WATCH: What God wants from us

Archbishop Cushley is celebrating 40 years as a priest.

He spoke at the annual National Pilgrimage in Carfin yesterday about his vocation and the importance of being open to God's will.

Watch here. Transcript below.

My dear friends,

It’s a great pleasure to join you here at Carfin Grotto on the happy occasion of our national pilgrimage, traditionally in honour of Saint Margaret and Saint John Ogilvie.

Bishop Joseph Toal also asked me if I would preside and preach today, as this year marks 40 years in the priesthood for me, and I’m honoured to be able to do this in my home diocese of Motherwell.

As some of you may know, I served six years in Motherwell Diocese as an assistant priest and as a chaplain in our high schools.  Six years.

Meantime, I have now served 12 years in the Archdiocese of Saint Andrew & Edinburgh. But don’t worry: I feel very much at home in both east and west…!

My vocation, my calling to the priesthood, takes me back 50 years to 1975 and to something very simple: being persuaded by a teenage friend to go on a school trip to Rome.

Like this year, 1975 was a jubilee year and so my school, Holy Cross in Hamilton, went on a pilgrimage that took us to Rome, so that I found myself standing in Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday in 1975, being blessed in a full and jubilant square with 100,000 other people by Pope Paul VI now Pope Saint Paul VI.

Sometime after that I went to speak to my mother and father about a growing idea that I had, that perhaps I should go to Blairs to test a vocation to the priesthood.

They agreed to this, perhaps a wee bit reluctantly at first, but for the next 10 years I was in training and, in 1985 I was ordained to the priesthood after four years in Blairs and six years in the Scots College in Rome.

Importantly, back then I can remember thinking, “Well I’m prepared to give myself to being a priest, but there are one or two things I don’t really want to have to do.

As I’m going to be a priest of Motherwell Diocese, I won’t be going to the missions, I won’t be working in other dioceses in Scotland, I won’t need to travel far, and I will always be a 20-minute car ride from my mum and dad’s house.

Little by little, however, I began to realise that the Lord had other plans for me. I began to realise that what I thought was my vocation to the priesthood turned out to be the Lord’s vocation to the priesthood. And think about it for a minute.

When you hear the words “my vocation” you can think of it in two ways. It’s either something that belongs to me because it’s my vocation, or it’s the Lord’s call to me, and in that sense it is my vocation.

In other words, what the Lord is calling me to do. Sure, the latter way of seeing it was something I understood in theory, but the transition from the first version of “my vocation” to the second version of “my vocation” has taken place in me over these last 40 years. And it came slowly but surely.

I came to realise in a very real and concrete way that my vocation was not my vocation at all.

It was the Lord’s calling to me, and it was the Lord’s work. And so, predictably, inevitably, the Lord’s calling to me has taken me to all sorts of places I never ever dreamed of going to as a man, as a missionary, or as a priest.

It took me to seven countries in Africa, two in Europe and one in America.

It took me places where I had to learn the language, it took me into danger, it took me into meeting people who are now among my dearest friends, it took me away my father before he died, and it took me to some of the most wonderful, important and formative experiences of my life.

Answering the call of Jesus Christ has been a most wonderful adventure, and I can recommend it to anyone who has heard even just the bat squeak of a call, whether you’re a young man or young woman.

I have made my best friends and my lifelong friends. I have been very happy and fulfilled as a man and as a priest, and I continue to be so with God’s good grace and his Spirit accompanying me, in spite of my limited gift-of-self.

God asked for more; he did so gently and gradually, and he made my vocation to serve him into something better: he made it into his vocation to serve him.

The readings that we have just heard are those for today, the 23rd Sunday of the year (Year C).

They are a surprise and a coincidence, and they serve my purpose very well, because they describe how to know the will God and what it is to do the will of God.

The first reading, from the book of Wisdom, has the tagline, “Who can discern the will of God?” In other words, how can we come to know the will of God? What is its importance for us?”

This is something so central to discipleship, that you don’t really trouble about it too much when you’re young, when your life is an unwritten page.

But over forty years of priesthood, I have learned that I’m not in fact in charge.

A lot of it isn’t up to me.

I have learned that I really do not have the agency that I thought I did when I was first ordained.

Back then, I thought at least some of it was up to me and the rest up to the Lord. Sure, I had promised to be celibate; I had promised obedience to my Bishop; I had promised to pray the Liturgy of the Hours every day.

Those would be the main challenges, I thought, but I also thought that the rest would largely be up to me. I would go wherever my Bishop sent me and I would do my best to be cheerful about it.

I had no wish to serve in the missions, I had no desire to work in dioceses beyond Motherwell, and I was quite content here in Lanarkshire.  So far so good then.

