Vatican appoints new Rector of Scots College 

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy has appointed Fr Mark Cassidy as the next Rector of the Pontifical Scots College in Rome.

He is a priest of Dunkeld Diocese and was Spiritual Director of the college from 2011 to 2018.

He said: "I am aware of the trust that the bishops have expressed in nominating me as the next Rector of the College in Rome.

"I am aware of the vital importance of the seminary in the life of the Scottish Church and look forward to being involved once more in the formation of a new generation of priests for service in Scotland.

"Fr Dan and his predecessor Mgr John Hughes brought their own gifts and talents to the role of Rector, and I intend to do all I can to build on the good work that they did.”

Fr Dan was first appointed as vice-rector of the college in 2012 before being made rector in 2015. He is set to return to a parish in the Diocese of Paisley.

The new appointment was made following the recommendation of the Bishops Conference of Scotland (BCOS).

Bishop Hugh Gilbert, President of BCOS, said: "I wish Fr Mark every blessing in his new role, while extending our gratitude to the Diocese of Dunkeld for allowing him to serve the church nationally in such a crucial position. I wish him every success in his new and important responsibilities."

Fr Cassidy will take up his new post on 1 August 2022.  

Faith formation events announced

Discover the beauty and richness of the Catholic Faith with events to help inspire you to greater love of Jesus and His Church.

Our Catechetics events leaflet for 2022/23 will be in parishes soon (along with our annual events diary). Download a copy here.

Catechetics events 2022/23

 22-27 Aug Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

3 Sep Altar Servers’ Day

10 Sep Children’s Liturgy Day

8 Oct Day for Readers: Gospel of John

22 Oct Day for Musicians and Choirs

29 Oct Reflection Day for Diploma Students

5 Nov Talk on Family Relationships

28 Nov Advent Talk Series begins - Zoom event

28 Jan Called and Gifted Workshop

4 Feb Day for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

18-19 Feb Intentional Disciples Workshop

27 Feb Lent Talk Series begins - Zoom event

4 Mar Catechists’ Day

1 May Easter Talk series begins - Zoom event

All events at the Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Rd, Edinburgh, EH9 1BB (unless otherwise stated). Details of events will be published on this website and on our social media in due course. Events organised by the Catechetics Commission of the Archdiocese. The Archdiocesan Events Diary can be viewed and downloaded here (trifold format).

EVENT: Free2Pray

A Green Party MSP, supported by the Scottish Government, is proposing a Bill to ban peaceful prayers and offers of help near abortion clinics in Scotland.

The Bill proposes a jail sentence of up to two years for anyone who even silently prays near an abortion clinic.

If the Government is allowed to decide when and where people can pray this is a serious threat to religious freedom. If the principle is established in this Bill, it could easily be applied to Corpus Christi processions or the annual St Margaret's Pilgrimage if politicians decide they don't agree with what is happening.

It is vital that as many Catholics, and all concerned for freedom of speech and assembly, make a response to this dangerous Bill.

Register

Register for one of our two sessions to find out how to respond.

Event organised by the Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office. Find out more about its work at https://archedinburgh.org/prolife/

Background on vigils

  • Vigils do not see themselves as ‘protests.’  Participants say they are there to pray and offer help.
  • There are multiple stories from women who have accepted help at vigils, or wish a vigil had been there to offer alternatives when they had an abortion.
  • Almost all vigil participants are Christians, often of retirement age.  This is not the demographic for anti-social behaviour.
  • 40 Days for Life is the largest vigil organiser in Scotland. 40 Days requires all participants to sign a ‘Statement of Peace’ and does not use graphic imagery.

The Bill would criminalise prayer:

The Bill would criminalise silent prayer.  If someone attended a vigil for a hour a week, for each of the six weeks of Lent , praying silently, speaking to no-one and without signage, they would commit the proposed offence of “persistently, continuously, or repeatedly occupying a safe access zone”

The proposed sentences are excessive; six months for a first offence and two years for a second.  This puts silent prayer on a level comparable to domestic assault, hate crimes, stalking etc which can also be tried summarily and then also on indictment.

