St Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen
THE CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY COMMUNION (2)
Sunday 16th November 2025		The Second Sunday before Advent                        

Processional Hymn: 292 Ye choirs of new Jerusalem 

 THE GREETING
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.                                     

THE COLLECT FOR PURITY
Almighty God, to Whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from Whom no secrets are hidden; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PENITENCE
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. 
Matthew 22: 37-39

Lord, have mercy on us,
and write these Your laws in our hearts.

God so loved the world that He gave his only Son Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins, to intercede for us in Heaven, and to bring us to eternal life. Let us then confess our sins in penitence and faith, firmly resolved to keep God's commandments and to live in love and peace:

Silence
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we have sinned in thought and word and deed, and in what we have left undone. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may walk in newness of life to the glory of Your name. Amen. 
THE ABSOLUTION

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS

The Collect of the Day - page 301 - (213)
Heavenly Father, Whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as He is pure; that when He shall appear in power and great glory, we may be made like Him in His eternal and glorious kingdom; where He is alive and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

The Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 66: 17-25 
For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in My people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of My people be, and My chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all My holy mountain, says the Lord.
The Song of Isaiah - page 132 (69)
1 Surely God is | my salvation;
I will trust, · and will not be afraid.
2 for the Lord God is my strength · and my might;
He has become my salvation.
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day:
Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name;
4 Make known His deeds among the nations;
proclaim · that His name is · exalted.
5 Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously;
let this be | known in all the earth.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory be · to the Father and to the Son, and to 
the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Epistle: 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13 
Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labour we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. 

Gradual Hymn: 281 Rejoice the Lord is King 
 
The Gospel: Luke 21: 5-19
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, He said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’ They asked Him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And He said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in My Name and say, “I am He!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them. ‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ Then He said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from Heaven. ‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of My name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of My Name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

THE SERMON

THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from Heaven, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen   

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
At the end of the Intercessions the following is said:
Merciful Father, accept these our prayers for the sake of Your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Offertory Hymn: 491 We have a gospel to proclaim 

THE PRAYER OF HUMBLE ACCESS
We do not presume to come to this Your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness but in Your manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Your table. But You are the same Lord, Whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of Your dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink His blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His Body, and our souls washed through His most precious Blood, and that we may evermore dwell in Him and He in us. Amen.

THE PEACE
The peace of the Lord be always with you. 
THE TAKING OF THE BREAD AND WINE

Christ our passover has been sacrificed for us therefore let us celebrate the feast. 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord is here.    His Spirit is with us. 
Lift up your hearts.    We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.  It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Father, Almighty and Everliving God, at all times and in all places it is right to give You thanks and praise: 
And so with all Your people, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of Heaven, we proclaim Your great and glorious name, for ever praising You and singing:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and Earth are full of Your glory. 
Hosanna in the highest!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest! 

Blessed are You, Father, The Creator and Sustainer of all things; You made us in Your own image, male and female You created us; even when we turned away from You, You never ceased to care for us, but in Your love and mercy You freed us from the slavery of sin, giving Your only begotten Son to become man and suffer death on the cross to redeem us; He made there the one complete and all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world: He instituted, and in His holy Gospel commanded us to continue, a perpetual memory of His precious death until He comes again: On the night that He was betrayed He took bread; and when He had given thanks to You, He broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is My Body which is given for You. Do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way, after supper He took the cup; and when He had given thanks to You, He gave it to them, saying, Drink this, all of You, for this is my Blood of the new covenant which is shed for You and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. Therefore, Father, with this bread and this cup we do as Christ Your Son commanded:

We remember His passion and death, we celebrate His resurrection and ascension, and we look for the coming of His kingdom.

Accept through Him, our great High Priest, this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; and as we eat and drink these holy gifts, grant by the power of the life-giving Spirit that we may be made one in Your holy Church and partakers of the body and blood of Your Son, that He may dwell in us and we in Him: Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, by Whom, and with Whom, and in Whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

THE LORD'S PRAYER
The bread which we break is a sharing in the Body of Christ.                           
We being many are one body, for we all share in the one bread.