But that all changed only six years after starting to work in the parishes here and, when I was asked out the blue to work for the pope and the Holy See abroad, all of these rather soft but definite red lines of mine started to dissolve.

I did end up working in mission countries; I did end up working in dangerous places away from Scotland; I also ended up learning a lot about the local Catholic churches, about the wonderful family that the Catholic Church is throughout the world, about the profound communion and charity that we all share with each other throughout the world, in communion with the Successor of Saint Peter and the See of Rome.

All those things that I never expected to have to do or especially wanted to do, one by one the Lord asked me to do them.

I learned the hard way something that we say in the Our Father every single day, something at the heart of what we need as a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth.

We must endeavour to find the will of God for us and to embrace it willingly and lovingly.

Without thinking about it, every time we say the Our Father, we say “Thy will be done” - we usually don’t give it a second thought, but it is at the very heart of what it means to be a disciple, and what it means to be a priest of Jesus Christ.

So, when I pray nowadays, I find myself often noticing that part of the Our Father.

I find myself saying, “Lord, let you will be done”.  I find myself endeavouring to want what the Lord wants.

Of course, I don’t always know what it is the Lord wants of me, but I try to put myself at the disposal of the Lord, so that I will do His will, and in doing so that I will be happy, that I will be blessed, and that others will be blessed too.

The gospel reading has a similar, if rather stronger, version of that message. Jesus, speaking to all his disciples, says “Anyone who does not hate father or mother or brother or sister is not worthy of me.

Anyone who does not hate his life is not worthy of me”. These are strong words, and they show us clearly the blue water, the real distance that we need to put between what we want and what the Lord wants for us.

As the famous playwright Robert Bolt nearly says in one of his plays, we can want what we want, but we don’t always get what we want.

In other words, we might be better learning to want what it is that God wants for us and find out happiness in fulfilling His will.

The good news is that the Lord is patient with us.  It took me a long, long time to see that: not just to be cheerfully obedient, not just to be happily celibate, not just to say my prayers. All of these are absolutely essential and wonderfully liberating and preparative for the life of a priest in today’s world.

But to find a way to embrace the Lord’s will for you and to embrace it willingly is perhaps one of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned and that I would want for all of you as well.

If we wish to be the Lord’s disciples, we may have to be ready to give up an awful lot. Of course, it may never happen.

But as our Lord says in the last line of today’s gospel, unless we are prepared to let it all go, we cannot be His disciples.

Or, to flip it round and put it more positively, we must endeavour, every day, in our prayers in our actions, to find the will of God for us and to embrace it willingly and lovingly whenever the call comes and wherever it leads us.

Thanks for listening and God bless you all!

SATURDAY: Altar Servers' Event at Gillis Centre

Ahead of our Altar Servers' Day (Saturday 13 September), we asked Fr Robert Taylor, of St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, to share his memories of being an altar boy.

The below article appears in our Newsletter for Altar Servers available to download here (hard copies being sent to all parishes soon).

***

"I loved being an altar server.

It is a real privilege to be so close to the incredible moments of the Mass.

I was an altar server at Our Lady & St Andrew’s in Galashiels. That’s me on the left.
With the late Monsignor Tony Duffy during Mass in Lourdes. Right, celebrating Mass at the Cathedral.

As an altar server, you are a member of an important team serving God and the parish community.

Here are my tips on being a good altar server:

Here’s me in Lourdes, France, in 2002. Great memories!

A big thanks to all servers in the Archdiocese for serving at their parish and for being a member of the Guild of St Cuthbert."

The Altar Servers’ Day is on Saturday 13 Sep 2025, 11:00am to 3:00pm at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1BB. Parents should register their child(ren) by contacting their parish priest. Our newsletter for Altar Servers will be sent to all parishes and is available to download here.

Saint Ninian declaration to 'deepen friendship'

Archbishop Cushley is to sign an historic declaration of friendship between the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Catholic Church in Scotland.

The Saint Ninian Declaration supports a deepening relationship between Episcopalians and Catholics in Scotland, encouraging both to work more closely together while acknowledging the distinct differences between the two churches.

The signing of the Declaration takes place in Edinburgh on Tuesday 16 September 2025 – the Feast of Saint Ninian.

Archbishop Cushley, Bishop President for Ecumenical Relations for the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, said: “This declaration is not only for us, but for the people of Scotland whom we are called to serve.

Archbishop Cushley speaking at the General Assembly of the Scottish Episcopalian Church in June.

"By deepening the friendship, we strengthen our common witness to the Gospel in a world that longs for hope and reconciliation.

