As we celebrate the wonder of Christmas, we ask our caring God to help us to listen, to the whisper of the hopeless, the plea of the forgotten, the cry of the anguished.
This booklet, produced by the Northern Pastoral Network, provides us with a series of reflections following the feasts of the twelve days of Christmas.You may want to use it in your private prayer or gather your family each day for a short time of prayer and reflection. We pray this Christmas that, as we rejoice and give thanks with family and friends, each of us will rediscover the meaning of Our Lord’s Nativity and the great hope that it proclaims for the world.
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January 4th 2023 10th Day of Christmas January 5th 2023 11th Day of Christmas  12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS |
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| Happy Christmas. Once again, as with last year, our celebration of Christmas happens in a time of pandemic. While we are not subject to the same level of restrictions that we faced into last Christmas, we are still not out of the woods, so to speak. This Christmas we are facing into uncertain times, but the central meaning of Christmas has not changed; we still celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Incarnation of God with us. |  |
| This Christmas we hope that people will be able to connect with their Parish Church. For some that will be gathering for a celebration of Mass over the Christmas Season and for others it may simply be a time of quiet prayer, lighting a candle or visiting the crib. Visiting the Crib is a prayerful activity that we can encourage and the NPN have produced some resources to support Parishes. The resources connect to Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter ADMIRABILE SIGNUM reflecting on the meaning and importance of the nativity scene. |  |
*For parishes who wish to professionally print any of these resources, versions that are professional print ready can be found below:
Prayer Booklet
Poster
Postcard
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| Members of the NPN have compiled and created a resource to support prayer at home during the Season of Advent. "The Church has many seasons. Advent is a season of preparation for the great feast of Christmas. In the 4 weeks of Advent we have a time to prepare spiritually for Christmas marking the arrival of the Son of God to a stable in Bethlehem... We invite you to use this resource through each of the four Sundays of Advent. Week by week, may the candles on our Advent wreaths dispel the darkness as we journey towards Christmas and the arrival of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. " |  |
DOWNLOAD RESOURCE HERE
*Please note that the last page of the document is editable to allow parishes to add local information regarding times of Masses, Prayer Services, Mass and other information for parishioners during Advent and Christmas.
*Please note that the last page of the document is editable to allow parishes to add local information regarding times of Masses, Prayer Services, Mass and other information for parishioners during Advent and Christmas.
| Praying at Home. November a month to remember. This booklet could be printed and distributed to parishioners particularly those who are housebound. If parishes wish to use a commercial printer this separate file should be used, indeed Parishes may wish to collaborate on printing this booklet across their Vicariate. |  |
 | Parish liturgy resources for November. This is a booklet of resources containing a service for remembering our dearly departed, prayer for visiting a church or graveyard and a series of prayers and quotes from our Saints. You may wish to select items to place into your Parish Bulletin during the month of November. |
Social Media
Each day during November we will share on Social Media a prayer to encourage people in their daily prayer. These prayers will be on specific themes e.g. Praying for Deceased mothers and also incorporate specific dates within the Church Calendar e.g World Day for the Poor, and Red Wednesday where we pray for Persecuted Christians.
Each day during November we will share on Social Media a prayer to encourage people in their daily prayer. These prayers will be on specific themes e.g. Praying for Deceased mothers and also incorporate specific dates within the Church Calendar e.g World Day for the Poor, and Red Wednesday where we pray for Persecuted Christians.
If your Parish Social Media administrator would like to schedule posts in advance, all images can be dowloaded below.
As we approach the season of Lent - a time of reflection, repentance and renewal - members of the Northern Pastoral Network have been preparing numerous resources within their dioceses to support the prayer, devotion and spiritual life of the Faithful.
We have centrally compiled these resources that have been submitted by NPN members.
Diocese of Down & Connor - Living Church
Walking with Jesus along the Via Dolorosa.
This is a five session programme that includes a Gospel Reading, Reflective Prayer and Scriptural Rosary. The resource has been designed to be used in a variety of ways and this is outlined in the attached leader’s guide.
The leader’s guide and participant leaflets are below.
This is a five session programme that includes a Gospel Reading, Reflective Prayer and Scriptural Rosary. The resource has been designed to be used in a variety of ways and this is outlined in the attached leader’s guide.
- You can record and broadcast over your Parish Webcam or Social Media Platform during the Lenten Season. If you broadcast this liturgy the collaboration of clergy, lay readers and music ministry will add to the richness of the experience and allow those viewing at home to connect with the wider Parish Community.
- You can distribute the participants leaflets for Parishioners to use in their own homes. This will allow people to read the Gospel at home and engage with the Lenten Mission during the course of the week in a time of private prayer. Indeed posting this resource to those who are housebound will be a good outreach.
- You can use the content of these leaflets for your social media. Over this last year people have become more adept in accessing social media and as an evangelising people we ought to ensure that the message of Christ is proclaimed in all the spheres in which we are active.