Public Health Scotland report that the majority of women who have an abortion in Scotland do not attend a clinic or hospital.  They will never see a vigil.

Pre-legislation there has been no engagement with Vigil groups.  Abortion Minister, Maree Todd, ruled out bringing vigil groups into her Ministerial Working Group.

The Bill is unnecessary:

There is overwhelming evidence from Police Scotland and NHS Boards that vigils are peaceful:

FOI data shows that there are no recorded incidents of intimidation or harassment by pro-life groups at 13 Scottish locations in the 6 years between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2021.  Compassion Scotland obtained this information:  https://twitter.com/CompassionScot

Except for Police Scotland, every public authority in Scottish Government’s Ministerial Working Group have said they have no records of any instances of vigils in 2021.  Police Scotland recorded only 1 instance which they describe as “peaceful”  (Appendix 1, below).

This credible Scottish data corresponds with a Home Office enquiry for England and Wales which considered over 2,000 pieces of evidence.  The Home Secretary told Parliament: “Having considered the evidence of the review, I have therefore reached the conclusion that introducing national buffer zones would not be a proportionate response, considering the experiences of the majority of hospitals and clinics, and considering that the majority of activities are more passive in nature”

Allegations & Evidence:

It is vital not to accept allegations at face value but to apply challenge and scrutiny. Proponents of a ban rely on allegations which make good headlines but are often unsubstantiated, or incorrect

Conclusion

The proposed Bill has serious implications for peaceful freedom of expression and religion.

The real driver for abortion in Scotland is poverty. Public Health Scotland annually highlight that abortion rates for women in the most deprived areas are double those in wealthy parts.  In 2020, PHS noted (page 20) that for women deprived areas, abortion rates have increased by a quarter in 10 years.  In the least deprived areas the abortion rate has actually gone down by 1%.  The Mackay Bill does nothing to address this persistent and worsening inequality.

The small number of recent incidents at Glasgow’s Sandyford clinic do not negate the many years of reliable and credible evidence from the Police and NHS Boards that vigils are peaceful and cause no issues.  This is corroborated by Home Office finding for England and Wales, above.

Overall, there is extensive and overwhelming evidence that vigils are peaceful, prayerful and no problem exists which requires legislation at a national level.

Appendix 1

 

Clergy moves announced

Archbishop Cushley has announced the following moves among clergy in the Archdiocese. These moves will take canonical effect on 3 September 2022.

Also

Also

July update

Find out about news & events in the Archdiocese in our July update. Read it here.

Get updates to your inbox by completing the subscribe box in the news section of this website here.

Archbishop's homily - ordination of Fr Josh Moir

Here is the Homily of Archbishop Leo Cushley from the Priestly Ordination of Fr Josh Moir at Our Lady & St Andrew’s, Galashiels, 28 June.

Homily

My dear friends, a very warm welcome to our Archdiocese and to Galashiels, as we gather for the Ordination to the priesthood of your relative and friend, Josh.

For the second year in a row, I am very pleased to be able to celebrate a priestly ordination here, in Our Lady & St Andrew’s.  And I am again in debt to Fr Andrew Kingham, and to all in the parish who have prepared both the sacred and the social parts of our celebration this evening.

We also gather again around the Feast of the great Apostles of the Roman Church, Saints Peter and Paul.  In their different ways, Peter and Paul helped to found a church in Rome that held on through extremely difficult times with exemplary faith and courage.  And we here look with pride to what they achieved, because we too are sons and daughters of the Church of Rome.

Those first Roman Christians buried their dead in the now famous catacombs, and they occasionally had to hide there from the authorities when the state became intolerant of Christianity, and it became dangerous simply to hold the tenets of our faith.

To this day, the catacombs show us traces of the faith and love of our ancient brothers and sisters, in monuments, inscriptions and even frescoes that have survived.  And, among the images that have come down to us from those dark times is one of the Good Shepherd, seen as a beardless Roman youth, carrying a lamb on his shoulders.

For us, as a version of the Good Shepherd, it’s a little unusual, but it’s a beautiful, serene, confidence-inspiring image.

