Tag: News

Dressing Rooms Fundraising Appeal

Please help us build a place to change!

Sponsor a Block!

In the mid 1990s, thanks to a generous donation from John Griffin, Muintir a’Chorráin were able to purchase the pitch in Bollinglanna on behalf of the community. The pitch provides a safe, well equipped place for anyone in the community to play a range of sports. As well as various Currane teams, it has also played host to Achill Rovers and Mulranny.

But one facility is missing…a place for players to change into their kit before an event, and to shower and change afterwards.

Muintir a’Chorráin, the Currane community development company, hopes to rectify this. Plans have been drawn up for a suitable facility, which will cost in the region of €190,000. We have approached Roinn na Gaeltachta for support in the form of grant aid, and there is a good chance that we will receive 50% of the required sum. Now we need to raise the other €95,000.

We are appealing to the people of Currane, people with roots in Currane and people with an interest in Currane to help.

Various fundraising events are in the planning stages, and details will be released as soon as they are finalised, but you can help us now!

We are asking you to “Sponsor A Block” of the new Dressing Rooms. For €100 you (or your family or group) can become the proud “owner” of one of the concrete blocks that will be used to construct the building.

You will receive a certificate showing your “block number” and your name will be included on a commemorative plaque and on the Appeal website. (If, however, you do not want anyone to know about your generosity, your donation will be treated as “anonymous”).

Please help provide a better facility for our young (and not so young!) sports men and women.

If you can help us, please download, print and complete a donation form (PDF document, requires Acrobat Reader) and return it along with your cheque for €100 (or the equivalent in US$ or UK£). Alternatively you may contact one of the committee members: Mary O’Malley 098-45265, John Joe McNamara 098-45638, Alistair Steger-Lewis 098-45858

Thank you for your help.

 

Dressing Rooms Fundraising Appeal

Muintir a’Chorráin, the Currane Community Development Company, has launched an appeal to raise funds to build dressing room facilities at Griffin Park, the community pitch in Bollinglanna. Various events will be organised but the main venture is to appeal for “sponsors” for each block of the building. Individuals or groups may sponsor one or more blocks for a minimum donation of €100 per block. Click here for further details.

Parish Statement 10th February 2002

Introduction
The letter from the Archbishop, about the reduction from four priests to three, stated two requirements for weekend Masses:
That weekend Masses in the parish had to be reduced from twelve to nine.
That the times of Masses had to allow for two priests celebrating all the masses so that the third priest would be available to celebrate a Mass on Clare Island when required.
From the responses at all of our recent meetings it was accepted that there would be some pain for people in making changes, but it was also agreed that the situation was very different from the time when extra Masses were introduced to accommodate those who had no transport and so had to walk several miles to get to Mass.
The following proposals were agreed at a meeting of representatives from all areas of the parish on February 7th 2002.
It is not intended to close any of the nine churches. (Unless circumstances change in future years).
However, with fewer Masses, the larger churches will be used for weekend services, in order to provide sufficient accommodation for the holiday season, bank holiday weekends, Easter, Christmas and weddings or festivals, without having to change Mass schedules.
The new arrangement for weekend masses will begin on the second Sunday of Lent- the 23rd/24th February, 2002. for the Vigil and the Sunday Masses.
There will be Vigil Masses in Achill Sound, Bunnacurry and Pollagh.
There will be Sunday Masses in Currane, Achill Sound, Derreens, Bunnacurry, Dookinella and Pollagh.
There will not be weekend masses in Belfarsad, Dooega and the Valley churches (after the weekend of 16/17 February, 2002). But at least one weekday Mass will be celebrated in each of these churches, each week as far as possible, and they will remain places of worship with the Blessed Sacrament reserved in each and will continue to be maintained from parish funds. (Arrangements already made for First Communion this year will stand). It will also be necessary to make provision for an Irish Mass for the pupils of Coláiste Acla.
Vigil Masses
6.30pm
7.30pm
7.30pm		 Bunnacurry Church
Achill Sound Church
Pollagh Church
Sunday and Holy Day Masses
9.45am
10.00am
10.45am
11.00am
12 Noon
12 Noon		 Currane Church
Dookinella Church
Achill Sound Church
Bunnacurry Church
Derreens Church
Pollagh Church
Weekday Masses
The Archbishop’s letter stated that “Apart from weddings and funerals, no priest should be celebrating more than one weekday Mass”.
Accordingly with three priests there shoulld be just three scheduled Masses in the whole parish on weekdays. It is hoped to produce a joint newsletter for all the churches, which will include the list of masses for the week, so people will know when and where there is a weekday Mass in the parish. It is also intended to have occasional Masses in St. Colman’s and St. Fionnán’s Nursing Units. The changes in weekday Masses will be introduced gradually beginning in May 2002.
Communion services conducted by lay people, who have received training, are now used in schedules in churches in Ireland on weekdays when there is no daily Mass. These have been introduced in a number of parishes in our own Archdiocese and it is proposed to introduce them in Achill and invite people to train as leaders. The service includes the Liturgy of the Word as in the Mass for the day with prayers of the faithful. Then a Eucharistic Minister distributes Communion to the congregation.
Mass Intentions
With a reduced number of Masses on Sundays and weekdays, some changes will be necessary in the booking of Mass Intentions.
Please remember that we have between 65 and 85 deaths in the parish each year, requiring that number of funeral Masses and Month’s Mind Masses in the year of death, and the same number of first Anniversary Masses in the following year, in addition to the Anniversary Masses of the previous years. Therefore people must have consideration for the needs of other families when booking Masses.
Families are asked to book only Anniversary Masses for their deceased. Where there is no available date close to the Anniversary, a list of people who have anniversaries in the coming week will be printed and prayed for at the weekend Mass. Mass Intentions will then be offered on weekdays, if any are free, or will be sent to Missionary priests for celebration.
Involvement of lay people
The letter from the Archbishop stated; “ A further consequence of these developments will be an increased need for involvement of the lay-church members of the parish”. So, what does this mean in practice? There are many things that can be done in the parish by lay people to exercise their Baptismal calling and dignity, so that priests can focus more directly on priestly duties. Some are already being done but need to be more structured and to be done in all the areas.
It was agreed to form into five Coistí Dúiche;
Achill Sound Church area.
Currane/Belfarsad Church area.
Bunnacurry/Valley Church area.
Derreens/ Dooega Church area.
Dookinella/Pollagh Church area.
Each Coiste Dúiche is asked to take responsibility for;
The maintainence and upkeep of the church/s in their area.
Organising the rota for all the different ministries, with particular emphasis including people involved from the smaller church that will not have weekend Mass. Eucharistic Ministers, Readers, Leaders for Communion Services, Collectors Servers, Music and singing for Mass and other ceremonies.
The Altar Society to take care of the sanctuary and have the church ready for liturgical celebrations.
Preparing liturgies especially for Holy Week and Easter ceremonies, Christmas and other special occasions as well as for the weekend Mass.
Pastoral Council
We are asking the representatives from all the Coistí Dúiche to meet and form a Pastoral Council to plan for the needs of the whole parish and to organise the training necessary for different Ministries. A core group would be formed to continue as a planning unit.
A key requirement also would be the formation of a Finance Committee to manage the accounts of the parish.
Residence
One other element of the Archbishop’s letter was to ‘ maximise the availability of priests to the whole population of the parish’. Taking into account the spread of population and the responsibilities of each of the priests, as outlined at the previous meetings, it was agreed that the priests remain where they are and that the house in Bunnacurry be used as a Pastoral Centre for the whole parish. It has a fine open plan room for meetings. The office would be used to service the parish and if at all possible to get some secretarial support. The Newsletter for the whole parish would be assembled there and it could become the hub for activities for the Pastoral Council.
Conclusion
When changes have to be made in any situation it causes unease and uncertainty, but, it is important to manage change in a way that provides a clear way forward based upon the resources available. The change in staffing of priests in Achill parish can lead to despondency if we simply moan for the past, or it can be seen as a challenge to use the gifts and talents of all the people and create a vibrant and life- giving church community into the future.

