Pentecost Sunday - Sung Mass at 5pm

Ascension Thursday - Sung Mass at 7pm

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Low Sunday - Dominica in Albis

The Octave of Easter - Low Sunday (Sunday of Quasimodo)

Low Mass at 5pm

St. Patrick's Church College Rd

Kilkenny

Celebrant: Very. Rev. Fr. A. O'Connor PP.

Image Source : Jerome Nadal SJ

"Thomas answered and said to Him: my Lord and my God. Jesus saith to him: 

Because thou hast seen Me, Thomas, thou hast believed; 

blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed. "

Today's Gospel (Jn 20: 19 -31) has the particular value of strengthening us in our faith. Thomas' doubt confirms us in the faith, for as St. Gregory says, " His disbelief was more useful to us than the faith of the other Apostles." Thomas was allowed to touch Him, the one who was incredulous, to do what He had not permitted the most faithful to do. It gives us an insight into Gods ways. God is a Father. He never denies a soul who seeks him with sincerity the necessary props to support his faith, but He often refuses the strong what he grants to the weak.

Is this not a manifestation of His Divine Mercy?

We are also told of the great gift given to priests for our benefit, the apostolic power to forgive sins. All of us constantly need to strengthen our faith, and to grow closer to God. In this time, as has always been the case, the frequent, humble use of that sacrament is as necessary as ever. It will give us the strength we need to grow in, and support, our faith - let alone overcome our failings. Oh great gift of Divine Mercy to His creatures! 

We are also left with one of the most beautiful prayers we can say, 'My Lord and my God'. How many times should we not repeat these words!

O Lord give me a real purity and true simplicity of heart, for You cannot find rest in a soul which is without them... I am resolved to pass all else in order to be united with You!

(Extracts from: Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary OCD)

Hebdomadae Sanctae/ Holy Week

Hebdomadae Sanctae/ Holy Week

This year, the first time since the introduction of the novus ordo, the ceremonies of the Triduum will be done in Kilkenny in accordance with those in effect in the 1962 Missal. 

All the liturgies will be sung in Gregorian chant. Missalettes will be available in English/Latin.

Holy Week:

1st of April - 2nd Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday) - Blessing of Palms, Procession and Solemn High Mass. 4pm St. Patrick's Church, College Rd., Kilkenny.

The Sacred Triduum:

5th of April - Holy Thursday. Sung Mass, removal of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose, adoration until midnight. 5pm Foulkstown Church*, Kilkenny. 


6th of April - Good Friday - 3.30pm Foulkstown Church*, Kilkenny.

7th of April - Easter Vigil & Solemn High Mass - 11.30pm St. Patrick's Church, College Rd., Kilkenny.


* Foulkstown Church & cemetery is located just outside the city on the Waterford Rd (N10).




PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO 5pm Low Mass on Easter Sunday.

Passion Sunday

Image source: Jerome Nadal SJ

Ant. Jesus said * unto the multitudes of the Jews and unto the Chief Priests He that is of God heareth God's words; ye, therefore, hear them not, because ye are not of God. 

Passion tide has begun. The veiled crucifix and statues, the absence of the Gloria in the Mass, the Gloria Patri in the responsories, the suppression of the 'Judica me' psalm at beginning of Mass - all are liturgical signs of mourning by which the Church commemorates Our Lord's Passion.


"In the Cross of Christ, in order that we may also do something which will unite us to what He has done for us, for as the Apostle says, 'if we suffer with Him, we shall be glorified with Him'" (Pope St. Leo). Therefore, we must not only meditate on Jesus' sufferings, but also take part in them; only by bearing His Passion in our heart and in our body(cf. 2 Cor. 4:10) shall we be able to share in its fruits (Extract from the 'Divine Intimacy').

Low Mass at 5pm

St. Patrick's Church College Rd

Kilkenny

Ash Wednesday

Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris 

Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thous shalt return

(Gen. 3:19).

The images below are taken from an engraving in the 1595 Pontificale Romanum Clementis VIII. pont. max. iussu restitutum atque editum. 


They form a series of three illustrating the public expulsion of penitents from the community of the church on Ash Wednesday. After listening to a sermon by the bishop on the expulsion of Adam from paradise, the exemplar for their own expulsion, the penitents wearing hair shirts, carrying candles, and weeping are ejected from the church.


"Let us fast an acceptable and very pleasing fast to the Lord. True fast is the estrangement from evil, temperance of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from desires, slander, falsehood, and perjury. Privation of these is true fasting" (St Basil the Great).

Quinquagesima Sunday

Sung Mass at 5pm, St Patrick's Church, College Rd, Kilkenny.

Image source: Jerome Nadal SJ

"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, * and all things that are written by the Prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished for He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, 

and shall be mocked and spitted on; and they shall scourge Him,

 and put Him to death, and the third day He shall rise again."

(Benedictus antiphon of Laudes taken from today's Gospel reading)

As Lent is fast approaching the Gospel of today (Luke 18:31-43) brings with it the announcement of Christ that he will undergo the Passion. The Apostles did not understand theses things, and since they dreamed of only triumphs and of occupying the first places in the kingdom, an allusion to the Passion upset and scandalized them. Are we not the same?

"To those who dream only of prosperity and earthly glory, the language of the Cross is incomprehensible. Those who have a purely material ideal of life find it very difficult to understand any spiritual significance, and especially that of suffering. St. Paul said that Christ Crucified was "unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness" (1 Cor. 1:23)."

"To human wisdom, suffering is incomprehensible; it is disconcerting; it can lead one to murmur against Divine Providence and even to lose all trust in God. However, according to Divine Wisdom, suffering is a means of salvation and redemption. And it was necessary "for Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into His Glory" (cf. Luke 24:26) So to for the Christian it is necessary to be refined in the crucible of sorrow in order to attain to sanctity, to eternal life." 

The Cross is Your standard Lord Jesus Christ; I should be ashamed to ask to be delivered from it!

(Extracts from: Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magadalen O.C.D. 'Divine Intimacy'.)

O Divine Love, 
conceal yourself, leap over our suffering, make us obedient!

Arouse and confuse us.

Shatter all our illusions and plans so that we lose our way and see neither path nor light

until we have found You.

(Jean-Pierre de Caussade, 'The Sacrament of the Present Moment' (L'Abandon a la Providence Divine) p.35.)

Solemn Sung Mass - Candlemas

Solemn Sung Mass 

7pm, Thursday 2nd of February

St. James's Parish Church, Glenmore, County Kilkenny (nr. New Ross, Wexford.)

"Lumen ad revelationem gentium,

 et gloriam plebis tuae Israel"

Feast of the Epiphany - 6pm Mass

  Feast of the Epiphany

Low Mass at 6pm, St Patrick's Church, College Rd, Kilkenny.

The Three Magi: Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar, 6th century, Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy