Altar servers from across the Archdiocese enjoyed a day of games, training and prayer at The Gillis Centre at the weekend.
Thanks to Fr Martin Eckersley of St Francis Xavier's in Falkirk for leading the day and to the priests and parents who came along to help make it a joyous event!
This week is Catholic Legacy Week. Wills and legacies are an important way to fund the work of the Church throughout the world.
Having just celebrated Pentecost, when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit, this year Catholics are being asked: What will be your gift to the world?
Visit yourcatholiclegacy.org.uk and see how you a legacy can support a charity of your choice. You will also find a will-writing guide there.
Perhaps you would like to help fund the education of a seminarian in our Archdiocese? It takes seven years to train a priest.
Or maybe you want to support our retired priests? After a lifetime of service to the Church, they should benefit from a safe & warm home, or have support if they are suffering from ill health.
You may decide to support your own parish; many church buildings need to adapt to a world of rising energy costs amd invest in heating, lighting and making buildings watertight and energy efficient.
In coming weeks we will be sharing information about legacies and wills on the Archdiocesan website.
If you would like to receive an information pack about legacies when it is produced please email information@staned.org.uk
Archbishop Leo Cushley speaks recently (Wed 21 Sep) about the recent landmark commitment of friendship and unity between the Catholic Church in Scotland and the Church of Scotland, the St Margaret Declaration.
This event was organised by the Edinburgh Jesuit Centre at Sacred Heart Church, Edinburgh (small hall) and was livestreamed on YouTube. (Watch below or here).
The event launches a programme of talks between September and December at the Edinburgh Jesuit Centre - see here for more details.
For the 100th consecutive week, Christian leaders across Scotland, including Archbishop Cushley, invite you to join in the Ecumenical Call to Prayer at 7pm tonight (Sunday 20 February).
The prayer began as a response to the Covid outbreak to pray for those affected and for an end to the pandemic.
The beginning of the public ministry of Jesus is recorded in direct and immediate terms in the Gospel of Mark. We begin in Nazareth in Galilee and are then transported to the River Jordan.
We see Jesus baptised and then driven out into the wilderness for forty days. The ministry of Jesus then begins as he proclaims: ‘The time has come...The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.’ (Mark 1: 9-15).
It is as if the account compresses time in order to capture and express the significance of the moment. Our experience of the passing of time over recent months is perhaps unlike anything we have ever collectively known.
On the one hand, the experience of lockdown and restriction, and the absence of the rhythms of life, has almost dislocated us from the normal experience of the passing of time. On the other hand, the relocation of worship, work and social interaction to digital platforms has rapidly transformed the times in which we live.
These two things, alongside many others, are happening at one and the same time and we cannot yet tell how they will finally shape future times. Although we cannot tell how the future will unfold, what we can do is recognise that the kingdom of God is at hand and, in the light of this, resolve to journey with Jesus towards the place of the Cross.
The gift of time, in the light of God’s Kingdom, is an opportunity to live out our response to the Good News of Jesus.
God whose kingdom is near
And who knows the times in which we live,
May we hear the call of Your Son
And turn once more to embrace the Good News He proclaims.
In the times in which we live,
Grant us grace to do so.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God whose kingdom is near
And who knows the times in which we live,
Your Son has embraced time
And became truly human for us and for our salvation. As we face the hard
challenges of these days
May we know that we are embraced by Your Son.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God whose kingdom is near
And who knows the times in which we live,
Be with those for whom this day is hard
And who long for respite.
Be with those who seek to bring healing and comfort
And grant them wisdom
and compassion to do so.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God whose kingdom is near
And who knows the times in which we live,
Be with us as we resolve to journey with Your Son
In the days that lie before us.
Whether in the wilderness, or by the living waters,
May we know Your
presence ever renewed.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Signed by:
Scotland’s Catholic Bishops have announced that the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday is to be restored from Sunday 6th March.
Bishop Hugh Gilbert, President of the Bishops’ Conference, says that the obligation to attend will apply “given the easing of restrictions in every other walk of life”.
He adds that the requirement to attend, “does not apply to those who are sick and their carers or to those aware of their greater vulnerability to the virus”. Read his pastoral letter below.
On the Restoration of the Mass Obligation in the Dioceses of Scotland
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The obligation for Catholics to celebrate Sunday as a Holy Day by gathering together for Mass will be restored from the First Sunday in Lent, Sunday 6th March.
Given the easing of restrictions in every other walk of life, the Church looks forward to welcoming Catholics back to Holy Mass. As always, the obligation does not apply to those who are sick and their carers or to those aware of their greater vulnerability to the virus.
May the continuing recovery of our country bring new hope to us all especially those who are ill, those who mourn loved ones, those who are apprehensive and those who have sustained us in so many ways throughout the Pandemic.
We, the Bishops of Scotland, take this opportunity to thank our clergy and our parish volunteers for all their efforts. May our Lenten journey this year lead us to a renewed appreciation of our Catholic faith, of the celebration of the Eucharist and of the presence of the Risen Christ who is always at our side.
