Aughaval Group of Parishes

  Please scroll down for notices and other information. Services this weekend in the Aughaval Parishes:      Sat 7pm in Turlough Church, Evening Prayer      Sun 10am in Christ Church Castlebar, Holy Communion      Sun 11.30am in Holy Trinity Westport,  Holy Communion Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness  Caravaggio, 1604  Public domain, via  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21977132 Today's gospel reading      John 1:19-28 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’  And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one ...

  Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and peace-filled new year.  Today's gospel      Luke 2:16-21 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Sacred Space A gentle prayer guide and reflection can be found here: https://sacredspace.com/daily-prayer/2026-01-01 Notes and Notices Special date for the new year diary Friday 23rd January at 7.30pm in Holy Trinity Church:  A Public Celebration  of the  Reopening of Holy ...

Please scroll down for today’s gospel reading, notices, invitations and information. Please note there will be no  Midweek service on Wed 31 December and  no  Online Prayer and Bible Reading.  Prayerful good wishes to all for 2026. Today's gospel reading is often referred to as the Christmas Gospel. John 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life,  and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the wor...

  Please scroll down for general information and notices. Please note there will be no  Midweek service on Wed 31 December and  no  Online Prayer and Bible Reading.  The Purification or The Presentation in the Temple Far Bibliothèque municipale Stanislas,  Nancy - La Purification ou la Présentation au Temple  (Ms. 1874, fol. 30v°), CC BY 2.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29759248 Today's gospel reading      Luke 2:36-40 There was also a prophet, Anna  the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child  to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required...

Please scroll down for general information and notices. Today's gospel      Luke 2:22-35 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;  this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.  Guided by the Spirit, Simeon  came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon  took him in his arms and praised God...