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Breffni Holy Communion Service

The January Communion Service in the Breffni will be on Thursday 24th at 2pm and will be led by Rev. Brendan.
The February Service will be on Thursday 21st also at 2pm and will be led by Rev. Tanya Woods
On Thursday 28th March Rev. Brendan McCarthy will lead the Easter Communion.

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Senior’s New Year Night Out

Our Senior's dinner is fast approaching and will take place next Saturday 19th January in Tomregan Hall.
We would ask that those parishioners coming for food please be seated by 5.30pm.
To help with catering please contact the following member of your parish by this Wednesday to let us know if you intend to come.

From 7pm the hall is open to parishioners of all ages. Our special guest Nigel Livingstone will be providing the music for the evening.
EVERYONE Come and join the dance and the craic!

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Mothers Union Christmas Meal

Happy New Year to all branch members from branch leader and committee.

Members Night will be held on Tuesday 12th February in Kinawley Minor Hall at 8pm. The Theme will be ‘Using our Talents’

Crafts. Please bring along any items you have made i.e. sewing, painting, knitting or any other craft.

Anyone wishing to give an ‘In Memory’ gift for Mothers' Day please bring your donation to this meeting.

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Tomregan Parish Dance

Many thanks to all who have been coming along to enjoy the craic and dancing in Tomregan hall each month. The next Supper Tomregan dance night is on Friday January 25th at 10pm.. Music will be provided by Francie Smith.

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Bereavements

The start of 2013 has been a particularly painful one for some of our families. We remember the Lovett family following the death of Linda’s mother Mina Humphrys buried in Killoughter parish, Redhills on Saturday 5th January. Mina lived to the grand age of ninety-eight and was incredibly resilient.

We are all shocked and saddened at the death of Billy Gallagher on New Year’s Eve.
Billy’s contribution to the life of the churches in our group has been great with his handiwork evident in a number of our buildings. He carried out work in Templeport and Kildallon (roof) as well as Swanlinbar Rectory. He spent much time though in Tomregan where he carried out quite extensive wood restoration with numerous projects including remaking many of the pews. The photo on the left shows him fitting a new foot he had made to one of the pews. Click here or on the thimbnail for a larger photo which should open in a new window. His skill with wood was quite astounding. Billy also made the cross that we use regularly as a centre point in our Good Friday remembrance. A photo of it is on the right of this article
It is to the cross we come as we hold Ruth, Trevor, Elaine, Jonathan and Samantha and the wider family in our love and prayers in this awful time.

Suicide Prevention

Enclosed with the print version of this newsletter there should be a leaflet from SOSAD.
This is a link to the SOSAD web site: www.sosadireland.ie
SOSAD stands for Save Our Sons And Daughtersis and is a charity that seeks to reduce the number of suicides in Ireland. As we know painfully well our Church of Ireland families are not immune to this pain and hurt that is all too common in our land. I would ask that every one read the leaflet and put it somewhere you can find it should it ever be needed.

Bless, O God of eternal life,
all who have died by their own hand.
Grant them peace from their inner turmoil
and the compassion of your love.
Comfort those who mourn their loved ones.
Strengthen them to face the questions of pain,
the guilt and anger, the irreparable loss.
Help us to reach out in love to others who prefer death
to the choices of life and to their families who grieve.
Amen.

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Diocesan Prayer for the Election of a New Bishop

As we have said farewell to Bishop Ken and Helen we are encouraged to pray as the diocese enter a time of transition trusting God to lead us, and guide us in the choice of new bishop.
We are encouraged to use the following prayer together with other parishes in the diocese as we look to the future:

Eternal God, shepherd and guide, in your mercy give your church in this United Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh a shepherd after your own heart who will walk in your ways, and with loving care watch over your people. Give us a leader of vision and a teacher of your truth so that your church may be built up and your name glorified; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

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Looking Forward to Lent

Lent and Easter come early this year and plans for this season are still being finalised.
St Paul's Kinawley are having their own events with our Catholic neighbours on Tuesday evenings entitled ‘Stories of Hope’ with a number of invited speakers. They will begin on Tuesday 19th February, more details will be announced shortly.