It’s also interesting to compare it, created by persecuted Christians, with the Psalm that inspires it.  In Psalm 22/23, we see, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want… The Lord gives me repose; he leads me to green pastures, at restful waters, he gives me repose…[and] even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me”.

These were surely words that those Christians clung to for dear life, as they were being tried and executed for simply believing what you and I believe quietly these days.

The Psalm concludes, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell forever and ever”. This Psalm, remembered in such a context, and the peaceful image of the Good Shepherd with the lamb safely over his shoulders, stands in such contrast to what was happening to them, that we are struck by their confidence in God’s mercy in the teeth of the world’s intolerance, aggression and cruelty.

Now, this image of the Good Shepherd, young, humble, brave, constant, is one that we continue look to, as another generation aspires to the priesthood.  Our seminarians are, for the most part, younger men, taken from among their kin and their peers, and set aside for sacred duties.

Our sacred ministers aren’t sacred in themselves; but they must wish, and strive, to be worthy of what they approach, and what will be their daily bread for the rest of their lives.  And we, in our turn, must support them and encourage them to be faithful to the things of God.

We are all of us able to love and respect what is sacred.  And I believe that what the young people today wish from the Church and from our example is a renewed and profound sense of the sacred. They live in the world; they are familiar with its glamour; and yet they are also drawn to what is holy.

They cannot escape living in this messy, complicated reality, but they are drawn to God’s presence; and so the solution is to propose a life that is close to people, while stepping aside from the world from time to time, to go to our private room, to be still before the Lord, to love being in His presence, and, from a store of faith and experience, draw others from the world and towards Christ.

This is something all Christians should do, but our sacred ministers do it with a consecration that sets them apart for it, not for their own sake, but on behalf of us all.

Priests are therefore set aside to intercede for us before God, especially in the Eucharist, by means of their configuration to Christ on the Cross, the great mediator between God and humanity, our High Priest, our Good Shepherd.

Josh, we hope and pray that you too will learn to imitate the Good Shepherd as you mature in the priesthood.  Be a good and simple pastor of souls, close to your people, willing to go the extra mile, gently bringing them back, and kindly looking out for them, in season and out of season.

You will be set apart from now on, but in a way that also means being approachable, open, and charitable.

Learn to be good with the Lord’s goodness, and patient with His patience.  Ask for the Lord’s grace, for yourself and for others.  And let Lord’s grace working in you be met by your own willingness, to strive always to be worthy of what is being entrusted to you today.

Be a good shepherd to all after the Lord’s own heart.  And may the Lord’s goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life.   Amen.

GALLERY: Ordination of Fr Josh Moir

Josh Moir was ordained to the priesthood last night (Tuesday 28 June) at Our Lady & St Andrew's in Galshiels. Fr Josh will return to Rome for a final year of study before being appointed to a parish in the Archdiocese.

All pictures: Paul McSherry

Bishops: 'To take life from the unborn cannot be right'   

The Bishops of Scotland have highlighted the sanctity of life and the rights of the unborn in a statement released today (27 June).

It comes following recent public debate on abortion following the overturning of Roe vs Wade in America, which caused the deaths of millions of unborn children.

They say: “Whether we believe in anything spiritual or not, the life that each one of us lives is the only one we have, and to take life from the unborn, no matter how insignificant in size, cannot be right. "

'Profoundly important'

"The rights of a woman and the compassion and support due to her, and the circumstances of her pregnancy, are naturally of great concern to us, but an unborn life, once taken, can never be restored.

"This is what makes abortion such a profoundly important matter for all human beings.

“No matter what position we take, this belief in the profound importance of the issue is shared by us all.

"It is incumbent on us therefore to accept that deeply held and divergent opinions are at stake and that the conflict which arises from this should be handled with respect and civility.

“Those who do not believe human life begins at the moment of conception, invite the question: ‘when does it begin?’. While those who believe that it does, ask the question: ‘what right have we to take a unique and unrepeatable human life?’

“If we are to be the caring and compassionate society we aspire to be, upholding the sanctity and dignity of all human life must be the foundational principal upon which that aspiration rests.”

Supporting women

Paul Atkin, pro-life officer for the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh said: "The issue in Scotland is not that women cannot choose abortion but that too many women are left unsupported and feel abortion is the only choice available.

