Register now for the Diploma in Catechetics 2025!

We invite you to explore the riches and depth of the Catholic Faith by registering for the Diploma in Catechetics 2025.

To celebrate the Holy Year of 2025 we are offering this year-long course for just £125 (usually £200)!

The Diploma is a great way to deepen, renew, or even initiate your understanding of the Catholic Faith.

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This course changed my heart and brought it closer to God. Gordon Hamilton, Edinburgh

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The course begins in January 2025 and you can register now on our Eventbrite page.

Rich exploration

Course leader Sr Miriam Ruth Ryan RSM said: "Register today to embark on an ordered and rich exploration of the Catholic faith, centered in the Person Jesus Christ.

"It is a great way to  deepen, renew, or even initiate your understanding of and participation in the Catholic faith. To help you do that we have weekly lectures, guided reading, and regular 1-to-1 support.

"As 2025 is a Holy Year for the global church, with an emphasis on renewal and hope, we wanted to offer the course at a reduced cost and with additional scholarships and bursaries.

"So we hope that will encourage people to do something special for the Holy Year and initiate something new in 2025."

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It was a wonderful, eye-opening and exciting experience to do the Diploma in Catechetics. Mary Murphy, Musselburgh

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Need to know

FAQs

Do I have to tune in live each Thursday?
No. A recording of the most recent session is sent out each Friday. Students are welcome to watch on catch-up if they cannot tune in on Thursdays.

Do I need to buy course material?
No. We do recommend a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but it is also available free online.

Do I have to sit an exam?
There are no exams. Each module concludes with a one-to-one conversation on Zoom with one of the course leaders. In the meeting, you’ll talk about what you’ve learnt and ask any questions you still have.

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A joyful, creative re-affirmation of faith which I found inspiring and deeply encouraging. Christopher Layden, Edinburgh

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Is the course difficult?
Like any course, some elements may be challenging. That's why we have gathered a range of speakers who are experienced in simplifying difficult concepts in an engaging way. Each session ends with Q&A, so you can ask for clarifications at that time too.

Can I take part if I'm not in the Archdiocese?
Yes, everyone is welcome regardless of where they are based.

Can I take part if I am not Catholic?
Absolutely, if you are earnestly seeking to understand the Catholic faith better, you are very welcome!

What's the big deal about the Holy Year?
Every 25 years, the Church celebrates a Holy Year or Jubilee: a time of forgiveness, renewal, and revival. The tradition stems from ancient Israel - before Jesus' time - when every 50 years all debts were forgiven and prisoners set free. As such, Holy Years are particularly blessed times for reviving your relationship with God. To make it possible for everyone to take advantage of this opportunity, we have sought to lower the price, offer scholarships, and get the word out about the Holy Year!

Why did you open registration on 28 October?
That date is the Feast of Ss Simon and Jude. St Jude is the patron of lost causes, making him, in fact, a patron of immense hope. The 2025 Holy Year has a theme of hope. One of the aims of the Diploma is to grant each student an opportunity to deepen their hope in the Lord and to become a light of hope in our society. Always be "prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

Where do I register?
You can register on Eventbrite. Click here.

I have more questions!
Please get in touch for a chat. Email srmiriamruth@staned.org.uk

St Patrick's set for 250th anniversary celebrations

St Patrick’s in Edinburgh celebrates its 250th anniversary as a Christian Church on Wednesday (9 October 2024).

Vespers will be held at the church, in the city's Cowgate, at 6:00pm and Archbishop Cushley will give a homily, before a reception at St Cecilia's Hall in Niddrie Street

Fr Gerard Hatton, Administrator of the Church, said: “We are really looking forward to the event on 9 October and so pleased to be able to welcome back the other denominations who have also played a part in the life of the Church.

It is so important to give thanks to God and celebrate such an occasion.

The Church holds a very special place in the affections of Catholics both in the City and beyond. Many Clergy have served the parish over the years and many people still regard St Patrick’s as their spiritual home.”

“Fr Gerard, along with Fr Ninian Doohan, arrived at St Patrick's last year, at the invitation of Archbishop Cushley, to work on the Edinburgh Oratory Project.

