CHURCH NEWS: DURROW PARISH NEWS: Church Cleaning Rota – April 2018: Maeve Thornton, Eileen Keenan, Brigid Traynor and Angela Drennan.
Mass Readers: Saturdays – March 24th: Noreen Joyce; March 31st: Bernie Murphy; April 7th and 14th: Catherine Walsh. Sundays – March 25th: Stephanie Phelan; April 1st and 8th: Fergal Hassett.
Pilgrimage: The Diocese of Ossory Annual Pilgrimage to Lourdes will take place from May 22nd to May 27th inclusive. Bookings are now being taken and anyone wishing to travel on the Ossory Pilgrimage to Lourdes can contact Eleanor at (051) 880414 during weekdays between 9.30am and 1.30pm except for Wednesdays. The cost of the Pilgrimage will be €785.

KOLBE SPECIAL SCHOOL: The School has 39 pupils on roll, all with severe and profound special needs and/or autism and challenging behaviour. The pupils range in age from 5 to 18 years and we enrol children from all over County Laois and the surrounding areas. If you would like more information on our school you can look at our website – www.kolbespecialschool.ie – Kolbe Special School has been given a permit to fundraise by means of a Church gate collection during the weekend of April 7th and 8th 2018 throughout County Laois. The Board of Management and staff of the school would greatly appreciate your support. All funds raised will be used to continue to develop facilities and equipment for our pupils.

CHRISM MASS INVITE: At the Chrism Mass we bless the oils used in the celebration of Sacraments, in our parishes for the year ahead. All those in attendance at this Mass will renew their Baptismal promises and priests will also reaffirm their ministry by renewing the promises made at their Ordination. All those who are involved in the life of our parishes (Readers, Ministers of the Eucharist, Sacristans, those who serve on finance committees, choirs and all others) are invited to attend. This celebration takes place on Wednesday 28th March at 7pm in St Mary’s Cathedral. We encourage you to come along to this Diocesan celebration. Following it, there will be refreshments in the Cathedral Chapter House and all are welcome.

VISIT OF POPE FRANCIS TO IRELAND: A formal announcement that Pope Francis will attend the World Meeting of Families in Ireland is expected shortly. Pope Francis personally chose Ireland to host this event. Parishioners who would like to attend all or part of the event can register for the three-day Pastoral Congress on www.worldmeeting2018.ie online. Places for the Congress are limited and guarantee a ticket for the Festival of Families and the Final Mass which are expected to be led by Pope Francis. Although there will be no charge for any event led by the Pope, tickets for the Festival of Families will be very limited and not released until a later date, along with tickets for the Final Mass.