Parish Newsletter- 16th August 2026
| Mass times for the week ahead | MASS INTENTIONS |
|---|---|
| Saturday 15th August @7.00pm Clara | Eamonn & Margaret Fleming. Deceased of Flanagan family. Sarah Fitzgerald. Pat, May & Paddy Kenny. |
| Sunday 16th August @10.00am Horseleap | Laura Dillon. |
| Sunday 16th August @11.30am Clara | John & Tom Mooney. Deceased of Troy family. Kathleen O’Neill. |
| Tuesday 18th August @7.30pm Clara | Maurice, Margaret & Paddy Hill. |
| Wednesday 19th August @7.30pm Clara | St. John Eudes Andy, Una & Eileen Hennessy. Carmel Byrne. |
| Thursday 20th August @10.00am Clara | St. Bernard of Clairvaux Deceased of Buckley & O’Reilly families. |
| Friday 21st August @10.00am Clara | St. Pius X, Pope Deceased residents of Fredrick St., Clara. |
| Saturday 22nd August @10.00am Clara | The Queenship of Mary No Intention. |
| Saturday 22nd August @7.00pm Clara | Kevin, Maeve, Kieran and Baby Adrian Coyne. Joe & Annie, Joe & Edel Grennan. |
| Sunday 23rd August @10.00am Horseleap | No Intention. |
| Sunday 23rd August @11.30am Clara | Lillian & Eamonn Fleming. |
Adoration of the Blessed Eucharist
CLARA: Monday & Friday – 5.00pm-6.00pm
CLARA: Tuesday & Wednesday – after 7.30pm Mass to 9.00pm.
HORSELEAP: Tuesday– 7.00pm-8.00pm
All are welcome!
Come and find peace in the Lord.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament continues in Clara church on the first Saturday of every month at 2.55pm. Everyone welcome to attend. Join us for even a brief period of time.
Please pray for Mary Robbins, Horseleap; recently deceased. R.I.P.
Dare to Ask for Help.
Today’s Gospel presents one of the most moving examples of faith. A Canaanite woman approaches Jesus because her daughter is suffering terribly. She comes as an outsider who might easily have believed she had no right to approach Him. Yet desperation pushes her beyond social barriers. She voices her need. Even when the response is not immediate, she stays. She continues asking. Eventually, Jesus recognizes the greatness of her faith, and her daughter is healed. This woman teaches us something beautifully simple: faith is not pretending that we are strong; sometimes faith is having the courage to say, “I need help.” The woman begins from a place of need. She does not pretend that everything is fine. She knows she cannot solve her daughter’s suffering by herself. Many of us find this difficult. We want others to see us as strong, independent, and capable. We hide our struggles behind smiles. Faith gives us permission to be weak before God. Prayer begins with honesty. We can tell God, “I am afraid.” Admitting our need is not a failure of faith, it is the actual beginning of faith. The woman does not keep her pain inside. She voices it. God already knows what we need, but expressing our need changes something within us. When we speak to God about our pain, our worries become prayer. Our fear becomes surrender. Our helplessness becomes dependence upon Him. God’s silence is not necessarily God’s absence. Sometimes faith is not receiving an immediate answer. Sometimes faith is simply refusing to leave God’s presence without entrusting our burden to Him. The woman’s persistence reveals what is deep within her heart. She believes that even the smallest blessing from Jesus is enough to change her situation. That is remarkable faith. Persistence in prayer does not mean forcing God to give us exactly what we want. Rather, persistent prayer gradually teaches us to place ourselves completely in His hands. Perhaps today you are carrying a burden. Maybe you have been trying to handle everything yourself. The story of the Canaanite woman reminds us that you do not always have to appear strong. The Canaanite woman came to Jesus helpless, but she went home full of hope. Her story reminds us that asking for help is not the opposite of faith. Indeed, asking for HELP is faith itself…
Collections 8th/9th August – Development Fund: €1,195; Plate: €475; July Offerings: €90.
Thank You Very Much!
For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can support our parish with a quick and simple donation, by simply clicking the button below:
The Irish Synodal Pathway: The Key Question
What is God asking of the Church in Ireland at this time? This question has been the focal point from the very beginning of the Irish Synodal Pathway. No one person has the answer; the goal is to discern together what God is asking of us as a Church. How do we discern the voice of the Lord together? The Irish Synodal Pathway has endeavoured to do this on a national level by distilling and synthesizing what was heard through local consultations that took place across the country. The answers to this question will hopefully give a clear, unified direction for the Catholic Church in Ireland. Read more: www.dioceseofmeath.ie/synod
Marriage Encounter Ireland invites married couples to a residential Weekend from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th October, at the “Focolare Centre” Curryhills, Prosperous, Co. Kildare. See www.marriageencounter.ie for more information.
Cafe Cairde Monday 17th August, 2.30 to 4.00pm, The Charleville Centre, Tullamore, R35 H660. Cafe Cairde is a warm, friendly and supportive environment for people living with dementia, their family members, carers and friends. Contact Noirin (087) 955 53940.
Image: Christ and the Canaanite Woman by Jean Germain Drouais
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