"According to Public Health Scotland abortion rates for women in most deprived areas are almost twice as high as in the least deprived areas.

"This suggests that many women are being forced into abortion by economic circumstances.

"We call on Scottish Government and any ‘pro-choice’ organisation to step up and do the hard work of supporting women who choose to keep their babies.

"Changing laws around abortion is a welcome first step in building a culture of life where no child is unwanted, no woman unloved and the pressures which lead to abortion no longer exist.

"We ask everyone to support the many crisis pregnancy services who provide free and long term support to mothers and their children including, in our Archdiocese, Stanton Healthcare East of Scotland."

Book now for a marriage preparation course

If you're getting married in a Catholic Church in 2022 in our Archdiocese you can register now for one of our marriage preparation courses.

Course dates

Friday/Saturday 23/24 September 2022

Friday/Saturday 25/26 November 2022

Friday/Saturday 24/25 February 2023

Friday/Saturday 24/25 March 2023

Friday/Saturday 21/22 April 2023

Friday/Saturday 26/27 May 2023

Friday/Saturday 29/30 September 2023

Friday/Saturday 27/28 October 2023

The course will take place over a Friday evening (7:00pm – 9:00pm) and Saturday (10:30am – 3:30pm). The Friday evening session takes place online and the Saturday session at the Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh.

To register for a course please use the application form and return by email to irene.furlong@staned.org.uk (0131 623 89012) or by post to the Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1BB. (Please note that you should give your parish priest 6 months' notice ahead of your marriage and speak to him about attending the Archdiocesan marriage preparation course.)

The Course 

A marriage preparation course is a requirement for those wishing to be married in the Catholic Church. This course seeks to lead couples to a greater understanding of God’s plan for marriage and his call to live this beautiful vocation as fully, freely and fruitfully as possible.

Couples are invited also to reflect on some important aspects of growing and sustaining their relationship including sacraments, prayer, good communication and managing conflict. It also presents the Marriage Rite, emphasising the importance and significance of the vows made in the church, before God, family and friends.

Sessions are led by Fr Jeremy Milne, Vicar Episcopal for Marriage & Families, and presented by clergy and married couples.

If you have any issues, please contact Fr Jeremy Milne on 0131 334 1693 or vemarriage@staned.org.uk

Q&A: Josh prepares for priesthood

Josh Moir will be ordained to the priesthood tonight (Tuesday 28 June) at Our Lady & St Andrew's Church in Galashiels.

You can watch the Mass live on the Facebook page of the parish here.

We spoke to Josh recently to ask him about his preparations for the priesthood.

What preparations take place ahead of ordination?
Along with practical planning I'm keen to find some days of quiet in the immediate run-up to ordination to the priesthood. I'm grateful to my parish which has been really helpful in making all the necessary arrangements as that gives me the chance to relax a little and spend time in prayer with the Lord.

What happens at an ordination?
I will be made a priest by Archbishop Leo Cushley laying his hands on my head. As a priest, I will be able to celebrate Mass for the people, hear. Confessions, anoint the sick and the dying, and will share in the Archbishop's mission to guide the people of God. Having made promises to God at the time of my ordination to the diaconate, I will make further promises related to the priesthood, as well as renewing my promise to obedience.

What are you most looking forward to in your ministry?
The very notion of celebrating Mass is something I find very moving, and in a special way I look forward to spreading God's mercy and forgiveness as a confessor.

What happens next?
I will be heading back to Rome for a final year of study. I hope that I will be of some use to the guys who are continuing in formation at the Scots College.

What advice would you give someone discerning a vocation?
Go before the Lord in prayer, and ask Him how best you might serve Him. If thoughts of the priesthood continue then talk it through with a priest or speak to the vocations director for the Archdiocese.

Josh Moir will be ordained to the priesthood on Tuesday 28 June at Our Lady & St Andrew's Church in Galashiels. If you are interested in finding our more about the priesthood contact Fr Andrew Garden on 0131 663 4286, vocations@staned.org.uk. For the religious life, contact Sr Mirjam Hugens FSO on 0131 623 8902, religiousvocations@staned.org.uk.