7 Comments

1. 

   Kie Power on June 24, 2018 at 8:41 pm

   I’m not a fan of the big newsletter. I think they’re are better ways of communicating it. I don’t like all the wasted paper! Most people have access to Smartphones, tablets and computers. Why not create a pdf version and send this out instead? What about a subscribe option on the website?

   I would also like to see real life faith stories from our parishioners and what people think about different bible verses. Also, poetry,drawings or any other creative ideas and expressions related to God’s word.

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2. 

   Teresa McCoy on June 27, 2018 at 12:08 pm

   I like it. It is good to take to the housebound as it has the parish news in Masses Sunday readings and a reflection on the front. Teresa

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3. 

   Joe Abraham on July 1, 2018 at 10:12 am

   In many parishes, news letters are going digital these days . As a good number of people in our parish still rely on the traditional news letter , we have to keep it besides considering the pdf version. The current big size news letter is good as it takes a lot of much needed news and information . When we had the small news letter ( A5) in the past, I personally noticed that many of the news I gave had not been published because of space limit. The current new letter seems pretty good unless we consider A5 with additional news pages .(then again, if we get enough news to put in additional page?)

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4. 

   Pauline Lynch on July 2, 2018 at 11:10 am

   I am a fan of the Redemptorist newsletter outer cover, but I am also aware how much it costs and currently you can see that there are insufficient donations in the tin to cover the outlay. So I would say have a rethink.
   I would suggest a single A4 newsletter printed back to back, with a weekly piece of spiritual guidance from Fr John related to the readings of Sunday for us to take away and try to live out during our week. This would also reduce the time taken for the Sisters to fold the newsletters. I have heard they do that?
   A lot of room is taken up with school information, there is a noticeboard at the back of church for school information. Maybe that could be displayed there and in the Parish Centre. Unless it is a really important piece of communication via the schools. This would then give up more room for the thought for the week.
   I think careful consideration needs to be given to what events are advertised in the weekly newsletter. This is a Parish newsletter primarily for the events of IOP and OLPS, followed by the important events of the Diocese or any major item as seen in the Ad Clerum.
   Some local Community events are also valuable to include, but with due thought given to it’s relevance and as to whether Parishioners would attend.
   I think the supplementary dates for diary is a really good idea for those less relevant events that are received via the Parish Office. It is good to see them on the Noticeboard at the back of Church and in the Parish Centre. It would also be good to remind Parishioners to look at the notice boards also.
   The A4 newsletter could be enlarged for the visually impaired Parishioners who request it.
   Thankyou

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5. 

   Pietro Albano on July 23, 2018 at 2:19 pm

   I like the present newsletter because it contains, not only the various events in the parish (and even beyond), but also the reflection on the Sunday Gospel as well as the readings and prayers for that Sunday’s Mass. Personally, I find the weekly reflection helpful in my spiritual growth as well as being worth sharing with others.

   I agree with a fellow parishioner’s view that the size of the old newsletter was unable to accommodate all parish news in the past. The current size is alright, but, as another parishioner has proposed, it’s good to consider which needs to be put in the newsletter. I suggest the following: parish events (90-95%), diocesan/local/national events (5-10%).

   May I also suggest that, as much as possible, the Mass times be double-checked before publishing the newsletter so as to avoid confusion?

   Overall, I am happy with the Sunday Message! Thank you.

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   • 

     Theresa Connolly on June 27, 2020 at 2:05 pm

     Just a practical thought re newsletter. Posting information in the porch seeems a good idea but really how accessible is it to the congregation? It is such a small area and sometimes it is quite difficult to negotiate a way out after mass with so much going on near the door.It’s lovely to see so many attending the masses but any information posted on the bulletin boards could easily be missed.
     Perhaps we could look at editing some of the notices in the present lay out. Some are very repetitious appearing two or three times in the month. It would make the idea of using an A4 format more practical and would leave room for more a more spiritual input i.e.a focus on a thought for the week based on topical events

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6. 

   Jane Rooksby on July 30, 2018 at 4:17 pm

   Whilst I think the Sunday Messenger has a lovely format, which gives reflections and thoughts about the readings of the day, and I agree that they are nice to take to the housebound of our parish, I am however concerned about the cost to the parish and notice when I welcome not everyone pays for them. I notice that a lot get left in church and the majority of the congregation do not use them to follow the readings at Mass. We already have Mass cards, which are given out by the Welcomers for those who want them. I feel it may be time to return to the old format and give them to people as they come to Mass as a welcoming gesture and at a lot less cost to the parish.

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