"True friendship does not demand uniformity, but grows through honesty, trust, and love.

“When we sign this declaration, we are saying to our people: let us walk together as brothers and sisters in Christ. Let our unity in Christ be a sign of God’s love for all.

"May this moment encourage us to look outward, shoulder to shoulder, as friends and partners in mission.”

The Most Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross & Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, will also sign the document.

He said: “We sign this declaration on the feast day of St Ninian remembering the saint who first carried the Gospel to this land.

“Christ calls us all to listen, to learn, and to serve this land as descendants of Ninian, side by side.”

“Through this act we in the Scottish Episcopal and Roman Catholic Churches are committing to walk forward together as friends, on the same journey of faith that Ninian started over a thousand years ago.

“It gives us an opportunity to focus on what we share, and to trust that Christ calls us all to listen, to learn, and to serve this land as descendants of Ninian, side by side.”

The signing

The first part of the signing will take place at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in York Place, and the second part at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Palmerston Place, both on 16 September.

The day will include a Symposium on the history of the relationship between the Catholic and Episcopal churches in Scotland, featuring academic experts.

That event will start at 2:00pm in St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral and the speakers are:

At 4:00pm, the Declaration will be signed by Archbishop Cushley and Bishop Strange.

The Archbishop and the Primus will then move on to an Evensong service at 5:30pm at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, where the second signing will take place.

The declaration follows the St Margaret Declaration of friendship between the Church of Scotland the Catholic Church in Scotland, signed in 2022.

All are welcome to attend the signings.

SATURDAY: Carlo Acutis relics arrive in Edinburgh

The relics of Blessed, and soon to be Saint, Carlo Acutis will be at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, from Saturday 13 September to Monday 15 September 2025.

Pope Leo XIV declared Carlo Acutis to be canonised on Sunday 7 September 2025.

Carlo Acutis is known for his love of the Eucharist and for his use of technology in sharing religious content, particularly on eucharistic miracles. He died from leukemia aged 15 in Monza, Italy, and will become the first millennial saint.

Saturday 13 September

6:00pm: Vigil Mass in presence of the relic (Cathedral open until 8:00pm for veneration);

Sunday 14 September

12:00pm: Mass in presence of the relic, celebrated by Archbishop Leo Cushley.

Monday 15 September

12:45pm: Mass for Schools in presence of the relic (all welcome)

On Saturday 13 September the relics will be present for our annual Altar Servers' Day at The Gillis Centre in Edinburgh. This event is for Altar Servers and volunteers only. If you have a child who is an altar server in the Diocese, please register fo this event with your parish priest.

From 9-13 September, the relics will visit the Diocese of Paisley.

The Diocese of Paisley said: “These days will doubtless bring many blessings for our diocesan family.

“It is a section of the Saint’s pericardium. The membrane that surrounds the heart.

“This is a sac filled with water that encloses the heart and the great vessels, holding them in place and protecting the body’s most important organ.

“The relic therefore is of major importance physiologically.

“The pericardium also contains deep spiritual meaning. The heart is the body’s most important organ; it is also the seat of our sentiment and actions.”

Archbishop Leo said: “It is a real blessing for our Archdiocese to welcome the relics of Carlo Acutis.

"The late Pope Benedict, when visiting Britain in 2010, called on our young people to be the "Saints of the 21st Century”.

"Carlo’s life is a powerful witness to precisely that, the beauty of holiness in our time, and a reminder that sanctity is possible at every age.

"I pray that his visit will especially inspire our young people to deepen their love for the living Lord in the Eucharist and to follow Him with renewed faith and courage."

Season of Creation events

Dr Lorna Gold, Executive Director of the Laudato Si' Movement, is the keynote speaker at the Season of Creation Conference 2025.

It takes place at St Margaret's Church, Drip Road, Stirling on Saturday 6 September 2025, from 10am-3pm.

Register here for this free event.

Originally from Scotland, Lorna Gold has been an active leader for years in Catholic work on integral ecology and creation care.

Workshops and Q&As will be held with the Laudato Si Animators Scotland network, Justice & Peace Scotland, and SCIAF.

There will also be the chance to hear from the Care of Creation group from St Ninian’s & St Cuthbert’s Parish, Hamilton, on ideas for living out Laudato Si’ locally in your own parish communities. Archbishop Bill Nolan of Glasgow Archdiocese will attend.

Zoom sessions

The national Care of Creation Office, along with other organisations, has organised a series of zoom sessions to explore different dimensions of Peace with Creation.

The sessions are from 7.00-9.00pm each Thursday, beginning on 4 September, and include prayer, a presentation from a guest speaker and Q&A. Register here.