Rev. Andrew Quill is the speaker for the Lent services across our group. On Thursday evenings at 8 o’clock he will be leading a series of thoughtful reflections on some of Jesus' parables.

Parables of Jesus
Date	Venue	Title	Reference
14th February	Swanlinbar	The Rich Fool	Luke 12:31-21
21st February	Corrawallen	The Lost Son	Luke 15:11-32
28th February	Kildallon	The Great Banquet	Luke 14:15-24
l 7th March	Templeport	The Shrewd Manager	Luke 16:1-8
14th March	Newtowngore	The Unmerciful Servant	Matthew 18:21-35
21st March	Tomregan	The Lost Sheep & Coin	Luke 15:1-10
14th February will include Holy Communion as we begin our Lent season.

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Christmas Remembered.

Many thanks to all who helped with our Christmas services once again this year. Thank you to readers, musicians, and to all those who decorated the churches beautifully with Christmas trees and lights etc. Thank you to our local schools for their help and assistance at a busy time of year. Illness sadly prevented Ballyconnell school’s annual visit to the Breffni but they will be back! Meanwhile Newtowngore National school were out and about singing carols and shared a very thoughtful tale in Corrawallen church. The photographs are are linked from the item below.

A particular highlight is always our Christmas Eve service for families. I often think a key part of life is about making memories. Once again it was lovely to see families sharing in the Christmas story in such a memorable way. This year we thought especially about the wise men, so apologies to the shepherd we nearly forgot, and yes we had a donkey. May I once again thank parents for making this such an important part of your Christmas. Click here or on the thimbnail for a larger photo which should open in a new window.

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A big thank you to the children from Newtowngore national school who shared in music and drama in Corrawallen Church. In the midst of joy and celebration was a thoughtful message that reminded us of the value of faith in even the most desperate situations as a child remembered his father serving in Afghanistan.

Many thanks to Jennifer Richardson for these lovely photographs. Click on the thumbnails for larger versions which should open in new windows.

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Dance & Social Night

One of the highlights of parish life in Swanlinbar has been the social night on Thursday evenings in the Old School Hall. It's a great chance to work off some of the indulgences of Christmas festivities! All welcome.

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Bray the Christmas Donkey

One particular highlight just before Christmas was the visit of the OM team to our local schools to do a Christmas presentation. May I take this opportunity to thank parishioners who kindly hosted the team and to Abraham Graham for his practical help to the team on the Tuesday. As well as our local Protestant schools in Newtowngore, Killeshandra, Ballyconnell and Florencecourt, the team also went to Greaghrahan & St Bridget's Ballyconnell, Scoil Mhuire in Swanlinbar, St Naile’s in Kinawley and Kildallon. Over three days between five and six hundred school children saw a quite wonderful and engaging presentation of the real Christmas story using puppets and song. The team worked incredibly hard and were very well received by pupils and staff. One of our local teachers described it as ‘the best they had had at the school.’

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SAMS - Friday Night Live

One of the joys of recent years has been our support of Beryl Baker in Paraguay. The South American Missionary Society have a wonderfully informative evening each year to which we are once again invited.

You Are Invited
to
Friday Night Live
at
Craigavon Civic Centre
on
Friday 1st February 2013 at 7.30pm

Hosted By Rev Andrew Forster

The Keynote Speaker will be
SAMS Mission Director Bishop Ken Clarke

SAMS values your support for this gathering. Share with us and be inspired about the work in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru as we are encouraged and challenged by a variety of special guests.
To find out further details speak to Richard.

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Late News

It was a joy last year to have Beryl Baker visit the group. A priority in her time back this side of the world was seeing her brother Ted who was in hospital. We have just received the very sad news from SAMS missionary link Julie Fagan that Ted Baker had passed away on Monday 7th January. Please pray for Beryl and the family at this sad time especially as Beryl is so far away.