The gifts of God for the people of God.
Jesus Christ is holy
Jesus Christ is Lord
To the Glory of God the Father.

Or

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, Who has taken away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to His Supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

THE COMMUNION

Communion Hymns: Ave Verum Corpus; T&P 6 - All I Once Held Dear; T&P 80 - King of Kings

The Post Communion Prayer - 301 (213)
Gracious Lord, in this holy sacrament You give substance to our hope. Bring us at the last to that pure life for which we long, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

THE PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Almighty God, we thank You for feeding us with the spiritual food of the Body and Blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. Through Him we offer You our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of Your Spirit to live and work to Your praise and glory. Amen.

THE BLESSING 

Hymn: 127 Hark what a sound
ANNOUNCEMENTS for Sunday 16th November 2025
Shoebox Appeal
All shoe boxes should to be left in by today. If however you still have a box, please leave in the parish office by Tuesday 18th November at the latest. Thank you to all who have supported this appeal. Thank you to all who have supported this appeal.
Film Tour of Killyreagh Garden Throughout the Year
Lord & Lady Hamilton invite you to a 45 minute film, made by 2 BBC photographers showing the garden they have created over the past 20+ years, which is being shown to raise funds for ‘Action Mental Health’ tomorrow, Monday 17th November at 2.00pm in ‘New Horizons’, Drumcoo, BT74 6AH. Tea/coffee will be available. All are very welcome.
Blood Transfusion Service  Wednesday 19th and  Thursday 20th November
Donation Sessions 12.30-4.00pm and 5.00-7.00pm on 19th and 12.30-4.00pm and 5.00-7.30pm on 20th November, in St Macartin’s Cathedral Hall. The link to book an appointment is:
https://nibts.hscni.net/online-booking-for-blood-donation-appointments/ New donors are always needed.
Messy Church
The next Messy Church is on Thursday 20th November from 4.00 to 6.00pm in the Cathedral Hall. Messy Church is open to all children of primary school age and their parents and guardians. To ensure there are enough resources and food for participants, you must contact Gwyneth Blair as soon as possible to book. Please text Gwyneth on 07753522324. Participants must complete a registration form on the day.
Tuesday Club
On Tuesday 25th November, the Tuesday Club will meet in the Hilliard Room at 2.00pm. Garth Peel will entertain with an afternoon of music and poetry. Garth plays guitar and will have a varied selection of song. A warm welcome is extended to all who wish to join them. Please contact Valerie Watson on 028 6638 8047 if you require transport.
Supper at Six
“Supper at Six” is a monthly meal in the Cathedral Hall, which is open for all. You are welcome to make an anonymous voluntary contribution, but are under no obligation to do so. To book your place for the next meal on Thursday 27th November, please fill in the slip on the flyer delivered with your Newsletter and also available in the Cathedral porch and return it by 24th November. The slip can be given to the Church Wardens.
Erne Flower Arranging Society Christmas Flower Demonstration
Erne Flower Arranging Society presents ‘Christmas Celebrations’ by Mr Alan Beatty on Wednesday 3rd December at 7.30pm in the Cathedral Hall. Admission is £10 with a festive supper. Air Ambulance NI and Fermanagh Women’s Aid will be given a donation from the proceeds. All are welcome.  
St Macartin’s Cathedral Parenting Wellness Group  
We are excited to welcome ‘Fermanagh Storyteller’ to the Cathedral Hall at 2.00pm on Saturday 6th December who will share lots of Christmas stories with children of all ages and their parents/carers. Refreshments will be served afterwards. To reserve a place or to ask any questions, please contact Linda Kingston on 07342045474. 
MU Appeal for Women’s Aid
Mothers’ Union are appealing for donations of toiletries, pyjama’s - especially for the under 5s, socks, underwear, games, toys and gift vouchers for teenagers and adults, for Women’s Aid who provide life saving services for women and children who experience domestic abuse. Please mark your donation from St Macartin’s and leave with Women’s Aid at 19 Darling Street, Enniskillen or in the Cathedral Office by Friday 28th November.