In the words of the seanfhocal “ Ní neart go chur lé chéile”.
Guibhimis Beannacht Dé ar an obair atá romhainn.

Belfarsad loses weekend Mass.

As some of you may know there have been a number of meetings recently to discuss the changes that will need to take place in the Parish due to the death of Fr Sean Nolan and therefore the reduction in the number of priests from four to three. Following a letter from the Archbishop, a number of changes have been agreed by the clergy, together with representatives from all areas of the Parish. A statement has been issued. The main points in short, for those of us in Currane are; that after the weekend of the 16th/17th February 2002, weekend Mass at Belfarsad will cease and the time of Sunday Mass at Currane will change to 9.45am.

A generous gift to the Currane Community

Tom Farrar, whose grandmother Sarah Gallagher left Currane for the USA in 1912, has recently visited the area. Tom, a keen collector of coins, travelled from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, bringing with him a precious collection of Irish coins, the earliest dating back to 1035AD. Tom has generously donated his collection to the Currane community, saying that it was most appropriate that they should “come home”.
On a visit to the Currane National School and Community Library, Tom was able to view the school archives which included a record of his grandmother’s time at the school.


In the photos above: Tom Farrar, Mary-Ellen Ryder and Mary O’Malley take a look at the old school records, which include references to his grandmother, Sarah Gallagher.
Tom Farrar presents his coin collection to Anne Chambers who accepts on behalf of the community and former Government Minister and native of Currane Denis Gallagher thanks Tom for his generous gift, saying that it is wonderful that a descendent of a Currane native should hand over a collection of such historical and educational value. The gift will be a real treasure for future generations.
Below are some pictures of the coins. We hope to have professional photographs taken of all of the coins individually, and make this collection available on CD

Currane National School Fundraiser – Spring 2001

The evening was a great success.
The Board of Management of Currane National School would like to thank all who took part. £630 was raised for the school library.
The evening comprised a table quiz, raffle, the official handover of the new football kit kindly donated by Tommy Moran (Connecticut and Currane) and the auction of the old football kit. There was a photographic display of past and present sporting events at Currane School. A special surprise presentation also took place, Anne Chambers, head of Currane National School is celebrating 25 years in the teaching profession.