Dear Friends,
Today is The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saints of the Week – Saint John Fisher (1469 – 1535) – Monday 22nd June
Born in London in 1469, John Fisher was equally distinguished as a humanist scholar and a faithful bishop. He was educated at Cambridge University. In 1504, John was made chancellor at Cambridge and bishop of Rochester. He engaged Erasmus as professor of Greek and Hebrew at Cambridge. In 1527, John upheld the validity of Queen Katherine of Aragon’s marriage with King Henry VIII and refused to acknowledge Henry as Head of the Church. In April 1534, John was imprisoned in the Tower of London and while he was there Pope Paul III named him a cardinal. King Henry was furious and, within a month, John was brought to trial in Westminster Hall, charged with treason in that he denied the king’s ecclesiastical supremacy; he was found guilty and condemned to death. John had been in bad health for some time, and was so frail that he had to be carried to the place of execution on Tower Hill. His friend, St. Thomas More, wrote of John Fisher: “I reckon in this kingdom no one man can be compared to Bishop John in wisdom, learning and virtue.” John Fisher was canonized in 1935 by Pope Pius XI.
Summer Concert at St. Francis Xavier Church
The Fighting Blindness Visionaries Choir will be performing their summer concert at St. Francis Xavier Church, Gardiner Street on Sunday 28th June at 4.00pm. They promise a very enjoyable performance with songs that will appeal to all tastes.
There is a small donation fee of 10euro per ticket that will go to 'Fighting Blindness' which a local sight loss charity on Hill Street.
We would love to see you there!
Proposed Course in the Autumn
I propose to offer an introductorycourse on the First Thousand Years of Christian Theology and Spirituality inthe autumn. These talks would take place on Saturday mornings from 10.10am. to12 noon in the John Sullivan Room. You might give it some thought over thesummer. Further details later.
Reading Club
We are taking a break for the summermonths and will return on Monday, 28th September.
Fr. Brendan
CHURCH COLLECTIONS
For Church: € 791. Share: € 140
Card Reader: € 334
All contributions are gratefully accepted, and the donors are rememberedin our prayers.
MANRESA- Jesuit Centre of Spirituality
Morning retreat: Where there is no love, put love
Saturday 4 July 2026. 9:30am-1:00pm.
Price: €30.00
In this retreat, we will explore ways of bringing healing to some of our painful memories, drawing particularly on the wisdom from St. John of the Cross. Through input from Dr. Iva Beranek, moments of silence, personal reflection and guided prayer, we will create space for God to bring His love to areas of our hearts where it is most needed.
We hope you can join us for thismorning of prayer, healing and renewal.
For more information and bookingsvisit Manresa.ie or phone 01 5529 448
DAY FOR LIFE – this Sunday
Today, Sunday, June 21, the Church across Ireland celebrates Day for Life on the theme The humanity of the unborn child, which invites us to reflect on the wonder of human life from the moment of conception. To read the full bishops’ message visit www.councilforlife.ie.
GIVE ACHILD A SEAT IN THE CLASSROOM
At 15,Violet lives in Nairobi's Kangemi slums. After her father died, her motherRehema struggled to support eight children alone, and attending school becameimpossible. Through Educate a Child and the Jesuit-run Upendo Programme,Violet received educational support, a daily school meal, counselling andhealthcare, enabling her to return to school. Today, she dreams of becoming ajournalist and creating a brighter future for her family. Your support hasgiven Violet hope—and the chance to achieve her dreams.
Everychild deserves a seat in a classroom: a place to learn, grow and imagine abrighter future. With your support, children in some of the world's mostmarginalised communities can access the education they need to thrive and reachtheir full potential.
A giftof €20 provides a school kit with essential learningmaterials. A gift of €200 can keep a child in school for an entire term.
Donatetoday and give a child like Violet the chance to learn, thrive and dream. Yoursupport can change a life through education. 📚
Visit ouroffice Irish Jesuits International at 20 Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin 1, call01 836 6509, or visit iji.ie
POPE LEO XIV’s PRAYERINTENTION FOR JUNE
For the values of sports.
Let us pray that sports be aninstrument of peace, encounter, and dialogue among cultures and nations, andthat they promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth.