CHRISTMAS MARKET TIME:

CHRISTMAS MARKET:

Sunday 27th Nov, 11am - 2pm, straight after Mass. Have a browse through the stands and check-out the wonderful homemade products by local crafters. Unique gifts you will not get elsewhere.!

Stands include - Decoupage Cards, Jewellery, Soap, Candles, Melts, Christmas Cakes & Puddings, Jams, Wooden Handcrafts, Christmas Arrangements, Wreaths & Decor. Sewing & Crochet. Decorative Ceramic Tiles. Hot Chocolate, Tarts, Buns & Pastries, Coffee & Pizza to go etc etc. ......Stress Free Christmas Shopping Guaranteed.....

TRÓCAIRE GIFT CARDS:

When you buy a Trócaire Gift of Love this Christmas, you are not just giving, you're helping communities in some of the world’s poorest places. There are 23 gifts to choose from starting at €5 for a Gift of Soap for families in war-torn South Sudan. All the Gifts are real and make a huge difference to the women, men and children who receive them. And as they are all sourced in-country they also help local businesses too. These are Christmas gifts with a difference, they are gifts which change lives! If you would like to buy a gift card, I will have them on sale at the Christmas Market, Sunday 27th Nov.

Gifts can also be bought through the Trócaire website, www/trocaire.org, by phone (1800408408) or pick up a leaflet at the back of the church and send by post.

CHRISTMAS CARDS:

I see St. Joseph's Foundation are selling their own cards, designed by their service users. Five assorted Christmas cards, with envelopes - €3 per pack of 5. They will also have packs of 10 available in coming weeks.

Available from Bakers Road, Charleville / 086-033 3310 / Monday - Friday: 9am to 4pm.

USED STAMPS:

I am collecting used stamps for the missions, here's hoping people are going to be able to send some cards this year, even though the price of everything has skyrocketed.

Speaking of the Missions, I see on Ballingarry Church Altar, there's a collection box for old spectacles, rosary beads, brown or foreign coins.

BIRTHDAYS:

Facebook informed me that two parish ladies have been celebrating roundy birthdays. Lorraine Fitzgibbon has just entered her forties and Janice Toomey has gently landed into her fifties. Many congratulations to you both, of course celebrations were had and may you enjoy many more.

LIGHTS ON:

No shortage of places to visit locally to see the festive displays of lighting, all in aid of charity. Hayes's lights, Shanagolden and Noonan's Templeglantine are both up and running since last weekend. Amazingly they are both marking their 25th anniversaries.! Charities they are supporting include - Milford Hospice, St. Gabriel's school, the Children's Ark, Recovery Haven, Tralee, Limerick Suicide Watch & CARI.

Caoimhe's Lights, the Bruff Line, will be switching on Saturday 3rd Dec at 6pm, in support of the Neo-natal unit.

CLOTHES COLLECTION:

Granagh NS, Parents' Assoc are organising their usual clothes collection, over two weekends, at the Parochial House. You can help raise much needed funds for the school by clearing out your wardrobe. They can accept - clothes, shoes, bedding (not duvets), towels, handbags, belts. Just bag them and tie the bags. Dates are as follows. Friday Nov 25th, 3-6pm. Sat 26th, 6-8pm. Sun 27th 10am-12pm. Friday 2nd Dec, 3-6pm. Sat 3rd, 6-8pm. Sun 4th, 10am-12pm.

Volunteers are also required to take in the clothes so contact Marie O'Brien, Secretary to book a slot.

MSF:

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders.) I was recently reading their brochure and didn't realise that they are in more than seventy countries. MSF are an international, independent medical humanitarian organisation which provides medical assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations. I see they are also selling a limited number of Christmas Cards featuring photographs from their work around the world.

Available in packs of 10 with envelopes and 5 designs per pack, they can be ordered for a suggested donation of €10 per pack. To order please contact them by phone 01 660 3337 or email office@dublin.msf.org

Your support enables them to go where others can't, won't or choose not to go. With your help, they can continue their emergency response to crises around the world, of which there are so many.

For example, in Northwest Nigeria, a combination of conflict, food insecurity and weather events are contributing to a catastrophic malnutrition crisis, which affects children under five most severely. Since January, MSF teams have already treated close to 100,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition and admitted around 17,000 children requiring hospital care. Yet the situation in Nigeria remains out of the international media spotlight.

In Uganda, since an Ebola outbreak was declared on September 20th, MSF has been supporting the Ugandan Ministry of Health in the treatment of patients. Given that a vaccine against this strain of Ebola has yet to be produced, MSF teams are working to limit the spread of the epidemic and reduce mortality.

"Unless it happens to you, you'll never really know what it's like".

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, MSF have been providing both primary and mental healthcare to those affected by the conflict. Many people, including children, suffer from the stress and trauma of the war and MSF teams aim to provide these people with the tools they need to manage stress and grief.

In Haiti, faced with a recent explosion of violence, as well as a worsening fuel crisis, people are struggling to access clean water and healthcare. To compound this crisis, the country has seen a resurgence of cholera. In response, MSF has increased its activities & strengthened the surgical capacity of its project there.