Webinar on the dangers of Assisted Suicide

A webinar titled 'Assisted Suicide: The Dangers' will consider the outcome of the potential legalising of assisted suicide in Scotland, and what you can do to help prevent it.

It takes place this Thursday (31 August) at 7:00pm and you can register here.

Liam McArthur MSP is expected to publish proposals to legalise assisted suicide later this year

This webinar will consider what those proposals will look like and, breaking them down, explain why assisted suicide is a very bad idea.

It aims to equip you with the key arguments against assisted suicide and provide you with advice on how to share your concerns most effectively with MSPs.

Speakers

Dr Gillian Wright is a former palliative care doctor in Glasgow who now works as a researcher in medical ethics for the Scottish Council for Human Bioethics. Gillian also works for Care not Killing as the Director of their campaign Our Duty of Care which brings together health care professionals opposed to the introduction of assisted suicide and euthanasia. 

Brian Cairns is a retired teacher with trade union experience. Brian has previous involvement with local community political campaigning and, along with members of St Margaret’s Church Clydebank and the wider community, has established a campaign group to oppose proposals to legalise assisted suicide.

Anthony Horan is Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. Anthony, a qualified lawyer, has significant experience in political engagement on a wide range of issues, including assisted suicide. Anthony is also a member of the Care Not Killing steering group.

For further details and to register, please click here. Webinar organised by the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office.

Double delight as St Ninian's awarded for 'excellence'

Pupils and staff at St Ninian's Primary School and Nursery in Livingston are celebrating an excellent report from Education Scotland Inspectors, writes West Lothian News.

The school was awarded the highest rating of 'excellent' in two categories - 'leadership of change' and 'ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion'.

Since 2017, less than one per cent of primary school inspection evaluations have received an 'excellent'.

Headteacher Lisamaria Purdie said: "The whole school community is absolutely delighted to have received such glowing feedback.

"Across both the school and nursery settings, our incredibly talented staff teams work tirelessly to provide a setting where our children are excited to learn and develop.

"The hard work never stops and we will continue to reflect on our approach to ensure that we continue to deliver the best possible learning experience for children and families."

This report reflects the magnificent efforts of all staff, from the schools headteacher and leadership team through to nursery leaders and support staff.

Pupils were noted as eager learners as a result of high-quality teaching provided by staff who continually reflect and develop their practice.

Staff were also praised for their understanding of inclusive practices, specifically around the delivery of purposeful and realistic experiences for children, including those with additional support needs and for the innovative support provided to families.

Archbishop Leo Cushley said: “St Ninian’s has a faith-filled and positive learning environment. Lisamaria Purdie and her staff strive for excellence in teaching so this is a deserved evaluation that will be welcomed by parents and the wider school community.”

The full report can be accessed via the Education Scotland website here.

FEEDBACK: Encouraging teachers to share the Faith

Helping children develop a love and knowledge of Jesus Christ and His Church is a key role of our Catholic schools.

The Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh is helping teachers do that by offering financial support to study for the Catholic Teachers Certificate (CTC).

This year, we have awarded 20 teachers a subsidy to study the CTC at Glasgow University.

What is the Catholic Teachers Certificate?

It is the qualification required for those eligible and wishing to teach Religious Education in Catholic primary schools or in Catholic secondary schools as a 'generalist' RE teacher.  Working in partnership with the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, the University of Glasgow is responsible for this award. Find out more here.

Margaret Barton, Archdiocesan Religious Education Advisor to High Schools, said: "Having the CTC is of great benefit to a teacher as it enables them to teach Religious Education lessons and prepare children for receiving the Sacraments.

"We're pleased to support 20 teachers again this year and its been great to have such positive feedback from teachers.

Feedback

We asked teachers based in our Archdiocese who have just completed the CTC to give us their feedback, below.

 

I enjoyed studying the CTC because it has helped to develop my professional practice and enhanced my own understanding of my faith. It has allowed me to develop the knowledge and skills required to effectively teach the RE programme.

- Rebecca Stanford

The CTC course allowed me to build a closer relationship with the pupils on their faith journey whilst making the sacraments.

- Cameron Kildae, St Joseph's Primary, Whitburn

Through the course I made new friendships. We talked about our faith, our experiences, our jobs and and supported each other through the coursework.  Although a practicing Catholic, the course really made me think more deeply about my faith and gave me a better understanding of things that I was a bit unsure of before.

- Stacy Corrigan

It has developed my knowledge and understanding in order to lead our Faith within a Catholic primary school and has strengthened my own belief.