Bishop Hugh Gilbert
President
Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
The Bishops' Conference of Scotland has postponed the restoration of the Sunday Mass Obligation.
In a statement released today, they said: "At the beginning of Advent the Bishops of Scotland looked forward to welcoming the faithful back to Holy Mass and anticipated that the restoration of the Sunday Obligation might be possible as we begin the New Year.
"Sadly, there has been a serious worsening of the situation and the restoration of the obligation [which was set for Sunday 2 January] will be postponed until a more favourable time."
They added: "For us Sunday is always a Holy Day and we invite those who are unable to be with us in person to continue to join with us in prayer and spiritual communion either by personal or family prayers or by online celebrations of Mass.
"We ask everyone to continue to pray for a speedy end to the Pandemic and for the good health of you and your loved ones in 2022. We also pray for all those who passed during 2021 and those who grieve.
"May Our Lady Health of the Sick pray for us and may Saints Andrew and Margaret protect us."
There are no further changes for places of worship as regards Covid guidelines.
Parishes are asked to continue best practice by ensuring face coverings are worn (unless exempt), that buildings are well ventilated and that hand sanitizer (and masks) are made available at the church entrance. Tea/coffee gatherings after Mass are permitted.
Archbishop Leo Cushley explains the importance of Catholics being able to gather together to worship Jesus Christ and receive the sacraments, in this edited BBC Radio Scotland interview with presenter Martin Geissler.
Interview first broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland on 26 March 2021. Full interview, also featuring Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland can be found here for a limited time.
Archbishop Cushley has welcomed church re-openings and thanked clergy and volunteers in this video message for parishioners in our Archdiocese.
The closure of places of worship by the Scottish Government has been deemed unlawful after a successful court challenge.
The action was brought by 27 leaders of Christian churches in Scotland and was supported by Canon Tom White, a priest of the Archdiocese of Glasgow.
They argued that the decision to close churches was unconstitutional and infringed on the right to manifest their religion under article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Lord Braid agreed that the Government's emergency legislation went further than was lawfully allowed.
Catholic Church
No other Catholic clergy were part of the legal action. However, Archbishop Leo Cushley, Bishop John Keenan (Paisley) and Bishop Stephen Robson (Dunkeld) submitted affidavits (written statements).
Breaking: Lord Braid agreed the regulations that closed our churches went further than was lawfully allowed and were a disproportionate interference of Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. pic.twitter.com/gH9SjwuQtG
— Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh (@archedinburgh) March 24, 2021
Archbishop Cushley challenged the proportionality of criminalising the opening of churches, which the Scottish Government imposed without consultation.
He highlighted the lack of consultation with Bishops from the Government, the imposition of seemingly arbitrary numerical caps (50 and 20) and the characterisation of public worship as 'non-essential indoor contact'.
In his judgment, Lord Braid said: "The attendance at mass is seen as an essential, not optional, element of the Catholic faith...A consecrated church building is considered to be a sacred space. The sacramental grace cannot be received from a video-recorded or video-streamed service."
Speaking to the BBC, Canon Tom White, parish priest of St Alphonsus Church in Glasgow, said: "I'm overjoyed to hear that the court has understood the essential need to protect not only the physical and material health of our society but also its spiritual needs and therefore overturned the disproportionate, unnecessary and unlawful blanket ban on public worship."
The decision to close churches in Scotland while others across Europe remained open is being challenged in a hearing today (Thursday 11 March).
A total of 27 church leaders from different Christian denominations across the country brought the action following the decision by the Scottish Government to criminalise public worship in churches as part of its lockdown restrictions.
They will contest State interference in the human right of religious freedom in Scotland at a time when churches in England, Wales and Northern Ireland remained open with safety measures in place.
The two-day full judicial review began at the Court of Session this morning. It comes just days after the announcement that places of worship can reopen on 26 March.
Canon Tom White, parish priest of St Alphonsus' Church in Glasgow, is one of those taking part in the judicial review.
A Glasgow priest has launched legal action against Covid-19 related church closures. Scottish worshippers currently face criminal penalties for going to church, in contrast to their English neighbours who can attend with safety measures in place.#ADFInternational pic.twitter.com/lJVs3ia5bu
— ADF International (@ADFIntl) February 24, 2021
No other Catholic clergy are part of the legal action. However three bishops, including Archbishop Leo Cushley, have individually submitted affidavits (written statements).
In his affidavit, submitted in a personal capacity, Archbishop Cushley challenges the proportionality of criminalising the opening of churches, which the Scottish Government imposed without consultation.
He does not dispute whether or not churches should be open or closed at this time but instead highlights the lack of consultation with Bishops from the Government, the imposition of seemingly arbitrary numerical caps (50 and 20) and the characterisation of public worship as 'non-essential indoor contact'.
If successful, the judicial review could see the Scottish Government's blanket ban on public worship due to the Covid-19 pandemic deemed unlawful.
Read more about the full judicial review here.