History

When the 'square style' church opened in 1774 it was Episcopalian and known as St Paul’s Chapel.

The great and the good of the day worshipped here with a Congregation of more than 1,000.

The writer and diarist James Boswell said:“It was striking to see so grand a place of worship in Edinburgh”.

The Congregation commissioned several religious art works by the Scottish artist, Alexander Runciman, one of the most distinguished painters of the day, to decorate the Apse.

Many of the well to do congregation started to move into the plusher New Town of the city, and in 1818 the Chapel was sold to a Presbyterian Congregation, the Scottish Relief Church.

They made changes to the interior overpainting the mural of the Ascension on the ceiling of the Apse (the Runciman Trust has been established to oversee the restoration of the mural as funds become available) and replaced the Altar with a pulpit.

The next few years were an unsettled period, factions emerged, and they ran into financial difficulties.

When the congregation decided to move out of the Church they agreed to sell their redundant building to the Catholic Church.

At that time, Bishop James Gillis knew he had to do something to meet the spiritual needs for the growing number of Irish immigrants who had arrived in Edinburgh to escape the famine.

Becoming a Catholic Church

The Catholic population had risen from 1,000 to 14,000 and the old St Patrick’s in Lothian Street had become inadequate for the many who had settled in the insanitary and disease-ridden slum area of the Cowgate.

The new church cost £4,300. Half was paid for by the Church, the rest by the people.

They may have lived in poverty but were determined to raise money for a church of their own.

The new Church, dedicated to St Patrick, was officially opened on Sunday 3 August 1856.

The congregation present for the opening Mass was estimated at 2,600.

It became a vibrant parish. At its busiest there were more than 600 baptisms a year.

The parish has the honour of being the first St Vincent de Paul Society in Scotland.

The Church became a hub for those living in Edinburgh who were enduring much bigotry and alienation from the local community.

Many met their future husbands and wives there as it was a great place for socialising!

The Cowgate became known as “Little Ireland” and still is to this day.

Founding Hibernian

One of the Priests, Limerick-born Canon Edward Hannan, worked tirelessly for the souls under his care and was committed to the youth of the parish.

In 1869, he introduced the Catholic Young Men’s Society (CYMS).

It was from their meeting place in the nearby St Mary’s Halls that he, and a young Irish Parishioner, Michael Whelahan, suggested forming a football team to promote the physical wellbeing of these young men.

Players had to be practising Catholics and members of the CYMS.

And so Hibernian Football Club, with the Harp as its crest, was founded on 6 August 1875, joining the Edinburgh Football Association in 1876 and the Scottish Football Association not long afterwards.

They found a permanent home at Hibernian Park on Easter Road in 1880 and went on to win the Scottish Cup in 1888.

A bust of Canon Hannan can be found at Hibernian’s Easter Road Stadium and a Memorial to him is kept in the entrance of St Patrick’s.

Many fine people have passed through the great doors of the Church, good living people who strive to support the church in many ways as well as those who have made their mark not just in Edinburgh but across the world.

It was in St Patrick’s that James Connolly, born of Irish parents, was baptised, Leaving St Patrick’s School at aged 10 he eventually joined the British Army which he came to despise.

He left for Ireland, became involved in politics, formed the Irish Labour Party becoming a commander in the Irish Republican movement.

For his part in the Easter Uprising, he was court marshalled and was executed in front of a firing squad on 12 May 1916.

A saint in the making

St Patrick’s is also fortunate to have one of its former parishioners on the road to being declared a Saint.

The Venerable Margaret Sinclair was taught and received her Sacraments in the Church.

Her remains lie in the Sacred Heart Altar and many thousands of pilgrims bring their petitions and prayers to her.

The annual Margaret Sinclair Pilgrimage is a national event at the Church each September.

Article (abridged) by Uriel Jamieson, published in the Irish Voice, September 2024.

HOMILY: Red Mass at St Mary's Cathedral

The annual Red Mass to mark the beginning of the new legal year in Scotland took place yesterday (Sunday 22 September) at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.

Members of the legal fraternity took part in the traditional procession before Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Leo Cushley.

