St. John’s Parish will be running buses the Closing Mass on Sunday August 26th in the Phoenix Park at 3pm with Pope Francis. The bus costing €50 per adult or €100 for two adults and one child (or one adult and two children) can be booked at St. John’s Parish Centre. St. John’s will also register you for your free ticket to the Mass. The Mass may Involve a 3 to 5km walk EACH WAY and guidance will be given re bringing seating / umbrellas / food. People needing special assistance can be with their family in a corral or in a designated area with a carer (copy of medical certificate required at booking). Bus departure time to be decided.
Please give your name and payment to the Parish Centre as soon as possible.

For those who will be organising their own transport, free tickets for the Mass tickets will be available online from Monday 25th June from www.worldmeeting2018.ie

will be celebrated on Wednesday July 11th at 7.30pm. There will be no 6.10pm Mass in St. John’s Church that evening. It would be appreciated if families attend to their own graves prior to the Mass. All welcome.

ANNAGH CEMETERY MASS: will be celebrated on Friday August 3rd at 7.30pm. This is also the Area Mass for Annagh.

In the changes to tax relief on donations to charities effective from 01/01/2013, St. John’s Parish can successfully benefit from a tax rebate on contributions of €250 or more per annum. For instance, for the year 2016, the parish received a total of €30,967 from the scheme. The Parish Finance Council wish to thank all parishioners who continuously and so generously contribute to the parish. Thanks also to all those who participate in the tax rebate scheme and have kindly returned the tax rebate scheme certificate for 2017. A gentle reminder to anyone who may have over-looked doing so. If you are not already participating in the scheme and think you might be eligible, please contact Catherine Dwyer at the Parish Centre for further details.

Communities interested in organising an Area Mass for their neighbourhood are asked to contact their local priest through the Parish Centre ( 066 7122522) to make the necessary arrangements. The following area Masses have already been scheduled:

Ashgrove: Friday June 15th at 7pm
Ballybeggan at Poll an Aifrinn, Thursday, June 21st at 7.30pm.
St. John’s Park: Thursday June 21st at 7.30pm.
Knockmoyle: Monday, June 25th at 7.30pm.
Derrymore East and West Thursday 28th at The Killeen at 7.30pm.
Old Ballyrickard: Tuesday, 3rd July at 7.30pm
Caherweesheen. Thursday July 5th at 7.30pm.
O’Rahilly Villas: Friday, July 6th at 7.30pm
Ballinorig: Monday, July 9th at 7.30pm.

The new Window of Reconciliation in St. John’s Church was blessed  on Friday October 27th at 7.30pm. This window, executed by Thomas Denny is the first stained glass window to be commissioned for St. John’s Church in sixty years. Each of the three panels are evocative of the landscape and history of Tralee.

Read  and article by John Griffin and some reflections on the window by the artist: Reconciliation Window

This time-lapse video courtesy of Eamonn Campbell shows the installation of the window.

Faith is a funny concept really! We believe in a God we cannot see or in a dream that may not be fulfilled. We trust that our prayers will be answered but oftentimes they aren't! Faith is supposed to help make life easier but what happens when it doesn't! Faith isn't about guaranteed answers or results. Faith does not always make our dreams come true or help to shift the dark clouds overhead. But perhaps it is our faith in a kind, compassionate and merciful God that helps us to carry on when we would rather not. Maybe it is our faith in this same God that helps us to see that little by little, even when it seems totally and utterly impossible, that just like that mustard seed we have grown a little braver, stronger and more hopeful.......          Margaret Theresa Naughton