty & Denis O’Shaughnessy, Cork, anniversary.
Sunday 18th June:
9am, Doorus: Mass.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Máire Ní Mháirtín (Madden), Toureen, months mind.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Mass.
Tuesday 20th June, 7pm, Ballinderreen: Mass.
Wednesday 21st June, 9.15am, Ballinderreen: Mass.
Thursday 22nd June:
10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: People of Kinvara and Ballinderreen Parishes.
11am: Mass on the occasion of the graduation of the sixth class pupils of St Joseph’s N.S., Kinvara.
Friday 23rd June, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Mass.
Saturday 24th June, 7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Jack Daly, Bell Harbour, 3rd anniversary;
John and May Callanan, Caherglissane, anniversary.
Sunday 25th June:
9am, Doorus: Denis Murphy, London, Kerry and Doorus, anniversary.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: John Colman Kelly, Tyrone, Kilcolgan, 5th anniversary;
Ann Quinn, Mulroog East, 5th anniversary.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Mass.
Kinvara Corpus Christi Procession 2023
The Corpus Christi procession in Kinvara took place on 10th June 2023. Thanks to Eoin Browne for the photos.
Mass times and intentions for the week from 10th June 2023
Saturday 10th June, 7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Marty Fallon, Boherbee and Main Street, Kinvara, 20th anniversary;
Tom & Mary McCormack, Loughcurra, and deceased family members, anniversary.
Corpus Christi Procession at the end of Mass, walking to the green area in front of Castleview Park, concluding with Benediction.
Sunday 11th June:
9am, Doorus: John Huban, Mountscribe, 4th anniversary;
Peter & Lena Huban, Knockaculleen, anniversary;
Maureen & Bob Sharpe, U.S.A., anniversary.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Michael McInerney, Caheradoo, Kilcolgan, 1st anniversary;
Sr Sheila Jordan, Sisters of St Louis, Brooklodge, Knock, and Toureen, Ballinderreen, 1st anniversary;
Bridget & Willie Waites, Ballycleary, anniversary;
Joe and Frank Connolly, Carnane, anniversary.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Paddy Connors, Ardnagrove, anniversary.
Tuesday 13th June, 7pm, Ballinderreen: Ann Feeney, Athlone, anniversary;
John Paddy St George, Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone and Newtown, Kilcolgan, 2nd anniversary.
Wednesday 14th June, 9.15am, Ballinderreen: People of Ballinderreen and Kinvara Parishes.
Thursday 15th June, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Special intention.
Friday 16th June, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Maura, Dunn, Belfast & Dublin, 4th anniversary.
Saturday 17th June, 7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Carmel Donohue, Convent Road, anniversary;
Paddy Kavanagh and his parents Peter and Anna Marie, Roo Demesne, anniversary;
Betty & Denis O’Shaughnessy, Cork, anniversary.
Sunday 18th June:
9am, Doorus: Mass.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Máire Ní Mháirtín (Madden), Toureen, months mind.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Mass.
Corpus Christi Procession in Kinvara 2023
After the 7pm Vigil Mass in St Joseph’s Church, Kinvara, this Saturday 10th June 2023, the Corpus Christi procession with the Blessed Sacrament will take place, going down by the Glebe Road, to the green area in front of Castleview Park, concluding with Benediction. All are invited. First Communion children would be welcome to come, as is tradition, dressed in their dresses and suits.
Mass times and intentions for the week from 3rd June 2023
Saturday 3rd June, 7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Mass.
Sunday 4th June:
9am, Doorus: Michael Hynes, Doorus & Limerick, anniversary.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Mass.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Una Murphy, Main Street, Kinvara, 2nd anniversary.
Monday 5th June, 12 noon, Ballinderreen: Funeral of Nora Coen, Killeenavara, R.I.P.
Tuesday 6th June, 7pm, Ballinderreen: Teresa & Patrick O’Connor, Newtown, Kilcolgan, anniversary.
Wednesday 7th June, 9.15am, Ballinderreen: Parish Mass cards for special intentions.
Thursday 8th June, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Special intention.
Friday 9th June, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: People of Kinvara and Ballinderreen Parishes.
Saturday 10th June, 7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Marty Fallon, Boherbee and Main Street, Kinvara, 20th anniversary;
Tom & Mary McCormack, Loughcurra, and deceased family members, anniversary.
Sunday 11th June:
9am, Doorus: John Huban, Mountscribe, 4th anniversary;
Peter & Lena Huban, Knockaculleen, anniversary;
Maureen & Bob Sharpe, U.S.A., anniversary.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Michael McInerney, Caheradoo, Kilcolgan, 1st anniversary;
Sr Sheila Jordan, Sisters of St Louis, Brooklodge, Knock, and Toureen, Ballinderreen, 1st anniversary;
Bridget & Willie Waites, Ballycleary, anniversary;
Joe and Frank Connolly, Carnane, anniversary.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Paddy Connors, Ardnagrove, anniversary.
