Today's gospel, 29 May. A different image of Jesus
Please scroll down for today's gospel reading, notes and notices.
This weekend in the Aughaval Parishes:
Sat 30 May
- Evening Prayer in Turlough Church, 7pm
Sunday 31 May
- Christ Church Castlebar, Morning Prayer at 10am, followed by tea
- Holy Trinity Westport, Holy Communion, 11.30am, followed by tea
- St Thomas's Dugort, Achill, Holy Communion, 3pm
Cleansing of the TempleAntoine-Jean-Baptiste Thomas, 1820 Public domain, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20523570
Today's gospel Mark 11: 11-26
Then he [Jesus] entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard it.
Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, ‘Is it not written,
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”?
But you have made it a den of robbers.’
And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’
Christian Art
https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-11-11-26-2026/
Christ Overturning the Money Changers' Table
You can view the painting Christ Overturning the Money Changers' Table, by Stanley Spencer, here:
Sacred Space
You can find a short prayer guide with a helpful reflection here:
https://sacredspace.com/daily-prayer/2026-05-29/
Notes and Notices
Subject to change
Thank you!
Carra Singers, in concert, Thur 4 June at 7.30pm,
Sun 14 June, Confirmation Service, 3pm in HTW, for all the parishes of the Aughaval Group. Bishop Michael Burrows will confirm and preside at the Holy Communion. Our final two preparation sessions will be on Sat 23 May and Sat 6 June at 10am in the Rectory, Westport.
For all the children and young people of the Aughaval Parishes,
their families and friends.
Parents are welcome to stay for the event.
Westport Festival of Chamber Music
Westport Festival of Chamber Music, 2026, in HTW:
Bringing faith to life through Muddy Church
‘Muddy Church’, ‘Messy Church’ and 'Forest Church' are fun yet serious all-age faith-building innovations, tried-and-tested in other parishes and places over many years. With the help of our Youth and Children's Ministry team, we plan to introduce variations and aspects of these expressions in the parishes, as occasional and supplemental to traditional services in these summer months, for the benefit especially of our children and young families.
Please continue to pray for our young people, and, 'Watch this (outdoor) space!'
- Holy Communion on 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.
- Evening Prayer on 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month.
Castlebar*
Sundays Weekly at 10am:
- Holy Communion on 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.
- Morning Prayer on 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, followed by tea/coffee.
Open church every Friday from 11am - 1pm.
*Christ Church Castlebar is a registered charity: Registered Charity No. 20206867
Westport
- Sundays Weekly at 11.30am, in Holy Trinity Westport; Holy Communion or Morning Prayer, followed by tea/coffee.
- Wednesdays at 10.30am, Midweek Holy Communion, followed by coffee (from 11.05am) in the Clew Bay Hotel. These gatherings are valuable and uplifting times of fellowship and friendship. You're welcome to drop in!
Dugort, Achill
- 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 3pm. Evening Prayer/ Holy Communion
Services are followed by tea/coffee occasionally.
Online Prayer and Bible Reading
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/83306729968?pwd=mVKnDXWs7Npn3aCnRPykJbJK7THANM.1
One-time donations
You can securely give towards these costs and the upkeep of the churches using your phone or electronic device using the link or QR codes (below) which will direct you to the parishes’ iDonate pages.
Regular giving
Regular giving can be by means of the weekly envelope system (-information on request), or by standing order.
Tax refund on donations
If you are a tax-payer, a tax refund on your donation can be made to your parish at no additional cost to you.
For help or more information, please contact one of the Hon Treasurers (contact details on request) or the Rector (details below), or see
https://aughaval.tlk.ie/2025/11/giving-towards-upkeep-of-churches.html .
Thank-you +
Westport-Dugort Union of Parishes: includes Holy Trinity Church Westport, St Thomas's Dugort, and Holy Trinity Inishbiggle
Westport-Dugort Parishes*
(Info. Babs Strutt, Hon. Treasurer - contact details on request)
Christ Church, Castlebar*
(Info. Trevor Ardill, Hon. Treasurer - contact details on request)
Turlough Church of Ireland Parish Church
https://www.idonate.ie/cause/TurloughChurchofIreland
Turlough Parish Church*
(Info. Karin Shaw, Hon. Treasurer - contact details on request)
*Turlough Parish Church is registered as a charity with the Charities Regulatory Authority under the Tuam, Killala and Achonry charity No. 20015237 and the Revenue Commissioners No. CHY 7241.
Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA)
CRA status of the Aughaval Group of Parishes, United Dioceses of Tuam, Limerick & Killaloe, Church of Ireland:
Christ Church Castlebar is a registered charity: Registered Charity No. 20206867.
Westport-Dugort Union of Parishes and Turlough Parish are in process of applying for their own CRA registration numbers. In the interim the parishes are included in the CRA registration of the TLK Diocese, as outlined below by the Diocese:
The United Dioceses of Tuam, Killala and Achonry is registered as a charity with the Charities Regulatory Authority under No. 20015237 and the Revenue Commissioners No. CHY 7241. The United Dioceses of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert is registered as a charity with the Charities Regulatory Authority under No. 20015688 and the Revenue Commissioners No. CHY 7327. On 1st November 2021, the dioceses amalgamated to become the Dioceses of Tuam, Limerick & Killaloe. The Diocesan Councils remain separate.
For further information, please contact Diocesan Secretary, Mrs Lorna Sharpe at limerickdiocsec@gmail.com, or Assistant Diocesan Secretary, Mr Damian Shorten at admin@tka.ie.
Revd Suzanne Cousins
Tel. +353 83 800 3233 / +44 77 1303 7447
Aughaval Parishes' website aughaval.tlk.ieFacebook https://www.facebook.com/AughavalParishes