- Cheryl Evans

I enjoyed studying for the CTC because of the range of experiences it has afforded me, including in-person days to grow in community and personal reflections upon my own faith journey. I found the course tutors to be supportive and approachable.

- Lucy Walker

It was great being able to get together with other Catholic teachers and discuss our roles, ideas, and share our experiences.  I now have a better understanding of the This is our Faith resource and how it should be used across the school to ensure progression and depth for our learners.

- Louise McCauley

 

Homily: Annual Festival Mass at St Mary's Cathedral

Today we welcomed His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, Apostolic Nuncio for Great Britain, to the Annual Festival Mass at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.

He was joined by Archbishop Leo Cushley and dignitaries from across the city.

Homily

Homily of Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews & Edinburgh. Festival Mass, St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Edinburgh , Sunday 13 August 2023

My dear friends,

A warm welcome to St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral as the 76th Edinburgh International Festival takes place in our city.

I’m very pleased to welcome the Right Honourable Robert Aldridge, Lord Lieutenant and Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, the Baileys and Councillors from the major parties, the High Constables, and distinguished representatives of the City’s Consular Corps.

It is an honour to have you among us, and to salute our friends in the family of nations whom you represent and serve in Scotland.

I also have the honour to welcome our Episcopalian friends, Bishop John Armes of Edinburgh, and Bishop Kevin Pearson of Glasgow & Galloway.  You are both most welcome here.

In particular, we have the honour of welcoming today His Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, my friend and colleague Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía (below left).

Archbishop Maury is no stranger to the UK, but this is his first official visit to Scotland as the Pope’s ambassador to the Court of St James’s, and we are delighted, Excellency, that you have chosen to start here in Edinburgh and to grace with your presence.  May I now ask you to lead us in worship.

These days are among the highlights of the civic year here in Edinburgh.

As the Lord Provost (below) and Councillors present well know, running a city is not just about fixing the roads and emptying the bins, although we all like both things done timeously, and appreciate everything you do in those and many other directions.

But sometimes, we need to lift our eyes from the day-to-day, the work at hand, and as it says in Exodus, “rise up and play”.  And this is something that the City of Edinburgh has been doing with evident gusto since the Edinburgh International Festival began in 1947.

As we have been reminded again these day by the release of the movie Oppenheimer, at the end of the second World War, the world was still a very precarious place, where the peace of 1945 was starting to turn into a darker struggle that became the Cold War.

Most of us here remember personally how this played out in the second half of the last century, and how, at length, the Cold War drew to a close, and the beginnings of what we all hopefully named a “peace dividend” started to emerge.

I remember, less than 20 years ago, amid the optimism of globalisation, seeing signs in the United Nations in New York declaring that it would take $50bn to fix world poverty.

That seemed an incredible sum and an impossibly far-off goal. But since the Financial crisis, and then Covid, many Governments all over the world have found $50bn to spend with alacrity.

Yet peace and prosperity remain elusive, war is no farther away, and while the stats tell us that developing countries and their people have got richer in the last thirty years, it still doesn’t feel like our generation has made things much better.

To this rather mixed picture, we must add that none of us thought to see a land war in Europe in our lifetime. Europe, and the concert of nations in general, is still in search of peace.

I believe one of the intentions of Rudolph Bing, founder of the Edinburgh International Festival, was to find an antidote to war, to selfishness, to the institutionalized, official, legalised disregard for human dignity and worth.                                                                                       

In the Edinburgh Festival he and its co-founders wished to remind us of the better angels of our nature, and to draw our attention to something better, purer, higher.

As I have had occasion to say before, the Edinburgh International Festival is, at its best, a festival of the human spirit.  At its best, it is a celebration of beauty, and beauty draws us out of ourselves and inspires us.

We can’t always articulate it, but we know it when we see it.  Beauty in something outside ourselves helps us see that it’s not always about us; in fact, it’s a better, healthier place to be when we’re drawn out of ourselves, when we are thinking about the other, when we’re looking out for each other.

And the dignity and worth of every human being, no matter or what they may be, is at the solemn, essential heart of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Fun is fun, but there is a bigger picture, a meta-narrative that we mustn’t lose sight of, as we enjoy the arts and the music and the theatre around us.

Bing, a Jewish German refugee who fled to this country to escape the Nazis, founded the Festival with the city authorities in the wake of the atrocities of the Second World War, to put the human person and everything that is noble in our spirit, back at the heart of things.

The Festival’s deeper significance is that it’s about pushing back the extremists and the nihilists; it’s about putting the human person, and the beauty that we can achieve, back at the centre of our attention, and allowing a little grace build on our modest and broken nature.

