Welcome

Welcome to the Parish Website of Magherafelt Parish, Co. Derry, in the Archdiocese of Armagh. We hope you find our site informative and interesting, if you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to visit our guest book.

Our Parish Pastoral Council have issued their Pastoral Plan for 2010-2012 and a copy of this will be available at Masses shortly, for a sneak preview click here. I want to commend our Pastoral Council on their work and pray that it will bring much renewal and blessing to our parish.

Our Parish Centre is going from strength to strength and being used from morning to late evening. A special thanks to all our parish volunteers who give so freely and generously of their time. An Events Committee has been formed and their first event was the highly successful Parish BBQ on Sunday 15 August. Parishioners who attended enjoyed beautiful sunshine, great food, entertainment and many activities for the children Many thanks to the Events Committee and their volunteers for all their help. Read more.

Our Pastoral Area Resource Team, made up of four representatives and a priest from each parish (Magherafelt, Ballinderry, Ardtea & Ardtrea North) has been formed and received training. We have met on a number of occasions and have agreed that our new Pastoral Area should be called the Pastoral Area of St John. A lay coordinator to assist myself as Vicar Forane in coordinating the work of the Pastoral Area has been chosen from among these parish representatives, congratulations to Mrs Una O'Kane, who was elected from the group. Fr Martin McArdle, PP, Ardtrea is Chairperson and Mrs Geraldine Mullan, Ballinderry is Secretary of the Team . We hope to meet in September to decide what our priorities for the next year should be and will communicate these to the parishes thereafter. Our parish representatives are, Una O'Kane, Aidan McGuckin, Una McCorry and John McLaughlin. We ask your prayers for this necessary new initiative as priest personnel continues to decline.

Many thanks to all those who helped with Cemetery Sunday at the end of June, there was a great turnout which was very encouraging. Work to the graveyard in St John's Milltown is continuing. The converted railway line when finished will provide around 300 new double plots, although it must settle for five year before use. We are also having work done to the wall and steps at the bottom of the graveyard by the Castledawson Road to make these safer. This work should be complete within the next few weeks. 

Hopefully there is something of interest for all on our website. We would of course be delighted to hear from you with comments, suggestions or queries.

May all of us follow the invitation of the prophet Micah (6:8) to:

Le gach dea-ghuí agus beannacht