His homily is published below. (Pics: @jamiejkerr).

Homily

My dear friends,

A renewed word of welcome to the Senators of the College of Justice, the Right Honourable Lord Pentland and his fellow judges Lord Doherty, Lord Matthews, Lady Carmichael and Lord Scott.

We are also joined by Sheriffs who sit in courts across the country, as well as solicitors, advocates, King’s Counsel and a range of others involved in the legal profession, along with their families.

We welcome representatives of the Law Society of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates, the Society of Writers to His Majesty’s Signet, as well as representatives from local bar associations and law schools.

We also extend a special Scottish welcome to a delegation of judges and lawyers from the Terry Carey American Inns of Court in Delaware in the USA who have been in Edinburgh this week and able to join us on this very special occasion.

And now a few remarks on law and Christianity.

We will all of us be aware that the legal systems in Europe and America draw a great deal of their shape and purpose from the laws first crafted for the Roman Republic, over 2,000 years ago.

We are also indebted to others who came along later, and codified and tidied up the centuries of legislation and judgements and accumulated wisdom.

New impetus was breathed into non-Christian Republican Roman law and its application by great figures like the Christian Emperor Justinian, resident in Constantinople and a ruler with an immense impact on the Christian east and west alike.

For Europe, perhaps Charlemagne is the next great legislator who deserves our attention as he builds the holy Roman Empire in the west.

Charlemagne is notable to us as Catholics too, because not only did he want to unify the various peoples in his empire into one state, he was also a consciously Catholic Christian emperor.

Just in one example, he had himself crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome on Christmas Day 800 AD.

Charlemagne wished to bring order to the heart of Western Europe, and he wanted to enlist a healthy, vigorous Catholic Church in his enterprise.

And the Church appears to have been willing to help him.

Famously, he asked for a copy of the Roman Missal, the book we still use for Mass to this very day, and a supposedly “definitive” copy of the Missal was sent from Rome to him in his capital in Aachen, at what is today the crossroads between Germany, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, France and Belgium, very much the heart of Western Europe.

Charlemagne wished to bring clarity, order, and stability to the life of his empire.

He also wished to bring the Catholic faith, already widespread, into an ever more central role in the life of his people.

The alliance he created between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy was one of convenience, to be sure, but in a good way too.

By doing so, Charlemagne also became a model of governance which other rulers wanted to imitate for centuries to come, including in these islands.

In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that Charlemagne became the gold standard for what it meant to be a king in Europe from then until the Reformation.

Now, you must be wondering where I’m going with all this… Well, all that I’ve touched upon so far continues to touch our lives to this day.

First, we still have the Roman Missal, the basis of which was presented to Charlemagne, and it continues to be heard and used for Mass throughout the entire Western world, from here to the Solomons and all the way round again.

It has become the means by which we offer the Sunday Eucharist in almost every country on the face of the earth.

But we also have a body of law that is used to this day in different ways by both Anglo-Saxon and Roman-based systems of law, which covers just about every state in the world.

And, interestingly, that body of Christian-Roman law foresees the head of state having a unique role in legislation and its application in the land.

This is because, in the hands of Justinian and Charlemagne, and those who followed their model, the head of state took on a very different role to previous, non-Christian rulers.

It is not much of an exaggeration to say that, until Christian times, the law was often made by the ruler himself, and the law changed according to the whim of that leader.  The word of the leader was law. The morality of the law, the rightness of the law, was neither here nor there.

The ruler had the power to make the law, and the freedom to apply it as he or she saw fit.  There was no appeal to a higher ideal.

Duty

With Christianity however, the ruler, the Christian king or queen has not only the right to make laws and apply them, he or she has the duty to make laws that are right, laws that are just, and to apply them without fear or favour.

We’ve heard of the post-Reformation idea of the “divine right of kings”.  We need only think of James VI or Charles I.

But before there was the divine right of kings, there was the divine duty of kings: Kings were accountable to God and to a higher moral law, above any human justice.

By embracing this ideal, Christian kings and their Christian laws were to seek and to treasure a humility and objectivity that were unknown among rulers prior to the Christian era.  They didn’t value or apply the criteria of political correctness or expedience or fashionable social theories.