The leader’s guide and participant leaflets are below.
Diocese of Clogher Liturgy Commission
| An Act of Spiritual Communion in Lent Lord Jesus, you are my Lord and Saviour. I turn to you, already present in my heart. To acknowledge your presence in this moment brings me strength and comfort. I recall the words you used in the desert when you faced the Tempter, and I know I cannot live on bread alone. Keep your Word alive and fruitful in me. *You have given me the gift of life. In this time of Lent, revive my spirit and nourish me in my inmost self on my journey towards Easter *In all the circumstances of my life, help me to know the Father’s will and to trust his plan for me, even in times of trial, confident that he desires only my highest good. *Confirm in me your Spirit of love and service. Help me to see the good that I can do and give me the will to do it. May our communion in this moment of grace become at last the communion of heaven, with Mary and Joseph, and with all who have gone before me into the fullness of risen life with you, Lord Jesus, and with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. *For a shorter version one or other of these paragraphs may be used alternately. | Plain (Altar Version)      |
Derry Diocese - Derry Catechetical Centre
 | The theme is ‘Care Hope Pray’. |
| This booklet, produced by the Northern Pastoral Network, provides us with a series of reflections following the feasts of the twelve days of Christmas. On each of the twelve days we invite you to spend time with scripture, reflection and prayer. You may want to use this booklet in your private prayer or find a time to gather each day with your family. We pray this Christmas that each of us will rediscover the meaning of Our Lord’s Nativity and the great hope that it proclaims for the world. May you have a happy, holy, safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year. |  ^ Click on image to open resource |
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Our prayer time for the season can be deepened as we reflect using hymns and carols from the Christmas Season. You may have your own favourite carols that you wish to use and to accompany these we provide a selection for Christmas Day the 12 Days of Christmas through to the Feast of the Epiphany.
Silent Night performed by The Priests in the Church of Holy Rosary featuring the nativity scene from the Stained Glass window.
On St Stephen’s Day, a day associated with the giving of gifts, we share this video that back in 2014 went viral with the hashtag #sharethegift
On this feast of the Holy Family we recall the hymn from the World Meeting of Families A Joy for all the Earth.
On this feast of the Holy Innocents we listen to the Christmas Lullaby by John Rutter.
Today we have reflected on the connections between the child who was born in a stable and the Risen Christ witnessed by Saint John the Apostle. Our musical reflection today is For unto us a Child is born from Messiah by Handel.
Today we have reflected on the bringing of the infant Jesus to the temple and how he was adored by Anna the Prophetess. May we too come to adore Jesus. Today we use a contemporary version of O Come Let Us Adore Him by Hillsong.
AS 2020 draws to a close our scripture today invites us to consider God in our midst and that light overcomes darkness. We share a video from the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin The Cloud’s Veil reminding us of how God is by our side.
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. We celebrate the solemnity with the traditional piece Salve Regina recorded by 450 voices from 33 different countries during the pandemic.
In this song by Matt Maher we reflect on how peace starts with us. The work of being a disciple begins within each of us recognising Jesus’s love is strong enough to lead us in our journey as disciples.
The beautiful hymn of Saint Teresa of Avila reminds us how we must carry the love of God made manifest at Christmas into our daily lives. It is with our hands and feet, our words and actions that we are witnesses to the incarnation of Christ who loved us, died for us and asks us to bless the world.
We reflect on the hymn Little Drummer Boy and how we are called to see Jesus and to use our gifts for him.
The life of Saint Francis of Assisi inspires the papacy of Pope Francis and the encyclical Fratelli Tutti. Our musical reflection is the Prayer of Saint Francis connecting with the Franciscan Community across the globe.
We close our reflections with the wonderful carol Joy to the World.
Add our "SPREAD..." Frame to your profile picture
During this season of Advent, an Advent like no other that we have witnessed.
We are hearing a lot about the spreading of the Coronavirus.
We wanted something to counter that.
To be, like John the Baptist, a voice in what can often seem like the wilderness.
We want to SPREAD HOPE, LOVE, JOY & PEACE this Advent!
We have created a series of profile picture frames in Facebook, one representing each of the purple and pink candles on an Advent Wreath - please consider adding our "SPREAD..." frame to your personal, parish or organisation's Facebook profile photo.
We are hearing a lot about the spreading of the Coronavirus.
We wanted something to counter that.
To be, like John the Baptist, a voice in what can often seem like the wilderness.
We want to SPREAD HOPE, LOVE, JOY & PEACE this Advent!
We have created a series of profile picture frames in Facebook, one representing each of the purple and pink candles on an Advent Wreath - please consider adding our "SPREAD..." frame to your personal, parish or organisation's Facebook profile photo.
| WEEK 1: "SPREAD HOPE" | WEEK 2: "SPREAD LOVE" |
| WEEK 3: "SPREAD JOY"  | WEEK 4: "SPREAD PEACE"  |
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