Cobh

<h3><span style="color: rgb(184,49,47);">Message from Fr Liam Xplore Cobh app co-ordinator </span><img src="https://d2hz75cbudexsj.cloudfront.net/insideAppNews/images/2ed8fcf5-1bef-4069-b8ae-90da4eaefe54.jpg" alt="undefined" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/></h3>
<p>Huge relief today January 5th I had to get a Covid test to enable me to  fly to New Orleans in the morning for the Carlow College reunion. I missed it for the first time in 17 years in 2021, so I was anxious to go this year. I have been asked to preach at the re-union mass. With  the upsurge in Covid and I had 3 weddings and 3 funerals in the past few weeks one here in Dublin yesterday I was a little worried. This will be my 6th time out of the country since July and I never had a problem with tests always negative. At the start of the pandemic I made a conscious decision to double up on my 100% whole food nutrition Juice Plus+ 27 raw fruits and vegetables and berries, to boost my immune system and I urged all my friends to do the same. It doubled the cost from €2 a day, but it was well worth it.&nbsp;</p>
<h4>I will continue to post the news to a growing number of Xplore Cobh App followers. If you have news of interest&nbsp;</h4>
<h3>Email me at liamkelleher44@gmail.com&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>New Year prayers and blessings.</h3>
<h3>&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(184,49,47);"><strong>Feast of the Epiphany the Blessing of homes</strong></span></h3>
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<p>There is a custom of blessing homes on the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January) when the family gather to ask God’s blessing on their home and family life. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest in our homes.</p>
<h3><span style="color: rgb(184,49,47);"><strong>Instructions for Blessing the Home:</strong></span></h3>
<p>Using the blessed chalk (which many parishes will bless and make available) mark the lintel of your front door as follows:</p>
<p>20 + C + M + B + 22 saying:</p>
<p>The three Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar followed the star of God’s Son who became human two thousand and twenty one years ago.</p>
<p>May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the new year.</p>
<p>Amen.’</p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(184,49,47);"><strong>Then say the following prayer:</strong></span></p>
<p>Visit, O Blessed Lord, this home with the gladness of your presence.</p>
<p>Bless all who live or visit here with the gift of your love; and grant that we may manifest your love to each other and to all whose lives we touch.</p>
<p>May we grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of you;</p>
<p>guide, comfort, and strengthen us in peace,</p>
<p>O Jesus Christ, now and for ever.</p>
<p>Amen.</p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(184,49,47);"><strong>What does the inscription ‘20 + C + M + B + 22′ mean? </strong></span></p>
<p>The letters have two meanings. First, they represent the initials of the Magi – Caspar, Malchior, and Balthazar – who came to visit Jesus in His first home. They also abbreviate the Latin phrase, Christus mansionem benedicat: “May Christ bless the house.”</p>
<p>The “+” signs represent the cross, and the “20” at the beginning and the “22” at the end mark the current year.</p>
<p>Taken together, this inscription is performed as a request for Christ to bless those homes so marked and that He stay with those who dwell therein throughout the entire year.</p>
<p>This new year, perhaps more than ever, is a year in which we need to invite Jesus into our homes, our Domestic Churches.</p>
<p>Courtesy of Cobh Parish</p>
<h3><span style="color: rgb(184,49,47);"><strong>Colaiste Mhuire</strong></span></h3>
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<h3><strong>Coláiste Muire is part of a massive project to plant 1200 mini fruit tree orchards all around Ireland. The project called DCs for Bees is an initiative of Host in Ireland which is an alliance of Ireland's Data Hosting companies.</strong></h3>
<p>🐝Working in collaboration with the Irish National Biodiversity Centre this project will enable Ireland, for the first time to track concurrent pollination success.&nbsp;</p>
<p>🐝This is only made possible by planting uniform orchards in multiple locations within the one growing season (Nov 2021 - March 2022).&nbsp;</p>
<p>🐝Each mini orchard consists of exactly the same 5 trees - three Apple varieties, one Plum and one Pear that can each cross pollinate each other.&nbsp;</p>
<p>🐝It is a very positive action for pollinators, but is also a great citizen science experimental project.&nbsp;</p>
<p>🐝The National Biodiversity Data Centre intends to set up some monitoring around these trees in the future e.g.10 minute flower insect timed counts in spring and then counting the number of apples/pears/plums in autumn (which gives you a very rough idea of pollination service).</p>
<p>🐝In Cobh 10 orchards are being planted around the community.&nbsp;</p>
<p>🐝Great fun and citizen science for the students to engage in over the season and years ahead.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We have delivered each set of 5 trees from Host in Ireland and Cobh Tidy Towns supplied stakes,ties and signage to ensure that the trees get the best start possible.</p>
<p>📷 Ms. White&nbsp;</p>
<p>@colaistemuirecobh</p>
<h3><span style="color: rgb(184,49,47);"><strong>Munster FA Statement</strong></span></h3>
<img src="https://d2hz75cbudexsj.cloudfront.net/insideAppNews/images/f03abba0-2f98-47ce-8b2d-f8a3f7bb9dd8.jpg" alt="undefined" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>
<h3>Munster Football Association COVID-19 Statement 5th January 2022</h3>
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Cobh News Update January 5th

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