Aughaval Group of Parishes

Whatever your particular church or faith background, you are warmly invited, on Wed 29 January at 10.30am, to come along to Holy Trinity Westport to mark Christian Unity Week, with a time of prayer, friendship, fellowship and a nice cup of tea (or coffee)!  Jointly organised by St Mary's and Holy Trinity Westport.  Go on, go on, go on! Credit to Fr John Kenny for video editing.  https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Kurq4CCPK/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Saturday 1st Feb , 10am - 1pm, St Brigid’s Cross-making in Christ Church , Castlebar. Legend has it that Brigid, when sharing hospitality with wayfarers who came to her father's house, would also share the good news of God's love and the gospel while weaving these crosses from rushes. Come along on Saturday 1st February, learn the art, and enjoy the activity, coffee and company! Free-of-charge. For all ages. You're welcome. Christ Church on The Mall, Knockaphunta, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

  Outside the main church door, with our Christingles, and telling the children about the tradition of Chalking the Doorpost in Epiphany.  (All photos shared with permission.) The children were given the opportunity to 'go shopping' (for free!), filling gift bags with treats and a piece of chalk each to take home for the Chalking of Doorposts of their own homes, having been taught about this very old tradition and its meaning.  See, for example   https://www.thetableindy.org/epiphany-tradition-chalking-of-the-door/ 20 + C + M + B + 25 The Meaning of the Christingle: The orange stands for the world. The sweets stand for God's many gifts to us in the world. The red ribbon stands for the life and blood of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the World. The candle stands for Jesus, light of the world "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." Christingle-making workshop, with Sunday Club leaders Paul, Steffi and Shirley,  plus the children's mums...

Messy New Year Christingle, Holy Trinity, Westport.  Marvellous morning with wonderful children and parents and the superb Sunday Club team. Thanks to all.  More photos and a write-up to follow.

Still shining: Westport lights, post-Christmas The Christmas lights in our homes and churches are all taken down and packed away now for another year. Many of us are glad at this and at the return to some kind of normality to our lives and routines, after all the hype and pressure surrounding the celebration. Others experience something else, a sadness or melancholy which is difficult either to explain or to describe to those fortunate enough not to know the experience.  Yes, this is a hard time of year for many people, not least for those who suffer from 'SAD' - Seasonal Affective Disorder  - on account of the short days and lack of natural light. Such mood disorders or experiences of low mood, can be distressing and extremely debilitating, leaving the sufferer feeling quite isolated and alone, depressed and hopeless.  More, those who experience such struggles often experience on top of this, a sense of guilt or shame at feeling sad when our outward circumstances are act...

Coming up this weekend:  ‘Messy New Year Christingle’ (1) All-age ‘Messy New Year Christingle’, Sat in Holy Trinity Church, Westport from 11am - 12.30;  (2) Services at the regular times in Turlough (Sat 7pm, HC), Castlebar (Sun 10am, EP), Westport (Sun 11.30am, MP), and Dugort (Sun 3pm, EP);   (3)  Sunday Club restarts this coming Sunday, 12th January 2025, in Holy Trinity, Westport , starting at 11.30am in the church (4) Regifting weekend - You can bring your unwanted gifts to HTW on Sunday for redistributing by Westport Eco-congregation (please see poster).  Alternatively, if you have items suitable for the HTW Table Quiz raffle (Fri 7th Feb in Clew Bay Hotel) please let Babs or Henry know. Thank you.

We were truly blessed to have so much professional input to our Christmas services this year in the parishes, including singers James Kilbane ( James Kilbane Music ), David Durham (see https://mayomalevoicechoir.ie/david-durham/ ) and Hubert Francis (see https://hubertfrancis.com ), Chris O'Malley (Westport Festival of Chamber Music), and organists John Dexter and Siobhan Kilkelly. Sincere thanks to them all for the musical depth and sparkle that they brought to the services.  In the Service of Nine Lessons & Carols in Holy Trinity Westport, we were delighted again this year to have the Choir of St Mary's Westport sing for us and with us (sincere thanks to Dan Delaney), and that our own Barbara Sheppard ( Parish Reader, Westport) brought a beautiful rendition of Don Oiche Úd i mBeitheal  accompanied by Chris O’Malley and Westport Traditional Irish Musicians.  See also: https://www.facebook.com/AughavalParishes/posts/pfbid0uBUerDk8UFFPpYqPnxXaS92wpBMErM5hKzXDAhLVeU8KMh...

  This is Steffi and Paul, a.k.a. Mary and Joseph (see Crib Service, 22nd December, below), who last weekend celebrated the first anniversary of their wedding which took place in southern India. Steffi and Paul lead the Sunday Club children’s ministry in Holy Trinity Westport, and we are blessed to have them! Let's pray for them in their lives and ministry. 

Christmas Services of Holy Communion (The Eucharist)  in the Aughaval Parishes: - Sunday 22 December, 3pm in St Thomas’s Dugort, Achill - Christmas Eve, 24 December, 7pm in Turlough -  Christmas Eve, 24 December,  ‘Midnight Christmas Communion’, 11pm in Holy Trinity, Westport - Christmas Day, 25 December, 9.30am in Christ Church, Castlebar and 11am in Holy Trinity Westport All are welcome to come and celebrate the Nativity and God's great gift to us all.

A Christmas Thank-you message to the Aughaval Parishes from Tear Fund, in appreciation of our support:  

Wed 18 Dec, 10.30am, Midweek Holy Communion in HTW, followed by coffee in Cornrue Bakery (beyond Lidl). All welcome. Advent Prayer and Bible Study: Wed 18 Dec, 7.30pm in the Rectory, Westport, with online option, link below. (You most likely will not need to use the Meeting ID and Passcode, if you have a Zoom account.) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82781900766?pwd=b2YEVeJHqhnprNxoLHjd5sqg492wbn.1 Meeting ID: 827 8190 0766 Passcode: 747477 Sat 21 Dec, 7pm, Turlough, Holy Communion Sun 22 Dec, 10am, Castlebar Morning Prayer Sun 22 Dec, 11.30am in HTW: All-age Crib Service. Children (and adults!) are invited to come in simple Nativity costume, or items may be borrowed from the dressing-up box in the church. Sun 22 Dec, 3pm in St Thomas's Dugort – as below Sun 22 Dec, 5pm, St Mary's Westport Carol Service. We are warmly invited. Sun 22 Dec, 5pm and 8pm, Chapel Street Gospel Choir Concerts, in Christ Church Castlebar. Info., Ros Potter, Turlough. Christmas Communion: Sunday 22 Dec, 3pm ...

Friday 13th December was a holy and happy night in St Thomas's Church, Dugort, Achill, with the traditional service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Photos and insights to follow. Oiche mhaith!