They valued and applied facts in an endeavour to get at the truth of things as they truly are, and make their judgments accordingly.  That humility, that recognition that our law-making is imperfect, gave Christian legislation strength and durability in Europe.

It pointed legislators towards an application that didn’t favour the wealthy and the powerful or the people with the biggest sticks.  Instead, Christian-inspired legislation favoured reality, truth, honesty and integrity.

And the king or queen or president became not an arbitrary legislator or judge, but the guarantor of the law, in so far as human beings can create and apply laws.

The head of state had not only the right but – far more importantly – they had the duty to see that justice be fair and that mercy be equitable.  In this country, we still have a king, and he is officially a Christian king at that.

This should make us think again and notice titles like “King’s counsel”, and “His Majesty’s signet”, as they are a quiet reminder of a tradition that wishes to serve the common good, for the sake of all peoples, of all religions and none.

It is one of the greatest political legacies of Christianity to the concert of nations of today.

Lords and Ladies, dear friends of the legal profession, as you go about your tasks in this new legal year, continue to reflect upon this high calling that you have on our behalf.

Be proud of your Christian heritage in law, and continue to strive for justice and mercy informed by our sense of duty towards our fellows.

May the Holy Spirit guide you and keep you all in the coming year.  Thank you for listening, and God bless you!

GALLERY: Venerable Margaret Sinclair Pilgrimage

People gathered at St Patrick's Church in The Cowgate, Edinburgh, for the  Annual Margaret Sinclair Pilgrimage.

It was is a time of prayer, stillness and reflection to ask for her intercession and that she may be Scotland's next 'blessed'.

The day featured blessings at the shrine of Margaret, talks, and a presentation frmm pupils at Sinclair Academy, Winchburgh.

The day concluded with Mass, with Archbishop Cushley as the principal celebrant. View the Sancta Familia video on Facbook here.

Gallery

Fr Joe McAuley, praying at the Shrine of Margaret Sinclair. He is Archbsihop Cushley's Episcopal Delegate for the Promotion of the Cause of Venerable Margaret Sinclair.
Teacher Carly Johnston and pupils from Sinclair Academy, Winchburgh, with Archbishop Cushley ahead of Holy Mass.
Fr Ninian Doohan of St Patrick's confers a blessing to those present ahead of Holy Mass.
The Missionaries of Charity chat with Archbishop Cushley after Mass.
Praying at Mass.
Holy Mass. From left: Fr Edward Toner (Archdiocese of Glasgow) Fr Ninian Doohan, Archbishop Cushley, Fr Peter Shankland and Fr Joe McAuley (Archdiocese of Glasgow).
Fr Peter Shankland, of St Mary's in Stirling, reads the Gospel at Mass.
The choir of St Patrick's led the congregation in a beautiful sung Mass.
Pupils from Sinclair Academy in West Lothian gave a presentation before Mass.

Find out more about Venerable Margaret Sinclair at https://www.margaretsinclair.scot/

WATCH: Study Catholic Theology in Edinburgh

Find out about studying Catholic theology in Edinburgh this October with our Open Evening Webinar.

It's a chance to hear from course leaders of the MA in Applied Catholic Theology. We also chat to a recent graduate of the course, and give you a whistlestop tour of the Gillis Centre Campus.

The video is divided into chapters so you can quickly find the section you want, and includes a Q&A section with attendees. Watch below or on YouTube.

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The MA in Applied Catholic Theology is a two year, part-time course hosted by St Mary's University, Twickenham, at its Scottish Campus in Edinburgh. SAAS funding now available. Deadline for applicants is 30 September.

Find out more at www.stmarys.ac.uk/edinburgh or email the course leader Dr Susan Longhurst, who will be happy to answer your questions susan.longhurst@stmarys.ac.uk

The Open Evening webinar was broadcast on Zoom on Wednesday 29 May 2024. 

Vocations Awareness Week

Vocations Awareness Week is a chance for the Catholic community to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

We are called to follow God and live out our vocation more deeply, whether in the priesthood, the consecrated life, marriage, or the sacred single life.

