Trad session in full swing at Batt’s Bar during the Vintage Rally

Coffee Morning

The annual Coffee Morning in aid of Milford Hospice will be held in the Community Hall oh Thursday, 21st., September at 9am.

This very worthwhile cause is supported generously every year and a good attendance is expected this time around. Well done to all those who help to organise the event

Drama A.G.M.

The A.G.M. of Athea Drama Group will take place on Wednesday, 27th., September in Con Colbert Community Hall at 8pm.This group have been going from strength to strength over the years and they look forward to staging a new play in the springtime.  New members are always welcome and there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes as well.

The Way I See It

By Domhnall de Barra

I have been asked on many occasions about this newsletter and what it takes to produce it each week. When it began, back in the early ‘nineties, I didn’t know much about it but, since that never stopped me before, I went ahead and learned some of the tricks of the trade by trial and error. In those days it was in black and white and it was a single folded A3. Since then it has gradually increased to 12 pages and of course we graduated to full colour as soon as it became available. The process begins on the day after the last production by clearing off the articles from last week. Then I do the crossword and try to get the clues alright before replacing last week’s one. This can be difficult sometimes as there are so many words to go around and it is almost impossible not to have to repeat some of them. Every day after that it is a case of checking the internet for mail from one of our columnists or organisations and also watching the phone for contributions, queries, articles for sale, anniversaries, prayers etc.  Monday is the day most of them come in and that is when I start placing them on the pages of the newsletter. Some may be accompanied by photos which have to be brought into the photo shop to be resized, cropped and improved if necessary. The columnists have their own spaces and it is then a matter of fitting everything into place without leaving any gaps. Sometimes there isn’t enough material to cover the areas but, more often than not, there is too much and that is where the tricks of the trade come in. Print can be narrowed, expanded or spaced so that it will make a good fit and photos may be enlarged or reduced but it takes time and patience to get it right. Eventually everything is in place and then it all has to be checked. This is where I sometimes fall down because I can easily miss something that Lillian used to spot in an instant but, alas, she has retired so apologies for my many mistakes. It is easy to omit something as well. A small article may be put to one side, waiting for room to put it in, and then be forgotten. When I am satisfied that everything is ok the newsletter is ready for printing. In the beginning we used to print each page individually and then do the other side before putting them all together and folding them by hand but, with advances in printing technology, they now come off the machine folded. Next job is to count them for the various outlets and deliver them. The job is not quite finished because it now has to be put up on line so that it can reach people who are living outside of Athea, even America and Australia! That is another job altogether which I will not get into here. I am grateful to everyone who contributes every week especially our regular correspondents, Kathleen Mullane, Jer Kennelly, Marion Harnett, Tom Aherne and Peg Prendeville not forgetting the contribution made in the early years by the late Pat Brosnan R.I.P.  Damien Ahern is regular as clockwork with his G.A.A notes and photos and all the other organisations who use the columns from time to time. We did have some advertisement  over the years but times have changed and there is very little now except for the credit Union who give us great support. Putting the newsletter together is not an easy job and can be quite frustrating at times but it is very rewarding as well and I hope it offers something extra to the parish and beyond. As I have written before, I don’t know how long more it can be kept going but it will be here next week anyway!!

I was talking to a wise man the other day and he said to me: “Barry, the world is upside down, I think it is nearing the end”.  I have been giving that remark some thought since and especially when I heard about the latest severe flooding in Libya, a country I worked in once, which has so far taken the lives of over 2,000 people. This following on the big earthquake in Morocco which has also claimed thousands of lives and caused devastation over a wide area. The death toll from these latest tragedies will rise dramatically in the coming weeks and who knows what else is around the corner.  Earthquakes, floods, fires and extreme heat have caused the loss of many lives this summer and it is obvious that things are getting worse by the year. Climate change is a fact whether we like it or not but what is the cause.? Can it all be down to our own actions or is there a higher power at play? It is not fashionable to mention God now but isn’t it  likely that there is some kind of intelligence that controls the whole universe?  Is it possible that all the millions of stars and galaxies are there by chance or is there a higher power guiding the system. We do not have all the answers, in fact our Tiny minds cannot deal with the fact that there is no end to the space we look at when we see the sky. We were told how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because the people had lost their way and were beyond redemption. Is it happening again?  The world is certainly in turmoil with wars and atrocities everywhere. Evil is alive and thriving in our communities.  Maybe the world is near an end after all.

St. Bartholomew’s Church Athea

Ide Naofe Pastoral Area   (Athea, Abbeyfeale, Mountcollins, Templeglantine and Tournafulla).

Canon Tony Mullins 087 2600414, Fr. Willie Russell 087 2272825, Fr. Denis Mullane 087 2621911 and Fr Dan Lane 087 2533030 (retired). Sunday duty Sept 17^th – Rev. Fr M Noonan 087-4796217

Weekday masses on Tuesday morning at 9.30am and Friday evening at 7pm.

Eucharistic Adoration & The Devine Mercy Chaplet on Tuesday morning after mass.

House Calls: Each month Fr Tony, Fr Willie or Fr Lane visit the sick and the housebound in our parish … if you would like to add your name to the list or the name of a family member, please contact parish admin at the number below or any one of the priests directly.

Baptisms on the 4^th Saturday of the month at 2.30pm – next date Saturday Sept 23^rd .

Next baptism course on Tues Sept 12^th at 8pm, contact Theresa for further details 087-1513565.

Parish Administration: Tues-Fri 11am-1pm. call Siobhan on 087-3331459, outside these hours text or email [email protected]

Intentions (All masses are streamed live on https://www.churchservices.tv/athea)