Readings for Mass

Readings for the Mass for the Care of Creation according to the new Lectionary can be found here.

The annual period of prayer for our common home begins on September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and runs until October 4, the feast of St Francis of Assisi.

Parish bulletin update for Sunday

Here is our round-up of forthcoming events for parish bulletins.

Carlo Acutis relics
The relics of Carlo Acutis visit the Archdiocese from 13-15 September 2025, by which time he will be a saint of the Church! Schedule for St Mary's Cathedral: Sat 13 Sep - 6:00pm Vigil Mass (Cathedral open until 8:00pm for veneration); Sun 14 Sep - Midday Mass; Mon 15 Sep - 12:45pm Mass for Schools.

Day for Altar Servers
The Archdiocesan Day for Altar Servers, our Guild of St Cuthbert, is on Saturday 13 September 2025, 11:00am-3:00pm at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh. This year we will be in the presence of a saint - the relics of Carlo Acutis will be there! This is a day of faith, formation and fun, and concludes with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Leo. Register with Fr [priest name here].

Season of Creation Conference
The Bishops’ Office for Care of Creation invites you to its National Season of Creation Conference on Saturday 6 September 2025 in St. Margaret’s, Raploch, 10:00am – 3:00pm. Special guest is Lorna Gold, the Executive Director of the global Laudato Si Movement. Registration and details at www.bcos.org.uk/scc25

National Pilgrimage to Whithorn
The National Pilgrimage to Whithorn in honour of St Ninian will take place on Sunday 31 August. Mass at St Ninian’s Cave will be celebrated at 4:00pm by Bishop Frank Dougan. Event information is in the news section at https://rcdg.org.uk/

Fife Pilgrim Way
Walk in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims on the Fife Pilgrim Way over six stages each Saturday, beginning 30 August. Meet at 11:00am at the Fife Pilgrim Way information board, Battery Rd, North Queensferry, walking to St Margaret's, Dunfermline. A great way to mark the Jubilee Year. No registration required. Queries to Deacon Pat Carrigan at obl.columba@gmail.com

Holy Year Talk - Dysart Carmel
A series of Holy Year talks take place on the last Sunday of each month at 4:30pm at the Carmelite Convent, Hot Pot Wynd, Dysart, KY1 2TF. The one-hour event includes evening prayer, Eucharistic Adoration and has been organised by the Fife Deanery. Next one is Sunday 31 August. All welcome.

Venerable Margaret Sinclair
The Centenary Pilgrimage to pray for the Beatification of Venerable Margaret Sinclair will take place on Sunday 21 September from 12:30pm-5:30pm at St Patrick's Church, Cowgate, Edinburgh, EH1 1NA. 12:30pm-1:30pm. Refreshments & sale of candles/goods; 1:30pm-2:30pm Holy Hour; 3:00pm-4:00pm Reflection; 4:30pm Holy Mass concelebrated with Archbishop Leo. Confessions available all day.

National Pilgrimage to Carfin
The National Pilgrimage takes place at Carfin Grotto on Sunday 7 September at 3:00pm. Archbishop Leo will be the principal celebrant and preacher. On this day Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, will be canonised so it is an ideal day for Catholics in Scotland to come together to celebrate.

National Youth Pilgrimage to Perth
This takes place on Saturday 20 September, meeting at South Inch Park (PH2 8AN), just behind Perth bus and train stations. A full day of activities includes historic site visits, talks, and Holy Mass with Archbishop Cushley. If you wish to join fellow pilgrims (18+) from the Archdiocese travelling by train to Perth from Stirling, Falkirk and Edinburgh please contact Sr Isabelle Dufaux FSO at youth.office@staned.org.uk

Study Catholic Theology in Edinburgh
Registration is now open for the MA in Applied Catholic Theology at St Mary's University Scottish campus in Edinburgh. Details at bit.ly/catholictheology. Queries: stephen.dolan@stmarys.ac.uk

Season of creation online talks
The national Care of Creation Office has organised a series of Zoom sessions with the theme Peace with Creation, 7:00pm-9:00pm each Thursday, beginning on 4 September. Each week features a guest speaker. Register at https://forms.gle/JXUWYtJjid1zeqSQ9.

Obtain the Holy Year Plenary Indulgence

We're encouraging all Catholics in the Archdiocese to obtain a plenary indulgence in this Holy Year 2025.

Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence this Holy Year

A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Church which cleanses our soul and helps us to grow closer to God.

When we sin, we not only damage our relationship with God, we create a need for healing and repair in our souls. Through Reconciliation, God forgives our sins, but the effects of our sins may still need to be addressed.