It’s about taking back our stolen dignity and worth.  It’s about denying the field to the ideologues, the fatalists, the extremists, the people who don’t believe in humanity.

And the need for the Festival’s positive, gentle energy should be clear, as we look at what is happening again in the family of nations, especially in Ukraine, but elsewhere too.

As we give thanks for the many blessings that have come to the city every year through these celebrations, we take a moment to recall that that the Edinburgh International Festival is at its best when it is faithful to its founder's vision, and when it promotes and respects the dignity and worth of the human person; it is successful, not only when there are millions of happy visitors, but also when we let it be true to itself: a Festival of all that is best in our broken, but blessed and grace-filled human spirit.

All images: Paul McSherry.

GALLERY: World Youth Day 2023

World Youth Day 2023 ended yesterday (Sunday) in Lisbon with Mass celebrated by Pope Francis -  attended by a staggering 1.5 million people.

Archbishop Cushley attended the five-day event along with fellow bishops, clergy and young people from across Scotland.

John Patrick Mallon, who covered the event with Sancta Familia Media, said: "1.5 Million young people - the largest gathered crowd in Portuguese history - joined Pope Francis for the final Mass of World Youth Day Lisbon 2023. The legacy of this great event will live on with all who were there."

It was announced that Seoul, South Korea, will be the next venue for the next event in 2027.

Gallery

All pics Sancta Familia, unless otherwise stated. More pics and coverage at Sancta Familia Media. Follow them on TikTok

Archbishop Cushley with pilgrims from St Albert's Chaplaincy, Edinburgh, in Lisbon (Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh).

Clergy moves update

Here are the clergy moves which take effect from Friday 6 October 2023.

For clergy changes announced in June 2023, see here.

WATCH: Sinclair Academy set to open in Winchburgh

Archbishop Cushley was given a tour of the impressive Sinclair Academy in Winchburgh, West Lothian, by its headteacher Gerry Burns. Watch the video below or on YouTube.

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Mr Burns said: "The school is named after (Venerable) Margaret Sinclair, so our school values are very much about her - aspiration, integrity, mercy and service -
and it's really about our young people, where we develop a faith life in a school.

The Archbishop was here to visit the new school and it's so exciting at this point that he's involved with that with us just now.

"It's really important for us that the Archdiocese is key to what we do as a Catholic school moving forward.

Find out more aboout Venerable Margaret Sinclair at www.margaretsinclair.scot

Archdiocesan events for 2023-24

Here are planned events and significant days for the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh in 2023-24.

Event details will be published closer to their dates on this website and on social media. Dates, times and locations may be subject to change.

August 2023

13 | Festival Mass. Midday, St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh.

30 | SPRED Commissioning Mass (25th anniversary). St Kentigern's, Parkgrove Avenue, Edinburgh.

September 2023

01 | World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. International event. Beginning of Season of Creation.

03 | Carfin Pilgrimage. Carfin Grotto, Carfin.

04 | Annual Caritas, Justice & Peace Mass. St Columba's, Upper Gray Street, Edinburgh.

16 | Altar Servers' Day. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

17 | Venerable Margaret Sinclair Pilgrimage. St Patrick's, Cowgate, Edinburgh.

29 | Marriage Preparation Course. And 30th. Online. All dates here.

30 | Reflection Day for Diploma in Catechetics Students. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

October 2023

07 | A View from Within: Justice and the Prison Service. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

20 | Marriage Preparation Course. And 21st. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh. All dates here.

23 | Searching for Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. Mini-course. Until 27th. St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. Register at bit.ly/Jesus_inGospelofMark

28 | Scripture Reflection Day. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

November 2023

02 | Mass for Deceased. Mount Vernon Cemetery, Edinburgh.

04 | Annual Society of St Vincent de Paul Mass. St Michael's, Linlithgow.

11 | Discovering Andrew & Margaret - Our Patron Saints. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

12 | Remembrance Sunday. Ecumenical services across Scotland.

12 | Scottish Interfaith Week. Until 18th. Events across Scotland.

19 | World Day of the Poor. International event.

19 | Prisoners' Week. Until 26th. National event.

25 | Youth Gathering (p4-7). Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

29 | Advent Talk Series. And 6th, 13th, 20th. Zoom event series.

December 2023

03 | Blessing of the Nativity scene. Edinburgh city centre.

04 | Pro-Life Advent Rosary. And 11th, 18th. Zoom event series.

08 | Final Diploma in Catechetics Class. Zoom event.

