Welcome to Ferbane Parish
Welcome to the parish of Ferbane in County Offaly and the diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois. Our parish comprises of three churches: The Immaculate Conception Ferbane, St.Oliver Plunkett, Boora and Saints Patrick and Saran, High Street. We hope you find something of interest here.
Live Stream from the Church of the Immaculate Conception Ferbane
Fr.Peter's Post

TWENTIETH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
‘I am not here to bring peace, but rather division’
Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England was beheaded on a charge of treason on July 6th 1535. He had refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, acknowledge Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England or accept the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. His final words before execution have echoed down the ages: ‘I die the king’s faithful servant, but God’s first’. Thomas stood on the side of truth and his words and deeds capture perfectly the essence of today’s extract from St. Luke’s Gospel where Jesus says that He came to bring division. It seems like a contradiction that the Prince of Peace came to bring division. But real peace is based on truth, and if I speak the truth it will at times cause division. The prophets stood for truth, and they were martyred. It has been said that all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident. We must be brave, then. We must have the courage to stand against the crowd at times. We should never worry about who will be offended if we speak the truth; we should worry, rather about who will be misled and damaged if we don’t speak it. The fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee that it is true. ‘The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth’(Laozi). Pope Benedict reminded us that whenever we find ourselves on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. Truth cannot be determined by majority vote, but as in the case of Thomas More, it will set us free!
Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England was beheaded on a charge of treason on July 6th 1535. He had refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, acknowledge Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England or accept the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. His final words before execution have echoed down the ages: ‘I die the king’s faithful servant, but God’s first’. Thomas stood on the side of truth and his words and deeds capture perfectly the essence of today’s extract from St. Luke’s Gospel where Jesus says that He came to bring division. It seems like a contradiction that the Prince of Peace came to bring division. But real peace is based on truth, and if I speak the truth it will at times cause division. The prophets stood for truth, and they were martyred. It has been said that all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident. We must be brave, then. We must have the courage to stand against the crowd at times. We should never worry about who will be offended if we speak the truth; we should worry, rather about who will be misled and damaged if we don’t speak it. The fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee that it is true. ‘The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth’(Laozi). Pope Benedict reminded us that whenever we find ourselves on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. Truth cannot be determined by majority vote, but as in the case of Thomas More, it will set us free!

Our Lady of Clonfert
I come to you, as one of your children, who
will never forget the importance of a
woman like you. I come because I believe in
you. I come to say thanks for the past and
the present and ask you to bless me in the
future.
You know me, you know how I live and you
know my needs. Please help me especially
when I need you most. I have problems,
worries and anxieties the same as everyone
else - help me to cope. So often I would just
love to give up when life hurts me and
people betray me, but give me the courage
never to lose heart.
Bless my family, my life and my friends.
Help me, no matter what happens to me in
life, to believe, to trust and to hope.
Our Lady of Clonfert, pray for us.
PRAYER FOR UKRAINE
Loving God we pray for the people of Ukraine, for
all those suffering or afraid, that you will be close to
them and protect them. We pray for world leaders, for
compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.
We pray for the world, that in this moment of crisis we
may reach out in solidarity to our brothers and sisters
in need. May we walk in your ways so that peace and
justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and
for all the world. Amen.
“May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the
madness of war.” (Pope Francis
Parish Team
Fr.Peter Burke 090 6454380
Fr.Michael Morris 090 6454309
Sr.Joseph Fallon 090 6453695
Parish Office
Contact: Fiona Dooley
Office Hours: Wednesdays 9:00am to 5:00pm
Telephone: 090 6454309
eMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Note: Deadline for the parish bulletin is 3:00pm
on Wednesday
St.Ciaran's Pastoral Area
Weekend Masses
Church | Saturday | Sunday | ||||
Ferbane | 7:00pm | 11:00am | ||||
Boora | 9:30am | |||||
High Street | 12:00Midday | |||||
Shannonbridge | 7:00pm | |||||
Clonfanlough | 10:30am | |||||
Ballinahown | 11:30am | |||||
Boher | 10:30am | |||||
Pullough | 6:30pm | |||||
Cloghan | 8:00pm | 9:30am | ||||
Banagher | 6:30pm | 11:00am |

Prayer to St.Joseph
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
To you God entrusted his only Son,
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
With the Apostolic Letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph” from 8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021.