Mass times and intentions for the week from 27th May 2023
Saturday 27th May:
11am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: First Holy Communion for St Joseph’s N.S., Kinvara.
7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Special intention.
Sunday 28th May:
9am, Doorus: James Fahy, Rinneen, months mind.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Edward & Maureen Larkin, Toureen, anniversary.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Josephine Sullivan, Carnamadra, 1st anniversary, and her husband Joe Sullivan and son Noel Sullivan, anniversaries;
Paddy and Seán Conole, Tawnagh East, anniversary.
Tuesday 30th May, 7pm, Ballinderreen: Mass.
Wednesday 31st May, 9.15am, Ballinderreen: People of Ballinderreen and Kinvara Parishes.
Thursday 1st June, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Special intention.
Friday 2nd June, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Parish Mass cards for the deceased.
Saturday 3rd June, 7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Mass.
Sunday 4th June:
9am, Doorus: Michael Hynes, Doorus & Limerick, anniversary.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Mass.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Una Murphy, Main Street, Kinvara, 2nd anniversary.
Catholic Bishops’ statement on Abortion: Changing the Narrative
1. Five Years Since the Abortion Referendum
Following the referendum on abortion in May 2018, we said: “a new situation now exists in Ireland. It is essential for us as a Church, which cares passionately about the gift of life, and wants to support both mothers and their unborn children, to seek better ways of responding to this new and very challenging reality”. The care that the Church has for mothers and their babies is part of the mission of the whole Church and must be lived out in our daily lives, private and professional. Today, we reaffirm our conviction that the innate dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death, is a value for the whole of society, rooted in reason as well as in faith. No matter what legislation is passed in any country, the fundamental right to life for all human beings at every stage of development still prevails.
2. A Review of what?
In December 2021, the Government of Ireland announced a public consultation as part of the process of reviewing the operation of the Act. This was not a review of the Act in itself, but only a review of how it operates. The stated purpose was to establish whether the Act was effective in what it set out to do, namely ending the lives of unborn babies.
3. Number of Abortions
Over the three-year period covered by the review (2019-2021), almost 18,000 pregnancies were terminated in Ireland. During the same period, there were 175,000 live births in Ireland. For every ten children born alive, one was aborted. The number of abortions in 2022 reached 8,500, an increase of 25%. By contrast, the number of abortions in England and Wales, involving women living in Ireland, have been declining steadily over the past twenty years.
4. Why did so many women seek Abortion?
Ninety-eight percent of all abortions carried out to-date under the Act took place in early pregnancy (during the first twelve weeks). The Act does not require that any reason be given for an abortion in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. The State does not ask why so many women sought abortion. As far as the review is concerned it is as if the women did not exist; their circumstances are not discussed. The mechanics of Ireland’s abortion regime have been reviewed, but the human experience of loss and loneliness remains largely cloaked from public scrutiny.
5. Ten Pages of Recommendations
The Government’s Review includes ten pages of recommendations for changes in the law or in the regulations pertaining to abortion, which are clearly aimed at making the Act more effective in the taking of human life. We wish to refer specifically to four of these:
a. The Mandatory Three-Day Waiting Period
The 2018 Act provides for abortion without any reason being given, within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. In order to ensure that the woman has at least a short window of time to consider such a major decision, the Act requires that there must be a three-day pause between the first medical consultation and the eventual completion of the abortion. The evidence is that over a quarter of women did not return to complete the abortion. The review now recommends that the three-day pause would become purely advisory. We strongly oppose this recommendation, which would weaken protection both for women and for babies. We call on the Government, instead, to be proactive in proposing alternatives to abortion, which would both support women and protect babies. Neither do we accept the recommendation that the twelve-week period during which early abortion can take place without any reason being given, would be extended under certain circumstances.
b. Freedom of Conscience
Almost 90% of GPs do not participate in the provision of early abortion. It is not entirely clear how many of them have made this decision on the grounds of conscience. It is almost certainly much higher than the 26% suggested in the review. The HSE identifies conscientious objection as a major factor in the refusal of hospital consultants to provide abortion.
Throughout the Review, “termination of pregnancy” is described as “healthcare”. This is an abuse of language. As we have already pointed out, no connection with the health of the mother or the child is given as the reason for the vast majority of abortions in Ireland. Yet, the Review now recommends that the provision of abortion should feature as a mandatory requirement in job specifications and in contracts of employment. Failure to comply would result in termination of employment. This, quite frankly, is a shocking proposal. Freedom of conscience is a fundamental human right and cannot simply be over-ridden in this way. We totally reject the suggestion that healthcare professionals who respect the right to life would be excluded from practicing in maternity care, or from obstetrics and gynaecology generally.
c. Legislation for the Provision of “Safe Access Zones”
The Review recommends that legislation be introduced to provide for so-called “safe access zones”, to prevent any presence which “would reasonably be regarded as having the effect of influencing a person’s decision to have a termination of pregnancy or provide the service” within the vicinity of any centre providing abortion. Limiting the right to peaceful assembly is not the action of a State which purports to present itself as having liberal-democratic values. We believe that those who conscientiously oppose abortion as a crime against humanity must be free to express their concerns in a respectful and non-violent manner in the public space.
d. De-criminalisation of Abortion
The Act (Section 23) regulates the circumstances in which the termination of pregnancy is not a criminal offence. In all other circumstances, abortion remains a crime. The Review recommends that medical practitioners should be removed from the scope of Section 23. In other words, if doctors carry out abortions in contravention of the Act, they would not be guilty of a crime. We reject this recommendation on the grounds that nobody should be above the law when it comes to protecting human life.
6. What can People of Faith do?
Five years on from the Referendum, it is time to consider what further we can do to support women and to restore the recognition of the right to life of unborn children. Here are a few possibilities:
a. Be confident in sharing your pro-life values
Valuing the right to life of every human being is a truly compassionate position. In our own homes and workplaces, and among our friends, we need to have the confidence to speak truthfully and respectfully about the dignity of every human life.
b. Be present to women in crisis pregnancy
Our casual comments or reactions can be encouraging and supportive, or negative and dismissive, when a family member, friend or girlfriend tells us she is pregnant. Over the years many mothers in crisis have felt supported – sometimes at the very last minute – by a sensitive offer of practical help to find a way out of their crisis, other than by ending the life of their unborn baby. Find out about pro-life support groups for women in crisis pregnancy; for parents of children with life-limiting conditions; and those which provide spiritual support for people following abortion.
c. Sign-up for the “Pray for Life” Novena
Join people across Ireland and the UK in the annual online ‘Pray for Life’ Novena, which begins on 23 May and concludes on 31 May, the Feast of the Visitation. Please register for the Novena on www.prayforlife.ie
We remain convinced that the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act, 2018, will, in due course, be repealed. We welcome the fact that a number of Oireachtas members have stated that they do not wish to see a liberalisation of the current law. We will continue, however, to encourage a greater political acceptance that abortion is not the solution to a crisis pregnancy.
The Gospel of Life will not be silenced. Five years on we will continue to advocate that “both lives matter”. We will continue to seek loving and supportive protection for every mother in distress and for every child in the womb, including those diagnosed with a disability or a life-limiting condition.
We do so because we believe that all human life is sacred, and that Ireland and the rest of the world will one day come to accept this truth. Meanwhile we continue to do our best to change the narrative through dialogue and by testifying, in season and out of season, to the Gospel of Life.
Sunday, 14 May 2023
Mass times and intentions for the week from 20th May 2023
Saturday 20th May:
11am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: First Holy Communion for Northampton N.S.
7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Pakie and Maureen Flaherty and their son Brother Christy and daughter Pauline, Killina, anniversary;
Paddy McIntyre, Dundalk, anniversary.
Sunday 21st May:
9am, Doorus: Mass.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Mass.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Noreen Fahy, Crushoa, months mind;
Paddy Kilkelly, Crushoa, anniversary.
Monday 22nd May, 11am, Ballinderreen: Funeral of Máire Ní Mháirtín (Madden), R.I.P, Toureen West.
Tuesday 23rd May, 7pm, Ballinderreen: Kate, Edward, Anne, and Bridget Kenny, Castlebar, anniversary.
Wednesday 24th May, 9.15am, Ballinderreen: People of Ballinderreen and Kinvara Parishes.
Thursday 25th May, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Special Intention.
Friday 26th May, 10am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Mass.
Saturday 27th May:
11am, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: First Holy Communion for St Joseph’s N.S., Kinvara.
7pm, St Joseph’s, Kinvara: Mass.
Sunday 28th May:
9am, Doorus: James Fahy, Rinneen, months mind.
10.30am, Ballinderreen: Edward & Maureen Larkin, Toureen, anniversary.
12 noon, St Colman’s, Kinvara: Josephine Sullivan, Carnamadra, 1st anniversary, and her husband Joe Sullivan and son Noel Sullivan, anniversaries;
Paddy and Seán Conole, Tawnagh East, anniversary.