28 | Holy Innocents Mass. Midday, Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

January 2024

01 | World Day of Peace. International event.

20 | Diploma in Catechetics - Graduation Ceremony. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

21 | Week of Christian Unity. Until 28th. International event.

26 | Holocaust Memorial Day. International event.

27 | Music Day - Preparing for Lent & Easter. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

February 2024

08 | Day of Prayer Against Human Trafficking. International event.

10 | Valentine's Retreat for Married/Engaged couples. St Kentigern's, 26-28 Parkgrove Avenue, Edinburgh.

14 | Lent Talks. And 21st, 28th Feb; 6th, 13th, 20th Mar. Zoom.

17 | Forming Intentional Disciples Workshop. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

18 | Rite of Election. St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh.

19 | Pro-Life Stations of the Cross. 7:45pm. And 26th; 4th , 11th, 18th, 25th Mar. Zoom.

23 | Marriage Preparation Course. And 24th. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh. All dates here.

March 2024

01 | World Day of Prayer. International event.

09 | Parish Catechists' Event. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

22 | Marriage Preparation Course. And 23rd. Online. All dates here.

23 | Youth Gathering (S1-6). Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

29 | Good Friday Ecumenical Services. Events across Scotland.

April 2024

19 | Marriage Preparation Course. And 20th. Online. All dates here.

27 | Devotional Life in the Church Workshop. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

27 | National Pro-Life Chain. 11am Lothian Road, Edinburgh. Rosary at 10am in Sacred Heart Church, Lauriston Street.

May 2024

TBC | Laudato Si' Week. International Event.

11 | Youth Gathering (P4-7). Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

17 | Marriage Preparation Course. And 18th. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh. All dates here.

19 | Interfaith Peace Walk. St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh.

25 | Called & Gifted Workshop. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

26 | Pentecost Sunday Ecumenical Services. Throughout Scotland.

29 | Mass for Married & Engaged Couples. 7:15pm, St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh.

June 2024

01 | Day for Sacristans and Welcomers. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

02 | Corpus Christi Procession. High Street, Falkirk, to St Francis Xavier's Church.

08 | Alpha Training Day. Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh.

16 | St Margaret's Pilgrimage. St Margaret's Church, Dunfermline. Date to be confirmed.

Contact us

Many events are organised by various commissions of the Archdiocese:

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GALLERY: Lourdes Pilgrimage 2023

Here are some images from the Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes

A statement from the Pilgrimage Committee said: "Our Pilgrimage to Lourdes was truly wonderful, filled with many uplifting spiritual experiences, inspiring and reflective music, prayerful liturgies, and a chance to reunite with old friends and make new ones!"

From left: Canon James Tracey, Mgr Allan Chambers, Fr Martin Eckersley; Fr Jeremy Milne, Canon Jeremy Bath.

 

 

 

 

Vatican grants plenary indulgence for World Grandparents Day

In a move to foster devotion among the faithful, the Apostolic Penitentiary has granted a request from Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, writes Vatican News.

The Cardinal requested that a Plenary Indulgence be granted to Catholics taking part in the upcoming Third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which was instituted by Pope Francis.

The World Day will be celebrated on Sunday 23 July 2023 under the theme “His mercy is from age to age” (Lk 1:50).

Conditions for plenary indulgence

In a decree issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary and approved by Pope Francis, the plenary indulgence will be granted to grandparents, the elderly, and all faithful who participate in the solemn celebration presided over by the Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as to all those who attend Mass in various parts of the world.

The indulgence requires that the faithful maintain detachment from sin and intend to fulfill the three usual conditions as soon as possible.

The Apostolic Penitentiary extends the same Plenary Indulgence to those who dedicate significant time to visit—either in-person or by virtual means of communication—their elderly brothers and sisters who are in need or facing difficulties, such as the sick, abandoned, and those with disabilities.

For people who are unable to leave their homes due to serious reasons, spiritual participation in Mass celebrated for the World Day through prayer, offering their sufferings, and joining in the broadcasts of the Pope’s various celebrations will also grant them the opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence.

Source of wisdom and experience

In the decree, the Apostolic Penitentiary urges priests authorized to hear confessions to make themselves available with a generous spirit for the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance.

The decree grants the indulgence only for the Third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

The Apostolic Penitentiary's announcement offers the faithful an opportunity to deepen their spiritual lives, express charity towards the elderly, and seek God's mercy in a special way.

The Third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly serves as a reminder of the invaluable wisdom, experience, and love that older generations offer to society and the Church.