Indulgences are a beautiful practice combining prayer, good works and spiritual renewal, to help repair that damage.

You can gain an Indulgence by making a pilgrimage or visit:

Within our Diocese, at one of two locations:

To Rome: to one of the four Papal Basilicas and their Holy Doors.

Elsewhere in the World: Jubilee Shrines in Italy and the Holy Land.

By performing works of mercy, formation and penance:

Extraordinary Works of Mercy include:

Diocesan or parish formation:

Fasting from futile distractions, abstaining for at least one day a week from:

If someone isn't able to do these things due to sickness or other serious reasons then, united in spirit with the faithful taking part in person, they may recite the Our Father, Apostles Creed and Jubilee Prayer, offering the sufferings or hardships of their lives.

What Must I Do?

Normally, only one plenary indulgence can be obtained per day. However, the members of the faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in purgatory, if they receive Holy Communion a second time that day, can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day (this applies only to the deceased).

A single sacramental confession is sufficient for several plenary indulgences, but frequent sacramental confession is encouraged in order to obtain the grace of deeper conversion and purity of heart. For each plenary indulgence that is sought, however, a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father are required.

Tap here to download this information in a printable A4 poster.

Requiescat in pace: Fr Tony Quinlan OMI

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr Tony Quinlan OMI, who died peacefully on Saturday (16 August), at St James' Hospital, Dublin, surrounded by his loving family.

Fr Tony is warmly remembered in the Archdicoese, having served at St John Ogilvie's in Wester Hailes for 20 years as a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

His funeral Mass is at midday on Wednesday 20 August at the Church of Mary Immaculate, Dublin, and will be streamed live here.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, let perpetual light shine upon him, may he rest in peace. Amen.

Join us at our update meeting for parishes

Join Archbishop Cushley, Monsignor Jeremy Milne and Curia team members at our update meeting for parishes

The event takes place on Wednesday 24 September at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1BB, and you can choose the time slot that suits you:

We'll cover the following topics:

Who is this event for?

Parish Priests, Parish Administrators, Assistant Priests together with representatives from Parish Finance or Fabric Committees and those involved in Health and Safety compliance for parishes.

Speakers

Graham Scrimgeour, Director of Finance, will provide an overview of the 2024 accounts and audit findings and other finance matters, including banking, electronic giving and upgrades to OPAS, together with news on IT developments to support parishes.

Lorcan Mooney, Director of Property, will then provide an overview of the role of the Archdiocese property department, the parish fabric committee and other parish property requirements.

Gail Dyer, Health and Safety Consultant with WorkNest, will provide an overview on health and safety matters with a particular emphasis on the importance of compliance, and the SafetyNest portal, then all speakers will take questions from the audience.

This is an opportunity not only to hear from our speakers and ask questions but to meet finance and fabric committee members from other parishes as well as Curia team members, Archbishop Cushley and Monsignor Jeremy Milne, Moderator of the Curia.

Parish Update Meeting 3:00pm to 5:00pm and 7:00pm to 9:00pm on Wednesday 24 September 2025 in the Islay Hall at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh EH9 1BB. Free parking on site. Join us thirty minutes before the meeting for tea/coffee and a chat. 

Let Peers know you oppose assisted suicide

Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be debated in the House of Lords in early Autumn.

The Bill, which narrowly passed through the House of Commons by 314-291 votes, is expected to return to Parliament on 12 September 2025, with further scrutiny and debate in the days which follow.

If it is to become law, the Bill must be supported by the Lords.

The House of Lords would normally be expected to support a Bill where there is a solid majority in the Commons.

However, because the Commons majority for this Bill is just 23 votes and, crucially, the Bill is not a Government Bill, it is still possible that the Lords could reject it.

What to do

This document lists Peers from Scotland with contact email addresses.

You can find at least one who has a connection to your area (their former constituency is listed in the third column) and either write to them or send them an email.

Some Peers use a generic ‘contactholmember@parliament.uk’ address so remember to state in the subject line which Peer the correspondence is for.

You can also write to a Peer using the following address:

[Insert Name of Peer e.g. Rt Hon Lord/Baroness….], House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW

Anthony Horan, of the Catholic Parliamentary Office, said: "Whilst emails are easier, written correspondence is much more effective as it is more likely to be noticed by politicians.

"Whichever method of communication you choose, please remember to be respectful and courteous, and please remember to include your postal address."

He added: "There are many defects in the Leadbeater Bill and this excellent Care Not Killing resource lists 26 of them.

"You can also check out this excellent briefing by SPUC and use these resources to formulate your letter/email. Please also remember to share your own concerns and personal stories.

"Thank you for your continued support on this very important issue."