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A New Year's Prayer

Dear Father
God of our yesterdays, our today, and our tomorrows.
We praise You for Your unequalled greatness.
Thank You for the year behind us and for the year ahead.
Help us in Your new year, Father, to fret less and laugh more.
To teach our children to laugh by laughing with them.
To teach others to love by loving them.
Knowing, when Love came to the stable in Bethlehem , He came for us.
So that Love could be with us, and we could know You.
That we could share Love with others.
Help us, Father, to hear Your love song in every sunrise,
in the chirping of sparrows in our gardens,
in the stories of our grandparents, and the fantasies of our children.
Help us to stop and listen to Your love songs,
so that we may know You better and better.
We rejoice in the world You loved into being.
Thank You for another new year and for new chances every day.
We pray for South America and may we in 2013 deepen our partnerships
with others to share your message of hope.
Forgive us for falling short this past year.
We leave the irreparable past in your hands, and step out into the
unknown new year knowing You will go with us
We accept Your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what’s ahead,
depending on You to help us do exactly what You want..
I say it again, we rejoice!
In Jesus’ name
Amen

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Thank you

Mildred Morton would like to thank all who came to Tomregan on a very frosty night for the flower arranging and cake icing demonstrations. It was a most informative night that was well supported. €410 was raised through the evening to further their work with the children.

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Could You Contribute to Future Newsletters?

If you have a digital camera or a camera on your mobile phone please take photographs of your local parish activities. We would love to hear from you or, just send your photos to the group office.
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    Please put 'website reply' in the subject line. .

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Kinawley Hall

A new community hall opened in Kinawley on the Saturday before Christmas. Captain Richard and Rev Brendan were involved in the evening’s activities with Brendan formerly opening the facility along with Bishop O’Reilly. It was a great night which included Mackie Breen’s poetry, Brendan’s guitar and song, Carols and Irish music. A DVD presentation on the hall was particularly significant, entitled “New Beginnings” that thoughtfully shared the history of the village and our hopes looking forward. While this hall will be used primarily by our neighbours it is a quite superb facility that we pray will enrich the lives of the whole community. We will continue to seek to ensure this is the case.

As we seek to further relationships in Kinawley with our neighbours Pauline is holding a Kinawley Community Centre event on Wednesday 23rd January at 7.30pm. The Pampered Chef will have an oriental cooking theme. Tickets are £10 from the committee members or Pauline.

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Baptism

Templeport Parishioners rejoiced in the baptism of Lara Poppy Duggan on Sunday 6th January. We pray for proud parents Lorraine and Gethin and the wider family as they seek to practically live out the reality of the promises of faith made on this most special day.

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Thank You

Many thanks to Vi Breen and Alice Gould for providing many of the jokes and smiles used so regularly in the pages of these Newsletters.

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Time for a Smile!

Paddy and the Donkey

Young Paddy moved to Roscommon and bought a donkey from a farmer for €100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day he drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died."
Paddy replied, "Well then, just give me my money back."
The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."
Paddy said, "OK then, just bring me the dead donkey." The farmer asked, "What are you gonna do with him?" Paddy said, "I'm going to raffle him off." The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!" Paddy said, "Sure I can. Watch me... I just won't tell anybody he's dead."
A month later, the farmer met up with Paddy and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?" Paddy said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at €2 each and made a profit of €898." The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"
Paddy said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his €2 back."
Paddy now works for the Irish government!

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Butt Dust?

The Sermon I think this Mum will never forget . . . this particular Sunday sermon . . . "Dear Lord, " the minister began, with arms extended toward Heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face, "Without you, we are but dust... "He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, "Mum, what is butt dust?"

Simone Christie

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A Special Find

A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, and looked at the old pages as he turned them.
Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible, he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed in between the pages.
"Momma, look what I found," the boy called out.
"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.
With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered: "I think it's Adam's suit!"

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