Parish Pastoral Council update:
Every month, the Ballyhaunis Parish Pastoral Council meets in the Community Hall.
The PPC is a partnership of priest and people who work as a leadership group to help and develop faith in our parish, by identifying the needs of the parish and developing appropriate responses.
It’s our intention to post an update every month on the main items discussed at the PPC meetings.
The most recent meeting was held on Monday 27th November, and among the matters discussed was the plan to paint and refurbish the interior of St. Patrick’s Church.
CHURCH REFURBISHMENT: Fr. Stephen has spoken to an architect who took photos and has devised a plan for the refurbishment. The project will be put out to competitive tender in the New Year, and the parish Finance Committee will be involved.
LAY FUNERAL MINISTRY: Plans are also underway to establish a Lay Funeral Ministry team, where a number of people would be trained to provide support at a time of loss and would be involved in helping to organise funerals and assist bereaved families. Many parishes already have Funeral Ministry teams in place. The Lay Funeral Ministry was discussed at a recent meeting of the Priests of the Deanery, and discussions are ongoing regarding suitable candidates within our parish.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION: Preparation for First Holy Communion next May is underway, with the candidates and their parents attending “Grow In Love “ Masses on 18th September, 21st October and 18th November. The next Mass for Holy Communion candidates is 9th December.
CHURCH PEWS: An issue has arisen in relation to the movement of pews in the Church – the PPC discussed the matter and the Chairman is investigating pew security catches, or some alternative method of attaching the seats to the floor.
HEATING: The Parish Pastoral Council is also considering changing the oil used to heat the church to no-carbon Hydro Vegetable Oil. A heating engineer has advised that the church boiler would require minor modifications to deal with a different fuel, and further investigation is needed into the costs involved.
FAITH & LIGHT: On 21st October, members of the local Faith & Light group joined a number of groups from other parishes in Moate for the Provincial Day, where the theme was “Joy and Togetherness” – it was a day of meeting up with friends, chat, music and lunch and concluded with a special Mass celebrated by Fr Fergal Cunnane from Dunmore, who’s the national Faith & Light Chaplain.
On 12th November, the Faith & Light group held its “In November, We Remember” fiesta in Clare Court, where the members decorated butterfly shapes with the names of their deceased loved ones written on the back, as butterflies are symbols of resurrection.
The group will be joining the Dunmore Faith & Light community on 10th December for their Christmas Fiesta.
NOVEMBER REMEMBRANCE MASS was held on Saturday 4th November, where Fr Stephen spoke about his own experience of losing a close family member. The names of all the deceased of the parish over the past year were read out, and snowdrops were planted in their memory in the church garden.
CHRISTMAS SHOEBOX APPEAL: The PPC reported that 160 shoeboxes of gifts for children in poorer parts of the world were donated in Ballyhaunis this year – the number was lower than last year, while Ballyhaunis Community School was not involved in the Team Hope Appeal this festive season.
ADVENT / CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS: Plans are being finalised for the Christmas and New Year Masses and will be published in advance in the parish newsletter and on our website.
The next PPC meeting will take place on 22nd January 2024.