Woodford/Looscaun Parish Newsletter
Portumna Faith Community Area
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time August 30th 2026
St John the Baptist Church, Woodford.
Sun. 11am Wed. 9.30am Fri. 9.30am
Sunday August 30th 11am Celia(1st Anv) & Pat Noonan, Woodford
Bill & Nuala Mahon, Dublin
Pat & Mary Hackett, Rossmore & their son Thomas
& their grandchildren Stevie Gleeson & Noah Hackett.
Edward & Mary Conway, Bolag & their sons PJ & Frank
& Frank’s wife Nora & DFM
5pm Mass of Thanksgiving & Farewell to Fr. Kieran
Sunday Sept 6th 11am Patrick & Mary Cooney, Rea, Woodford
& their son Bernard & deceased family members
Altar Society: (Aug) Celia Cox & family (Sept) Brid McNamara & Kitty Moroney
St. Brendan’s Church, Looscaun
Mon. 9.15am ** Sat.6.30pm
Saturday August 29th **7pm Patrick & Delia Whyte & Paddy Gildea, Kylenamelly.
Saturday Sept. 5th ** 6.30pm Mass for the People of the Parish
Altar Society Team 1 Mary Walsh
RIP:Teresa (Bridget) Kelly (née Callanan)Portrane & Donabate, Dublin & formerly Ohily. Woodford.
Woodford/Looscaun Parish Account Bank of Ireland, Portumna Sort Code: 903947 Account Number 26884326, by using online banking IBAN: IE23BOFI 903947 26884326.
OFFERTORY Collection for Sat./Sun.Aug. 14th/15th is 340.85 euro
Mass will be available on 105.0FM locally, on Parish Facebook Page & Church Webcam
Link for St. John the Baptist Church Woodford www.churchmedia.tv/stjohnbaptist
Link for St. Brendans Church, Looscaun www.churchmedia.tv/stbrendans
Thanks to Woodford Heritage Centre for printing the newsletter
THANK YOU AND FAREWELL to Fr. Kieran O’Rourke
Join us as we gather to say thank you and farewell to Fr. Kieran O’Rourke and to celebrate his time in our parish.📅 Sunday, 30th August⏰ 5 pm ⛪ Mass in St. John the Baptist Church Woodford. This will be followed by a Community Gathering and refreshments in the Youth Club Hall. The Pat Kenny Show on Loughrea Community Radio will be broadcast from Woodford from 7 pm.This will be an opportunity for everyone to thank Fr. Kieran for his dedicated service, friendship and ministry over the years, and to wish him every blessing and happiness for the future. All are very welcome!
Interested in becoming a priest in the Dioceses of Clonfert, Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora? – for more information contact Fr Ian on 087 2048497 or email at: priesthood@clonfertgalway.ie
RCIA 2026/2027 – Thinking of Becoming Catholic? The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
is for adults who:
– have never been baptised
– belong to another Christian tradition
– are baptised Catholics but haven’t received confirmation or Eucharist
The journey begins this autumn. To find out more, contact the parish or email rcia@anghailil.ie
Tommie Larkins Lotto results for the 24th of August 2026 : 5, 24, 31, 32.
No Jackpot winner. Match 3 winner: Michael Conroy. This week’s lotto jackpot is € 4100. Buy tickets online or in local shops/pubs.
Breath Pilates starting in Woodford Community Hall Monday 07th September @ 7pm
Call Naomi for details or to book your place 086 023 7330
Pilates – 8 week course will commence at Shragh Community Centre on Thursday, 17th September (6.30pm – 7.30pm) A full body workout that helps strengthen and tone, focusing on your posture and breathing. For both Men and Women. All levels of ability welcome to join the class. For more info or to register contact Mary 087 6152668 or Eilish 087 7416724
Anam Cara Galway, the organisation that supports bereaved parents, is holding it;s monthly Parent Support Evening for bereaved parents on Wednesday 2nd September at 7.30pm in the Maldron Hotel, Headford Point, Sandy Road, Galway. This event is free and open to all bereaved parents regardless of the age your child died, the circumstances of their death, or how recent their death was. We also offer an online support group meeting. To find out more call 01 4045378 or email info@anamcara.ie
Bereavement Information Evening especially dedicated to supporting surviving siblings this autumn. This event is open to all parents whose child or children have died, regardless of the age of their child, circumstances of their death, or time since bereavement. We are also opening this Bereavement Information Evening to bereaved adult siblings over 18. This event will take place online on Tuesday 15 September at 7pm Register here for Anam Cara Online Bereavement Information Evening
Thank You for your kindness & generosityThank you for welcoming me and making me feel very much part of the Woodford/Looscaun Community these past 20 years and having had the privilege of this being my home where I was very happy. I will very much miss being here as I move to Eyrecourt but Woodford/Looscaun will never be far from my heart. Thank you for your understanding especially for errors or omissions in the Parish Newsletter over the years. A new era awaits as we welcome Fr. Pat Conroy as the New Parish Priest of Woodford/Looscaun. Fr. Pat is a dear friend of the Parish having been here for 7 years from 1992-99 We wish him every Joy and happiness here in Woodford/Looscaun Ad Multos Annos! Thanks again for all your kindness & support. Fr. Kieran
A Message from Bishop Michael Duignan to those receiving their Leaving Certificate Results
My thoughts and prayers are with all those who will receive their Leaving Certificate results
today. Congratulations and well done on reaching this important milestone in your lives. I am conscious that a day like today can also be stressful for students, their families and their schools, as so much hope, effort and expectation comes together in a single morning.
It is good to remember that, although important, exam results do not define us in life. What is much more important than how many points we receive, what course we do or even what we do in life, is the kind of person we are. The goodness in our hearts is where the true secret to a life well lived is to be found. Kindness, friendship, courage and generosity will carry us much further in life than any set of results ever could. I pray that you may be rich in that goodness and that it may continue to grow strong in your hearts. May you have confidence too in the gifts God has given you, including those which no examination can ever measure. We give particular thanks for our Catholic schools, and for all our teachers, principals, school staff and families who have accompanied and supported our young people throughout these years. Their encouragement, patience and care have been an important part of the journey to this point. For some, today will bring great joy and the opening of a door long hoped for. For others, things may work out differently from what they had imagined. There are many roads through life, and sometimes an unexpected one can lead us to possibilities we could never have foreseen. On this Leaving Certificate Results Day, we might take comfort in the words of Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”May these words give you hope and courage as you look to today and to the future God places before you.
+Michael Duignan
Fr. Kieran O’Rourke, T. 090 9749100, M. 087 2997956,* E. woodfordlooscaun@clonfertdiocese.ie
Newsletter available on www.clonfertdiocese.ie, Eircode: H62 AK18
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Woodf4dLooscaun, Woodford/Shragh Defibrillator 999 or 112***.