Aughaval Group of Parishes

  This weekend in the Aughaval Group of Parishes: Back to School Sunday, with Blessing of the Backpacks Saturday, 7pm in Turlough Church Sunday, 10am in Christ Church Castlebar Sunday, 12 noon in St Mary's Westport (for Holy Trinity Westport and friends), followed by tea in Carrowbeg House Sunday, 3pm in St Thomas's Dugort, Achill, with Holy Communion Photo by Brad Thien, Castlebar August 2025 The Gospel Reading Luke 14: 1, 7-14 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable.  ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But w...

  This weekend in the Aughaval Group of Parishes: Back to School Sunday, with Blessing of the Backpacks Sat, 7pm in Turlough Church Sunday, 10am in Christ Church Castlebar Sunday, 12 noon in St Mary's Westport (for Holy Trinity Westport and friends) Sunday, 3pm in St Thomas's Dugort, Achill, with Holy Communion Parable of the Talents Kunstenaar: Jan Frearks van der Bij, 1962 by Ytzen, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31463462 Today's gospel reading      Matthew 25:14-30 [Jesus said] ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents,  to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.  The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent...

  Landscape with St. John the Baptist preaching  Pieter Brueghel the Younger, 1601 Public domain, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4817012 In many parts of the church, the beheading of John the Baptist is remembered on this date. Over the centuries a great many paintings on this sad and gruesome subject have been executed. Today we honour John, not with an image of his execution, but with this vibrant painting of John preaching to the crowds which followed him.  Today's gospel      Mark 6:17-29 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod  had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When...