Please keep in your prayers Gerard Holden and Matthew McCafferty (below) both of the Archdiocese, who are training for the priesthood in Rome, along with all seminarians from Scotland's dioceses.

Pictured above, from left: Fr Nick Welsh; Gerard Holden, seminarian; Archbishop Leo Cushley; Matthew McCafferty, seminarian; Fr Josh Moir (2023).

The Archdiocese is hosting a monthly group for young women to meet, socialise, pray and reflect upon Vita Consecrata, St Pope John Paul's Apostolic Exhortation on the Consecrated life. Find out more from religiousvocations@staned.org.uk

We thanks all priests of the Archdiocese for their sacrifice and ministry.

If you want to explore the priesthood or religious life, visit the Vocations section of the Archdiocesan website here. Contact our vocations director Monsignor Patrick Burke at frpatrick.burke@staned.org.uk or on 01334 472856, or Sister Mirjam Hugens, director for Religious Vocations, on 0131 623 8902 | religiousvocations@staned.org.uk.

WATCH: Video series to prepare for Holy Year 2025

In preparation for the Jubilee Year, the Holy Father has asked us to study the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

Being Catholic has produced a new video series, suitable for parish groups or individual use, presented by Fr Tom Magill of Motherwell Diocese.

These are suitable for parish discussions or individual use.

Introduction

Sacrosanctum Concilium

Dei Verbum

Lumen Gentium

Gaudium et Spes

GALLERY: Day for Altar Servers

Archbishop Cushley thanked youngsters from across the Archdiocese at The Day for Altar Servers at The Gillis Centre in Edinburgh.

He told them: "I am very grateful for the work you do in your parish. If you are serving at Mass, you are serving the Lord, and it doesn't get better than that." -

The annual event involved training, games and prayer, along with a presentation of medals for children joining the Guild of St Cuthbert.
Thanks to Fr Robert Taylor (St Mary's Cathedral) and Fr Jamie McMorrin (St Margaret's, Edinburgh) for leading the day, along with fellow clergy, parents and parish sacristans and volunteers for joining us.
Also present were Fr Paul Lee (St Agatha's, Methil), Fr Francis Ututo (St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh), Canon Gerard Hand (Holy Cross & St Margaret's, Edinburgh), Fr Peter Shankland (St Mary's, Stirling), Deacon Tom McEvoy (Sacred Heart, Penicuik) and Gerard Holden, a seminarian of the Archdiocese.

Gallery

Altar servers The Parish from St Barbara Whitburn/Armadale with Archbishop Cushley.
" If you are serving at Mass, you are serving the Lord, and it doesn't get better than that." - Archbishop Cushley.
Altar Servers from Our Lady & St Ninian's, Bannockburn.
Altar Servers from The Sacred Heart & St Margaret, Penicuik.
Altar Servers from St Joseph's, Broomhouse, Edinburgh.
Altar Servers from St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh.
Holy Cross & St Margaret Mary Churches, Edinburgh.
Altar Servers from St Agatha's, Methil, and St Giles, Kennoway, with parish priest Fr Paul Lee.
Altar Servers from St Margaret's, Dunfermline, and Lady of Lourdes, Dunfermline.

 

 

The Language of the Church - talk series

The final talk in the series organised by the Young Adults Group of St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.

Begins 7:30pm at St Mary’s Cathedral house, 63 York Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3JD.

Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB (Aberdeen Diocese) will speak about ‘Eucharist: The source &  summit of the Christian life’.

Concludes with Confessions/Night Prayer and refreshments. For more information contact frrobert@stmaryscathedral.co.uk

 

The Language of the Church - talk series

Talk series organised by the Young Adults Group of St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.

All talks 7:30pm at St Mary’s Cathedral house, 63 York Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3JD.

Concludes with Confessions/Night Prayer and refreshments. For more information contact frrobert@stmaryscathedral.co.uk

Dates

Tuesday 19th November
‘Jesus Christ: True Lamb’
Fr Michael John Galbraith (St Mary's, Bathgate)

Tuesday 26th November
‘Eucharist: The source &  summit of the Christian life’
Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB (Aberdeen Diocese)